Keith Granet’s résumé is hard to match. After earning a bachelor’s degree in art, he spent nearly eight years as a financial analyst at global architecture and design firm Gensler in California, where he worked closely with founder Art Gensler before starting his own design business consultancy, Granet & Associates, in 1991. Since then, he has co-founded The Leaders of Design, founded and led software platform Studio Designer, and authored three books, including the new edition of his seminal The Business of Design. More recently, Granet acquired the Decorative Furnishings Association and plans to launch an AI symposium this spring. “I run, right now, five different companies, and I guess I call it adult-onset ADD,” he tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. “I just see opportunity and want to grab it.”
Granet is currently working on a book about what the design industry might look like in 2035. His predictions for the next decade include evolving hybrid work schedules, the rise of AI, and an increased need for value-based billing. “My thing about hourly [charging] is that, if it takes you 20 years to develop a detail, and you can [now] deliver it in an hour, is it only worth an hour? It’s not value based,” he says. “This is a fascinating conversation to have right now because of AI. … There’s going to be a time where a lot of the work that people are charging heavily for will be done in minutes. How do you charge for that?”
Crucial insight: Granet works with some of the industry’s brightest stars—he once took a step back to see what qualities made those designers stand out and found six key takeaways. “Finding your particular talent: I suddenly realized that I wasn’t going to be an architect, but my talent lies in doing the finance or business side. Having a passion for what you do: This doesn’t work unless you’re passionate about it. Having discipline: the ability to work at something a little bit every day so you get it done. Having a good knowledge of the industry. And then having chutzpah, which is the ability to take risk,” he says. “The sixth thing is common sense. I think the world’s too hard to navigate without common sense. You just really have to know what’s good judgment.”
Key quote: “We’ve got to adapt as things change, and that’s what keeps me alive every day: what’s going on, and how can we help address it, and not just let it pass us by—because if we don’t stay relevant, we’re gone.”
This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and Resource Furniture. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Thursday Show
Host Dennis Scully, BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus and associate editor Caroline Bourque discuss the biggest news in the design world, including the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, highlights from KBIS, and Taylor Swift’s textile trademark dispute. Later, John Edelman joins the show to discuss his new role at Haworth.
This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Morris & Co. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
