What happens when two creative souls with a shared passion for design come together in both love and business? Meet Jordan and Barry, the dynamic duo behind Brooklyn Brownstones, transforming these historic homes into stunning masterpieces. Join us for an intimate conversation as they share their personal and professional journeys, highlighting the importance of surrounding yourself with a supportive community and each other.
From childhood dreams of escaping Las Vegas, to building a career in architecture, to the couple's leap of faith in buying a house together after just seven months of dating, their story is one of growth, trust, and vulnerability. Learn how their unique business model brings architects, engineers, and interior designers together to manage home renovations from start to finish, all while maintaining a strong partnership and finding balance in their personal lives.
As we take a step back to celebrate their achievements, Jordan and Barry reveal their method for creating celebratory moments and designing homes that reflect their clients.
I dare you not to fall in love with Jordan and Barry!
👉 All things Brownstone Boys:
👉 Reference:
Letters From Esther #8: The Myth of Self-Love by Esther Perel
Thank you for listening!
Do you know someone or have a topic you would like featured on the podcast? Leave a review and let me know! I'd love to hear from you!
What happens when two creative souls with a shared passion for design come together in both love and business? Meet Jordan and Barry, the dynamic duo behind Brooklyn Brownstones, transforming these historic homes into stunning masterpieces. Join us for an intimate conversation as they share their personal and professional journeys, highlighting the importance of surrounding yourself with a supportive community and each other.
From childhood dreams of escaping Las Vegas, to building a career in architecture, to the couple's leap of faith in buying a house together after just seven months of dating, their story is one of growth, trust, and vulnerability. Learn how their unique business model brings architects, engineers, and interior designers together to manage home renovations from start to finish, all while maintaining a strong partnership and finding balance in their personal lives.
As we take a step back to celebrate their achievements, Jordan and Barry reveal their method for creating celebratory moments and designing homes that reflect their clients.
I dare you not to fall in love with Jordan and Barry!
👉 All things Brownstone Boys:
👉 Reference:
Letters From Esther #8: The Myth of Self-Love by Esther Perel
Thank you for listening!
Do you know someone or have a topic you would like featured on the podcast? Leave a review and let me know! I'd love to hear from you!
Welcome to Making Way Podcast, a podcast about finding your own path in life. We're sharing stories to encourage you to live your life how you want to live it and not how you're supposed to. Who we are is not a solo endeavor. We are often bombarded with messages around self-love as an individual pursuit. We need to be good on our own. Before we can be with someone else, we need to learn how to love ourselves by ourselves. This is a myth of self-love. It's about letting others love us even when we feel unlovable. It highlights the power of interdependence and vulnerability in the journey of self-acceptance. True self-love is not achieved alone, but thrives in the embrace of collective love and acceptance. By acknowledging the significance of external support, we can foster a more profound sense of self-love.
Speaker 1:Today's guests are Jordan and Barry, also known as the Brownstone Boys. Now, if you haven't heard of these guys yet, they're the creative minds behind transforming Brooklyn Brownstones into absolute masterpieces. But hold on. This episode isn't just about renovations and design. In this intimate chat, they let their guard down and discuss the journey they've been on that led them to where they are today. Throughout their stories, there is an unintentional thread that highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive friends, a community you love and, of course, each other. I dare you not to fall in love with Jordan and Barry, so thank you guys for being here so much. Let's start very easy Where are you guys from, and either of you guys can start.
Speaker 2:I'm originally from a place called Las Vegas. Don't know if you've heard of it, but yeah, i was born and raised in Las Vegas, nevada, and the day I graduated high school is the day I moved to New York.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, okay. so let's backtrack a little bit. So, growing up in Vegas, what was that like?
Speaker 2:It was wild. I mean, it's all I knew when I was a kid, so for me it was very normal, but I always knew, from either watching TV or wanting to travel, that there was so much life outside of Las Vegas.
Speaker 1:By the strip or not by the strip.
Speaker 2:About like 20 minutes off the strip in a small area called Summerlin, very residential.
Speaker 3:Very yeah.
Speaker 2:Hey, summerlin, someone's out there. But I always knew that Vegas was a place that after I graduated high school, i was going to leave And I had just always straight moving to New York.
Speaker 1:City. What about Vegas? didn't feel right for you.
Speaker 2:The culture. I remember going on a trip with friends Actually was part of a theater group when I was younger. We came to New York and it was wow. I was like nine years old I think, and I knew at that moment that that was like I'm going to live in New York City one day And I'm going to live. And I always saw Sesame Street and Sex in the City on the TV And I think that's what kind of always put in my mind that I was going to live in New York City. But that trip really I just remember from like nine to 18 being like mom, dad, i'm moving to New York City as soon as I graduate high school. My mom knew it. She knew at a very early age that Jordan has not meant for Las Vegas And she would always like try to book us on city trips just to see other places, which was always amazing. My parents are both from the East Coast.
Speaker 1:How did they end up in Vegas?
Speaker 2:Interesting. So my father went out there for hotel management in the late 60s, early 70s, so he's one of those original Vegas guys, yeah, like when Elvis was there.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and he went out for hotel management. So he worked for Cesar's Palace forever and my mom followed him. She was a teacher. She still is a teacher. She needs to retire but they love it And as an adult, i love going back there and visiting. The desert is gorgeous. I don't know if you've been, but it's such a beautiful place. But it's a beautiful place to visit.
Speaker 1:What were you like as a kid? How would people describe you If your mom would describe you?
Speaker 2:I was a smiley kid. I smiled a lot and I was always curious about everything. I just remember always telling my parents that I was like, I was wanting to see the world And I was very animated, I was very, I was creative. I remember one of my favorite activities was getting all the kids on our block that were all very into sports for them to do a play with me. It would stage a play in our garage and the garage was our curtain and the curtain would go up And I was just. I was always wanting to do creative projects, whether it be art or theater or film, which is what I went to school for.
Speaker 3:That's what the theme was for his Bar Mitzvah.
Speaker 1:What was it?
Speaker 2:Broadway. Yeah, the theme. Okay, this is a cool story about my Bar Mitzvah. Wayne Brady pre-him being the host of Whose Line Is It Anyways was on the DJ circuit for Bar Mitzvahs And my parents hired Wayne Brady before he was famous What? And he was the DJ at my Bar Mitzvah And I had video. This is before he's famous. Before he was famous, i had video footage of him dressed in a cat suit singing memory from cats.
Speaker 1:We all had to start somewhere. Exactly, all had to start somewhere And yeah, it's been a while since seeing him turn into the superstar The superstar that he is, and yeah, You know, obviously going to New York in high school was very influential to you. You knew that's where you wanted to go. And then college was coming around, which college, I feel like for so many of us, that's where our jumping off point of creating the life we want to. What did you study in college?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I went to a conservatory that was part of a bigger university, uconn, but the campus that I specifically went to school for was based in New York, so this was three weeks pre-9-11.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it was quite a time to arrive in the city and make this my home. And then when 9-11 happened, i was in Brooklyn at the time, but I just knew in that moment, after the freak and everything that happened, i knew that this was going to be my home forever.
Speaker 1:What about it?
Speaker 2:I just saw a sense of community that I've never seen before. I've seen people genuinely just concerned for each other, and while New York is probably the largest city in the world, there was just this looking out and this, like everyone, just looking at each other with the eye contact, and you can just feel that they were genuinely….
Speaker 1:Everyone knew, everyone was hurting, at that time Exactly.
Speaker 2:And that feeling still sticks with me to this day And I just remembered that was just like I'm a New Yorker.
Speaker 1:Did you pursue…. You were pursuing film in college, though You wanted to be a film director.
Speaker 2:Long story short. Yeah, i did want to be a film director. That was the dream. And I heard in school that you would have to work up the ladder And I remember getting my first production assistant job And I think I was hired at like I want to say it was $12 an hour And I had to show up on set at 9.30 at night and then work over night to like 10 o'clock in the morning And I remember that job and just like I was so energized and so excited to be part of the set and working so hard And I thought after that day I got hit by like four different trucks And I just remember like just being exhausted from that experience And I was like I can't do this, this isn't made out for me, and I had to put myself through school.
Speaker 2:So, randomly, backing up to Vegas during high school, i also worked at a bakery.
Speaker 2:My dad had a wedding center at the time And part of the center was a bakery And just going helping my dad out And I just took such a distraction at working at the bakery. So I put myself through college here working at this bakery in Red Hook, brooklyn, and the guys that owned the bakery were expanding their bakery And they were opening up a shop in Manhattan And they asked me to design their kitchen as this new bakery And it became such a passion project. This was a couple years after the whole film thing But I became so attracted to designing that one kitchen And I was like I think I like design And then later they had poached me out to an ice cream company And then that's when I really became a designer, because I joined Ample Hills Creamery when they were at three ice cream shops And I joined their team And I helped them expand into 16 different shops throughout New York. We opened up a shop in LA, in Orlando, and it was all commercial. On the commercial side of design, I see.
Speaker 1:So you worked at that bakery, then you designed their kitchen. That's kind of like your first taste of design. Now you started working in this ice cream shop as.
Speaker 2:It was after baked was the bakery that I worked for. I want to say it was five or six months after they opened up their Tribeca location And that was the kitchen that I helped design. They had asked me what I thought of it. I was like I loved it. If you know anybody else that needs help. And then that's when they put me in touch with the owners of Ample Hills.
Speaker 1:So at that point you knew OK, this is what I'm going to pursue now. That was a pivot there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think for the design side it was. I joined Ample Hills not really having a set job description But I knew that the owners of this ice cream company were needing a lot of help So I wore different hats But the largest hat I wore was helping them once they found a new location And they were working with the architect to kind of project manage from start to finish the whole build of that ice cream shop.
Speaker 1:OK, gosh, ok, now let's catch up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, sorry, i'm going to stop talking about me This is great.
Speaker 1:No, we want all these details. Ok, so you're from a very different part of the country, so where are you from?
Speaker 3:So I am from New Orleans, so I grew up in the south. I went to LSU and love New Orleans. It's an amazing place to visit. It was actually a really amazing place to grow up In the main city area, yeah, so I grew up about 20 minutes from the French Quarter And then when I the last few years that I was there, i lived like right uptown New Orleans, just like 10 minutes from the French Quarter, so, yeah, right in the middle of it. It was very fun Lots of culture, lots of great music, lots of great food, of course. But I left when I was 25 and I moved to Boston And growing up I always wanted to be an architect. I knew I was going to be an architect all through high school.
Speaker 1:Where did that start? How did you get your first inspiration for that?
Speaker 3:I actually don't really know. I mean, i do remember I used to draw when I was really young like probably way too young to even be concerned about these things. I used to love drawing floor plans of houses and designing houses. I would draw different floor plans and I would rearrange things and think about how different it could work or what would make for good functionality in a house. I was probably like eight in drawing floor plans of houses And so I just always knew that's what I wanted to do. So all through high school all the kids were thinking about what they wanted to do and trying to figure it out and not knowing where they wanted to go. I knew I wanted to be an architect. So I applied to different architecture schools and I actually got into the School of Architecture at LSU, which was great because it was State University in Louisiana, worked really well for me and I was happy about that. So I went to architecture school at LSU, moved to Baton Rouge, which is like an hour and a half from New Orleans.
Speaker 3:I had to actually put myself through school. I was like no one else in my family really went to college. I was like the first one, so I didn't really get a lot of help with it and my parents didn't have the finances to help me, but they supported me in other ways for sure. But financially I had to support myself. I had to get an apartment, i had to work and pay rent and all of that stuff. Fortunately I did get a scholarship for school, so I didn't have to pay tuition. It was in state anyway.
Speaker 1:But I want to know, though, what were you like as a kid? How would people describe you as a kid?
Speaker 3:I mean, that's a good question. I was probably a quieter kid. I don't think I was always kind of a little bit shy. I had an older brother and he would pick on me a lot. I did fight back, but probably not that much. But yeah, i was probably a quieter kid. I was not the kid that had tons of friends. I don't think into high school that I really have a lot of friends and really got into a good group of friends. You were the Duke of your high school though right, I was the Duke.
Speaker 2:I know I was in junior high school.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. I think I changed a lot during high school.
Speaker 1:I got up and I went to high school.
Speaker 3:So a lot of the friends I had in high school Jordan and I talk about this. It comes up a lot because I ended up having a lot of friends that were fun and loud in high school And I remember when I because I was quieter growing up and a little bit more shy I remember having to fight to say something, to get a word in to the conversation. I had to. Really it was my job. No one else was going to make sure that I was there, so I had to figure out how to do that And I remember it was difficult for a little while for me until I felt comfortable and was able to figure it out.
Speaker 3:And I actually remember I kind of always think about how now I'm a little I don't mind like I'm confident about talking And I was not that way at all when I was younger And it was like this group of friends I had in high school that made I got forced me to be that way Anyway. So that's I guess that's my kind of high school years and it was good And I actually ended up being a duke in my prom And that was like a voted like people vote you Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2:Well, not prom. Yeah, it was either. I was like what is it to?
Speaker 3:So there's like the royal court, right? So there's the king and the queen, and then there's people that are, you know, like dukes and duchesses. I don't know, is that the female part? Yes, yeah, and so it's like one. You know, there might maybe there's like five people in the class that are voted for that, so yeah, Wow, it really shaped you, though I had like a banner, like I had to wear a banner.
Speaker 3:You're fancy, do you have it? No, not at all. I have not one thing left from high school. It's all gone, oh man.
Speaker 1:Okay. So high school. And then you know, knowing you wanted to pursue architecture, went to architecture school. And then what was that like after graduating, now going into the real world of architecture?
Speaker 3:Didn't happen.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 3:It did not happen. I am an architecture school dropout. I stuck with it for like two years And it was right And I actually really enjoyed it. It was like really fun for me in a lot of ways. And there's a lot of studio work which was really fun And we made different models And it was, you know, starts in the first couple of years is very conceptual, so you're not really like doing the things that you do as an architect after you graduate. But you know you're learning about space and you're learning about design and you're learning about modeling and that sort of thing. So the thing that with it is it's just a lot of work.
Speaker 3:Like architecture school is very rigorous, it's a five year program And you it's very difficult to have a job and be an architecture school. Most of the kids in architecture school, you know, are not working, like they're only going to school. And I couldn't do that, like I had to work and put myself through school and didn't have the ability to not have a job. So I just remember it, after a couple of years I ended up getting to the point where I was like I don't think I can do this, like I don't think I can get through it And they also do a really good job of talking you out of it the entire time And you know they tell you that you're not, you're never going to get a job. You're, you know there's not. Work out there for architects It's like very difficult to get. it's very difficult to get to a point where it like really provides a good income And also you have to do after the five year program, you have to do a two year apprenticeship where you make pretty much minimum wage before you can get licensed.
Speaker 3:So I decided I would change my major And so I went to the school of business and got a business degree. So I did graduate, just not with architectural degree, and I was disappointed about it because I always wanted to be an architect. But got a business degree and I went into software sales when I got out of school. So I have no idea, actually I went into. Before I went into software sales I went into advertising sales. So that was my first job out of school. I worked for-.
Speaker 1:Which was good money right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was good. I mean, i was like obviously very entry level person And I worked for a publishing company in New Orleans that published a bunch of magazines, like a bunch of local magazines Like New Orleans magazine was one of them And then there was a bunch of other ones too. Like we had 10 magazines They're all local though And then two radio stations, which was actually kind of fun because I got I sold advertising across all of the magazines and the radio stations And so a lot of times I was like in the studio where they were recording And the radio stations were like news, like it was like a talk news station And there was another one that I can't remember what the other one was, but the main one was the talk news. So it wasn't like you know, djs or anything fun, it was like boring talk news.
Speaker 1:But I used to be able to like- I'm sorry, nobody scooped you up for like radio at that point. Like your voice, I mean anybody-.
Speaker 2:He has such a radio.
Speaker 3:I did. They did. Let me record a couple of like voiceover, like ad things. I did do that But it was fun because I used to go into the studio and I would sort of like help with designing the ads And I got to be creative in that way even though I was in sales, and so you know we'd work with our like editorial team and on things and stuff. So it was fun.
Speaker 3:I did that for two years. Super fun job like very social, like selling ad space and working for a publishing company. We were like always going to everything and tickets to everything and dinners and lunches and that sort of thing. So that was, and it was very. It was a publishing company that was very like New Orleans. So it was like anything in New Orleans you know was we were part of it. So that was great. And then I went to software after that because I got sales experience and software was I don't know, it just seemed like something different and fun and cool. And then the hurricane Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Like six months after I started the software sales job And after that, after like some back and forth, i ended up transferring to Boston with the company.
Speaker 3:So I lived in Boston for a few years and I actually had the option to go to Boston or Huntington Beach, california Those are the two options And I chose Boston and a lot of people think, or probably think, that's crazy. Yeah, how did you make that decision? But I think it was because I just appreciated like the architecture and the history and like the character and the charm of a city like Boston, after living in New Orleans and also being, you know, having a love of architecture and design.
Speaker 2:Your life would have been so different. How do you chose Huntington Beach, California?
Speaker 3:Yeah, in no offense to anyone or anything in Huntington Beach, california, i'm sure it's beautiful, but it's not known for, you know, charming architecture, like Boston is anyway, and the Northeast is, you know, as New Orleans is. So that is probably why I chose to go to Boston. But I was still in software sales at the time. So after living there for three years, really loved Boston, met a ton of peep friends there, just like immediately made friends in Boston. My still to this day my closest friends are the friends I met in Boston, but they all live in New York. I don't know not one person that lives in Boston anymore.
Speaker 3:So after three years or so I got a little tired of Boston. It's a small city And it's close to New York and I was coming to New York a lot. I made some friends in New York and I decided I would just move to New York because why not? So still in software sales, kind of moved around different companies, you know, worked for a few startup companies and had a good time with that. But it was, you know, it paid well Like it was a decent living being in software sales And I never lost my passion for architecture and design And I decided I didn't want to just rent. I wanted to like buy my own apartment and have my own place and make it my own. And so I scraped together.
Speaker 1:How much money were you making?
Speaker 2:I mean, not really that much, let's just say a lot more than a baker's salary.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i know, right, i know I wasn't even making six digits, to be honest with you. Like it was like a OK living but nothing like too crazy. But I decided I was in my first apartment. It was one bedroom apartment. I had to scrape together like every single dime I could get my hands on. I was like very I was broke. For like two years after I bought it I actually had did a special program for first time home buyers where you could put down like a low percentage, like I think I put down 5% or something like that. So I got my first place and I did some renovations to it And then I sold it two years later for more than I bought it for.
Speaker 2:And it wasn't an area that at that time you were not really buying property.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was also like in an up and coming area.
Speaker 1:In Brooklyn, in Brooklyn, what area was it? It was in downtown Brooklyn.
Speaker 3:Oh, which now it's like damn, should have held that right, exactly, it was in downtown Brooklyn before anything Any of the new stuff that's down there. Nothing was down there.
Speaker 1:This is only like the downtown Brooklyn is like only 10 years maybe.
Speaker 3:Totally, it's about 10 years ago. Yeah, so it was actually more than 10 years ago, because when I bought it, it was like there was not anything down there at all.
Speaker 1:There were none of the new properties. I used to work at the Applebee's on the decal station. Oh yeah, So I know what it is. You know that It was on Skimmerhorn Street.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's what I'm sure you're familiar with. Oh yeah, that's horrible, and this was I mean. Now there's like so much down there, but at the time it was like literally there was no Applebee's, applebee's.
Speaker 1:There was no.
Speaker 3:Applebee's.
Speaker 3:I don't even know if Applebee's was there, maybe not. Anyway. So I sold there a couple of years later And by the time that neighborhood kind of like things started opening up a little bit, it got a little better. And then I kind of think I was like this is fun, like I was really. I bought a place, i lived in it for two years, i sold it And then I had a little pool of money from that to buy another place And so I bought a new apartment And this place needed to be totally got renovated.
Speaker 3:So it was the type of place you walk into and you're like, ugh, this needs some work. So I renovated it. It took like six months. I moved into it. I again spent every single penny that I could find on it. And then the renovation. And it was amazing. Like the renovation, like it totally transformed the space. It was so pleased to sit there and be like, wow, this place was amazing. And then I sold that place two years later. I always lived in the place for like two years, capital gain stacks Exactly.
Speaker 3:That's exactly why You live there for two years, you don't have to pay capital gains And I sold it for a lot more than I bought it for, like a lot more than I bought it for. And I was like I could do this, like I could do it again. I could buy another place And I could renovate it And I could make it into something that other people would want, that they would walk into and love. And so I did it a couple more times, like I bought another place, i renovated it and sold it and did it, i think five times. I think our closing was my ninth real estate closing, when we bought our place together.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile, I was renting the same 500 square foot apartment in Prospect Heights.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, great neighborhood, i loved it Back in 2001, though it was quite not an idea.
Speaker 2:It was a little sketch, but I just really lucked out that the family that owned the building took me under. They were like my New York family, i call them And they gave me a really great deal And I just stayed put and it allowed me to save some money. So this is like 2017 now That tiny one Lena in 2017.
Speaker 1:So your experience has been flipping homes and doing the work, And then your experience is working in more corporate side, not flipping but renovating corporate spaces. So no real formal training per se.
Speaker 2:Except for my two years of architecture school, don't forget that.
Speaker 1:But that blows my mind because I mean, your work is beautiful, Like I will scroll. I think that when I first discovered it, I looked at everything. I was like YouTube, Instagram, That's my life. Well, I want to know. I guess, well, maybe we should start there. which is, how do you guys get inspired? Or like, how did you guys learn design techniques and all that stuff, that thought that goes into it?
Speaker 2:I think for us something that inspires us most is the homes that we work on. So we're very fortunate that New York, and specifically Brownstone, brooklyn, in our opinion, has some of the most beautiful architecture. So the homes really inspire us to kind of set the tone and the design for the space And Bray.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh yeah, i'm going to say right, i mean, that's always the star of the show for us anyway, because we get to work, at least in the majority of the type of projects we work in. Their Brownstones are beautiful. They have all this great history. They have all these original features that we can restore.
Speaker 1:You guys pulled designs from a lot of different styles, like there's a Parisian-European style, there's like Scandinavian, more modern. We don't really do styles.
Speaker 3:Ok, one of the things that we always kind of believe in and it's probably because we don't have really kind of like training is we see things we like, like we see spaces we like and there are things that speak to us And that's how we'll design a house, and I don't care if it's like mid-century modern in here and we have this Victorian mirror and then we have a Scandinavian-inspired modern kitchen And then you can mix it up. I don't think you need to make your house like an ode to one style or stick to a theme, you know, to a theme house. It's just whatever you love and whatever you think is beautiful and whatever speaks to you.
Speaker 2:Like. our style really is Brownstone style. So I take that as a sense of like a client hires us, we walk into this beautiful home that usually is built in the late 1800s, early 1900s. That is inspiring our design. And then the second part of that style is us interacting with our clients and getting to know who they are as people and bringing in their style into their, what we hope is going to be their forever home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how do you do that? Because that has to be hard, i feel like, because a lot of people can't articulate style. They're like I'll know when I see it, or something. Yeah, how do you draw that out?
Speaker 2:For us. It's like, at least for me, when we do site visits or showroom visits with clients. I see them smile, i see them react in a way that I know when they love something And it's that feeling that I want to get into their home. Whether it be a light fixture or whether it be hardwood floors There's so many different elements to play with when renovating a full entire house And I just try to get that feeling. I always ask the clients I'm inspired by music, So I always ask them to create a playlist How do you want to feel when you walk inside your home? Or how do you want to feel when you walk inside your living room, your kitchen, and then that will help me kind of give them some ideas that maybe they are not thinking about in the music really inspires me.
Speaker 1:I'm just shocked by your story, because it's just not easy. And to be able to have a vision and then execute on that vision and put it together and then put the serve, a client, to do that. I mean, how did you guys? I mean, well, i guess maybe let's start with how you guys met, because I think it will all kind of build on each other. So how did you guys meet?
Speaker 3:We met on Grindr.
Speaker 2:A really classy way. We met on Grindr, yeah, and we met like we. I like to say that we both met each other when we both really need it, at a point in our life where we both really needed each other At least I really need a berry Talked for several weeks and on Grindr, knowledge that's like unheard of. So we talked for a long while before we actually physically met.
Speaker 1:And what point in your life were you that you felt like you needed berry?
Speaker 2:For me. I was recently divorced And I was going through a lot of just like mental things, like questioning why I was living in New York, questioning what I was doing with my career, a lot of questioning around my own personal self that I feel like I needed somebody to just get all my thoughts out too, and also I wasn't the type of person that enjoyed being on the apps but I didn't really know how to meet people. So I was going through a lot of stuff personally that I just was really at a point that I needed to find somebody.
Speaker 1:Like a listening ear? Exactly Was that were you. Were you nervous to maybe meet someone new and say, hey, I'm going through all this stuff and to share that with that person?
Speaker 2:I definitely was. I am an open book, but at the same time, when it comes to my personal life and I'll bring dating into my personal life I have a really hard time opening up, but I was so desperate to open up to somebody that wasn't. I have really great friends, but I was wanting that intimate interaction as well, too, that I can open up with.
Speaker 1:What was it that berry, provided that was different from the other people you were talking to, that you're like, i feel like I could really talk to this guy.
Speaker 2:I felt, when I first met Barry in person, everything that he just said about him being a shy kid. I saw that first time I met him And I also felt that he also was wanting somebody to talk to and to open up about, because I feel like he had lived a life that he also was wanting to share some things with and having somebody to support him going through whatever he was going through.
Speaker 1:What was it like for you to meet Jordan?
Speaker 3:I mean, i think we felt very similarly So when we first started talking and chatting, before we even met in person, like I think we both realized that there was something there, like we chatted nonstop and I definitely felt like a really strong connection, like immediately. There was just something about the way I don't know there was some the tension that we gave one another and how special we made one another feel And I mean, i think I knew that there was something special there, like immediately.
Speaker 1:Was it not intimidating to hear, maybe like some of the things, that you know, someone you just met, to hear what they were going through, and then to be that person? Was that, was it like?
Speaker 3:I don't think we really knew that really necessarily right away, that we were that to one another. You know Like I think it started out casual enough.
Speaker 2:Of course we like shared things about our pasts, and you know, but like in a more I was thinking to go to him be like oh, i'm just recently divorced, here's all my stuff. Yeah, here's all my baggage, yeah, but even the short period of time.
Speaker 1:It was pretty quick, right In terms of opening up and sharing.
Speaker 2:Oh, for sure. I mean, we bought our house together after seven months of dating. I read that, oh my God, Which is pretty wild when you think about it. So a lot happened real fast in those seven months, yeah, but I don't know, i would like to believe when you know, you know, and I just kind of felt something in that moment.
Speaker 1:I mean as someone who was just recently divorced. I'm assuming obviously with that person, with someone who you thought this is my person. Were you scared or like?
Speaker 2:I was really scared And I also had a really big trust issue Cause it completely blindsided me. I had met the previous person that you know were oddly still connected because we share a dog, Which is crazy but I was just very blindsided And I had put all of my time, energy, focus, everything into making that relationship what I thought was the word perfect And I hate that word, Cause I'm thankful that I went through everything I went through because it taught me so much. But having that all like just taken away from you when you're completely blindsided, really it does a lot to you And I'm imagining everybody has their own instance, But for me that was the thing, that really everything just came to my mind.
Speaker 1:What was your idea of perfect with this person? or in a relationship?
Speaker 2:I guess I just had built him up in my head and being like this is the perfect person, this is the perfect marriage. We're gonna be doing this together and living our life and everything. And you know, i come from a family that my parents are still together And I think I just put a lot of pressure on myself, even though my parents never gave me that pressure. I just put a lot of thoughts on my own self that I had to find that person I was gonna be with for the rest of my life, and both of us worked successful jobs and this and this. So I was at that stage in my life where I felt all of that weight on my shoulders.
Speaker 1:What was it like to maybe restabilize yourself, or like re-put all the pieces back together?
Speaker 2:It was difficult, especially in like the gay New York City world. For me at least, it was challenging because I wasn't the type person that really wanted to go out every single night and hook up with different people, or I still wasn't in that mentality And I mean, some of my dearest friends do that, no judgment, that's them. But I also was like I felt so confident with, like, where direction we were going in at that point that it was really hard for me to go step backwards and then throw myself into the dating scene and all of that.
Speaker 1:So what was that like for you? Like, i guess, like building the relationship. I mean, actually, i'm wondering what's going through your mind right now, as you're hearing his part of the story here.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's not anything I didn't know already, so it's not a surprise, but I guess I'm just happy that I could be there for him And I was someone that could help him kind of like through some of that, and even though at the time I didn't know that that was the case, so that's, i think that makes me feel good.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, And then so you guys. then I guess, just like the connection, there's just something about the connection that made you feel a trust and a sense of friendship and just this foundation there. How did that then like ramp up to buying property together in six, seven months?
Speaker 3:I mean, i think we kind of realized that we both shared like a similar passion early on, right, it was like our second date or something that we talked about, our love and our passion for Brownstones and Brooklyn and like the Brownstone community and like the you know, not just the architecture and the beautiful house, but the community that exists in those type of neighborhoods And I think we just knew that we wanted to kind of like share that together and build a home together. And so, yeah, we started looking really quickly. I mean, we started dating, i think like mid 2017, and then we closed on the house, probably like mid 2018. So we had to, like you know, we decided to buy a house together.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, way before that, way before we closed on it, i just remember signing over literally every penny in my bank account over to Barry.
Speaker 3:Which I had done, like the five times. He was like you're five.
Speaker 2:I was like he could just take all of my money and literally run.
Speaker 1:but I mean that's a huge commitment signing real estate together Yeah yeah, i mean, i think my parents thought I was.
Speaker 2:My parents met you right before we had closed on our place, right, you came to Vegas, yeah, he came to the end day also. At that point, when they saw him and they were like he seems crazy, no, they had the. My mom was like. I just remember her being like, oh my God, barry Barry's amazing, barry, barry Barry.
Speaker 1:And I was like, yeah, I mean, how do you guys describe that seventh month or I guess I don't know will that early courtship? because I feel like I mean, you know, obviously you guys are partners in real life and then business partners too, but just like hearing your story and I appreciate you sharing about how challenging that was, because everyone you know has something like that But then to hear about how you mend or like go through something like that is you know, it's just so difficult. But then something about that time was like so special and to me like I can't help but wonder, like it's like I wish I had that or like that sounds like such a thing you hear in movies, like that doesn't happen in real life. Like being the people who are experiencing that courtship, how do you guys make sense of that time together, of meeting and this kind of all blossoming?
Speaker 3:I think I mean, at looking back on it, it's just the type of situation where you forget about everything else when you are with that person. And so for both of us I think I mean for me and, i'm assuming, for Jordan too we just like everything else was not. I wasn't worried about anything else.
Speaker 1:You were in love.
Speaker 2:Yeah it was We were. I say we because at first it actually was pretty scary, because after our first date you stopped talking to me. Oh yeah, i did do it.
Speaker 3:Jordan always bring this up. It was like less than a week that I was like, oh, i don't, you know, like it was felt a little too fast or I got a little freaked out by the fact like the fastest. And it was actually very early on, because we talked for a couple of weeks and then we met, and then we went out for a few weeks or so And then I was like, for some reason, i got a little freaked out and it went a little too fast or I wanted to like slow it down.
Speaker 1:It's real, they leave.
Speaker 3:Yeah, right. So then I was like I don't know, I don't think I'm into this Explain yourself And I still had my.
Speaker 2:I was like okay, cool, you look, you look like really cool about it.
Speaker 3:He was like I do whatever, And it was only a few days really, And then I was like can I take it?
Speaker 1:What was going through your mind?
Speaker 3:I don't know It was like. I think it was just like too fast or too much or too something.
Speaker 1:Something like you've never experienced before.
Speaker 3:Yeah, probably, it was probably, probably what it was. It's something I've never experienced before And I was like just had a moment of freaking out about it all, yeah, but, like I said, it wasn't, it was only a few days, it wasn't like a lot, it was probably three days, it was like years, it was probably like three years.
Speaker 2:I was good. I was good And something in the back of my mind was like he's gonna reach out one day, i don't know Cause. That first day that we were talking and we like I mean that we spent the night together Like just literally talking for a lot of it, i mean, of course, it's so good.
Speaker 1:It is very rare to find just a stranger you connect with that much. I couldn't imagine it as very it's a lot, yeah, and in good ways and scary ways too, yeah, okay, so you guys then bought your brownstone and then No, thank you.
Speaker 2:We just bought a Browse. No, so eight months later we ended up buying our house together. That really stemmed from us like just having this both mutual understanding that we wanted to own a brownstone. And so while we were in the process of buying our place, we both were like, oh crap, our budget is only gonna get us this amount of money. That means we're gonna have to take on a lot of this work ourselves. How much can you DIY? How much can you DIY? And we were like, okay, we have to learn a lot of things real fast. So that quickly turned to the internet And I was not finding a lot of the answers to a lot of the questions. I had Questions like how do you restore original woodwork in brownstones? How do you level floors in brownstone Like all very specific questions. It's like you know what that's interesting that none of this information is out there.
Speaker 2:While I was still at Ample Hills, i was doing a lot This is around the time of, like the boom of Instagram and the boom of social media And I was doing a lot of their marketing stuff. Then I was like you know what, why don't we kind of turn this into a blog post? Maybe somebody will wanna read our blog about restoring a brownstone. Let's put a cute little name on there, like the Brownstone Boys And Barry's. Like okay, sure, that's what you wanna do, let's do it. Maybe our friends and family will read it. So we started a blog. We closed on our house. That was our first blog post And a week after we published on our blog the Brownstoner, which is a popular Brooklyn real estate website, a lot of locals turned to that for resources. They reached out to us and asked if they wanted us to run a weekly blog on Brownstoner about our personal renovation. And we're like well, that's a good way of keeping up with our blog. So we ended up writing a blog post weekly for the Brownstar for two years straight.
Speaker 2:Oh wow that's not an easy task, not an easy task, but I mean, it was such a blessing because it put us in front of community and people start reaching out to us weekly asking us questions about our renovation, about their renovation, about them wanting to buy a place and asking us for advice. We were like, wow, there's this community here, that of all people needing help. Finally, barry looked to me and he was, like should we ask them if they need more help, because everyone keeps coming back to us with additional questions, and I think that's right when we said, like should we ask if they want us to help them with their renovation?
Speaker 3:Yeah, i think it was. Probably we were almost finished with our renovation, but actually not quite, like we still were working on our own house and we took on our first client who the couple that became our first client, which we told them we're like they just really seem like they needed a lot of help. They just bought a house. It was a total wreck. Like it was like type of place, Like someone was like squatting in it. It was like the doors were all kicked in. It was there was a fridge that, like you couldn't open because it was like food was rotten in it and we had to like move it out with it. It was a wreck of a house And they were just like lost. They didn't know no one was getting back to them, they couldn't afford anything. Like they couldn't figure out how to fit it into their budget. And they were really amazing And we just like really connected with them And we met them for coffee and we were like we know enough at this point to like help you through the process.
Speaker 3:And we had connect. We had like our resources for everything that we worked on our house with And, of course, my previous experiences we've had, And so we were like we've never done this before, like we've never worked with a client, we've never helped someone through it, but we can try, like we can do what we can do. And they were like all for it. And so then we had our first client in that renovation went. I mean, we learned a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so much. And there was an interesting twist in this client, who are still some of our dearest friends And we love them and their house is stunning. But they were also about three months into their renovation They learned they were pregnant with twins. And she was an attorney but turned to social media influencing full time. She has a beautiful feed, And all while her renovation was happening. Since she was dealing with this pregnancy, she was like, oh, I'm gonna push you guys on social media so that you guys can kind of take over the renovation on the Instagram, because she didn't wanna really do her renovation. So we got in front of a larger audience on social media, which plays an important part of our business now. But we're so thankful for her that not only she trusted us as they were our first clients, but also that she educated us and put us in front of a larger audience on social media.
Speaker 1:I mean, were you guys not intimidated taking on a massive project like renovating a home?
Speaker 2:I mean Yeah, i mean we learned real fast because the other previous renovation had all been for us personally. But now we had clients and we had expectations and we had everything. But we got through it and of course it was that roller coaster ride that any renovation, no matter if you're in New York or it back in summerlin, las Vegas, you're still gonna go through that roller coaster. But we were really by our client side from the beginning all the way to the end now, till two years later. You know they can reach out to us and they know and I hope they're listening and they they do reach out to us asking if there's anything additional that we can help. Because I think that relationship that you go in with your clients and a renovation is kind of the main important part for us in the Brownstone Boys story and I think we've developed a pretty unique business model because we like work with clients really closely through, from the very beginning through the end of their project.
Speaker 3:So and we, we do everything. So we do everything from like helping them wrap their heads around the project and understanding what the budget needs to be and what the scope of work needs to be and what the possibilities are, to bringing in the architects and the engineers and and holding their hand through that process and figuring out the layout of the house and going through the filing and the landmarks and whatever has to happen to. You know, interior design. So over the years we've been more and more and more designed to to now, you know we we are interior designers and we sometimes just do interior design projects to bringing in the general contractor and managing the construction process and doing construction project management which that's not an easy task.
Speaker 3:Let me tell you you know this is which is a lot and and kind of like you know, help. That's where it at every point you usually, when people renovate a house, it is probably the first time they're ever doing it like no one's, like no one comes in to renovate in their own house and be an S experts, because how many times do you do it in your lifetime? maybe once. Maybe someone did one other renovation for most of our clients. They've never done a renovation, so it's literally the first time and it's a massive renovation because it's a whole brownstone.
Speaker 2:Usually it's not, it's not just redoing the floors and the walls, it's also all new electrical, all new plumbing, all new HVAC, all new everything yeah, and most of our clients, their first time homeowners, their young families some of our favorite projects have been the generational projects that they've lived in the house since they were babies and just hearing the stories and the home means so many different meanings to so many different people and for me, my favorite part of the job is really that client relationship and having an understanding of what they think home is and then making their home for them. Who doesn't want to be a part of?
Speaker 1:that because you know when you're seeing a desk I'm sure you know this that like working in software sales, it's like you never forget the satisfaction, like it's done, like to renovate and then to like to like, have the idea and then to see it finish is such a satisfying feeling, i mean. So I have a little bit of background in renovation so I've done for, like my previous job, we moved offices so we, from the gut to like furniture to everything I project, manage that.
Speaker 1:I have a little condo I renovated like 600 something foot, kind of tiny nice did all of that, you guys are worth every penny, because that process is so difficult and it's like it's exactly what you said about people don't have the experience. So what I found hard about doing something like that whether it was for a commercial space or for a residential space is, you know, it's that relationship with the contractor or whoever you're working with, because I have to just defer to them and say, like, i guess you're right like sure if you say I need to do this, i guess I need to do it. You know, and it can be easily taken advantage of. So someone to do it 100%.
Speaker 2:And that's what you know, i think our clients would say is one of our strongest skill sets is we. If the contractor is saying one thing, we will give them four to five explanations around that one thing, with solid pricing around that. So if a contractor is throwing out one price point, we'll do our homework if we don't already know and make sure that the client has all of that information in front of them so at what point are you guys like okay, we can leave our corporate jobs.
Speaker 2:We're gonna do this it was after our third client. We were like this is in our third client.
Speaker 3:We had a full I wouldn't say like five increase in our inbox of other people wanting to work with us and we were like I think we should bury, like first and I think it was only a few months after we started the first project, because once we announced that we had another project only social media and stuff, i think then it kind of opened the floodgates of people reaching out with projects. And yeah, we had our first project in our second and then our third relatively quickly and after three we were like okay, we can't keep having like day jobs and then doing this on the side with three projects.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, right around then and it came at the best time everything about I feel like now we're talking about this everything was about timing and it really came at a great time. With ample Hills, they were going down a path that I was like I need to have an escape plan, and that's when I felt really good about Brownstone Boys.
Speaker 1:I was like I think we can do something here yeah, i mean that's so wild how your stories like how you guys ended up where you guys are doing design, doing architecture, where you started, like You know you got there somehow, which is crazy. Do you guys ever think about, like I Don't know if you guys have like a philosophy around beauty, just because I feel like so much of like interior design especially? I mean, seriously, your guys's work is so beautiful like. Do you have like Where maybe someone might say like what's the place for you know that type of investment or having beautiful things or beautiful space, like what is the meaning of that to you guys?
Speaker 2:I Always go back to like me watching New York in the backgrounds on my TV when I was a little kid, and it's very aspirational and I feel like the homes that we work on are very aspirational and it's I mean, now that we've worked on all these homes, i'm even like thinking of our next project and our next personal project over next home and I think that's how I can kind of compare the beauty component to the aspiration side, because they are beautiful spaces and I think We have a good friend that's an interior designer and he came from a fashion background And we always love talking with him. Alvin Wayne, if you're listening, love you.
Speaker 3:But I always think about our conversations around fashion and renovation and everything should be geared towards Like that look and feel that you want, you dream of always being, and that's what your home should be and I think that it makes just like when you, if you, if just with the relating it to fashion, when you are, when you have a new outfit or so you feel you look good, you feel good too, and I think your space is the same way. Your space is more functional When you are comfortable in it and it looks nice, and a lot of times it is beauty and it is the way it looks, but it's also just the, the organization of it and the functionality of it, it it makes a really big difference in how you experience your home And you live in your home and you feel in your home when it, when it looks the way you want it to look right, right.
Speaker 1:How do you guys, how have you guys evolved in terms of your relationship, now being business partners to that's a great question.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I mean we spent a lot of switch to the wine.
Speaker 2:Yes, please. So we spent a lot of time together and I mean we are dealing with people's every penny, every emotion and I'm a very emotional I don't know if you picked up on the emotional one and I sometimes bring that into our personal life, and that's something that I'm trying to work on is separating our Personal life from our professional life. But unfortunately, we live together, we work together and we have learned that We have to divide and conquer, like we have to Have days, a set aside that Barry can focus, not with me hovering over his shoulder, and vice versa, that he and I think now, after two years, we've been like you're really strong at this, he knows what I'm really strong on and he just lets me run with that and I let him run with it.
Speaker 3:I mean it's it's always something to be like really conscious and aware of, and you know like We can't treat each other like Workmates and business partners, but we also have to get work done and do business.
Speaker 3:So it is it's funny like a lot of people ask us how we do it and say they could never do that, and we get a lot of comments and questions around it. But I Mean, i think it's, it's great, i think it's really cool, i think it's very difficult sometimes, but overall it's kind of amazing to be able to build a business with your partner and to be able to create something. And You know, if we have a couple of employees now and it's just we pinch ourselves, that we even have What we have and we were able, we've been able, to build what we've built and to do it together is pretty amazing And pretty cool and pretty unique, and not a lot of people get to experience that and although there are difficult times and You know like it is hard in a lot of ways, but it's also very fun and you know, in such a cool experience.
Speaker 1:I mean, i guess it really is just about learning each other in the relationship, right, like how to, how to know if, like, someone just needs time alone, maybe. And then maybe You're like, let's, we need, we need to talk it out right now, or a lot of that dynamic. And sometimes I do wonder if it's like It is good to be in a relationship with the person you're doing business with, because Sometimes in business it is easy to just write someone off. But you're like, okay, now I like how can it be a good human being to this person and really Consider, like what they're saying, what they're thinking, what they're feeling?
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, i must, i mean must help build a relationship for sure for sure, and there are things that we're still learning, and I think that's kind of keeps it exciting as well, because We're always learning about each other and just when we think we know we know everything about each other, there's like yeah, and hold another Emotional state that is happening, that we're like oh, that's interesting for each of you while working together?
Speaker 1:Is there anything where it's like you know, sometimes when someone's like in their zone, it's like they're so attractive because you're like oh. Look at the way your right on those budgets or something like.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I do look at very when we're. It's usually during the construction meetings, which I'll say this publicly Like Barry is definitely stronger at that than I am, and sometimes he's relaying things over to clients that I think it's so sexy the way he's like talking about this, joyce.
Speaker 3:What's happening. Yeah, i mean in Jordan's also. He's really creative and he always impresses me with the way he, you know, puts it, our entire brand, together and the marketing around it, and it really is like it's an art form that I would never be able to do on my own and I always It's like it. None of this would exist if it wasn't for both of us being involved in it Like I could. I would not, you know, no one would reach out to me to do this on my own, even though I am. I do like.
Speaker 3:I've learned so much about Building and how to make it, put put everything together and build a kitchen in a bathroom and the measurements and how everything comes together. If it wasn't for all of the social media stuff that we do and the brand stuff and the blog and All the stuff that Jordan's like really amazing at, we wouldn't have any of this and vice versa. So it's like we definitely Us coming together and doing this together is the only reason it ever it exists and it goes well And it goes forward and we both have to be involved in it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i will say I mean, i'm sure a lot of people can harp on the unique challenges you might have working together, but I think that's such a unique advantage you have because, like, when do you ever get to see your partner at work doing something They're good at, and it's just like so cool, yeah. So what's like what's next for you guys? are you guys gonna do like brownstone boys and maybe like I don't know, like some other place, or like Expansion? good question.
Speaker 2:No, no, good question. I mean, we're always wanting new, exciting projects. We've done our first project outside New York. We did it to con, a project in Chicago. Which we have a lot of learnings around that whole project. We actually need to go back there and get our final photos, but it was a really fun experience. We love to take on more projects outside New York. I think that would be a dream.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i mean we're doing I don't know like we may do some fun projects outside the city, which is great. We're also writing a book right now that comes out next year. We actually just finished writing it and now we're going through the whole design process, which is really fun. So it comes out in spring 2024. Oh my god, we're always doing little things, little one-off things with TV. We did a couple of episodes of different shows on the Magnolia network. The last one that came out is called in with the old On Magnolia and it's on HBO Max.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of fun doing that. Yeah, i would love to. If there would be an opportunity to highlight more of the stories in New York and the homes that we get. I'll work on with the families that we get a work on that in New York's just such a I don't need to tell you this, it's such an amazing place with really some of the best people in the world and I would love to, yeah, look at a way to get a renovation show in highlighting that.
Speaker 1:Can you guys like take a moment and think to yourself like look how far we've come, like do you guys feel that? or do you, i mean like what are the feelings you have? because I it's funny I was just talking to a friend. She's like just renovated her space and she just had a baby and she's like I'm not doing it. I'm like what more do you want to do? You know, like, are you able to really kind of Take in and appreciate like so much of what you've accomplished? I mean not only professionally, but even like personally?
Speaker 2:Yeah, very reminds me all the time to do that, which I appreciate because I'm very. You know, it's hard being on social media and not comparing yourself to others and just this world that we're in, that they put so much pressure on you And I've fallen to that category really fast.
Speaker 3:But Barry always says stop, look what we've done, look where we're going, look, be like in this moment and just and I do, and I'm very thankful that I have him by my side To take this in yeah, i think that when we get caught up in this Jordan definitely does As well, and I'm sure a lot of people deal with it is no matter What you accomplish, there's always something more that you feel like you want to do, and we always have these.
Speaker 3:You know, like I wouldn't even say their goals, like we write it on a piece of paper And it's a goal, but we achieve things and don't. We don't even like Remember that that that was a goal at some point that we actually just got to, because we're already thinking about the next thing That we need to get to. And if we don't stop and, like you know, relish in the moment of Getting to that goal and experiencing those things, and what's the point? because we're not, you're never gonna be happy, you're never gonna get to a point where you're settled and there's always gonna be the next thing. And so I think that's really important and I Try to make an effort and I also try to slow Jordan down sometimes and make him like realize it and think about it and Create little celebratory moments as much as we can.
Speaker 1:What's a celebratory moment?
Speaker 3:look like just like a little like, for instance, when we will hit like a goal and like, let's go to dinner And like, let's have any. This event It always involves a cocktail. Yes, so you know, let's go have a drink somewhere. Let's like, even if it doesn't have to be a big thing, it doesn't have to be like throw a party with balloons, but let's like do this thing. That is, we're doing it because we're celebrating, and it might just we go to dinner all time, like it's not a thing that we don't do very often, but if we make this about Celebrating this moment, then it puts you in the moment a little bit more and makes you realize it.
Speaker 3:But I think it's really important and I think it's something that we need to continue to work on, because there's no goal, there's no top of the mountain to get to, like. The mountain just keeps going, it just keeps getting higher and no matter how high you go, there's always gonna be another goal, which is amazing. You never want to get to a point where you're like okay, that's it. Like now, what? like that would be all the that would be just as bad. So you, but you have to celebrate those little successes too.
Speaker 1:It's hard to know when it's enough to like there's a balance of like want to always try but also feeling like it's enough. I mean I don't know like it's, it's a lot to take in. But I mean you know, just Obviously we don't know each other but just hearing you know your story, it is just, it is absolutely wild. Like in six years You guys kind of exploded and I'm just thinking like it takes a certain personality like moxie and like gumption to really Dive into it and then do it so well. I mean it makes sense why you guys are also like not to like. You know, blow smoke up your butts here, but because truly, just looking at your, your work, it I mean it's gorgeous. So I'm whoever's listening like go look at your page.
Speaker 2:Thank you, i mean so much. Thank you really really does.
Speaker 1:So I'm just shocked that there's like you guys have done this in such a short period of time. But I'm curious to know for you guys, since you know you said when you design Homes for clients, you asked them like what's the music or what's the style or feel in your home? What is that feeling and music in your home?
Speaker 2:For us it involves lounge jazz. For sure I'm a jazz person.
Speaker 3:I mean I grew up in New Orleans, I've always loved jazz And so if usually that the kind of if I'm gonna put on music, I mean I love rock and indie music and that sort of thing too, but I really appreciate Jazz and the Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong which New York is another jazz hub too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, involves dimmers on lights, because that mood lighting is everything. It's all about the lighting and dimmers are the best way to take care of that. But I mean, we love wood tones, so there's gonna be some moody wood throughout the home, warmth, some warmth, and just like these really beautiful Historic nods Yeah, i think that would describe us.
Speaker 1:What do you want to feel when you're at home, though?
Speaker 2:I want to feel relaxed. I want to feel no pressure to either not do anything or no pressure if you have a million things going on.
Speaker 3:Jordan also likes things to be organized. If there's not, like things need to have a place and need to be put away, and he's very unsettled if they're not. And I'm that way too probably not as much so, but I think that's really important and that's why it's important when you design a house, to make sure that you think about those things, because if your house is beautiful but you didn't think to build places to put things away, then it's not going to look beautiful and you're just going to be in a house that's cluttered and a mess, and so I think that's super important And yeah, so I think that's.
Speaker 1:I mean you're preaching to the choir. I was telling Barry earlier I have an organizing business and that's like such a big part of it too, because it's not so much for the sake of like. obviously when something's organized it is beautiful, but really a big part of it is like how many people do we know where their house is? just another chore and they're stressed by their house And like if you build systems, it can really help manage that And then you can just like live in your home more than like working and managing your home, you know.
Speaker 1:So preaching to the choir here on that. Well, just to wrap things up, there's two questions. I ask every guest, which is what do you do for play? Well, we'll start there and then we'll go to the next question What do you do for play or for fun?
Speaker 3:My biggest thing that I do for playing for fun is travel. I love travel. I drag Jordan all over the place He loves to go to, but usually he's, you know, gets stressed about work, and I don't. I do. I get stressed about work too, but it's not. traveling is more important to me, so we always have something planned.
Speaker 1:Okay, What bugs you? Because I feel like you're the level headed one, but like what stresses you out?
Speaker 3:Don't say nothing. What stresses me out? Jordan might know What does stress you out. You get stressed out a lot. I mean I do like for things like I feel really good when things are running on, like you said, process, and I don't like when things are chaotic.
Speaker 2:And so You're very particular about your sheets too. Oh, I can't understand Something that stresses them out, which is random Getting in the bed where the sheets aren't like in place.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like tight or the covers are messed up Drives me crazy. And Jordan usually goes to bed before me and we have a really big dog and they're both in the bed and then I go up there and the sheets are a mess and they're both in the dog. I just care very puffing and puffing. Oh, it drives me crazy.
Speaker 1:Maybe go to bed earlier, yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 3:That's good.
Speaker 1:What about for you?
Speaker 2:I would say either riding a bike or walking, like it's the best form of me just to relieve all my stress and clear my mind and also get inspiration. Yeah, so something as simple as that.
Speaker 1:Nice, okay. so the last question is what would you tell your younger self?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a really good question. I would tell myself not to rush and enjoy things more in the moment.
Speaker 1:What about for you?
Speaker 3:I think that I would tell myself to live your true to yourself and follow your dream as soon as possible, because I think I waited way too long to do what I want to do and be who I want to be. I look at people today that are in their early 20s doing that and I'm like, oh my God, i don't know if they're my early 20s I was not even thinking about doing what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be and where I wanted to be, so I really wish I would have done that sooner. That's great.
Speaker 1:We're going to end it there. That was wonderful. Oh my gosh, you guys are inspirational. Seriously, this was so fun. No, it was fun, honestly, one of a really lovely conversation.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:You guys are amazing.