On the Ask Us Anything podcast, BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen taps former Trade Tales guests to answer real, confidential designer questions, offering a safe space to discuss business challenges. Have a question of your own to ask? Send an email to start the conversation.
This week, Dan Mazzarini, the founder of New York–based interiors firm Mazzarini & Co., joins the show to answer a question from a designer who wants to start sourcing antique and vintage pieces, but needs guidance navigating the purchasing process. This designer knows that buying a unique piece often involves uncertainty—especially when getting a client’s approval needs to be folded into the timeline. Now, he’s wondering what it takes to get his clients on board with that element of the unexpected.
Mazzarini jumps in with advice on how to buy time with vendors while seeking client approval for these unique pieces, what it takes to highlight an item’s top selling points, and why putting extra effort into visualization can help clients buy into the broader design concept.
Crucial insight: Antiques may be a hard sell to some clients: They’ve been in someone else’s home, and they can’t be customized or made to specification. Mazzarini has found success in pitching the other side of these items—particularly, the certainty they offer around project timelines. “Speed to market is a real thing for all of our clients. We love all our vendors, but upholstery takes a long time if you’re making something brand new. And a dining table—I’ve waited 10 months for a vendor to make me something,” he says. “There’s a built-in literal value add: ‘If you want it now, this vintage thing is the way I can get it to you in X number of weeks.’”
Key quote: “If you love it, and you think it’s right for the project—roll the dice. You know your client. If the relationship is great and the client’s saying yes to just about everything, and you can do the cost-and-benefit value analysis for them, maybe you just need to get it.”
This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
