Louisa Pierce and Emily Ward met at a birthday party at a bar in New York, not knowing that their lives would remain intertwined for decades to come. The duo became fast friends, and ended up moving to Nashville at about the same time, where Pierce built and designed her dream home. “It was just the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. Figuring out that passion—and later in life, at 30—it was all of a sudden, out of nowhere,” she tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. “I always loved interior design and decorating and doing little mood boards, but this was a whole other level.”

Ward followed suit with the purchase of a new home, and the two went about designing it together. Afterward, both homes garnered local attention, and word-of-mouth spurred the pair to begin taking on projects across the city. “Somehow these people who hired us had faith in these two people who weren’t taking ourselves very seriously at that point in our life,” says Ward. The duo trusted their instincts and have since built a thriving firm that has made the AD100 and has projects around the world.

During the pandemic, Ward ended up trading Nashville for Los Angeles, where the firm could grow its project scope, while Pierce returned to her native Birmingham, Alabama, and continues to work from there. Living in different cities didn’t stop the two from growing—they opened a Los Angeles store in 2021 and launched a brand new buzzy collection with West Elm this year.

The pair had always wanted to do a collaboration with a company (they were inspired by Jake Arnold’s collection with Crate & Barrel), and so they hired a branding and partnership team to make that dream a reality. Shortly after, West Elm expressed interest and the collaboration began. The two were excited to reach a new type of customer. “We didn’t ever feel like it would jeopardize the Pierce & Ward shopper. It’s just exciting that other people can afford it,” says Ward.

Elsewhere in the episode, the partners discuss their rules for installations, why they prefer working with other creative spirits, and how living in two different cities helps maintain the duo’s flow.

Crucial insight: Part of the magic of Pierce & Ward is the partnership itself. In the early days of their firm, the two took more risks with their choices and did a lot of the heavy lifting if something didn’t go to plan (for example, painting a wall themselves when the painter flaked). “We always have had the mindset that we should take the chance, and if it’s not right, we will fix it,” says Ward. “That is easier to do as a team than as an independent, solo person.” They also know how to play up each other’s strengths. “If someone’s very nervous or upset, the other person is very rarely also nervous and upset. We really allow each other that space,” she adds. “Like, Louisa is really nervous about this part of the project, so I’m not going to be. We always hold each other up.”

Key quote: “We trust each other so much, where we find that the magic can come out of, not necessarily a mistake, but something that’s not overly planned. In the beginning, we just were learning. So everything felt very fresh, because we just found early on that some mistakes aren’t necessarily the end of the world. There are quick fixes for things like painting a wall a crazy bold color, because at the end of the day, the worst-case scenario is that you repaint the wall,” says Ward.

This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and Thibaut. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The Thursday Show

Host Dennis Scully and BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus discuss the biggest news in the design world, including a major art fair acquisition, the latest on tariffs, earnings reports from Wayfair and Ethan Allen, and For Scale’s treatise on “slow decor.” Later, the leadership team behind The Expert joins the show to talk about the company’s next move.

This episode is sponsored by Jaipur Living and Crate &Barrel. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.