Bubbly Start And Saturday Style

Kieran 0:03

Welcome to the lifestyles of the Richesin and Famous. From design, fashion, and travel to pop culture and all the fabulous details in between. This is where luxury isn't just a look, it's a lifestyle.

Todd 0:28

Good morning.

Melissa 0:30

Good morning. I'm so excited. I was supposed to make us tomato martinis today.

Todd 0:36

Well, I actually have uh a little orange juice and some champagne. So we can do mimosa. Mimosa? Yeah. Let's do it. Does that sound good?

Melissa 0:45

Yeah, it is Saturday.

Todd 0:46

Right, exactly. So you know my secret to a great mimosa.

Melissa 0:51

No, because I've only just had champagne with you.

Todd 0:53

Well, basically, I use the orange juice as a rinse for the glass.

Melissa 0:58

Oh, yeah. Because you don't want, you know, to ruin the good champagne.

Todd 1:03

Right, especially good champagne. Like if I was using, you know, La Marca or something like that, it'd be different.

Melissa 1:08

Okay, I can't. Like, I I do think once you drink nice wine, champagne, even nice proseco, which I do. Shit. Oh my god.

Todd 1:22

I had loosened that cork.

Melissa 1:26

Oh god!

Todd 1:28

It was ready to open.

Melissa 1:29

It was ready to open. It knew we were here. We and we talked about it like hitting you in the eye on the the last time. That's so funny. Anyway, so I can't drink that stuff anymore. It's gross. Yeah. Honestly, I don't know. Oh. Yeah. Oh, look at that. See, it's just like a hint of a hint of cloudy. A hint. Yeah. But I was thinking, because you know how everyone's horrified how like Americans pronounce, especially like French, any really anything. Yes. Things. So like it's not like I even said like um, what did I say? I said v, but it's vov.

Todd 2:12

Yes. Or like they say moet and it's really moet. Moet. Yes.

Melissa 2:16

But doesn't Moet sound nice? I mean, this is a good one.

Todd 2:18

It sounds a little fancier, maybe, but I cannot believe this court.

Melissa 2:22

I'm just glad it didn't hit you in the face. That'd be a terrible way to start a Saturday.

Todd 2:28

With a black. I'm so glad it didn't dent my ceiling. I don't think it did. But I can tell you who will see it if it did. Bobby. Oh my gosh, yes.

Melissa 2:37

Yeah, don't tell them. Don't watch this. Don't watch this, Bobby. Cheers.

Todd 2:41

Cheers.

Fashion Details And Designer Touches

Melissa 2:42

I'm sorry it's not a tomato martini. That's all right. Actually, I'm not. Maybe next time. This is probably better for this morning. Yeah, agreed. So I'm very excited to be here and be downtown and doing this again. Um, I think we should always start with like a little glam of like, what are you wearing?

Todd 3:02

Well, today it's Saturday, so this is my Saturday morning thing, you know. It's cold outside. So I've got on uh a cashmere hoodie from J. Crew and a Ralph Lauren shirt, uh my hat, which I I love a leather hat, and this one's Prada, and just jeans and my uh boots from Bell Staff that I love. Those are really cool. Thank you. I love the olive with the black.

Melissa 3:29

Yeah, they're really nice. Yeah, I like them a lot. They're like motorcycle boots and wool socks.

Todd 3:33

Well, that's what Bell Staff does is clothing for motorcycle riders. Yeah.

Melissa 3:37

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?

Todd 3:38

When I was little, I had a Honda 50. Is that like a it's like a little mini buy?

Melissa 3:44

Oh, that's hilarious. I think I would die if I took it.

Todd 3:47

It's so small. I got it in the second grade, and the first thing I did was wreck it.

Melissa 3:50

Of course.

Todd 3:51

Yeah. But I had that thing for years. I loved it.

Melissa 3:54

Would you ever do one now?

Todd 3:56

No, I no.

Melissa 3:58

No, it's that's so scary. Yeah, you can die.

Todd 4:00

I could not. I had a client who was uh selling her Vespa, and we thought, well, that would be fun. She was selling it right when we were buying this condo, and and uh I thought, well, that'd be fun to kind of have downtown. It was the cutest little light blue Vespa, but that thing was heavy, I could barely hold it up.

Melissa 4:16

Really?

Todd 4:17

Yeah, I don't know how she ever rode it.

Melissa 4:19

Now, does the Vespa like stand up by itself or do you still have to balance it?

Todd 4:22

You still you have to balance it.

Melissa 4:23

Oh, yeah, I probably wouldn't be able to do that.

Todd 4:25

Yeah, I have to balance it. Yeah, you have to balance it.

Melissa 4:30

Now, okay, so you have a product hat on. Do you always make sure you have like a designer? No. Or is it just like no?

Todd 4:36

It just happens, it just happens. And to me, this is not designer, like it's a black leather hat. It, you know, like it's just yeah, if you know, you know. Yeah, well, and it's it says it on the back, it's like it's very discreet, but I mean, it didn't matter to me. You know, if if Gap made one, then I would probably buy that one because I would like that just as well, but they don't. But they don't, yeah.

Melissa 4:57

Oh, I have product shoes on.

Todd 4:59

Super cute.

Melissa 4:59

But see, I I do like a little bit of like shoes, are my thing, but like a little bit of something. Yeah, you know, yeah, because then you can like dress up, like then it's like you can, you know, have on like a casual thing, but then like one little flare of fashion.

Todd 5:15

Stuff in fashion. Yeah, I get that.

Melissa 5:17

Well, you look very cute.

Todd 5:18

Thank you. So do you.

Skincare Routines And Botox Strategy

Melissa 5:19

Thanks, thanks. You know, I try, I try. Um, so speaking of like high-end products, one thing that we've been asked a lot on social is like your skincare um regimen. Yeah, like what you do and whatever. So I am very curious. Do you think it's worth the splurge? Like, do you buy like very nice like skincare things?

Todd 5:45

Okay, so I will be honest and say that I really don't even know how much some of the stuff that I use on my face costs because I only buy it like from the place that does uh Botox and and like chemical peels for me. So I buy it when I do something. So it's kind of just wrapped into the price, and I don't really know how much each little bottle costs. But um I use um, I do have like a chemical peel every now and then. Um you do it at home or you do it at a at the meds box. Med spot, right? And um I buy this thing from them called C E ferulic. It's like an acid that I put on my face every night before I go to bed. And then I put my moisturizer is called the Rich Cream from Aveda, and I use that night and morning. And then I have some stuff from this company called Lumen that I put on my under eyes, which helps with dark circles. And uh my the my stuff that I use on my jowls here.

Melissa 6:53

Let's not even talk about it.

Todd 6:56

L'Oreal. And I like I like the smell of it. Like it's a heavier, thicker stuff, and I like the way it smells.

Melissa 7:03

That's I use a Chanel night cream and I love the way it smells.

Todd 7:07

Right. And uh then every two weeks when I get my hair cut, I get a at uh the Aveda salon, I get their um, it's called a plant peel, which is a natural, you know, all their products are natural. So it's like a mild chemical peel, but it's done with plants, and I get that every two weeks.

Melissa 7:27

Huh. And then how often do you get, you know, like little sprinkles of things?

Todd 7:31

Oh, like Botox. Botox anytime a wrinkle shows up, like I am calling an in. Because you can't back up on that shit. I mean, you've got to stay after it, right?

Melissa 7:42

No, it's true. Yeah, we were talking in the office yesterday, which you know, a lot of the girls in our in my office, they're so young, I don't even know if they know what a wrinkle is. But they were saying, you know, they feel like it's one of those things. If you get it early, then you don't develop the wrinkle to begin with. And I have noticed since I've been getting Botox, like I don't even get 11s anymore.

Todd 8:05

Oh, the lines right there.

Melissa 8:06

Can you see them?

Todd 8:07

No.

Melissa 8:08

If you do that, I can't I have full movement right now, so you know it's time to I am 100% paralyzed and not for you. Well, I need to go. And speaking of jowls, like I need to get this, like, uh, terrible.

Todd 8:23

I actually had I actually had this lady that we were going to for that service at one point in time actually told me that I had jowls. And I just was like, you bitch.

Melissa 8:33

Bitch, yes.

Todd 8:34

I was so mad. And then everybody I've told after that said, you do not have jowls.

Melissa 8:39

And I'm like, I hope not. I don't see it. But I tell you.

Todd 8:43

She was like trying to sell me a service that I didn't need, you know.

Melissa 8:45

Right, yeah. I do feel like some places do that. Like I like to, you know, not have wrinkles, but I still want movement. Like, I don't like if I can't lift my eyebrows.

Todd 8:56

Oh, I can lift my eyebrows. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Melissa 8:57

So that like if I can't, then it I like freak out about it and I panic. Yeah, it's like my face is too frozen.

Todd 9:04

I have difficulty like with clients um disguising what I really think. And oftentimes they'll look at my face, like in a in a meeting with, say, a contractor or a subcontractor of some sort, they will look at me and I don't even have to say anything because they can tell, yeah, he really likes that, or no, we're getting ready to make a mistake. So if I was paralyzed, I could not be myself in front of people, and I don't think that would be very that wouldn't be good, yeah.

Melissa 9:35

Because then they can tell. Yeah. Well, I do I need to do need to go. Get just like a little, you know, touch-up, little touch-up.

Todd 9:41

Well, you have to stay after it. Right. Because if you don't, like, then it's bad.

Melissa 9:46

Well, I think that unfortunately, that is a bad thing about like social media and everything because you compare, right? You compare yourself. You're like, that person's my age. My maybe you don't because you always look fabulous, but like for me, I'm like horrified because I'll see something, I'll be like, oh, I need to go get whatever because I'm looking old.

Todd 10:07

Right. I I think um my mom looks younger than she is. I think so. I think that maybe I got some of her stuff too. Yeah.

Comparing, Confidence, And Aging Online

Melissa 10:16

I mean, I I also feel like in my head, I'm still like 20 something. Like I don't know. Oh, I know.

Todd 10:22

You don't feel you feel like you're the same person that you were 30 years ago. I was going through my phone the other day looking for stuff to send you for 2016.

Melissa 10:30

Uh-huh.

Todd 10:31

And I was looking at some of the stuff that we did that year, and I could not believe that that had been 10 years.

Melissa 10:41

10 years ago. You really don't look any different. Like the fashion, maybe, and like the quality of the photo. That was it. Otherwise, it could have been yesterday.

Todd 10:50

I think some of the fashion's still the same, right? Well, but I think my clothes are pretty timeless.

Melissa 10:55

Yes, but I think your fashion has like evolved a little bit.

Todd 10:59

A little bit more?

Melissa 10:59

Yeah. But honestly, other than that, other really it was like the quality of the photo. Other than that, I think you look the same. So kudos. Well, thank you. Everybody go out and run and get all the products that Todd's using from his. We'll put it in an Amazon shop and then people can't. Yeah, exactly.

Todd 11:17

To buy the Lore, my L'Oreal neck cream for that.

Melissa 11:20

For your jowls.

Todd 11:21

Yeah.

Melissa 11:22

Um, so okay, so then do you have like a budget that you think about for that sort of thing? Like anything that's like self-care or maintenance? Or do you just like do what you need to do?

Todd 11:35

I just do what I need to do.

Melissa 11:37

Yeah. One of the med spas that we work with, they say it's it's crazy how many women come in with just cash so that their husbands don't.

Todd 11:46

Oh, they've probably been ciphering it off the top of their grocery money or something.

Melissa 11:50

Yes, it's like $50 every time they go. I mean, honestly, that's a pro tip. That it's not noticeable. You just take, you know, a little bit here and you put a little stash and then you go in with I believe that.

Todd 12:05

I believe that.

Melissa 12:06

Yeah. But I do think, you know, I I guess like that's one thing about like once you're an adult and you can just like not look at the I I mean, I I clearly I used to worry about it more than I do now.

Todd 12:17

But um anyway, if it's something that's worth it, we need we we do. It's an investment, yeah, in yourself, in yourself, in your happiness. Yeah, and somebody told me that that was one of the best things that you could do in business when you own your business is to own your own business, is to invest in yourself. So the way that you look, your maintenance, your clothes, because all of that's your image. And so it's all related to what you do. Okay. And I think in my business, it's even more related because I think my business is about fashion and style. And, you know, if I don't like at least try.

Melissa 12:54

Right. Especially if you're, I mean, if you really are using like higher-end luxury goods, luxury fabrics, luxury paints, wallpaper, like if you showed up and you know, looking halfway homeless, then it's probably not a very good look.

Todd 13:10

Right. Right.

Melissa 13:10

Well, and we were talking about that this week too, actually, about like your personal brand and that like perception is reality.

Todd 13:16

And it is and you make it your own reality too.

Image As Investment And Personal Brand

Melissa 13:20

Yeah. Um, you know, what you put out there, right? And then I think I I think it's the same thing if you for a lot of industries, right? Like if you are, if you work in a med spot or if you are a stylist, like you know, salon, you're gonna attract what you kind of put out. So if you look, you know, if you want people who are more into like funky colors and funky cuts, then your personal brand can kind of represent that. Versus if you're more into, you know, you want to do like high-end extensions, then you need to look like you can, like all of it's related to in a lot of industries. So I think like how you look, and for you, I think that is very much part of your personal brand. Yes. And having people be like, okay, he has style clearly, both like personally, professionally, right? And then it's probably related a little bit to like people trusting you.

Todd 14:17

I think I think so. I think I think it is.

Melissa 14:20

Because you look very put together and yeah, again, you have taste.

Todd 14:24

And I mean, no offense about I mean, you know, we were we were talking to somebody last night at the theater who drives a car that's 20 years old. She loves it. It's actually not a bad-looking vehicle, and I didn't know it was that old, but um I I sometimes think, well, you know, your vehicle could kind of reflect right. If I'm driving something that's really old and beat up, is that a good reflection on the level where we work? And it it probably doesn't instill confidence, yeah.

Melissa 14:59

In like if you were rolling up in like a 1990 Honda Accord, I shouldn't call it a Honda Accord. That's a lot of people's first cars. They're really nice cars and they run forever.

Todd 15:08

Bobby had one for like 15 years. It was a great car.

Melissa 15:13

Yeah. Um, well, so my brother is an attorney and he drives, I think he still has Honda from high school.

Todd 15:20

We we sold that car. He paid, I think he paid like $19,000 for that car. We sold that car. Uh actually we traded it in on the car he has now and got $14,000 for it. And he drove it for like 12 or 14 years.

Melissa 15:37

I think honestly, a Honda or like a Lexus, those are maybe some of the only cars that actually like maintained value.

Todd 15:42

Yeah.

Melissa 15:43

So yeah.

Todd 15:44

Yeah. It it I could not believe it. When they when they told us what the trade was gonna be, and it was ready for it needed tires, it needed some updates and that sort of thing, and we were gonna have to spend several thousand dollars on it. And we thought we should just trade this.

Melissa 15:59

And yeah, yeah. So and so now you have a very nice uh fleet of automobiles. I wouldn't call it a fleet, but and you have Todd style even in the cars.

Todd 16:15

Oh yeah, right? Yeah, I mean, I always personalize the floor mats and most of the uh most of the cars that we buy now, we um special order, so you know we're getting exactly the vehicle that we want. Like the color color, the wheel, the interior, all of that.

Melissa 16:34

Have you had a client that wanted you to do something for their car?

Todd 16:38

Yeah, I have. I mean, a lot of people ask me to do the floor mats, you know. And that's real easy.

Melissa 16:44

And it's just cute, and you like see it every time you get in.

Todd 16:48

Yeah.

Melissa 16:48

Yeah. How much does that cost?

Todd 16:51

I mean, it depends on the carpet you select. The the labor to do it.

Melissa 16:55

Low to high.

Todd 16:56

Well, I mean, the lay the the the workroom charges about four hundred dollars for the labor to uh you know fit them because they have to make a template of your of your of your thing, come out like a template, and then do it. So I mean you could pretty much easily spend a thousand dollars on that. Um it just depends.

Melissa 17:20

Which then, okay, so here's girl math. Okay, so then you you average that out for how long you're gonna have the car by month, right? Right by like payment, or if you have a payment or whatever, and then it's basically free because a thousand dollars over the course of six years, but you know you always need to make two or three of the driver one because that one wears out faster, faster, yeah. Still sounds free to me. Yeah, and the yeah, no, is it? I mean, I it's an investment in your soul.

Cars, Custom Mats, And Cost Per Use

Todd 17:55

I did talk to somebody once about they were wigging out over the price of something, and I I I talked to them about cost per use.

Melissa 18:02

Yeah, see? And that's I think that's how you should look at it. Yeah, and then it's like easier to swallow.

Todd 18:07

Yeah, cost per use on something that you use, you know, at least twice a day.

Melissa 18:12

Yeah. Now, if I did it, because I have three kids and they they would I don't really let them eat or drink in the car.

Todd 18:19

Right.

Melissa 18:19

But there's occasions when they have to. If they would spill something on it or if they got in with my I would freak out.

Todd 18:25

So no, I mean, everything that we use carpet-wise in general has a protectant on it and can be cleaned really easily.

Melissa 18:31

Okay, well, we can we can start with that though. I'll put some some custom carpets in it. No, that's good. Little bougie, little bougie accents. I love it. So I think a lot of things come down to budget though, and you just decide like where to spend your money.

Todd 18:48

Yes, I think and and budgets are important. I I really think budgets are important.

Melissa 18:52

These are really pretty, by the way.

Todd 18:53

Thank you. It's Colleen from Waterford, it's a discontinued pattern. But I love them.

Melissa 18:58

I like it too. And it has like it's substantial, but it's not like thick.

Todd 19:02

And at home we have the water goblets and the the wine glasses. The water goblets are my favorite because they're really, really large and they hold, we use them for water or tea, and I think they're just so pretty. It's sort of almost an oval shape, and then it has that pretty oval cut in it.

Melissa 19:17

Yeah, they're very pretty. It's nice, very nice, and I think the vessel makes a big difference with what you're drinking.

Todd 19:24

It does.

Melissa 19:25

The worst is when you go to a restaurant and they give you like a stumpy, fat, cheap, right, thick wine glass, right? Ruins it.

Todd 19:34

Um my mom got us the the these and the uh water glasses for our wedding.

Melissa 19:41

Oh, see, that's nice. Yeah, and then it's like a memory and like a memento and something. I love it. So going back to budget, I think that's an important thing, no matter what. Like if it's your skincare, if it's fashion, if it's your home. So, how do you deal with that in business? Like, do you normally start with a budget? Do you because I think like for us, we like to know that in advance. And I think sometimes people are turned off by that, but it's more, I don't want to suggest something if it's so far out of your budget that like it's not even gonna make sense.

Todd 20:22

Clients are reticent to share their budget with you because I think they think one of two things. Nobody's ever said this to me, but this is the feeling that I get. I think they either think that I will want to spend every bit of it, yeah, or that I will laugh at it. And I think that's fair because that's how truthfully, that's how I would feel if I said to you, like I have X, that you would be like, and that and my reaction to X would be, okay, for that we can do this.

Melissa 20:53

Okay, I'm so glad you say that because that's exactly how we operate. So I should like shame on me, honestly, for thinking like, okay, I couldn't tell you, but that's how we operate.

Budgets, Honesty, And Client Trust

Todd 21:02

I think you have to have realistic expectations. Like, I really wouldn't know how much it would cost for you to do certain things. And I mean, I wouldn't expect every client to have an understanding of how much it would cost for me to do certain things for them. But um I think I I get presented budgets a lot, and most of the time the client has really thought about it and has a realistic budget budget budget. But it prevents me from one showing them something that's not quite as nice as what they could get. Sure. You know, if I was afraid to show them the better quality, the more stylish piece, the piece that might last longer. I if I was afraid to do that because I didn't know. What their budget was, they could miss that.

Melissa 22:02

Yeah.

Todd 22:02

And not that plan B is necessarily a bad thing, but they could have had the better thing, but they didn't let me in on what that their budget was on the front end. On repeat clients, it's way easier. Like you know what they know what to expect, you know what they expect of you.

Melissa 22:22

Yes, what they're willing to invest. Right. Yeah.

Todd 22:25

But um, I mean, I'm working with somebody right now who will not tell me the budget. And they got super mad at me uh yesterday because um I said, okay, we're looking at lighting, and she was asking me to price all sorts of things, like low, high, yes, and and she knew in her head that she was asking me to price low, high and multiple things. But if you're looking at a chandelier from, say, Paul Ferrante, which is a luxury high-end project product, the price range is not going to vary that much in what you're looking at. So if you price one, you would have a reasonable expectation of what two and three would cost. So there's no reason to put me, the sales rep, the pricing person at Paul Ferrante through that exercise, right? You price one, you get your idea, and kind of the same as cars, right?

Melissa 23:34

Yes. Like if you're looking at a G-Wagon, you know you're gonna spend about this much.

Todd 23:39

It's the same thing. And um, if you're looking at visual comfort, and then you know that unless it's all of a sudden alabaster or part of the Ralph Lauren line, they're gonna be about the same price. Sure, right? Yeah, so within a hundred dollars, literally within a hundred dollars. And so she was so mad at me, like pissed. You just think that I'm going to make you price all of this stuff, and then I'm gonna go through and pick the least expensive thing. That is not what you were thinking. What I was thinking. What I was thinking is that she's already got lots of information and has a very difficult time making a decision. She has great taste. We've done a lot of work before, but she does have a difficult time making a decision, and she worries that she's gonna make the wrong decision. And I understand that. I understand because it's a big investment, it is a big investment, and I understand why she's hesitant to let me know that. But the truth of the matter is if she would say, hey, okay, my lighting budget that I have in my head is 10 grand or 30, 100, or whatever it is. And so I could I could cut all the crap away immediately. Like we could be using all palferonte. So I don't know why you're worried about these other things that are less expensive. We could be using all palfrante, or we cannot use that anywhere.

Melissa 25:13

Anywhere.

Todd 25:13

If she would just tell me what the number was, I would know how to direct her.

Melissa 25:18

How to edit.

Todd 25:18

Yes, and how to make it successful and get the most bang for the buck. Or maybe we use we've got to use the really nice thing here, but then everything else has to be dialed down.

Melissa 25:30

Could be dialed, yeah.

Todd 25:31

And so I think And I cannot do that because I don't know what it is. You're in the dark. I'm in total darkness trying to guide her, and it is so frustrating.

Melissa 25:40

Yeah, I think that's I think that's maybe one of the most important things, but it's something that people are a lot of times reluctant, like money. Anytime it comes down to money, right? Like people want it's hard to talk about.

Todd 25:53

I will say that if people understand the process and why something costs as much as it does, yes, they uh they are better equipped to say yes to that item. So um I was with a client in Atlanta this week, and um the client has never really done what we're embarking on. Okay, it's a first-time client, it is a first-time client. It's a magnificent home, and they're young, and I think that they visualize this as being their base camp, you know, they're and that this will be their home for a long, long time. So they both really want it right.

Melissa 26:36

And they're willing to invest in that.

Carpets 101: From Broadloom To Bespoke

Todd 26:38

I believe that they are willing to invest in it. And um, when we were looking at carpets, for example, um we had already looked at a lot of fabrics and wallpapers, and so we had a real direction of where we were heading. And so we looked, we were at Stark and we were looking for carpet, and so we looked at all sorts of different things from inexpensive broadlooms to mid-range Wiltons and Axminster carpets.

Melissa 27:09

What's a broadloom?

Todd 27:10

Broadloom is regular roll carpet that's 12, 13, 15 feet wide. Okay. That you can buy anything.

Melissa 27:16

That you just buy. Okay.

Todd 27:17

A Wilton is a special construction carpet. Generally, they're made in um England, Scotland, France. Uh, just the way that they're woven, they're woven on these old machines. They're beautiful, they have wonderful texture that almost looks like needlepoint. Or it can be like this is also a Wilton that we're standing on here, this leopard. And it's if you look at the back of it, you can see that needlepoint sort of texture, but this one's been sheared.

Melissa 27:44

So much to know.

Todd 27:46

So much to know.

Melissa 27:47

This is why you hire a exactly.

Todd 27:49

And then we looked at things that you could customize. Like these are stock designs. You can pick within these 75 colors, and you can put the color anywhere. And so that's another step up. And then we looked at full-on custom hand woven linen, you know, um, hand woven wool, all these different products. And so she liked a variety of those products.

Melissa 28:18

And in the high end.

Todd 28:20

She liked it, she liked some of the high end. I see. Okay. She liked some of the mid-range and she liked some of the low range. And that's the way that I would love to do it, where because I don't think it all has to be custom.

Melissa 28:30

Right.

Todd 28:31

But I want to do enough, like we were talking about dining room rugs specifically, and they have a big family. That room's gonna get a lot of use. So I said that is where I would actually put the more expensive product because the way that that's gonna be constructed, it is indestructible.

Melissa 28:54

It's gonna be last.

Todd 28:55

Yes, yeah, super cleanable, indestructible. The weave like is so tight. A lot of times, if you spill something, it just sits on top naturally because it can't even get down in the fibers.

Melissa 29:05

So you talk about this a lot, like investing in the nice thing once instead of buying the cheap rug that you're gonna have to replace 30 times.

Todd 29:15

And this particular rug is huge. So, even out of an inexpensive carpet, it's gonna be expensive because it's so big.

Melissa 29:23

Right. And then you're buying, if you buy, if you go cheap, then you're gonna buy it five times. Yeah.

Todd 29:29

But she really understood that, and we talked in the car about how much I thought that would cost. And I gave her my opinion on how much it would cost. And we sort of, you know, kind of agreed on the way that you could make it, because you could make it different. There's different methods of construction that really drive the price up.

Melissa 29:51

Sure.

Todd 29:52

And the way that I wanted to do it is what's called a custom hand tufted, which means they use something that looks like a handgun. And the the backing of the rug is up on a loom, and they use this thing that's called a hand to handgun, like looks like a handgun, but it's got thread running through it.

Melissa 30:12

And they like hit it.

Todd 30:14

Yes, back and forth to create the stitches. Another way to do it would be hand loomed or hand-knotted where somebody is tying each individual knot.

Melissa 30:24

Which one's more expensive?

Todd 30:26

The hand knotted, absolutely. By hand, yes, it would cost three or four times the price of the the uh tufted. The uh the hand tufted, yeah, exactly.

Melissa 30:38

Okay, so why'd you want to use the hand-tufted?

Todd 30:40

Well, I think because we didn't need the detail in it that you can get out of a hand knotted. Like in a hand-knotted, you can get a lot more crisp design. Okay, but this rug is so big, the design's already crisp because the design's pretty big itself.

Melissa 30:57

Right.

Todd 30:58

And so I didn't feel like we needed that added layer of expense. And the the tufted is a little thicker, like so it's got more weight to it, and I think that over time it can perform even better than a uh hand-knotted rock cover.

Melissa 31:18

So knowing the budget though didn't mean you were gonna be like, oh, we're going to get I didn't know the budget. Oh, you don't?

Todd 31:25

I still don't know the budget, but we've talked enough about hey, buddy, coming back.

Melissa 31:31

So who is this?

Todd 31:32

This is Louie.

Melissa 31:32

What you doing, buddy? This is a different cat that was here.

Todd 31:35

Yes, he's a sweet boy.

Melissa 31:37

He's a how many cats do you have?

Todd 31:39

We have three. Three, three.

Melissa 31:43

Have another glove.

Todd 31:45

You gonna stay?

Melissa 31:47

So cute. Would you ever have a dog?

Todd 31:50

I I mean, I think dogs are great, but um cats are so easy.

Melissa 31:54

Cat person.

Cats, Cleanliness, And Real Life Luxury

Todd 31:55

Yeah, Bobby loves these cats, and uh, we've talked about a dog, but I don't I don't know. I mean, these cats are awesome.

Melissa 32:04

Taking a dog out, especially when you're downtown and in the winter is terrible. So yeah. I mean, like, I mean, I love my dogs.

Todd 32:14

The litter box is amazing, you know, like they know where to go.

Melissa 32:17

Yeah, you don't have to like mess with this, and they're sweet, cuddly things. You think people are either like cat cat people or dog people?

Todd 32:24

Some people are both. I I really think some people are both.

Melissa 32:27

I I I would have a cat. My daughter wants a cat. There, my husband would be.

Todd 32:32

Louis's very sweet.

Melissa 32:33

Come apart.

Todd 32:34

He's the bossy one.

Melissa 32:36

So sweet. I had a cat growing up. My sister found this cat when she was in college, and you know, that didn't last, so then she brought it home for us. And I like that was my baby. I would like dress it.

Todd 32:48

Look at it.

Melissa 32:48

I'd put it in a stroller and like push it through the house. It probably hated me.

Todd 32:54

If it was chill enough to let you dress it up, then it didn't hate you.

Melissa 32:58

Oh, well, good.

Todd 32:59

Because yeah, I because they would not, if it if he wasn't liking it, then he would have like run away. Yes, exactly.

Melissa 33:05

Well, I look back on it and I'm like, oh my gosh, I've tortured that cat because I would always like mess with it.

Todd 33:10

I don't know. Like, sometimes he wants to sit here, he comes back.

Melissa 33:14

Don't you think? I I'm trying to think if there's a like I feel like a cat, like a cat sitting, you know, like in um like uh interior design um like magazines, right? And if there's just like this very regal cat sitting on like a sofa or the top of a chair, it makes it feel more cozy instantly. Yes, and it just looks like more luxe, also.

Todd 33:39

Yeah, somebody like actually lives in it.

Melissa 33:42

But I feel like a dog is not the same.

Todd 33:44

Like I'm trying to think of what is like a dog's at a like a hunting or a sporting, a more outdoorsy feel. I think cats feel more, you know, like in indoor.

Melissa 33:55

We did use a dog in one of our real estate videos that we shot, and the dog did make it now that I'm thinking about that. Like the dog running through the field up to this like massive house made it feel like someone lives there.

Todd 34:08

Right. Right.

Melissa 34:09

It's interesting how pets do that.

Todd 34:10

Yes, I can see that.

Melissa 34:12

Would you ever have more?

Todd 34:14

We had four, and unfortunately, we lost one of them about uh four years ago. And four was a lot to cart back and forth between two houses. So I think three's maybe our number.

Melissa 34:28

What do you do when you travel?

Todd 34:30

We have great help that that comes to the house and stays. Yeah.

Melissa 34:37

I'm I'm kind of surprised though, because you're very tidy. Like, well, not even tidy, you're very clean.

Todd 34:42

Yes.

Melissa 34:43

And so like cat hair doesn't bother you.

Todd 34:45

Well, it bothers me, but it's like constantly the long-haired cat Jackson that was sitting here with me earlier, he does not shed. Uh, but uh Cooper and Louie are short hairs, they shed. I mean, you can see the hair flying off of him right now. And so like I will have to run the vacuum across this later or it'll drive me crazy.

Melissa 35:02

And you'll do that every day.

Todd 35:04

If it downtown, especially because the space is so much smaller and they're on everything. You notice it. You notice it at home. We don't really notice it so much.

Melissa 35:13

Hmm, interesting.

Todd 35:14

Yeah. So but I mean, I challenge you to look to find a cat here.

Melissa 35:18

I mean, I don't. That's what I'm saying. Like, you must literally just follow. I think you have like a ferry that just like goes around the house and just cleans all day long.

Todd 35:29

I need one of those. We don't.

Melissa 35:31

But I mean, I mean, you're that's I've said this before. That's why I'm horrified for you to come to my house because you'll be like, I mean, no, different people live different ways. I mean, I'm very clean. I I don't want to give off that like we're not clean, but I've kids and there's, you know, I'm not as clean as you. Like this is like I mean, this is like hotel level tidy. Like there is a staff that has ascended on this property.

Todd 35:58

But not here.

Melissa 35:59

Yes. Everything's so like Bobby and I keep this up ourselves. I mean, it's no, well, I'm saying it looks like that. I know you don't have a staff, but I mean, it's everything is like perfect.

Todd 36:12

Have you seen those things that's like, you know, how would you feel if you went in your decorator's house and it was terrible? Terrible. No, I like it didn't match, it didn't look good, it was a mess.

Melissa 36:23

I agree, your personal brand, right?

Todd 36:25

Like you would be like, there is no way that they are capable of helping me, right? If you if I can't set an aspirational standard for people, then I'm not doing my job.

Approachability, Privacy, And Reputation

Melissa 36:37

Do you think that because we talked about this earlier on when we first started dating, right? Um, about you being unapproachable.

Todd 36:49

Do you think that that's still unapproachable?

Melissa 36:51

You think? I think you've kind of come over that.

Todd 36:55

Anyone who knows me knows I'm very approachable. And um I am shy in public.

Melissa 37:03

Really?

Todd 37:03

Very shy in public. Like if I don't know who you are, I would never come up to you and talk to you. Okay. And it's not because I don't want to talk to you, it would be because I'm shy in public. Both of us are.

Melissa 37:18

That's so funny.

Todd 37:19

But I'm great when I know someone people. Yeah.

Melissa 37:24

So do you think though, living the standard of life you live contributes to you being like unapproachable?

Todd 37:31

Like, do you think I mean that's maybe? I think a lot of people see the fruits of our labor and um kind of the way that we live, and they probably think maybe they make a judgment about, uh, well, they wouldn't want to be my friend, or I don't, I don't know. They I I don't know.

Melissa 37:54

Yeah.

Todd 37:55

I mean, I don't care. Our our friends are our friends and they know who we are.

Melissa 37:58

And do you keep like a close knit? I feel like now very close, yeah.

Todd 38:05

It's a very close-knit group of people.

Melissa 38:08

Don't you think though, like the more you put yourself out there, then the more important that that becomes? Like kind of protecting your right, and like trusting people. I do and people being loyal.

Todd 38:19

And I mean, I don't want to say this because, like, um, I I mean, I don't want I don't want this to sound wrong, but I mean, we cannot go to dinner here in town without people saying something, someone saying something to us or someone looking at us or whatever. So the fact that we do have kind of a a nice close-knit group of friends, you know, it it is important. It it is important, yeah. Yeah, and I don't mind I don't mind to talk to people in public and and that sort of thing if they talk to me, but if I'm if you don't approach me, I will not like just go up to you. Just go up to you and and talk to me. Because I yeah, exactly. I yeah, it's not just not me, I'm shy.

Melissa 39:08

I think that's so because I would never if you were like described to that. I would never say shy. I'd be like fun, funny, stylish, fashionable. Yeah, kind of shy. I wouldn't say shy, but I appreciate that. I mean, I appreciate, you know, I feel like I am not that. I am not shy.

Todd 39:31

And I think part of that is driven from the way that I work. You know, the work that I do is incredibly intimate.

Melissa 39:36

Right, and private.

Todd 39:38

It's very private. Privacy is like a big thing, and um I think a lot of the people that I work for, people know who they are, but they have no idea who does their who does their work. They um and and clients like that, anonymity. They they don't want people knowing their business.

Melissa 39:58

Well, and especially when you're designing for like affluent or well-known, especially locally.

Todd 40:06

And there's a safety thing to that too.

Melissa 40:07

Right. And you're in their home, yeah, and they're exposing you know the their life to you, they need to trust you also, and that you're not going to go say like whatever. Exactly.

Celebrity Design Takes And Taste

Todd 40:21

So and this whole thing is like crazy because you're pulling the curtain back on all of it. A little bit, a little bit, and and trying not to um, you know, and I would never name names and that sort of thing. But the the the interesting thing about this is anything that I've talked about specifically at this point in my career, if somebody said, I heard you talking about me on your podcast, I would say I did I wasn't talking about you because it would have happened multiple times before.

Melissa 41:02

Right.

Todd 41:02

So um, like the trip to Atlanta, explaining carpets to somebody, that's not one person. That's not one person that's happened to, right? That's multiple people that's happened to.

Melissa 41:14

Yeah.

Todd 41:15

The not disclosing the budget, that's an ongoing thing. That's an ongoing thing. I mean, that like, yeah, exactly. It's so anything that I've I've talked about here is not is generally not a one-off.

Melissa 41:28

Sure, yeah. Well, and I think that's again, like one reason why people are drawn to you is like you are just like authentic. It is what it is. You're gonna just say, you know, like I think for me, that's something that's refreshing is like not feeling like you're fake or phony, not even just you, which you're not, but like anyone, because so much of that is polished and protected on social, and they put out this certain thing, but that's not really reality. Right. Whereas, like you're you know, I mean, here it is. Here it is. You're like, this is this is what I think, this is how I feel, like this is what happened. I'm pissed about it.

Todd 42:08

I do think that um Bobby and I, I think I think we do walk the walk. You know, I I think that we try to live in an authentic way, but we live in a way that I think um most of our clients can relate to.

Melissa 42:28

Yeah.

Todd 42:29

You know, we we have pretty places where we live. We're very fortunate and blessed to have the the the houses that we have. And um, you know, I I I think people can view us a little bit more kind of like them, so they may feel a little more comfortable with us. Um, and I I think that's kind of important too. Um that I can I can relate to them, they can relate to me.

Melissa 42:57

So, okay, talking about like being relatable and like the way you put yourself out there, you and I send a lot of like things back and forth on social. Yes. We like chat about the variety of things, like funny memes, yes, to design, to whatever, right? So one and and design. So let's let's go with that. So we talk about that a lot. Um one thing now that has kind of and now is like all over my feed, but is like when a celebrity will design their house, design their house, right? And they'll like work with the designer. Yes. And then they get all of this fanfare about like what they've done. And then we see it, and we're like, this is not even right.

Todd 43:49

Money no, okay, go ahead. Money, privilege, and a wild ass idea does not always equal great taste. And I think just because you have money and privilege and a wild ass idea, that does not really mean that you should be on the cover of architectural digest.

Melissa 44:12

Agreed. But they're literally doing it just because to sell magazines. To sell magazines because this is a person of influence.

Todd 44:20

Yes.

Melissa 44:20

Right?

Todd 44:21

Yes.

Melissa 44:22

And so it's like, oh, what they did is phenomenal. Can we say like who the most recent one is?

Todd 44:28

Say it.

Melissa 44:29

So I don't love the Kardashian whole thing.

Todd 44:32

I think that uh um oh gosh, I can't even.

Melissa 44:37

Kendall is the one, the recent one.

Todd 44:39

Yes, Kendall's Kendall?

Melissa 44:41

Yes, it's Kendall.

Todd 44:42

Yeah, Kendall or Kylie. I think it's Kendall. I hate it.

Melissa 44:45

I do.

Todd 44:46

It's so bad. I do too. Um the oldest one. What's the oldest one?

Melissa 44:53

Is the oldest one? I forget. You want me to look it up?

Todd 44:56

Kim, Kim and uh is it Courtney? Courtney. Yes. She has great taste. I think her homes that I have seen like on TV have already all been really pretty, and she's used really qualified designers and I think done beautiful work. But this last one, I would describe it as unlimited fund, modern farmhouse, general store. Like green acres general store.

Melissa 45:34

There is green acres? Oh my gosh.

Windows, Art, And When To Drape

Todd 45:37

It's so bad. Like it doesn't even make sense. The scale is off. The patterns don't make sense. The weird yellow light thing. I mean, I don't see that. I just can't. I can't, I can't, I can't. I I I don't understand what is great about that. Now I will say this if she loves it, perfect. Perfect. And I'm happy for her that she's got this place that she loves. But if that is the new thing that people are going to be asking me to do, then I'm like in the wrong business because I think it's hideous.

Melissa 46:15

Yeah. Hidgeous. I mean, I'll I watched the the longer like interview because I was really trying to like see it.

Todd 46:25

Oh, I wanted to like it. And there's certain certain aspects of it that I thought were great.

Melissa 46:29

I like the piano.

Todd 46:32

Yeah. Now you know who did something that was kind of similar to that that I thought was very successful is uh the property brothers. One of them's married to somebody real famous. They live, they have a place in New York.

Melissa 46:43

I know who you're yeah, I know who you're talking about.

Todd 46:45

Um that was a beautiful house. They they had done a lovely job with that. John Jonathan, um I can't I can't think of his name.

Melissa 46:53

I can't think of his name. I can see their face, but Jonathan Scott. Yeah.

Todd 46:57

Um, and he's married to somebody famous. I can't think of her name because I don't know popular culture very well. But um he that was a pretty house. And he had done a lot of the design. Design. I think that they did work with the designer. It it was very pretty. Well, and it it it I feel like it was maybe what Kendall was going for, but I I don't know what I don't know how that ended up like off the rails.

Melissa 47:26

She said grandma chic.

Todd 47:28

She wanted she did say granny chic, but I don't even think it was really granny chic. It was like I don't think there was anything attic junk mixed with super expensive fabrics and modern architecture. And I I I couldn't get it to like resonate with me.

Melissa 47:50

I couldn't either, but you know, maybe we just it's just not for us because but but I also think there's people who are like stands and it wouldn't matter, right? Like she could literally, oh my gosh, it was there was something that we passed. I was gonna say she could put a potato on the counter and people would be like oh my gosh, genius, exactly. But we sent something and it was like the anthropology rocks or something and there was a whole trend about that.

Todd 48:17

Like people were people were putting those rocks out or buying them, and it was a it was a whole joke.

Melissa 48:23

It was a joke, yes, because it was so ridiculous, ridiculous, yeah. So I do think there's an element of that, and then like the first thing I saw for her was that she had designed it, but then it kind of came out that she had worked with the designer. She worked with the designer, and I don't know.

Todd 48:42

And I mean, you should client input is real important, like you want to deliver what the what the client wants. So I'm I'm not saying either one of them did the wrong thing because she's clearly very happy.

Melissa 48:53

She's very happy, and AD thought it was great. But did they?

Todd 48:57

Or did they think that this is gonna sell a bunch of magazines because it's Kendall Jenner?

Melissa 49:02

I mean, that I think the latter, honestly.

Todd 49:04

Yeah, but because honestly, that's not a lasting interior. That is not Sybil Colfax's yellow living room. I mean, that's not a memorable no, it's memorable in the worst of ways.

Melissa 49:17

In the worst way. The kitchen was really weird. It was very dark and I don't know. Moody. I just didn't, I didn't love it. Yeah. And normally when they publish something, I'm like, okay, I like even if it's not my personal taste, I'm like, you can appreciate it, right? But this I was like, I don't understand it.

Todd 49:36

And part of that's probably that she's maybe too young to have a fully developed most of the time. Um, there's been studies done that say by the time you're 30, you have developed the like taste, the taste that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. And I think for me, that's probably pretty true. By the time I was 30, I knew what I liked.

Melissa 49:58

Don't you think though, this was kind of your aesthetic always?

Todd 50:01

Yeah, but this, I think this is a different speed than Casa Real. I mean, this is a totally different speed than where we live. That's true.

Melissa 50:09

That's true.

Todd 50:09

I mean, there's uh I think it still looks like Bobby and Todd live here.

Melissa 50:13

Right. There's a theme, like art plays a big piece and like the quality of the furniture, the texture of the fabrics, the carpets. So now you have a ton of windows in here.

Todd 50:26

Yes.

Melissa 50:26

Um, and draperies are your thing. Yes, but no draperies in this room.

Todd 50:31

Not in this room, but they were in the foyer.

Melissa 50:33

Okay.

Todd 50:34

They are in the dressing room, they are in the bedroom, but in this room, we really the view is so stellar, we wanted to focus on the four.

Melissa 50:42

You wanted that to be the thing.

Wrap-Up And Listener Feedback

Todd 50:43

And the other thing is art. We could do draperies in here, but it would all but eliminate the space between the windows for art. And that to us was more important than the draperies in this space. And generally, I use draperies as a softening tool. And in here, we have these fully upholstered sofas, fully upholstered chairs. There's lots of fabric, big area rugs, so it feels soft with having to have the draperies.

Melissa 51:15

Yeah. It's interesting. Growing up, my mom always wanted, you know, she's an artist, she wants the same thing. Like she wanted very bright, open, right, lots of art on all the walls type thing. And we didn't have curtains for forever, honestly, ever in my house growing up. And then, like, we didn't in my house now until very recently. But I do think, you know, it adds when it's done well.

Todd 51:42

You can typically in most typical rooms, and this isn't atypical space, um, we can do all kinds of furniture, all kinds of artwork, all kinds of rugs, and it never feels cozy or complete until you add the draperies.

Melissa 51:59

No, it's true. But this is the I will agree, this is different. It's a little bit of the exception to the rule, and it's more um, I don't want to say urban, but it's more like right, like it's supposed to be.

Todd 52:09

It's a little more big city.

Melissa 52:10

Downtown, yeah. Yeah. So fabulous space.

Todd 52:13

Yeah, thank you. It's been great.

Melissa 52:16

So I think this was awesome. We talked about a lot of things. Um, I'll be very curious to see what people want more of. I know, I'll I can't wait to hear that. Yeah, like the feedback on it. Right. Um, but of course, they'll need to leave a review and subscribe. So you gotta you gotta tell your tell the people to subscribe so that they can see the next one.

Todd 52:39

Yeah.

Melissa 52:40

And um, this was awesome. So should we cheers? Cheers Hey, Molly! Perfect timing.