Nickey Kehoe: From Dinner Party to Design Powerhouse

Summary

Podcast Summary: Talk Shop with Ariel Okin – "Nickey Kehoe: From Dinner Party to Design Powerhouse"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Talk Shop with Ariel Okin: A Fenimore Lane Production
• Host: Ariel Okin
• Guest: Todd Nicki and Amy Kehoe
• Episode Title: From Dinner Party to Design Powerhouse
• Release Date: August 13, 2025

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Introduction: Building Foundations Through Friendship

In this inspiring episode of Talk Shop with Ariel Okin, host Ariel engages in a heartfelt conversation with longtime friends and business partners, Todd Nicki and Amy Kehoe. Co-founders of the renowned design firm and retail store, Nadia Kehoe and Amy have cultivated a thriving business that blends interior design with curated retail offerings. Ariel sets the stage by highlighting their serendipitous meeting at a New York City dinner party, which blossomed into a multi-decade partnership marked by creativity and mutual respect.

Early Beginnings: From NYC to LA

Todd and Amy recount their initial meeting in New York City around the year 2000, a moment that would pivot their careers dramatically. Shortly after, Amy moved to Los Angeles to work in hospitality design at Starwood Hotels, while Todd pursued a career in retail design for prestigious brands like Donna Karan and Badgley Mischka.

“There are so many times in a meeting or whatever with a group of people, and we will say or choose or whatever, exactly the same thing,” Todd shares at 04:21, illustrating the deep synchronicity that defines their partnership.

In 2004, leveraging their combined expertise, they launched their design firm, Nikki Kehoe, followed by their first retail store in 2008. Despite launching during the challenging economic downturn, their passion and grassroots approach—buying items from flea markets and estate sales to stock their store—allowed them to build a resilient business foundation.

“We would literally, you know, if we would sell enough that week, we would go to the flea market and buy more and bring it back to the shop and sell it,” Todd reminisces at 10:24, highlighting their resourcefulness and organic growth strategy.

Overcoming Challenges: The Shed Story

One of the most memorable anecdotes from their early days involves an unexpected logistical hurdle. Initially planning to secure office space above their retail store, they were instead confined to a small metal shed in the parking lot due to subletting complications precipitated by the financial crisis.

“Suddenly we were like, well, I guess our office is in the shed,” Todd explains at 13:09, capturing the improvisational spirit that kept their venture afloat.

Despite the absurdity of managing a design studio in a cramped shed—complete with challenges like taking phone calls during rainstorms—they viewed these obstacles as formative experiences that strengthened their resolve and adaptability.

Growth and Evolution: Expanding Horizons

Fast forward over 20 years, Todd and Amy have transformed their brand into a celebrated entity with larger retail spaces across Los Angeles and a robust e-commerce platform. Amy now spearheads the online side, while Todd dedicates his efforts to expanding their physical stores.

“Our collection is designed to live far beyond just one lifetime,” Amy affirms at 03:05, emphasizing the timeless quality and enduring appeal of their curated products.

Their design firm has also evolved, with Todd transitioning from interior design to focus more on product development and merchandising, a shift he discusses candidly at 16:10.

Symbiotic Partnership: Balancing Friendship and Business

A cornerstone of their success is the unwavering friendship and intuitive understanding they share. Their ability to anticipate each other’s thoughts and decisions fosters a seamless collaboration that is both rare and invaluable.

“It's the special sauce,” Todd emphasizes at 05:46, attributing their harmonious working relationship to their deep personal bond.

To maintain their friendship amidst the demands of running a business, they embark on regular trips together and enjoy activities like pickleball, which Todd mentions at 18:08: “We're doing one this summer. We're going to Copenhagen in Sweden.”

Design Philosophy: Classic with a Twist Meets Rustic Charm

When asked to describe their styles in three words, Todd opts for “rustic, messy, and a little bit of schmance” (02:18), while Amy describes hers as “classic with a twist” (02:57). This complementary blend defines their aesthetic—balancing timeless elegance with eclectic charm.

Ariel notes, “It comes through when you're walking through the shops,” acknowledging how their combined styles create a unique and inviting retail experience.

Their design approach centers on respecting the space’s location and historical context, coupled with an emphasis on personal intuition. Todd shares a relatable moment when hanging artwork in his own home: “Is that kind of thing where you're like, yes, maybe it is level. Yes, the level is saying that it's level. But it's like... it is not level.” (22:04). This illustrates their belief in trusting one's gut over rigid rules to achieve authentic and personalized design.

Inspirations: The World as a Design Playground

Travel stands out as a primary source of inspiration for both Todd and Amy. They draw creative energy from visiting historic homes, flea markets, estate sales, and exploring diverse cultures. Todd recalls his childhood visit to colonial Williamsburg at 30:02: “I just wanted to, like, cook over an open fire,” expressing how such experiences have left an indelible mark on his design sensibility.

Amy adds that real-world exploration is irreplaceable in an age dominated by digital platforms: “Anything to be out in the world is typically where it comes from for me.” (29:19).

Take 10: Personal Favorites and Quirks

Towards the end of the episode, Ariel engages Todd and Amy in a rapid-fire segment, revealing personal tidbits that humanize these design powerhouses:

• Favorite Food: Amy answers “shrimp cocktail” for Todd (32:10).
• Favorite Drink: Amy enjoys a “spicy margarita” (32:25).
• Favorite Film: Todd loves “Phantom Thread” (32:36), while Amy favors “Hand of God” and “Bridesmaids” (33:02).
• Favorite Hotel: Both adore the Hotel Merand Mirand in Avignon, France and are excited about an upcoming trip to Etem in Stockholm (33:54).
• Favorite Playlist: Todd is captivated by a Johnny Greenwood playlist (35:39).
• Favorite Weekend Activity: They enjoy pickleball and a shared hobby they humorously call “Towning”—exploring small towns and their unique offerings (36:32).

Current Endeavors: Lighting Collaboration with Dumae

Exciting developments are on the horizon as Todd and Amy announce a new lighting collaboration with designer Charlie Dumae (38:33). This partnership promises innovative designs that blend their signature styles, set to launch in early October. Todd expresses his enthusiasm: “It's something that I think Amy and I are both really excited about.”

Advice for Aspiring Designers: Trust and Authenticity

In their closing thoughts, Todd and Amy offer valuable advice for those looking to define their own interior style:

• Amy: “Training yourself to go offline and do everything we've talked about on this podcast... would be my tip.” (40:26). She emphasizes the importance of refining one's eye through real-world experiences rather than relying solely on digital inspirations.

• Todd: Advocates for extensive travel and capturing memories without letting the pursuit of the perfect picture overshadow the present moment. “Take lots of pretty pictures... you're not absorbing what you're experiencing.” (40:51).

Ariel acknowledges the profound wisdom in their words, reinforcing the episode's overarching theme of authenticity and personal growth in design.

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Conclusion: A Legacy of Creativity and Friendship

Todd Nicki and Amy Kehoe embody the harmonious blend of friendship and business acumen, fostering a design empire that thrives on mutual respect, shared vision, and an unyielding passion for beauty. Their journey from a chance meeting at a dinner party to becoming a design powerhouse serves as a testament to the power of collaboration and the magic that ensues when like-minded creatives unite.

“This was such a delight and I feel like I learned so much,” Ariel reflects as the episode wraps up, encapsulating the enriching exchange that listeners are sure to find both inspiring and informative.

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Notable Quotes:

• “It's the special sauce.” – Todd Nicki [05:46]
• “Classic with a twist allows for just about anything that I or Todd fall in love with to have a place in our own homes.” – Amy Kehoe [03:05]
• “Suddenly we were like, well, I guess our office is in the shed.” – Todd Nicki [13:09]
• “Anything to be out in the world is typically where it comes from for me.” – Amy Kehoe [29:19]
• “Our collection is designed to live far beyond just one lifetime.” – Amy Kehoe [03:05]

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This episode of Talk Shop with Ariel Okin not only delves deep into the professional journey of Todd and Amy but also offers personal insights and actionable advice for aspiring designers. Their story is a blend of resilience, creativity, and enduring friendship, making it a must-listen for anyone passionate about interior design and the narratives that shape successful creative ventures.

Transcript

[Todd Nicki]

I remember going over once and like you had told me you were thinking about doing this, but you hadn't told me that you actually did it. But I went over and her TV room was her dining room and her dining room was her TV room. And I was just sort of like, wait, how did this happen?

[Arielle Oken]

Oh my God.

[Todd Nicki]

I don't even think there were movers involved. I think Amy did it herself.

[Amy Kehoe]

Welcome to Talkshop. I'm Arielle Oken, a New York based interior designer, writer and editor looking to.

[Arielle Oken]

Bring a little bit of magic into.

[Amy Kehoe]

Our homes every day.

[Arielle Oken]

After years as a writer and editor.

[Amy Kehoe]

Editor in the interiors world, I founded my own editorial site, Fenimore Lane in 2020 and the TalkShop interview series was born. Each week I delve into the personal experiences of the top interior designers and tastemakers around the globe. This week we welcome two lifelong friends who came together over their shared love for design. Todd Nicki and Amy Kehoe first met in New York City at a dinner party which turned into a multi decade partnership that produced an 8100 design firm and two iconic home stores across the country. Before they moved to la, Todd was a retail designer for stores like Donna Karan and Badgley Mischka, and Amy was working in hospitality design at Starwood. In 2004, the two came together to launch their design firm, Nikki Kehoe, and then four years later, they launched their namesake collection and retail store. The storefront allowed them to showcase their vintage finds, private label products and a selection of handpicked goods from around the world, which they continue to do today. Now, more than 20 years later, the brand has grown into larger retail spaces in LA and expanded its E commerce business with Amy leading the and Todd focusing on their retail business. As they say, their collection is designed to live far beyond just one lifetime. So please join me as we welcome two friends whose story is incredibly inspiring. Todd and Amy.

[Arielle Oken]

Todd and Amy, thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm so excited to have you both on today.

[Amy Kehoe]

Thanks for having us.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, we're so excited to be here.

[Arielle Oken]

I personally am very huge and longtime fans of yours, so I'm slightly fangirling a little bit to have you on and I so happy to kick off the conversation. We ask everyone who comes on, can each of you describe your style in three words or less?

[Amy Kehoe]

Oh dear. Does Todd have to go first?

[Todd Nicki]

I. I'm happy to go first. I would say rustic, messy and a little bit of schmance.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah, yeah, that, that tracks. I love that.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yeah, I've been More prepared. I think I could have probably done Todd more easily than myself. It's like, I feel super convicted about his curation and his eye, but then when it comes, I think Todd feels the same way. It's hard to do your. It's hard to do yourself, but for me, a little like, classic.

[Arielle Oken]

With a twist, maybe.

[Todd Nicki]

Yes.

[Arielle Oken]

That kind of gets you there in, like, three words, basically.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yes.

[Arielle Oken]

Thank you.

[Amy Kehoe]

Classic with a twist allows for just about anything that I or Todd fall in love with to have a place in our. In our own homes. I think the older we both get, the more you appreciate, in a way. So.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah, no, I love that. And also, I think when looking at your. Your work, it is so classic and it has this thread and also your stores, like, you guys carry such amazing items that are so unique and have really interesting patina and provenance. So I feel like the classic with a twist kind of is all encompassing for all of it. And for those who may not know, can you please tell us a little bit about yourselves and where you are at this point in your careers?

[Amy Kehoe]

I grew up in the Midwest outside of Chicago, and I won't go too far back, but. And Todd and I met in New York very, very probably 2000, the year 2000. We met and then moved out to LA a few years later and have now called LA home for over 20 years.

[Arielle Oken]

It's amazing. And I love the story of how you guys met. You guys met at a dinner party, right?

[Todd Nicki]

Yes, we did.

[Arielle Oken]

It's amazing. It's so cool. And it's so cool that you guys have been working together for that long. I mean, you guys must be telepathic.

[Todd Nicki]

We really are. Like, there are so many times in a meeting or whatever with a group of people, and we will say or choose or whatever, exactly the same thing. Like, same time. Like, it's really crazy. And it's funny you say that too. I just started listening to the Telepathy tapes.

[Arielle Oken]

That is so interesting. That whole series.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

But it's interesting also because I find. I mean, with work in particular, I think it's so important when you have a partner that you do have that ability to read each other. And I think that kind of comes over time, but it has to be there, like, at the outset. So it's interesting that that was kind of there from the beginning for you guys, because it. It seems like you sparked and then. And then you started working together pretty quickly.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, yeah, it was very instantaneous. And, you know, there's a. I often feel like. And I Think this is my own private dialogue, though. I. Maybe I utter it sometimes, but it's like I don't know where I start. And Amy, like, I literally, like.

[Arielle Oken]

It's amazing, though.

[Todd Nicki]

No, but in sort of like, you know, because now I'm working a little more in the shop and in product development and Amy's doing more design. But I think both of us really think through the filters of the other as much as we think through ourselves.

[Arielle Oken]

Which is so important.

[Todd Nicki]

It is, but it's so easy and it's really like, you know, it, it. It's the special sauce. But I feel like we've figured out a way to do that even when the other one isn't there. And it goes back to that telepathy thing.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah, that's so interesting. And when you first started, Nick, you were in retail and Amy, you were in hospitality, right?

[Amy Kehoe]

Yeah, I was working for Starwood Hotels under the. Both the Westin and the W hotel design team. And it was really what the coolest thing about that was at the time, the CEO was just a huge fan of bringing. It sounds novel in that time. It isn't anymore, but bringing design into hospitality a little bit more. So he plucked all of these incredible talents, many of whom had worked with Todd at Polo.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, wow.

[Amy Kehoe]

So there was just this slew of really kind of heavy hitter, you know, to me, mentors in design that were leading these teams. I mean, some of the design wasn't necessarily super exciting, but it was about. It was about the people.

[Arielle Oken]

That was a big era. I mean, the era of like, W. Yeah, yeah.

[Amy Kehoe]

It was a big. It was a fast track to a certain kind of training and design that, you know, had I stayed in it or, you know, Todd and I really carved that out. It was an incredible group of people to be around. And at that time, even though, you know, I knew I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm gonna. I'll never know what my own, you know, inspiration is if I'm always designing for a brand that so specific like that. So it gives you good tools, really strong tools and a great resource of.

[Arielle Oken]

People that makes sense. I feel like you get a really good foundation in hospitality design on scale and in terms of, like, how to do. How to do things at large scale. And that's helpful when you go out on your own and have to deal with so much logistics that you haven't been dealing with on the back end when you. When you start out on your own. I feel like coming from corporate, there's so much more that you weren't touching before. So you guys moved to Los Angeles, you launched the firm in 2004 and the retail shop in 2008. How did that sort of evolve from beginning and then deciding to open up retail?

[Todd Nicki]

We talked about even before I moved to. I moved to LA a year after Amy did. But we had met probably six months into Amy living there. I had come out for a visit and I had some clients in New York that were. That also had a place in la. And it just seemed like this would be an opportunity for me to move there. And I'd always been kind of curious about la. And Amy and I were at dinner one night and we just sort of. We were like, okay, like we're going to figure out how to do this somehow. And Amy was, at the time, was at W hotels. And then soon after I moved there, the W Group was moving back to New York. The design part of it was moving back to New York. And she was like, I, you know, there's no way I'm going to go back. I'll never come back to LA if that happens. And so we both jumped in with both feet and working together and wow. Yeah, it was kind of amazing. I mean, we were working out of our houses at the time and then soon after got a small studio. I mean, and I think a part of our big Venn diagram when we first met was, you know, and we've talked about this several times, but there was this amazing store in Williamsburg called Moon River Chattel. And we were both so obsessed with this store and an edited store for beautiful homewares and almost like a hardware store in a way, but just something that was really kind of refined and had a lot of character and nuance. And we started talking about having retail early, early on, but didn't really set our eyes on it when we were first starting out. But a few years in, we were just sort of like, well, it seems like it might be time. And we did a trip to France and bought a very, very small amount of antiques and, you know, kind of opened the store with some things that we had found along the way and just kind of built it from there. And we would, you know, when we opened in 2008, we. Which was not a great time to open.

[Arielle Oken]

I was gonna say that must have been really tricky.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, it was a little tricky, but we would literally, you know, if we would sell enough that week, we would go to the flea market and buy more and bring it back to the shop and sell it. And it was so, like, Grassroots and organic. It was a really kind of sweet, innocent way to build a business.

[Arielle Oken]

Wow.

[Todd Nicki]

You know, we had the design studio to support that, so we were doing projects and, you know, we didn't have to be solely reliant on the retail part of the business. It gave us a freedom, you know, kind of nice.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah. It gives you.

[Todd Nicki]

It was.

[Arielle Oken]

And it allows you to enjoy it a little bit more because there's not so. I mean, there's always pressure, but to have both. They balance each other out.

[Todd Nicki]

Absolutely.

[Arielle Oken]

Which is amazing. And also, I mean, they're the two most iconic stores in the country. I mean, they're so beautiful and special and they're almost like other world. Like you're. You're transported into what feels like a home. I mean, they're so special, those stores. Are there any good stories from the early days of when you learned?

[Amy Kehoe]

I'm just. It's funny when we talk about it, and I'm just listening to Todd answer, and I'm like, todd, had you told either one of us it was going to be what it is now? Oh, my God, I just think we would have fainted. I just. It.

[Arielle Oken]

But isn't that the most amazing thing, had your job not moved back to New York? It's just always so crazy to me to think about, like, the ways that life propels people into their directions.

[Todd Nicki]

Totally, totally. Those sliding door moments. Yeah.

[Amy Kehoe]

I mean, I always laugh. There's this one podcast I listen to and they interview actors and they always want to hear about what went wrong on stage. So I'm like, oh, I really want to give her something.

[Todd Nicki]

Right, Right.

[Amy Kehoe]

What was a ridiculous. And there are. There are so many.

[Todd Nicki]

There are so many. I mean, one really funny one aim if I can. The shed.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yes. I was going to bring up the shed, too.

[Todd Nicki]

So when we took the space for the shop, the first shop that we opened, part of it was we were going to get office space above the shop. It was this big sort of boatress building. And the guy who owned it, somebody was sort of subletting this little part. And the sublet was going to be up a few months after we moved in. So, you know, we signed the lease, whatever. We're renovating, yada, yada, yada. And this portion of it came with this shed that was in the parking lot. And by shed, I mean it was probably like a 15 by 15, maybe 20 by 20 foot metal shed that was.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God, like a garden shed.

[Todd Nicki]

And we were like, this is great for storage and whatever. Like, this will be Perfect. So, of course, during the course of this early part of the lease, the whole financial world slid off a cliff.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God.

[Todd Nicki]

The people who were subletting ended up. Everybody had moved out except for us and somebody. He found someone to move in, but they wanted. It was contingent on them taking the office space that had been promised to us, so he had to give them that space. So suddenly we were like, well, I guess our office is in the shed. Literally, the design studio was in the shed for the first four years that we were.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God, that's so wild.

[Todd Nicki]

I mean, we couldn't take phone calls when it was raining, which, of course, I know.

[Arielle Oken]

I was going to say, how did you even get, like, computers in there?

[Todd Nicki]

No, it was ridiculous.

[Amy Kehoe]

Ridiculous.

[Arielle Oken]

I mean, when you think back on stories like that, like, my first office was literally in my apartment and my daughter was like, four months old. And Callan, who used to work with me, who has since gone off and started her own amazing housewares company, used to, like, bounce her in the Bjorn. Like, we were, like, making do with what we had. When you think back and you're like, oh, my God, how did we work.

[Amy Kehoe]

Like that, like, yeah, yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

It's so crazy. Well, now, I mean, it's like 20 plus years later. You must think back and be like, the growth has just been exponential. Is there a particular lesson that you guys learned along the way that you find has stuck with you over the years?

[Amy Kehoe]

There are so, so many lessons. I think the one that isn't super specific, but it. It's, I would say, resounding over and over again is knowing how to take measured risk. That has been something Todd and I have both constantly relied on in terms of a lesson. Just sort of how much risk when trusting your gut, not being irresponsible, all of those things, it just. It feels like the one resounding lesson. And, you know, also, there are hard things. There are really hard things. And it can involve logistics, it can involve people, it can involve any part of it. And just stepping into that when you need to be, but always with humanity. Even in those. Those really tricky, difficult moments.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah. I mean, especially because you have two separate parts of the business. Also, I would imagine compartmentalizing really is probably a key piece of, you know, managing between the design work and the shop. And also just you two together, it's so. It's such a cool business model that you guys have. How do you think you guys have seen your design evolve over the years?

[Todd Nicki]

As we've grown over the years, for the last maybe five, even seven years, you know, we've seen this, this growth in the, in the shop and in the product development and all of that. And kind of knew at a certain point one of us was really going to have to kind of stop doing the interior design part and focus on that. And, you know, so I had been doing interior design for a really long time and you know, probably maybe 10 years before I met, before Amy and I met. So, you know, I was very, on some level, very willingly. Yeah, I'll jump from that and go into product.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah.

[Todd Nicki]

And I've always just, I don't know, I just, I love the shop. I love merchandising. You know, I worked in retail, retail design before I started doing this and it just sort of organically happened. And you know, I would say that's probably one of the biggest shifts in the last couple of years is, you know, I've really kind of hung up my hat doing interior design and moved more into this. And, you know, it's, it's tricky. I really, I miss the interiors. You know, Amy's still involved in the shop, but not quite as heavily as before. So, you know, we're, we're, I think we're both a little, I don't know, I think we kind of miss each other.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, that's so sweet.

[Todd Nicki]

No, but it's true. Like it's really, you know, it's there and we're still, you know, we don't. We. Our desks aren't next to each other anymore, which they always were. And yeah, you know, it's a little, it's a little tricky.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, that's so special though. I mean, to have a friendship like that for as long as you guys have while being business partners like that is so, so rare and special. How do you find that you guys keep your friendship strong while working together?

[Todd Nicki]

I mean, we do a couple of trips together every year, so that's really, really helpful.

[Arielle Oken]

It's like an off site retreat sort of.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, I mean, we're doing one this summer. We're going to Copenhagen in Sweden.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah, I remember you were telling me. That's so exciting.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, we play pickleball together.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh my God, I love that. Well, let's talk a little bit about working in design. And this can be for both of you or one of you, depending on who wants to answer. But what is your favorite thing about working within the industry?

[Amy Kehoe]

For me, I think it's just the exposure. I mean, it's just a never ending love story to collect and you know, fall in love with objects and spaces can often be, as all of us know, years of painstaking frustration. And, you know, there's such a cherry on top moment and you remember why you do it when you are at your photo shoot or install day. But I do think it's just like an undying passion and love for all the beauty in the world. And you know that, like, it can be a bottle opener, it can be the most beautiful light fixture. It's. I think it's just always a thrill, that search. And I think that applies, you know, obviously to how we curate the shop. I think they're the same exact thing.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, for sure. I mean, you can see in the shops the range of what you guys carry and just the amazing sort of like curios that you have in there. It's all collected with love. And it. It comes through when you're walking through the shops. For sure. I love asking this question because the answers are just so varied. What design rule do you always follow and which do you think are made to be broken?

[Amy Kehoe]

I think when I was just beginning and sort of in design classes, like you were kind of taught, is that it starts with this space planning and how does it. You know, there. There are rules and sort of philosophical things that I think never change. Like, I don't think either of us ever ignore where a project is. Like, that's just where you have to. And where the restaurant or the home or our store, like, where. Where are they physically? And, yeah, you know, are you connecting to what's around you? Are you nodding? Are you ignoring, you know, But I think some of those early principles of good design that was guiding the sort of traditional decorators. I remember in my early 20s, someone. Todd knows this story. Someone gifted me Rose Tarlow's book. And I was. I mean, I think I could probably afford like three books a year at the time. And it was like, I just read that over and over again. And I'm. I'm grateful for having entered a design in the period that I did because it was. It was straddling old school and first dibs was just starting. And, you know, you still mounted things on foam core for presentation, right. And like Todd and I pulled from magazines and like, archived them in the plastic sleeves. I mean, it's grateful for that because it is. Whether sometimes I doubt myself or not, I know that, you know, we do have the references because that was the era that we were brought up in. So I know I'm not really speaking to rules, but I think I am.

[Arielle Oken]

You know, I think the tactile piece of it, like, you're saying, with, like, the references and going back and having a library and a sort approaching each project with a sense of not only where it is in a sense of place, but also the history that comes before it. Those two things combined produce a project that ends up being more personal than if you were to just kind of go in blindly.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yeah. Todd, do you have any. Do you feel like there's any rule that you're always.

[Todd Nicki]

Well, I mean, I don't think it's really a rule, per se, but it is one of those. I think it's going back to just trusting your I. Even when something mathematically or programmatically is supposed to work. You know, like, I just went through this in my own house. Like, I was hanging, rehanging a bunch of artwork, and they were measuring for everything and whatever. And, you know, it was like, oh, no, I swear, this is straight. This is straight. And it's like. Is that kind of thing where you're like, yes, maybe it is level. Yes, the level is saying that it's level. But, yeah, in the. In the sum of everything going on, it is not level. Like, you have to tweak it. And I think that's such a metaphor for doing good design, is developing and honing an eye and trusting what that is to be like. Yeah, maybe it's supposed to be right, but this feels better.

[Arielle Oken]

It doesn't look right to me. Yeah, exactly.

[Todd Nicki]

But it feels, you know, it's. It's that. It's learning to trust that gut that is really sort of. I think that's where you start to develop a personal sense of style.

[Arielle Oken]

It's a really good piece of advice. And I think that's where, you know, good design has a point of view, and I think that's where it comes from.

[Todd Nicki]

Right.

[Arielle Oken]

I love that. Looking back through your careers, have you, either of you, had a mentor in your career? And how did they sort of shape your trajectory? I would imagine you two mentored each other, I feel like, too.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yeah. Thank you for answering that. That is how I. I know it. I didn't have much, you know, in terms of a Runway before meeting Todd and working with him. So it was really brief. But even in those brief years, there were, you know, important people and lessons, like that group I explained at Starwood. But certainly I feel that. I think it's more than just mentor, but, like, Todd's. Todd's eye, being with him, sharing this. I don't want to Say we push each other. It's more just like I might notice something, he might notice something. And I just feel that that's expanded everything. Vocabulary, awareness. It's definitely been, you know, I guess a mentor, but I think there's another word for it, too.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, no, I feel exactly the same way. And, you know, I mean, I had some really extraordinary people that I worked with at Ralph Lauren that I still look back and have such incredible respect for and admiration for it and learned quite a bit from. And I would say they were mentors, but, you know, it's the partnership of Amy and I that I think has pushed us to a place that's ours, you know?

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah.

[Todd Nicki]

And it is like there is such. I think we both walk away with a different confidence because the other one has co. Signed whatever the idea was. Good matter, indifferent. But it's, you know, it is that. Yeah, you're just solid as two. And we believe in it, so we're moving forward and we don't really look back.

[Arielle Oken]

It's really special.

[Todd Nicki]

It is, it is.

[Arielle Oken]

And rare. I mean, it's. It's. Creative partnerships in general, I feel like, are so rare to be so symbiotic like that and to be. As long as you guys have done it, it's really. It's such an accomplishment and so such an incredible story.

[Amy Kehoe]

Honestly, it's not lost on me. And I. You know, I won't put words in Todd's mouth, but it's like the fortune of this relationship is, you know, I'm acutely aware of how rare it is, and it's something that, you know, is protected.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah. We like to get into a couple personal questions, but I. I'm curious if you guys would want to answer for each other, because I feel like it might be better that way. So what do you think your home says about you?

[Amy Kehoe]

I think Todd's house reveals, like, an endless curiosity and a deep soulfulness about him. You're just. You walk through his house and you're like, oh, my gosh, you just. Even me, I go through and I discover, you know, more and more. And, you know, it helps that he's always rearranging like I am. Many projects, the work is never done.

[Arielle Oken]

It's a compulsion. Honestly, I'm the same way. It's so crazy. I feel like we're all just born this way.

[Amy Kehoe]

What is it? You Finish something and 30 seconds goes by and you're like, well, I can't even just sit here with what I just finished. That took. I have to put eye on something else. It's. It's an illness.

[Todd Nicki]

Well, I mean, I would have to say almost exactly the same thing about Amy's house. It's like, you know, every time I go there, there's like, I think of it in layers. Like, they're just. The layers constantly evolve. Amy has such an amazing sense of color and adding depth to a space. And I remember going over once and like, you hadn't told me that you. You had told me you were thinking about doing this, but you hadn't told me that you actually did it. But I went over and her TV room was her dining room, and her dining room was her TV room. And I was just sort of like, wait, how did this happen?

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God.

[Todd Nicki]

I don't even think there were movers involved. I think Amy did it herself. And it was just like one of those, you know, it was amazing. And it is just that, like, I think both of us, our homes are our laboratories, and it's just so fun to tinker and have an idea in the middle of the night and get up in the morning and move the furniture or change where the painting is so that you see a different whatever. Like, I think it's helped us. Neither of us have a huge formal training and background in interior design. So I think it's really like, that is the on the job training where it's. You can make your own mistakes and you can do all of those things in the safety of your own environment, and it's magical. And with Amy's, I feel like every time I go over, there's just like there is. There's another beautiful component, and, you know, a new idea has sparked and you're seeing the beginning of it. And then I go over, you know, a few weeks later, and I see the iteration of it, and it's just. It is. It's such a soulful reveal. And I feel like I'm seeing into an artist's mind.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, that's so beautiful. And it's so interesting hearing you guys talk about each other's style, because I feel like it melds, like, all of the descriptions that you gave meld to really give us what people think of when they think of your firm and your shop. So it's so funny. I mean, you guys really are a blend of each other when it comes to the work that you do, which is very special. Where do you guys find inspiration?

[Amy Kehoe]

I. I mean, I think travel is probably the biggest, and travel could be, you know, a day trip. It doesn't mean you have to get on a plane, but. And that going to a historic home, going, of course, to a flea market or an estate sale, still finding a great book. I think my eyes are so tired. I. I mean, I'm so. I'm so grateful for, like, Pinterest and first dibs, but it's.

[Arielle Oken]

I know it's exhausting.

[Amy Kehoe]

It's not where I get inspired because it's. It's almost like we're. We're all just too forced to be on our screen. So it's like anything to be out in the world is typically where it comes from for me.

[Arielle Oken]

I agree.

[Todd Nicki]

I mean, I think, you know, I think you hit on, you know, Amy said something, you know, historic houses and going back through any place you go, there are, you know, historic references. And just having a little bit of taste of that, a little access. I remember being like 12 years old and going to colonial Williamsburg for the first time and just being completely blown away. Like, I just wanted to, like, cook over an open fire, you know, There was something so deeply inspiring about that, and I still feel that way. I still feel like when I'm in some other era or you're taken somewhere, there are nuggets that you just. You absorb and, you know, you get to be a sponge and it shows up years later or whatever. It just almost feeds, you know, a part of your brain that just automatically logs information and you can spit it out later.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah, it imprints. It really does.

[Amy Kehoe]

I think.

[Arielle Oken]

It does. It's so funny. Someone else was on. I think it was last season, and they said the same thing about visiting Williamsburg as a young kid and how it made a really big impact on them. And it's true. Right. Like these. These spaces that we go to as kids, even though we don't even know at that point in time what will become. Yeah, it stays with you forever. And that's why travel is just so important in general to kind of get yourself out of your day to day and to experience the way other people live or lived. Yeah, it just expands your. Even just the way you can think about design and how to set up a space.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, completely.

[Arielle Oken]

Well, in that vein, we have our take 10, which we do at the end of every episode. We have some rapid fire questions. You guys can answer them for each other or you could answer them as your own answer.

[Amy Kehoe]

Sure.

[Arielle Oken]

Okay. So the first one is, what is your favorite food?

[Amy Kehoe]

I can answer.

[Todd Nicki]

God.

[Amy Kehoe]

He loves a shrimp cocktail.

[Todd Nicki]

Yes.

[Arielle Oken]

I love that. And I love how you both knew what you were gonna say before you said it. Favorite drink?

[Amy Kehoe]

Oh, well, I'm assuming maybe I shouldn't assume if it's alcoholic. I like a spicy margarita.

[Arielle Oken]

So good. Me too. Let's see. Favorite film?

[Todd Nicki]

I have one, right. I. I think I've watched it probably five times in the last year and I was a little late to the party, but. The Phantom thread.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, I haven't seen it yet.

[Todd Nicki]

Oh, it is. It is a little slice of heaven.

[Arielle Oken]

Okay, I'm putting it on my list. I get so many good recommendations from doing this that I have like a running list now.

[Todd Nicki]

Aim, what's your movie?

[Amy Kehoe]

I just recently rewatched Hand of God, which now makes me think of you, Todd, because you've been to Naples. But it's just a beautiful, not coming of age story. Just a story of this Italian youth. And it's a great narrative and it's also shot so beautifully. Like Naples has that beauty and scene. Yeah. There's like a seediness to it plus beauty, plus a great story. It's really. It's really good. But you know, I mean, I also love a little bridesmaids. You know, it's the whole.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, yeah, me too.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah. Legally Blonde are probably my.

[Arielle Oken]

Yes, yes. You need those in the, in the repertoire. Otherwise, like, life is too much. And we need. We need Legally Blonde.

[Todd Nicki]

We can't only be highbrow. Yes.

[Arielle Oken]

Favorite hotel.

[Amy Kehoe]

Well, I know we both really love the Hotel Merand Mirand in Avignon, France. That's just epic.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, that's mine for sure, though. We're both headed to Etem in Stockholm, and I have a sneaky suspicion we're.

[Amy Kehoe]

The sneaky suspicion that we might.

[Todd Nicki]

That might make it to the list. Yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

You might never come home. No, it's supposed to be incredible. I mean, everybody who has ever gone has immediately then said it's the best place they've ever been. Favorite city.

[Todd Nicki]

That's tough.

[Amy Kehoe]

This is hard. It's like, I. I mean, I love. Like we did Todd's. One of his birthdays. I'm not gonna name age, but we went for one of his birthdays. Oaxaca. I mean, Oaxaca was incredible. Mexico City. You know, those stick out to me. And of course, I think it might sound a little jaded or snooty. I don't mean it to, but you know, we. We get fortunately enough to go to Paris and London with some frequency. So those are just like. They're staples. They're like. They're almost like fixes that, you know, we need at point. There's really so much taken every time we go and we just love it. But, yeah, I mean, I also. Many more cities on the bucket list, for sure.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah. Yeah. But. But I. I mean, yes. I mean, Florence is another one, but recently it's been. This is going to sound crazy, but it's been Tucson, Arizona.

[Amy Kehoe]

Oh, yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, interesting. Arizona is so beautiful.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah. Arizona is incredible. But there's something about Tucson that is really just pretty special.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah. Talk about thinking about the place and connecting it to the design. It's, like, such a unique area.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

Favorite playlist or music to listen to.

[Todd Nicki]

I have, again, this goes back to Phantom Thread and Johnny Greenwood, who's the guitarist for Radiohead, is also a composer and did the soundtrack for the Phantom Thread.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, cool.

[Todd Nicki]

So anyhow, there's a Johnny Greenwood playlist that I just has been in rotation for a while now that I'm just obsessed with.

[Arielle Oken]

What is your favorite weekend activity?

[Amy Kehoe]

I'm gonna jump in because we have had this favorite activity again, it's something we both share, but in addition to pickleball. But we were talking with Eugenia from Frederick because we'd been up in Connecticut going to all these little towns, and she told us that there's. In Spanish, there's a name for that as an activity.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God.

[Amy Kehoe]

And we were like. We knew. We knew. We knew this wasn't just going around shopping.

[Arielle Oken]

Wait, that's so cute. What is it called?

[Amy Kehoe]

It has the word. It's like puebloita or like.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God, that's so cute.

[Amy Kehoe]

We're gonna have to follow up with her.

[Arielle Oken]

Yes, I'll ask her. Oh, my God, that's so good.

[Todd Nicki]

We have called it Towning.

[Amy Kehoe]

In English, we call it Touting.

[Arielle Oken]

I mean, this is what I make my husband do on the weekends. So now I feel like if I put a cute name to it, he'll be there. You go grumbly about having to drive to Pound Ridge. Okay. The last question that we ask, which I think is always the hardest. Favorite design book.

[Amy Kehoe]

Favorite's gonna be hard. But I. I really feel like every time I open up Marie Agnelli's the Last Swan, I'm. It's kind of like I'm seeing it for the first time. I love that book.

[Arielle Oken]

Yep. That's a great book. I have that. It's wonderful.

[Amy Kehoe]

Yeah.

[Todd Nicki]

And that's so beautiful. I think mine might have to be. I think it's Haute Bohemians by Miguel Florence Fiand.

[Arielle Oken]

Yeah. There's so much. I mean, we talk about this a lot on the show, but there's so much you can Learn from all of these books and when you really sit with them and you read them and you actually absorb the captions and, like, how much energy went into the copy and not just the photos. There is so much to take away from them.

[Todd Nicki]

Absolutely. The good old fashioned sitting down with a book and flipping through it too is.

[Arielle Oken]

Yes. And getting off her phone.

[Todd Nicki]

Yes. Yes.

[Arielle Oken]

Well, a final few words. This has been so much fun. What are you two working on right now? Is there any new stuff that you want to talk about?

[Amy Kehoe]

I mean, it's just, I would say on the shop side, talk could speak in more detail about product development. There's always, always exciting stuff happening in that category. Not. Not to put pressure on you, Todd.

[Todd Nicki]

No, no. Something that I think Amy and I are both really excited about is we're doing a lighting collaboration with Dumae.

[Arielle Oken]

Ooh, that's so exciting.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah, we were, we met Charlie a while back, Charli Duma. And it's, you know, he is just this ever overflowing source of creativity and talent. And, you know, we. We kind of can't believe we fell into this little beautiful bucket with him. And we have some really exciting things that are coming out. I think it'll launch in the fall. I think we'll be ready for it early October.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, my God, that's so exciting. I can't wait to see it. Well, this is the last question we always ask everyone who comes on. What advice do you have to someone looking to define their own interior style?

[Amy Kehoe]

Gosh, I. I don't. I think it. This might sound very obvious, but it goes a lot to what Todd was saying about refining your own eye and just. Yeah, I think our world is so accessible that it is like kind of going offline to really understand, you know, going to antique shops, understanding pedigree or where things come from. It's just. It's just too easy to copy and paste, you know, And I don't say that in a critical way. It's just. It's a problem I think we all face. It's like. There's just everything is so easy to find. And I think, you know, training yourself to go offline and do everything we've talked about on this podcast today is. Would be my tip.

[Arielle Oken]

I love that. Yeah, that's true.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah. No, I totally agree. You know, travel, travel, travel. And yeah, take lots of pretty pictures. You know what's funny too, is in that. And I'm always catching myself doing this is you go somewhere and you just take a million pictures and you kind of forget to be there. You're so busy trying to get the perfect picture of something that you're not absorbing what you're.

[Arielle Oken]

I talk about that with my husband a lot, with my kids. I feel like we're constantly trying to, you know, we want to get the picture so that we have it for our memories. But also, like, you're not fully present in the moment. Yeah, you're not fully present in the moment when you're doing that. It's, it's, it's tricky.

[Todd Nicki]

Yeah.

[Arielle Oken]

Well, Todd and Amy, thank you so much for coming on. This was such a delight and I feel like I learned so much.

[Amy Kehoe]

Well, we really enjoyed it. It was very fun talking with you and appreciate you asking us.

[Arielle Oken]

Oh, of course. Oh, my God. I am like long time fans of yours, so I'm really jazzed that you wanted to come on.

[Todd Nicki]

This was really fun, really easy.

[Amy Kehoe]

That's a wrap for this week's episode of Talk Shop. Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week with more thoughtful discussions and amazing guests. Follow us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, so you never miss an episode. And of course, follow me at arielokun. See you next week.