I confess… I gave my client bedbugs

Summary

Podcast Summary: Confessions of an Interior Designer

Episode: "I confess… I gave my client bedbugs"
Host: Caroline Turner
Guests: Erin & Matt Napier (Kismet House)
Date: November 12, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this candid, humorous, and occasionally chaotic episode, Caroline Turner welcomes Erin and Matt from Kismet House for a deep dive into the unconventional and astonishing realities of the luxury interior design world. The trio discusses the origins and dynamics of Kismet House, reacts to anonymous designer confessions (including a harrowing bedbug incident), and offers practical, heartfelt advice to fellow designers. The episode is filled with memorable anecdotes, unfiltered industry truths, and the kind of designer “gossip” usually reserved for happy hour.

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Guest Introduction and Kismet House Origins

[00:04–11:08]

• Erin and Matt’s journey began when Matt, a retired Cal Fire firefighter, and Erin, a stay-at-home mom in a new town, started sharing their fixer-upper journey on Instagram in 2016.

• Erin’s initial intent was finding community, not influencer fame:

  “I didn’t know you could do it as a job...I was just doing it for fun, hoping maybe I’d find clients or friends.” – Erin [02:00]

• As their following grew, brand opportunities knocked—surprisingly at first:

  “That is so exciting when you first get that email: nothing in return, we just want to send you something. You’re like, what?” – Caroline [02:08]

• Matt’s transition from firefighter (after 22 years and PTSD) to project manager/renovator for Kismet House was momentous and challenging:

  “I was crushed. I didn’t know what to do...this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and I can’t do it anymore.” – Matt [07:27]

• The pandemic’s timing provided the push to go all-in on the business:

  “The fact that the world was shut down made it easier to make the gamble...what else are you going to do?” – Erin [05:14]

Key dynamic: They attribute their success partly to understanding each other's stressors and communication styles (“When he needs a minute, I walk away...when I need the world to be quiet, he gives me space.” – Erin [06:40]).

Husband-Wife Team: Roles & Workflow

[11:38–18:10]

• Erin is the creative, vision, and content powerhouse (designs, sourcing, editing, social media).

• Matt runs logistics, tech support, and project management; he’s the grounder amidst creative chaos.

• Their workflow now includes management and staff, with clear delegations to preserve creative energy:

  “We work really hard to keep her in the creative side...once it gets too clouded in with the other things, the creativity shuts down.” – Matt [14:18]

• They emphasize mutual respect and partnership—a recurring theme:

  “The value of someone who can make not only what you visualize in design come true, but also understands you emotionally—that’s all you could ever ask for.” – Caroline [17:06]

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Industry Realities: Navigating Design, Contractors & Respect

[18:10–20:59]

• Matt’s unique position as both partner and project manager helps bridge the sometimes-contentious gap between contractors and designers.

  “They’re not going to tell him to f*** off. He speaks their language.” – Erin [19:19]

  “You would be shocked how many contractors will not stand behind their product.” – Caroline [18:57]

• Gender bias and respect are openly discussed:

  “Well, and he’s a man...There’s just a bigger level of respect there.” – Erin [19:23]

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Personal Questions: How They Met & “Vices”

[20:59–22:52]

• Erin and Matt met on MySpace—self-described “pioneers of online dating”:

  “Our mutual friend Tom set us up. He slid into my DMs before that was a thing.” – Erin [20:19]

• Favorite “vices”: Matt enjoys “a nice little gummy and cooking dinner” [21:05]; Erin is obsessed with Duolingo and her position atop the Diamond League [21:20].

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Confession #1: The Paris Antique Sourcing Horror

[24:49–34:15]

• Anonymous confession: Designer shares a harrowing story of antique sourcing in Paris, narrowly escaping a potentially dangerous situation after going alone to an off-site warehouse with a stranger—a $500 bistro table becomes the “ransom” for safe return.

  Notable Quotes:

  • “Is this a murder podcast? What’s happening?” – Erin [24:55]
  • “Don’t go to a second location. Don’t light up a room. It’s a life rule.” – Erin [28:04]

• All agree on the critical need for safety protocols when sourcing abroad. Advice includes tracking devices (Airtags in shoes/bags), sharing location, carrying battery packs, and never going to a second location alone.

  “You got so lucky...And I understand—the treasure hunt, the dream of a warehouse full of French antiques—that is absolutely how I would get murdered.” – Erin [30:42]

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Confession #2: The Bedbug Rug Debacle [34:27–41:27]

• Confession: An imported custom rug delivered and installed in a client's home brings...bedbugs. The designer is mortified, ultimately refunding the design fee and covering part of the extermination—though vendor blames transport, the trauma lingers.

  Notable Quotes:

  • “I would die. I like, I’m itching thinking about it.” – Caroline [35:42]
  • “I’d rather be kidnapped than have bedbugs—literally, on record.” – Caroline [38:31]

• Key takeaways: Total transparency and accountability, even for things outside your control.

  “It wasn’t technically my fault, but it felt like it was.” – Confessor via Caroline [36:46]

  • New protocol: Every imported textile now goes through professional cleaning.

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Kismet House Q&A: Business, Boundaries, & Internet Oddities

How Kismet House Became a Business [41:35–45:29]

• Followers, brand outreach, and client demand made the leap from passion to business clear by 2018; 2020 brought full profitability.

• Discussed struggles with boundaries—free advice requests are overwhelming:

  “You don’t want to ignore people, but it’s too much—there's so many people who need help for it to be viable.” – Caroline [43:03]

  “That is what we had to realize: got to stop giving out all the free advice. Not because you have to pay me...physically cannot.” – Erin [43:25]

Parasocial Relationships, Internet Weirdness [46:19–49:53]

• Erin’s comedic, relatable communication style leads to strong audience connections—and oversharing (sometimes even “dick pics” and "sugar daddy" propositions).

  “You would think there would be one arena on the Internet where we don’t get harassed...Home design should be the one place!” – Caroline [47:43]

  "I've had women in my comment section: 'Tell your husband that, you know, if you ever die, I'm available.' I'm like, what?" – Erin [48:56]

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Design Risks: Wins and Fails

[50:05–52:26]

• Erin’s best risk: Wallpaper. Always nervous, always worth it.

  “Take the risk with wallpaper. It always pays off.” – Erin [50:33]

• Worst fails: When she follows “hot” trends instead of instinct (e.g., regretting a trendy red paint color).

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Partnership Learnings: Working Together as Spouses

[53:19–57:44]

• Erin is a deeply visual learner—Matt often builds mock-ups and physically holds items up for her.
• Matt must be kept fed during projects; he won’t feed himself or be communicative otherwise ("Do you need to eat?" is code for "you're being a monster!" – Erin [56:21]).
• Matt cannot give “ballpark” numbers: precision or nothing, much to Erin’s exasperation.

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“Interiors That Make You Feel”: What Moved Them This Week

[57:46–61:44]

• Erin was struck by a sobering online joke about investing less worry in climate change because present-day political events are so overwhelming.
• Matt was moved by a TikTok from Steve Burns (of Blue’s Clues) on faith and kindness (“Why is it so easy to put faith in something you can’t see, but so hard to be kind to the person right next to you?” – [59:20]), and by watching the kids movie K Pop Demon Hunters with their children.

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Where to Find Kismet House

[62:33–63:08]

• On all socials: Kismet House (K I S M E T H O U S E)
• Focus: “Kismet is meant to be in Turkish. The concept is creating spaces that feel meant to be.” – Erin [63:01]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Design Disaster Trauma:

  “I would have to go to therapy. I already do, but my poor therapist would...‘We need to talk about this rug.’” – Caroline [41:11]

• On Industry Realities:

  “You would be shocked how many contractors will not stand behind their product.” – Caroline [18:57]

• On Gender and Authority:

  "He’s a man...there’s just a bigger level of respect there." – Erin [19:23]

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Key Takeaways

• Design disasters, personal safety, and contractor respect are everyday realities—prepare, protect yourself, and always be ready for surprises.
• Creative partnerships thrive with clear roles, mutual understanding, and lots of patience (and snacks).
• Building boundaries with clients and followers is crucial for sanity—“Don’t give it all away!”
• Embrace your mistakes as learning opportunities—sometimes what goes wrong is the best story you’ll tell (maybe on a podcast!).

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Confessions of an Interior Designer. I'm your host, Caroline Turner. Here we talk through the crazy stories that they certainly don't tell you in design school because let's face it, every space has its sins. Are you ready to hear confession? Confession. Hi, everyone. Today we're joined by Erin and Matt from Kismet House, the husband and wife duo known for turning houses into homes. What started as Erin sharing their fixer upper journey on Instagra has grown into a full blown design business built on creativity, resilience, and teamwork. Welcome, Aaron and Matt. Thank you guys for joining us. I'm so excited to talk to you.

[B]

Thank you. We're excited to be here. Thanks for the intro.

[A]

Of course. This is gonna be great. And I mean, as I'm sure most people who are listening know they've seen your content. You guys do some amazing content online. I was just talking about it before we got on mic, but I don't know if there's anybody who's listening who doesn't know who you guys are. But in case they don't, oh, my God, don't. We're gonna have you guys. No, I' in case they don't, I'm gonna have you guys sort of tell us how you got here. And then. Yeah, I have so many questions. I'm so excited to dive in.

[B]

Perfect. Well, how we got here. He actually, he's a retired firefighter. He worked with cal fire for 22 years. Wow. Yeah. And we purchased a fixer upper and I was, you know, stay at home, mom lonely. He was gone a lot.

[C]

All the time. A lot.

[B]

And so I started, you know, going to social media just to look for, like, an outlet and followed other design accounts. And I was like, oh, maybe I could do this. I'll just do it for fun. And then we started sharing the renovations of the fixer upper that we bought, and the following just grew from there. And at that point, it was 2016, and I didn't even know you could do it as a job. Right. It wasn't like, oh, I'm going to be an influencer. I didn't know that was a thing until brands started reaching out like, hey, we want to send you some wallpaper, or. And I was like, wait, what? People are going to give me stuff.

[A]

That is so exciting when you first get that email of, like, nothing in return. We just want to send you something. You're like, what? What do you mean?

[B]

I was like, I'm sorry, what?

[A]

That's so exciting.

[B]

Is that an episode of Cribs Yeah. Where they walk you through the PR room.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Our version of a swag bag. I've always wanted a swag bag.

[B]

Ex.

[C]

But you didn't decide to be a designer at that point. You had always had. Well, sure.

[B]

Yeah. Well, I had started to do. Like I said, I had no idea that I wasn't doing it to be an influencer. I didn't know that was a thing, genuinely. And I was like, oh, maybe if I share it online. Because we were in a town where I didn't know people. We had moved. And so I was like, maybe I'll find clients or friends or people in the sphere that I can connect with. It was for that reason, not for.

[A]

Yeah. More the community versus the.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Being an influencer, which I feel like you can tell the difference, and that's why you guys do so well online.

[B]

Well, thank you.

[A]

Because you're not positioning yourself as an influencer, which I appreciate, because I'm also an influencer.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

I think it's gotten to the point in our world, but definitely our industry where you kind of have to share. You have to be on social media, especially as the principal. And so. So the balance between sharing but not becoming an influencer can be a fine line for some people, and I think you've walked it very well.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

You're welcome.

[B]

That's very nice. Thanks so much.

[A]

Okay. And then tell me how Matt got involved. Obviously, he was a firefighter, so at some point, I'm assuming that you were. You retired. How did that go?

[C]

Yeah, So I had always been kind of part of it as it was growing.

[A]

Sure. Yeah. I can't imagine. You didn't have to do things.

[B]

No. Always it was just like, what do you want to do this weekend?

[C]

Because you're building. This vacation needs to be planned for projects. Instead of going on a trip or something, I'd take time off of work and it's like, hey, we're going to do a bathroom.

[A]

Spring break. Is now about the backyard.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

No, that's exactly how literally how it went.

[B]

Literally how it went.

[C]

I got injured. So I ended up, after 22 years, developing PTSD from all of the stuff that goes along with being a fireman.

[A]

Well, sure. Yeah.

[C]

That long. And was, like, totally lost. Didn't know what was going to happen with my career. Didn't have anything really to fall back on because I had dedicated my whole life, from the time I was about 16 years old into being a fireman.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[C]

And kind of fell into this developing Growing business full time because I was. I couldn't go to work. I wasn't allowed to be a work bonus.

[B]

All of this happened during March 2020.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

So that was my.

[C]

My last working day was like, early.

[B]

Early January, early January of 2020. And so then, like, the world shut down a couple months later.

[A]

Yeah. With no clue what was coming.

[B]

Wow. No clue. Yeah. You know, again, I mentioned I started in 2016, so 2020, we had established ourselves online. We. I had kismet. House was established. And so it was kind of like, hey, you could find a new career or we can go all in on this thing. And, you know, I think the fact that the world was shut down made it easier to make the, like, gamble to go all in. Because it's like, what else are you going to do?

[A]

Well, what are we going to lose?

[B]

Yeah. No one.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I remember that feeling so vividly. Like the world is burning down around us.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

How bad could it possibly go? If I decide to do this on my own, how much worse could it get? Not much. Which. There's a freedom in that a little bit.

[C]

Right.

[B]

I'm wiping down my bags from the grocery store. So, you know, here we are, just.

[C]

Scribbling down business plans. In between, I see drinking thriving.

[A]

All the best businesses are built that way.

[B]

Okay, thank you. Thriving. We're very professional.

[A]

But also, clearly, you guys are meant to be working together. Because you can tell just by talking to you, the way that you sort of defer to each other in different things. It's very sweet.

[B]

Oh, thanks. That's really nice.

[A]

You're welcome. I mean, it's.

[B]

Thank you. That's cool to hear. Yeah. We've always worked well together. We're very good at kind of like reading the other one to where it's like, yeah, he needs a minute. I'm going to walk away. Like, it's just. I'm not going to. I'm not, like, I can just tell, like, he's. He's at the breaking point with a project.

[A]

Better to not engage right this second. Yep.

[B]

Yeah. This is. It's a ticking time bomb. And he. With vice versa, like, when he can tell, like, I just need the world to be quiet. He's just like, okay, and I'll catch.

[A]

You in a bit.

[B]

100%. But it was tricky that first year. That was rough because, you know, he was leaving a career that was so much a part of his identity. Yep.

[A]

And there's gotta be some soul searching in that. Like, you know, your identity. I Mean, it's you. You feel like a different person.

[B]

Absolutely. Oh, yeah.

[C]

It was crushing. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I was. I was crushed. I didn't know what to do. I was completely lost.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. Like, this is the only thing that I've ever wanted to do.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I can't do it anymore.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So it was. It was difficult. And to go from, like, kind of this place of importance where you're showing up and you do an important job. Not that all jobs aren't important, but.

[B]

There is an element of, like, heroism with firefighting. Yes, there is. Like, there is. I mean, we as a society, and not that it's not valid, but we place them on a pedestal in a way. It's like, these are the heroes that show up to help us. And so when you go from this is part of your identity and to, like, hey, it's. That's not a part of you anymore. Figure it out. Also, social distance, and your kids are home on the computer learning, so. So enjoy.

[A]

Congratulations.

[C]

My gosh, that is a lot from this. Like, I was.

[B]

It was a lot. Yeah.

[C]

I had to retire. I was a fire captain, so I was in a supervisory role. And going from this in charge, supervisory role to where people listen, it's like that. No, I'm making the decision. This is what it is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To having a boss who's also your.

[C]

Wife that I sleep next to.

[B]

No, it was no pressure. John is. No issues.

[A]

Zero.

[C]

You know, at least twice, maybe three or four times, saying, like, I'm not one of your firemen.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm not one of your firefighters. You can't.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

I was like, that's not how this works here.

[A]

I mean, that's a hard cycle to break.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Also, I have to assume in a job like a firefighter, a police officer, a doctor, someone like that, very few people can do your job. Like, it's not like interior design, where you can just sort of be like, I picked it up one day. It's a very. I mean, strenuous, highly educated part of our communities. And so I have to assume that is very difficult to transition out of because you were always the person that people, like, went to for help above anybody else. And now you're helping so many people on the Internet learn about renovations. I mean, that's cool in its own right, in my opinion.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[C]

I think a lot of it was transferable skills as well, being able to communicate. And then now in the. In the role, when we take on clients, being the project.

[B]

Project manager, it's like oh, you want.

[C]

Me to run logistics?

[B]

I got that.

[C]

You need me to make quick decisions, I'm on it.

[B]

Yeah. It also makes him kind of fearless in doing things. Like, he said to me once, and I was like, what a bizarre, like, way to be able to frame things. But he was like, why am I going to be afraid to try wallpaper? I'm not. No one's going to die.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Like. Cause he was in a position where it's like, no, Literally, if I get this wrong, it's life and death. Yep. And now it's wallpaper. And so it's like he's. There's zero fear.

[A]

Now it's a couple thousand dollars of wallpaper. Like, it's gonna be a bad thing no matter what. Yeah, it's a bad thing, but it's not. My mom the other day said to me she's been trying to frame things as a tragedy or an inconvenience, and that has helped me so much. Like, there is no reason to be acting as if things are a tragedy when they're just an inconvenience. And, Matt, clearly you have that ingrained in your bones. I mean, that's something you don't have to think about, you know?

[B]

I do not have that ingrained in your bones. Me neither. Me neither. Tragedy. So he's like, we're not gonna need to calm down. We're here. It needs to be.

[C]

I know timeline and budget are very important.

[B]

I'm like, this is the wrong color brass. And you don'.

[A]

Everything is horrible. No, I'm the same way. I get the same way. Because, you know, we're paid to pay attention to the details.

[B]

So it's nice to have someone who has that ability.

[A]

Yeah. Has some perspective, which I certainly lack sometimes.

[B]

Yes. Yeah.

[A]

Well, that's lovely. Okay, so since 2020, have you guys talk to me. This may be like, a little granular, but talk to me about, like, your day to day, who handles what. How do you guys work? Can you talk to me a little bit more about that?

[B]

Sure. So I used to all of it again, because I kind of fell into this whole thing. I was my own manager. I was negotiating the contracts, I was making the content, I was coming up with the designs and. And also trying to do, like, client things here and there. And it was unhinged. Don't do that. Ask for help.

[A]

Way too much.

[B]

Yeah, get help. Delegate. And so that was kind of like the biggest hurdle in 2020 is I was like, I'm already a control freak. And so then take on like, okay, now I have to be like his boss, but his. I'm his wife first. I'm his partner with our children first. That comes first. And so at the end of the day, like, this is a job and this is our forever. This is less important than this. And so learning how to like manage that and delegate those roles. And so we do have management now. We do have like staff and helpers do roles like the LTK role, the affiliate links and all those things. And then he does project management when we have clients. I do the design. He does a lot of the interface with the management team through email. He handles billing, tech support. Tech support. But he's. I'm always just losing things. Don't know where my phone is. Don't know where my earbuds are. Same. Where's the tripod? I don't know.

[A]

I have like a talent for losing keys. It's a whole joke in my office. Like, I can't keep a key for anything to save my life. Why are we like that?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Do you think it's because of all the other details that we're like holding that we can't remember the actual day to day ones? Like, what is that?

[B]

All of the design genius is taking up our space. Okay.

[A]

That's exactly what it is. There's no room in our brains. We're too good.

[B]

Okay. There are fabric swatches.

[C]

They say Einstein didn't know how to get himself home.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He had other things going on. Yeah. No, I. Yeah, so it's definitely. He handles more of the, the logistics. I'm the creative. I come up with the designs. I do the sourcing. I also do all the video shooting and editing and the voiceovers. I spend a chunk of time. Once the content goes live, I spend a chunk of time interacting.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

But then we also have someone who helps with that. But yeah, so that's on the. On the creative side for sure. And he's the.

[C]

But we need, you know, we work really hard to keep her in the creative side to allow the space for creativity. Because once it gets too clouded in with the other things that go on in the business, the creativity shuts down.

[A]

Yeah, me too.

[C]

Where on my side, it's like I can answer an email and then go back to hammering nails.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And it's.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

So I mean, but you get five or six emails in and it's like, no, the creativity has completely left the building. Yeah.

[A]

Well, and what a gift, Matt, that you acknowledge that and see it. And Aaron, it's not something that you're having to like, beg for. Because that's something that I haven't always been able to verbalize. To partners, to team members, to whoever. Like, I understand it's just a couple of emails, but to my brain, if I leave this creative thing I'm doing to go do these five emails, it's not happening. Like, it's not happening possibly for days because of that's how my brain works. And so, I mean, clearly you guys have been working together very closely because the fact that you're able to know that and understand that and sort of preserve what she needs to preserve, I mean, that is beyond valuable.

[C]

I'm able to express it when it comes to practice. That's that.

[B]

No, he's very good at it.

[C]

So very good at communicating it. Yeah, there's too much around right now. Like clutter and things like that.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I got it. Because I can live in clutter. I can live in pain.

[B]

Like, he'll come. He'll like, see that it's like that non verbal communication. He can see it on my face. And he's like, what's happening? And I'm like, there's so much input. I'm going to break. And I'm like, and I don't know how. I don't even know where to start.

[A]

Yeah, you get like paralysis.

[B]

Yes. And he's like, well, we have these five things that have to get done. So what thing do you have? Absolutely no ability to delegate. And I'll say this. I can't let anyone else do this. And he's like, okay, and what thing is most important next on that list? And I'm like, this. And so it's like, he'll help break down the list for me. Wow. And which is huge. I mean, I literally have. Could not do it without. Couldn't. I mean, literally, literally because of the renovations. Could not do it without him. But also that portion.

[C]

I couldn't do any of this without you.

[B]

Well, thank you.

[A]

I said earlier I was gonna put a mat on my vision board and you're just like, really? Just really? Yeah. You're only holding your case. Honestly. No. But the value of someone who can make not only what you visualize in design come true in the actuality, but also someone who understands you emotionally. I mean, that's like all you could ever ask for.

[B]

Truly. It truly is. I'm a lucky girl. I get told a lot in the comment sections. I'm lucky. I'm like, I do.

[C]

I am.

[A]

And I mean, vice versa.

[B]

Well, thank you.

[A]

You know, I don't mean to only talk well about a man. That's not what I'm trying to do.

[B]

Absolutely not. I'll stand for that.

[A]

No, but clearly you guys, there's not one without the other.

[C]

The thing is, is that she can do this without me. She can hire people to do what I do. My, my, the, the thing that I do, I don't have a skill set that is not like available. It just is expensive.

[B]

So I disagree. He likes to. I'm like. But I don't. But yes, he's a great.

[C]

I'm not the best at anything that I do. Oh my God.

[A]

But speaking from working with contractors who are not married to me, like they'll literally just tell me to go fuck myself. Like they don't care what I want sometimes. Like it doesn't matter that I think it should be xyz, whereas to you it does. So honestly, who gives a shit if other people can do the physical work? The fact that you have enough respect for her talent to actually do what she's asking you to do, that's the major thing to me.

[B]

I 100%.

[C]

I like that perspective.

[B]

100%.

[C]

You know, where every contractor is going to stand by their product but our product is very forward facing of a much larger thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That combines both of us also.

[A]

You would be shocked how many contractors will not stand behind their product.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

Problem number one.

[B]

I mean when we do client projects, he project manages. We'll have. They'll be a gm. Sure. Or he'll do. We'll do subs and he'll project manage. But even when there's a gm, he'll still act as the project manager, like on my behalf because they're not going to tell him to fuck off. Isn't that crazy because he speaks their language.

[A]

Yep, yep. And there's just a bigger level of respect there.

[B]

Well, and he's a man.

[A]

Yeah. No, it's true.

[B]

And men. But sorry. Yes, there is, there is. It's like we unders. We speak the same language.

[C]

The language.

[B]

I can't bullshit you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because you could do this. Yeah. And so there isn't that like. And so he goes in and says no, we want it like this. And even if they give him side eye, he's like this is how it's getting done. Yeah. Like I don't really care what you need that. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[A]

Good cop, bad cop.

[B]

That's ideal for sure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's great.

[C]

I have my Jeff Lewis as my spirit Spirit animal.

[B]

He's like, jeff Lewis is an asshole. Just go in there and do that.

[A]

I think that's a pretty great choice. That'll get things done for sure. Oh, my God. That's amazing. Well, this is one of the best stories I've heard thus far. I love you guys and I love your story. Can I ask how you guys met?

[B]

MySpace.

[C]

Yeah, we're on MySpace.

[B]

We like to call ourselves the pioneers of online reading.

[C]

Our mutual friend Tom set us up.

[B]

He's the best. He slid into my DMs before that was a thing.

[C]

Right, right into the DMS and right into the top eight.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

That's right. Number one.

[A]

Right into the top eight.

[B]

Yeah, it was.

[A]

Oh, my God, I'm so glad I asked. How could I have missed that? Very important tidbit of information.

[B]

That's how you guys. Very romantic.

[A]

Before we get into the confessions, which we are about to, I'm very excited. What's advice that you guys partake in?

[C]

I do. I do like a nice little gummy.

[B]

Like that guy on the Internet who's like, hello, have you seen him?

[C]

Jeffrey Keller. Oh, my God.

[B]

He's 10 out of 10, no snack.

[C]

Gummy and cook dinner.

[B]

So my advice is. Okay, so I have a very, very nerdy vice, but it's very real, is duolingo. I can't get off duolingo. It's problematic. I like. Well, there's shows I want to be watching right now. Like, nobody wants this season, too. And I'm just sitting there and I can't stop because I'm so competitive. I'm like, I will not lose my number one spot in the Diamond League.

[A]

What language are you learning?

[B]

Spanish. Can I communicate to you in Spanish?

[C]

No.

[B]

But have I been in the Diamond League for seven months? That's right. I had. So ridiculous.

[A]

You should get pins and shirts made so people know, because that's not fair to be hidden.

[B]

Exactly. I'm like people. I send them my. I'm like, celebrate me. Send me a little confetti in the family group chat. It's. It's a problem. It's a problem. It's so nerdy. Oh, my God.

[A]

That's so funny.

[B]

It truly is a problem.

[C]

It's very disruptive.

[B]

He looks at me from beside the bed just like.

[A]

You have a problem.

[C]

She's on duolingo. I'm just over here looking at people's junk.

[A]

Who said marriage is boring? That sounds great.

[B]

It's not boring at all.

[A]

That sounds great.

[B]

There it is. It's just so dumb.

[A]

That is the best vice I've heard so far. That is so good, so good, so good, so good. These confessions are very One's very wild, so I'm excited to get into it, too. And the other. Okay, all right, let's do it. A few years ago, early in my career, I was in Paris, sourcing for a client who wanted everything to feel like it had a story. You know, nothing new, everything antique, and one of a kind. I'd been running around the city all week, hopping between flea markets, antique shops, and private collections, and honestly, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. I'd learned to spot a fake, to negotiate without completely freezing up, and to sort of read the people I was dealing with. Or at least I thought I could. Toward the end of the trip, I wandered into this quieter part of the city I hadn't been to before. The main streets were cute and busy, cafes, people everywhere. But once I turned down this little side street, it got quieter, kind of empty. There was this small antique shop tucked down a short alley. It didn't look like much, but that's usually where the best stuff is, so I went in. Inside, it was dark and cluttered, full of furniture and boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. There was an older man there who started showing me pieces around the store, trying very hard to get me to buy something. I told him I was looking for something specific for a client, and he left for a few minutes, came back with a younger guy, and said he would take me to a storage location where he had more pieces. At the time, I felt a little unsure, but reassured myself that it wasn't totally weird. Dealers sometimes store inventory off site, especially bigger pieces. I was still kind of new to all of this, and I didn't want to seem naive or difficult, so when he offered to drive me there, I said sure. As soon as I got in the car with him, I started to feel uneasy. We left the main area, driving to a part of the city I wasn't familiar with, and there were fewer and fewer people around. And then my phone died. Of course, without my map, I had no idea where we were going and no way of contacting anyone. As a mom, are you starting to freak out a little?

[B]

I'm like, is this a murder podcast? What's happening?

[A]

It's turning into it.

[C]

She's part of, like the.

[B]

I'm not sure. I'm also a crime junkie and I'm gonna talk.

[A]

I am, too. So right there with you. Right there with you. I kept Trying to ask how far it was. But he didn't speak very much English and I couldn't understand what he was saying back. At one point, he got out of the car and started talking to a man across the street. He kept glancing at me while I was in the car waiting. I could feel his eyes on me as they gestured and spoke in French. I tried to act calm, but I couldn't stop my mind racing, wondering why he was looking at me like that, what they were saying, and whether I'd made a huge mistake getting into the situation. Finally, he got back in the car and stopped shortly after in front of a small, unmarked building at the end of a deserted alley. Like fully horror movie at this point.

[B]

What? Absolutely. This is where you die.

[A]

Yeah. This is where you're like, okay, and I've made a grave error.

[B]

If the jewels from the Louvre aren't in this building, what the fuck has just happened?

[C]

So true.

[A]

So true. I got out of the car, trying not to show that I was freaked out. I followed him inside because I didn't know what else to do. She's so brave.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Or dumb. Sorry. Or.

[A]

Or no. Or dumb. Or dumb.

[B]

I apologize to this confession person.

[A]

To this person. But also, I mean, I guess, do you do. At that point, you're in, like, an alley. You don't know where you are. Your phone is dead. You're so in it at this point.

[B]

I mean, you're in it, right? You're in it.

[C]

You're about to walk into a warehouse that. Just one chair.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You've accepted your faith.

[A]

It's kind of getting Breaking Bad or something like, this is not okay. I remember feeling so trapped, like I couldn't just turn around and leave without making it worse. I realized how vulnerable I was and started to feel sick. After a few minutes, I worked up the courage and told him I needed to go back. He brushed me off and tried to show me something new. I tried again, politely but firmer, saying I really needed to leave. Oh, my God, this is actually scary. He got visibly irritated and said something sharp in French to another guy. They both looked annoyed, so I panicked, pointed at a small bistro table I sort of liked and said, if I buy this, will you take me back? I remember this awful silence before he finally said something like, fine, and then had me pay €500 for it. I nearly threw the money at him, grabbed it, and got back in the car. The drive back felt endless. I was shaking the whole time, trying to stay calm and act normal, but trying to stop Imagining myself as a news headline. Then suddenly, we turned a corner, and I saw cafes and people again. Familiar streets, actual light. And I finally felt like I could breathe. When I got back to my hotel, I couldn't stop replaying it. I realized how naive I'd been, how quickly something that seemed so normal could turn into something really scary. It changed how I travel for work. I'm careful now. I ask more questions, and I never, ever go to a second location alone, which is very key in the not getting kidnapped piece.

[B]

Oh, my God. Yeah, exactly. Also, you know this person, I would suggest they listen to Crime junkie.

[C]

Please.

[B]

It's a life rule. There's. Don't go to a second location. Don't light up a room.

[C]

Right.

[B]

They always get killed.

[A]

Don't light up a room.

[B]

They all. It's always.

[A]

They're always the ones.

[B]

Somehow there's always the ones lighting up a room. Be a. And stink.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

I just want to know, like, what did he think she was gonna buy? I want to know what the language barrier. Like, what did he. What was he like?

[A]

I have so many questions.

[B]

Is the bistro table, like, fabulous, though? I have so many followers.

[A]

It doesn't sound like it.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Yes. I need photos.

[B]

Did the bistro table go in the car with them?

[A]

Yes, it sounds. It sounds like it, at least from what I'm understanding.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's interesting to me because, like, obviously, she had no choice but to get back in the car, but how I would almost feel more unsafe in that situation than, like, being in a place where at least I could. Like. Like, you're not in a trapped moving vehicle with someone. Like, that would be the piece that. I feel like I would be more scared than anything if I had just felt like they don't want to let me leave. And now I have to get in a vehicle with this person. It's like, the ride back, I'm probably losing my mind.

[B]

There's the. Like, okay, maybe she's not afraid. The ride back. Now we know she's not afraid.

[A]

Now we know she trusts us.

[B]

Now we know she doesn't trust us.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The veil's been lifted.

[A]

Yes. And so we can do anything. And may as well, because we know that she knows exactly. Like, that's a position. That is not. But, I mean, I get it. Especially if you're, like, out in the middle of nowhere. Your phone is dead. I mean, she got so lucky. She got so lucky. My God.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

We need to give penance.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I have some Penance. And it's, like, all very tangible.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I feel like we gotta get some tracking stuff with you.

[B]

100%.

[A]

I don't really antique alone for that reason, unless it's in the U.S. but, like, someone always needs to know where you are and, like, be able to have access to your location without your phone.

[B]

100%.

[A]

Because I feel like if you don't spend a lot of time in other countries, you don't realize how fast your phone dies because your data is roaming the whole time. And so you get in a bad situation, your phone is dead, you have no choices. I mean, you know, obviously, that's when bad things happen. And I understand. I'm like, you know, I appreciate a treasure hunt when you're. When you have your sight sets on something and you're like, oh, this old man probably has great stuff in his warehouse. I mean, a warehouse full of old French antiques is my dream scenario. Like, you know, if I'm being totally.

[B]

Honest, this is absolutely how I would get murdered.

[C]

This is exactly.

[A]

This is the candy van.

[B]

But for us, this is the unmarked van.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

100%. I'm like, I'm sorry. Fresh antiques. I'm in.

[C]

Where's your car?

[A]

We did not have to worry about puppies. We needed to worry about antiques.

[B]

I mean, why did I call her dumb? That's so, so B.S. like, I'm like, I'm not getting in that car. I'm absolutely getting in that car. And I'm furious that there's a bistro table waiting for me.

[A]

I'm, like, furious.

[B]

Curious. Like, they should be afraid of us at that point.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

You took me to a second location for this?

[A]

For a bistro table? For a bistro table pair.

[B]

One call.

[A]

I know. And for €500. That feels like a lot. I don't even know what the bistro table looked like, but that feels like five times as much as it should have been. My God.

[B]

100%.

[A]

I love solo traveling. It is something I really enjoy. But I do think when you're. It makes sense to take an assistant or a friend even, or your mom. Like hell. Just somebody that can have their eyes and ears also open on what's going on.

[B]

But at the very least, share your location with someone. And, like, they. They sell backup battery packs.

[A]

Yes, they do. That you can, like, stick onto your phone. Yes, exactly.

[B]

Just. Yes. Be prepared and make sure someone knows your location.

[C]

Always communicate. Right? Like, I grew up going hiking and camping. You always communicate where you're going to go, so it can be as easy as, yes, I'll go to this second location. You make your quick phone call prior to the phone dying. Yeah, and hey, I was just shopping at this store, and I'm going off site to their warehouse.

[B]

Here's their license plate.

[C]

Bob.

[B]

There's a picture of the guy.

[A]

This is what he looks like.

[B]

Day and age.

[A]

No, seriously.

[C]

And I mean, also, Apple airtag earrings or something.

[A]

I mean, you might be on this earth.

[B]

We're not wearing Apple airtag earrings in France. Like, how dare you?

[C]

Slipping in the tummy of your shoe.

[B]

Okay, shoe, fine.

[A]

I do have an airtag in every single one of my purses. So you just shove it in, like, a little pocket in your purse. So easy.

[B]

Absolutely. My wallet has to have an airtag in the most.

[C]

Same.

[A]

We need air tags just like our keys and wallet do.

[C]

Twice a month, Sheila leaves her debit card at the same location at the nail salon.

[B]

I'm very busy.

[A]

Apple pay has changed my life. The fact that I don't have to get my card out and pay for something has made it so I leave it way less places. Thank God. Thank God.

[B]

Smart.

[C]

Do you have an airtag on your keys?

[A]

Yes, I have to. But still, somehow it's always, like, dead, out of range, like something happens to where, or. The classic Caroline thing to do is to take one key off the keyring. The key that I need. So then I, like, put it in my jean pocket.

[B]

Because your key's bulky because of the airtag.

[A]

I can't put it in my little purse. There's too many things.

[B]

Exactly. And my lipstick can't fit.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Obviously.

[A]

Too many keys. Oh, my God. Okay.

[B]

Oh, it's so good. Okay. Very relatable. I'm very happy she survived.

[A]

Very happy she survived. And I'm sorry about your $500 bistro table because you got ripped.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

But for your life, $500 was worth it for sure.

[B]

Worth every penny. Penny, penny, penny.

[A]

A few years ago, I sourced a custom rug for a client. An oversized Persian style piece, hand woven in India through a vendor I'd used many times before. They were reputable, consistent, and had never let me down. It wasn't cheap either. A five figure, rugged. It arrived perfectly wrapped, looked beautiful, smelled fine. Everything about it felt right. We installed it during the final styling day. The room came together effortlessly. The furniture, the art, the lighting, and the rug grounded it all. The client was thrilled. She even hosted a small gathering that weekend to show off the finished space. A week later, she reached out to say that she developed what looks Like a rash. I didn't think much of it at first. Maybe an allergy, maybe dry skin. But when she mentioned she'd seen something unusual near the baseboards, I told her to call. I have chills. I told her to call a fumigator just in case. The inspection confirmed what I was dreading. The rug had bed bugs.

[B]

No.

[C]

No.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, my God.

[A]

In your client's brand new home.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

Moment of silence for this person because, my God.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

I would die.

[A]

No, like, I'm. I'm. I. Like I'm itching thinking about it. The fumigation team arrived that same day. I went over in a panic, and they were already there. Suits on, preparing the treatment. Seeing that scene, professionals in masks and gloves working around something I had sourced was surreal. I felt sick. The vendor insisted it couldn't have been their fault. Said it must have happened. Happened during transport. But that didn't matter. The client was mortified. Her home, which had just been transformed into. Into this beautiful finished space, now needed professional fumigation.

[B]

Oh, my God. You poor, sweet thing. I'm so sad for this designer. Oh, my God.

[A]

Because, like, she did nothing wrong, and this is the worst thing that could happen. Like, oh, my God.

[B]

Oh, God. Horrifying.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

She tried to stay composed at first, she meaning the client. But as the process dragged on, her patience wore thin. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I ended up refunding my entire design fee for that room and covering part of the extermination. It wasn't technically my fault, but it felt like it was.

[B]

Oh, my God. Honestly, I'd probably do the same thing.

[A]

That's what I said to Claire earlier.

[C]

Mm.

[A]

I was like, I would have done the same resolution. There's no. It's awful. It's just an awful situation. Like, you're awful.

[B]

Like, it doesn't matter that it's not your fault. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Oh, God. Just so awful for everyone involved. Like, the whole thing. Like, how awful for the client, but just how humiliating for the designer. Oh, my God.

[A]

I mean, I'm trying to think of, like. And I'm not making it better for this person, but I'm thinking about, like, the ricochet of your reputation. Reputation. Like someone says, yeah, this designer brought a rug with bed bugs. No one's touching me with a 10 foot pole. The word bed bugs. You're done. Yeah. Like, even if it's 100% not your fault, you know, like the four seasons got bedbugs and people, like, didn't go for months, they Didn't. The bed bugs didn't originate with them, but they still had them, so it was still their problem. Exactly. And I feel like that is.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

It's an opportunity for a rebranding.

[B]

I'm like, silver lining. Reinvent me.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

I'm going by a new name now.

[B]

I'm gonna go on the Swan and transform my face.

[A]

I would be fucking off to Italy to one of those, like, $20,000 little cottages that are currently falling down in some small town.

[B]

I'd be like, I can be kidnapped by a French man now. Take my life.

[A]

Honestly.

[B]

It's done.

[A]

Let's do it. It's great.

[B]

We're done here. I would rather have lived the French person story.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no. No one. I would rather be kidnapped than have bedbugs literally on record.

[C]

I would rather be kidnapped or be responsible for bedbugs.

[B]

Either way, that's just going to be the clip for the show. I'd rather be kidnapped than bedbugs.

[C]

Right. That's the headline here.

[B]

That's a takeaway. Okay.

[A]

100%.

[B]

Yep. Exactly.

[A]

That's what.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I mean, it's a miracle I don't cancel myself every single podcast.

[C]

So good. Do we pre fumigate all of our rugs now or.

[A]

That's my question. What do we do?

[B]

What do you even do? I don't know. Do you, like, vacuum seal it?

[A]

She, They. I don't know if it's he or she. They say because of that, I'm now paranoid about everything I source. Yeah, of course. Every customer imported textile now goes through professional cleaning before it ever crosses a client's threshold. It might be overkill, but I'm so traumatized by that horrible experience that I'll do anything to prevent it from happening again.

[B]

Well, now I will professionally claim anything.

[A]

That I source, literally for all of us, because this.

[B]

I mean, is now traumatized.

[A]

Because I need to know who the.

[B]

Rug vendor was, though, because it's absolutely a them problem.

[A]

Oh, how could it not be like.

[B]

That didn't happen in transit.

[A]

No. Especially because we know how rugs are transported. They're rolled up in plastic.

[B]

Yes. Sealed within an inch of their life.

[A]

Yeah. No, that doesn't make sense. You. No, it came from.

[B]

Those were homegrown bedbugs.

[A]

1,000%. You are correct.

[B]

Not UPS's problem. No. That's crazy.

[A]

That poor, poor woman. Okay, penance. Well, penance for the rug vendor is I think they're gonna have to burn their whole facility down. I think they're just Gonna have to take a torch to the lot of it. And we're just gonna have to start over.

[B]

That's right. Yeah. Burn it down.

[A]

There's no other solution. I'm so sorry to say.

[B]

That's it. The designer did everything right. You know, they've paid their penance.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, they've more than paid their penance.

[B]

So now we just need to set the rug facility on fire.

[A]

Yeah. I think the designer. Her penance is a gummy and a bath. Like, I think she deserves 100% some. I mean, I would be. I would have to go to therapy. I already do go to therapy, but, like, my poor therapist would be like something else.

[B]

Caroline. But just for the rugby.

[C]

Yeah, we're not gonna talk about.

[B]

We're gonna give. We're gonna give the childhood a break. Okay. We need to talk about this rug.

[A]

Yeah, listen, mom and dad, not a concern. It's the rug.

[B]

It's the bugs that have ruined my.

[C]

Career by bed bugs.

[B]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[A]

Okay, couple questions for you guys. You've shared that Kismet House really started as a passion project. At what point did it feel like, okay, this could actually be something bigger?

[B]

When we started, like, gaining a bunch of followers and brands started reaching out, that's when it was like, oh, oh, holy cow. Because when that started happening, we also started getting emails from people, like, being, hey, would you be able to come do this? Would you be able to do a virtual consultation? Like, it kind of all happened at once once. There was this social media notoriety. Clients can't. And it was like, okay, this could really become something. And I think it was 2018 was, like, the year that I was like, I think this could really become something. And then by 2020, it had become, like, a fully profitable business. So his first two years, it was his salary that was supporting us, and we were getting things gifted to us. A lot of trade, but it wasn't like we were being paid sponsors making money off of it. And then we were offering design help that literally for free for a lot of people, unless it was a client who wanted us to come in house. And people would just be like, hey, can I. Can I run this by you? Can I? And it was just chaos, you know, horrible business model. But it's that parasocial relationship where, you know, people have that, like, well, you're available, so just answer my question.

[A]

I mean, I still struggle with it, and I absolutely. I've never positioned myself as just, like, someone who's willing to help Online. And it is shocking how many people reach out and are like, does this look good? And you don't want to ignore people, like, as a human to human. You don't want to. Want to just be like, fuck off. But it's too much. There's so many people who need help for it to be viable.

[B]

A million percent. And that is what we ended up being like, okay, so we got to stop doing that. Got to stop giving out all the free advice. Not. And it wasn't because you have to pay me. It was like, physically cannot.

[A]

You can't focus on all the things you have to do. Yes, exactly.

[B]

And handle my clients and give all this free advice. And so. But, you know, it's valid. I get why people feel that way. Because you are offering, like, content is free.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It's free to consume. And you're providing this, you know, inspiration, this service in a sense. And so it's like, well, if you're doing this, why wouldn't you do this?

[A]

It's like a natural extension for me to just ask a question. I get why. I agree. I get why people think that. And I don't think it's malicious on other people's part.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

They truly just think that, like, it would take us 30 seconds to answer a question when like times a thousand. Exactly. What's not being understood is. That's true. If you were the only one, but you're not. So we can't do that for every single person.

[B]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

Okay. Okay, great. I agree. That's something that has really. I thought as people understood more and more about like, what designers actually do, I thought that was. Would fall off a little bit. And it has fallen off in my personal life. Like, people don't ask me questions now in my personal life. Like they used to, like you used to go to a dinner party and people would be asking you design questions. Now they know better. Not because I ever said anything, but, you know, people just are like, they now realize, like, oh, you're being paid by other people. Like, I can't just ask you these things 100%. But I think on the Internet it's a little bit harder to like, get that across.

[B]

Agree.

[C]

Business hours.

[B]

The Internet has no business hours.

[A]

None.

[B]

There's no. I mean, also. So it's just, I think people there's. Because it feels it's real, but it's not. Like it's. So there's that disconnect where people will be more insulting than they would ever be in person or more intimate than they Would ever be in person with a stranger.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And so it's. I think there's just blurred lines because of the accessibility of someone who creates content, which is valid. I mean, it really is. But I think that's why I think in real life, people are. You. Don't. You have a friend in the family who's a lawyer? You're not like, all right, I brought these files.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

And this is. This is what it's going through. Can you review that?

[A]

Yeah, exactly. I think that's a great example.

[C]

You know, we're having brunch.

[B]

We're having brunch.

[A]

I cannot give you legal advice. Well, and I will say, growing up with two attorneys, my parents would always be like, sorry, I can't give legal advice unless you're actually a client.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And sometimes people would be like, here's a dollar, and they'd be like, that's not what I. That's not what I meant.

[B]

You saw that on a TV show by. That's not gonna work. She's not a retainer.

[A]

That's not gonna work.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

I will say. Or I guess. Question for you, Erin. So because of the way you do your voiceovers, which are hilarious, and, I mean, I think anyone who's listening to this, you're just naturally a very funny person. I think sometimes people try really hard on the voiceovers to be funny, and it comes across as cliche or corny, but you can just tell. You naturally speak that way and are naturally very funny. Than to assume that also means people feel like they feel more connected to you or like they know you better than they actually do because you're being real on the Internet. Has that been something that you've dealt with?

[B]

I would definitely say that people. I've had people tell me really personal, intimate stuff or share things with me about their private lives or, like, share things about, like, what's going on with their kids or send pictures of, like, a project that they're working on. Like, just stuff that. That, in general, you wouldn't send to a stranger on the Internet. And the weird part is, I don't find it weird. I'm like, I get it. I mean, I'm like. Like, I'm. You know, I'm here. I am.

[A]

I mean. Yeah, I. Yeah, it makes sense.

[B]

Better than.

[C]

Better than dick pics.

[B]

I do get those, too. And that's horrendous.

[A]

Oh, God, my granddad.

[C]

This.

[B]

Nobody wants it.

[A]

You would think there would be one arena on the Internet where we don't get harassed. You would Think home design would be the one place.

[C]

Can I ask you a question about those? About the curtains? Here's a picture in exchange.

[A]

Here's a picture of my dick.

[B]

Horrendous. So, yeah, there's a lot of offers for sugar daddies in between. It's very bizarre.

[A]

The sugar daddies are an epidemic.

[B]

Like, it's an epidemic what's happening.

[A]

I know it's scam, but I want to know, what do they want from me? It's.

[B]

It's.

[A]

I don't understand. I don't understand the business model.

[B]

He's like, message back. He's all, get that? 10 G's. Why not? I'm like a sir.

[A]

Yes, Phil from Arizona and a fedora. I do want $1,000 a week. Like.

[B]

Obviously.

[A]

Yes, sir, I do. Here is my Venmo.

[C]

I find it.

[B]

You're not going to be nice.

[C]

I find it flattering.

[B]

I don't. I find it horrifying.

[A]

I find it horrifying, yeah.

[B]

Horrifying.

[C]

No. But yeah, there's definitely offers for me to have.

[B]

I've had women in my comment section being like, tell your husband that, you know, if you ever die, I'm available. I'm like, what?

[A]

Okay, on my page. But that's got it. Actually gonna put you on a do not fly list, you fucking freak. Like.

[B]

I actually said to that particular point, and I was like, you know what? I respect the hustle. Like, you don't even give a fuck that you're saying this to his wife. I respect the hustle to his very.

[A]

Alive wife and mother of his children. Nothing's wrong with you.

[B]

I'm gonna send him your screenshot. Linda gonna inspect. I'm sure he's gonna call you up.

[A]

Oh, my God. She has a voodoo doll of you. She is preying on your downbell. She.

[B]

100%. That's why I have had.

[C]

This is where the bruises come from. This is where the weird bruises come from.

[A]

Mystery bruises are coming from her. The push pins in the voodoo doll.

[B]

I can respect the hustle. I do.

[A]

My God. Oh, my God, that is so funny. Okay, what's a design risk that you've taken that totally paid off and one that maybe didn't go as planned?

[B]

I feel like I always get nervous, which I don't know why, but I always get nervous about wallpaper. I'm always like, no, it's so permanent, it's going to be a pain to remove. And then every time I do it, I'm like, why did. Why am I not wallpaper?

[A]

It's the most impactful.

[B]

It's so magical ever.

[A]

It's so magical. I love it every time.

[B]

It's so good. And so I've never been unhappy with a wallpaper situation. And so I feel like, take the risk with the wallpaper. It always pays off.

[A]

I agree.

[B]

Mrs. I paint like, I am not. I'm not afraid with paint. Like, I'm like, I'll give it a try, and it can always be repainted. I'm like, not the end of the world.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, I mean, I have definitely painted a color. And I'm like, I love it. I do. It's perfect, actually. So beautiful. Because I don't want to paint it again. And I just look at it every day like, this is the ugliest room I've ever stepped foot in.

[C]

How long did we look at that? Like, we did a purple crown molding, like a dental.

[A]

Oh, God.

[C]

Where every little house hand paint.

[B]

And it's so difficult. It's a paint painting.

[C]

It's more jabbing it with the brush.

[B]

And I was like, you know what? It's great. I've never loved the color before.

[A]

That color is the best one I could have picked.

[B]

Stunning. I nailed it. So. Yeah. And I think. But what always. The interesting thing is, I guess it's less about paint and it's more about following a trend and not an instinct. Every time I picked a paint color that I hate, it's because it's, like, thriving on the Internet. And I'm like, yeah, I love red. No, I don't. I don't like. I mean, I love a deep burnt red. I love a saturated orange. But, like, the red that was, like, hot in the 90s. Yeah. That's apparently coming back in some spaces. I'm like, I hate it. It's fine. It's not. It's just because I don't like it doesn't mean you. You don't. Don't have to not like it. But, like, I'm like, I'm gonna make myself like this. And then I paint it and I'm like, oh, God. I knew I didn't like it before I even did it.

[C]

Remember when red and black was in?

[A]

Oh, God, no.

[B]

But I do remember attending that wedding. It was upsetting, hideous. No wonder.

[C]

I can only imagine the Michael's discount bin is going on.

[B]

Tragic. It was Halloween in summer.

[A]

Okay, well. Oh, my God. I thought you meant maybe they actually had it on Halloween. I was like, well, I guess. No, no, it was in the summer.

[C]

My parents did go to a Halloween themed wedding, though, where everybody was in costume. Like the. The preacher was a. A zombie and the bride was dragged on.

[B]

Something wrong with that?

[C]

She was Harley Quinn. She was dressed as Harley Quinn.

[B]

You were committed to the pit.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's fine, but the guests were.

[C]

Supposed to come in costume as well. Do you think my mom put on a costume?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

No. So the bride is Harley Quinn, and then there's just a woman in a gown. It's like, that's not. There's. That looked good.

[C]

It's just this little British lady in the audience. Just. I don't know why I'm here.

[A]

Why does she have a blue and a red pigtail? Like, you just know.

[B]

So good.

[A]

What's happening?

[B]

Incredible.

[A]

Okay, we've sort of covered this, but I'm going to final question. Well, almost. You work so closely together. What have you learned about each other through the process of designing and building.

[B]

As a. I want you to go first.

[C]

You want me to go first?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What have I learned about you? That your process.

[B]

I was like, is it gonna say I'm a visual learner? You are.

[C]

Yes. I mean, that's. That's the. That's the big one, is she's a very visual learner. To the point. Like, you know, she can come up with these brilliant designs. Beautiful. And everything sketches out right on paper. But the amount of time that I spend holding things on the wall so that she can.

[A]

We have to visualize it.

[C]

And I totally get it.

[B]

So what the. I think more so it's the.

[C]

Just give me the measurement. You want it center, center, center.

[B]

I'm like, abs. No. Well, the funny thing about that. It's like a running joke in our house now is he'll sit, like, he'll hang something. He'll spend time leveling it, figuring out, you know, placing it. And I'm like, it's wrong. It's not right. And I'll just be like, there. Perfect. Actually, that's the one. Nailed it. Nailed it.

[A]

I do the same thing.

[C]

Up. Puts her finger there, flips it over, measures how far down the nail holes are supposed to go.

[B]

Okay. We're going three fingers down and a pinky nail.

[A]

And you use everything but a hammer to nail. Hammer it in like a glittering bottle, a shoe. Anything will work.

[B]

100%.

[A]

Anything will work.

[B]

I'm like, it came down to this root.

[C]

She steps back and just like.

[B]

Like, look at it. It's stunning.

[C]

Like, so I can put.

[A]

That's exactly what I envisioned.

[B]

Exactly no, but he, he'll. The visual part, like, I, I. He'll actually, like, makeshift build me something. Like, I needed to see the way the hood vent was going to look with certain molding on it. And so I'm like, do you have, like, plywood and just spare pieces of dirt?

[A]

Do you mind just throwing together a mock up?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And then on that hole bit. Little higher. No, not right. We're gonna. So I have to see it. It doesn't matter if I have a rendering. Like, I'm just. It. It needs to be tangible. So. But with him, I've learned about working with him. He has to eat because he will just go. He'll just go. He'll go and go and just not feed himself. And then he's just suddenly, like, the angriest person. But he doesn't talk, talk. He's just like.

[A]

It's just insular. You're like, oh, no.

[B]

And like, you can just hear him breathing more aggressively. And it's like, how you doing? He's like, it's like, oh, he hasn't been fed. He hasn't said, do you want a cheese? Would that help? You got to keep him on a schedule. You got to be like, you have to stop and you have to eat. And he's like, okay, okay. So he just. Yeah. Gotta keep him fed because he won't feed himself.

[C]

That's the, that's the code word.

[B]

Do you need to eat? Means you're being a monster.

[C]

Yeah, I guess I do.

[A]

Well, if you think so, I must.

[B]

Apparently I do.

[A]

Oh, my God, that's great. And I'm kind of the same way.

[B]

Oh, my God. Also, there's one more thing, though, I have to say about him is he cannot give you a ballpark number.

[C]

No.

[B]

So if you're gonna ask him a.

[C]

Question, ballpark's an example.

[B]

Jesus. If you're like, about how many square feet of tile do we need? Don't. Don't. Unless you've got 15 minutes for him to research. Don't ask. It's in, it's unhinged. And I'm like, I just. Like, you could say 50 and it could be 80. I just need a general. And he's like, no, I need to know to the per. And it's. He won't. He won't even pretend to give a ballpark. They'll say no. So I'm just like, all right, fine.

[C]

So I just don't want it to be off. I don't want it to be wrong, because.

[B]

And now we're back to hanging art.

[C]

Is that that wrong number will stick with us and be like, oh, yeah, yeah, I ordered the tile. I got 50 square feet. Like, but it wasn't.

[B]

We never order off anyway.

[C]

That's my fear.

[A]

No, but that's what he. When he lies awake at night, that's what he's thinking of. The possibility of the.

[B]

Exactly. He has nightmares about not enough tiles.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

As we all. Honestly, honestly, honestly, our tagline for our firm is interiors that make you feel. What's something that made you feel this week?

[B]

Something that made me feel this week. Something that made me feel sad. That.

[A]

That counts.

[B]

It's political.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, as.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How could it not be?

[B]

Yeah. As it usually is. No, but this guy posted. He's like, the nice thing about the rise of American FASC is that I'm not constantly thinking about climate change because I'm so afraid of the present that I'm not thinking about the future. And I was like, it's true.

[A]

I'm not as worried about climate change because I'm worried we're gonna. We're gonna be gone much before that becomes an issue.

[B]

Yeah. And that made me feel a lot. That type of way. I was like, I want to laugh and cry.

[A]

I hate everything how I'm feeling about the way.

[B]

Then you go on the Internet. Calm down. Okay.

[A]

Sorry. What are we into? Okay, got it. Yeah, got it.

[B]

Sorry. Yeah. But it's just. Yeah. Existential dread. What do you feel this week? I.

[C]

Okay, so the. The account on Tik Tok. Steve Burns alive.

[B]

No, God.

[C]

Steve Burns from Blues Clues. So he just posted this thing like talking about. About just being kind. Edging on religion a little bit. But how are you going to look at this person who's tangible in front of you and not be kind to them because of this other thing that's telling you that they.

[B]

Well, he was saying, why is it so easy to put faith in something you can't see or touch, but so hard to be kind to the person right next to you?

[C]

And that. But the way he delivers it.

[B]

But he says it in such a.

[C]

Way for a while and gives you an opportunity to think about it and just kind of make, you know, a couple little gestures the way that he does. And I was like, it's nine in the morning, Steve.

[B]

He's still making a search for clues. Just kind of.

[A]

Steve, it's too early for this.

[B]

I guess.

[C]

Also too. We watched K Pop Demon Hunters last night.

[B]

Sure did.

[A]

Oh, wow. Tell me.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

I'm going to be Totally honest. I have literally, like, I'm. I feel like I'm so far outside of this, I have no idea what this evening it.

[C]

Okay. You have to watch it. And it's. It's a movie.

[B]

It's a child movie.

[C]

It's for kids.

[B]

Fantastic.

[C]

Their whole Halloween decor is set up. Oh, my God.

[A]

How fun for your kids. Are they obsessed?

[B]

Well, so now. Okay, both are now.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. We have a 13 year old and we have an 8 year old. And the 8 year old is like, I'm going as a K pop demon hunter. We're decorating as K pop. You're dressing as a K Pop. Like, she's very into it. And then our son's like, this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen.

[C]

Right, boys? Like, I'm not alone.

[B]

But I'm like, you haven't even watched the movie. And he's like, neither of you. And yet here you are decorating our house. And so we're like, we're all gonna watch it together. So we did. We sat down, watch it together last night and he loved it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That's so searching.

[B]

We'll tell your friends. Yeah, I know.

[C]

And so the messaging.

[B]

The messaging is very sweet. It's. Yeah. The messaging is basically very, very, very quick premise of the movie. They're Korean pop stars. Their job is with their music to keep like demons at bay. It's literally like battling demons. There are demons, but the whole. It's a metaphor for like the demons inside of us. Like the guilt that we carry, the shame that we carry and the joy keeps the demons under control. And one of the girls in the band and has demons, but she won't let anyone see them. And it's like this battle between like her shame versus and overcoming that. So it's actually this really nice messaging.

[A]

Wow, that's lovely.

[B]

It was just. Yeah. And it's got the music bangers.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, well, I guess I'm about to watch a kids movie tonight.

[B]

That's.

[A]

I'm locking in.

[B]

That's great. It's really good. It's really good. Yeah.

[C]

Huh?

[A]

It's so cute. I've seen so, like, things about it online, but I feel like I'm a little bit too divorced from like, that. I don't have any, like pre teens really in my life, so I feel like I don't always. That's valid segment of culture I did not miss.

[B]

I love that for you. I love my children.

[C]

Well, buckle up because you're gonna love it. It's gonna become your holiday.

[A]

I can't wait. I'll report back. I can't wait.

[B]

You're gonna get a wig. It's gonna be a thing.

[A]

Oh, my God. You'll see a whole new world. I can't wait.

[B]

Right?

[A]

All right, actually, last question before we go, because this was so fun. I seriously, thank you guys so much. Where can we find you guys?

[B]

Oh, well, Kismet House Depot.

[C]

That's where I live.

[B]

No, but Kismet House is our business name. You can find us across socials everywhere. K I S M E T H O U S E Kismet is meant to be in Turkish. And so the concept is creating spaces that feel meant to be. That's kind of the ethos of the business.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

And. But, yeah, Kismet underscore House. Or just Kismet House. But if you search Kismet House, you'll find us.

[C]

Yeah, or one of the many imposters.

[A]

I mean, to everybody listening, I highly recommend following them. You guys make fabulous content, and I love watching it, and I don't love watching a ton of home content. So, you know, I feel like thank you. It means it's really exceptional. Okay, well, thank y' all for your time. This was so, so fun.

[B]

So fun.

[A]

Okay, well, until next week. Peace be with you.

[B]

By.