A podcast about the design world
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Valentin Renner The Journey Long before finding his place in the art world, Valentin Renner dreamed of becoming a geographical explorer. Learning early on that the physical world had already been mapped was initially disappointing, but it ultimately ignited his...
Certain things capture your eye, but only pursue those that capture the heart
BEYOND THE DESIGN
Hosted by beloved design-insider Cray Bauxmont-Flynn, Beyond the Design aims to educate, inspire and connect with top brands, industry professionals, and design influencers to look behind the glamour of the design industry.
Gunta Sandmeyer
a Tulsa-based interior designer, entrepreneur, and co-host of Beyond The Design, a podcast dedicated to exploring the people, ideas, and innovations shaping the world of design.
Follow Our Journey
The Art of Connection — Valentin Renner
What if art could do more than capture our attention? What if it could change our perspective—and connect us to one another?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn ( @cray.bflynn ) welcomes artist Valentin Renner ( @valentineliasrenner ) for an inspiring conversation about creativity, human connection, perspective, and the emotional power of art.
Working with threads and nails, Valentin creates intricate three-dimensional works that transform as the viewer moves around them. What appears one way from one position can become something entirely different from another—turning perspective itself into part of the experience.
But for Valentin, the physical threads connecting each point have come to represent something much larger: the connections between people. Watching strangers gather around his work, exchange ideas, and see the same piece differently revealed art’s extraordinary ability to open dialogue and bridge perspectives.
His work also challenges the traditional distance between artwork and audience. Valentin encourages people not only to look, but to touch, experience, and emotionally connect with his pieces.
Because ultimately, meaningful art should make us feel something.
🎧 Listen and Watch - Link in Bio
🔗 Discover more about Valentin and his work: valentineliasrenner.de
#BeyondTheDesign #ValentinRenner #ContemporaryArt #Sculpture #stringart
Open
Celebrating Vision, Integrity & Design with Purpose — Karen Asprea
Great design requires more than creativity. It demands vision, discipline, integrity, and an understanding of how people truly experience a space.
It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of @karenaspreastudio to Beyond the Design for an inspiring conversation with host @cray.bflynn about her remarkable career, creative philosophy, and thoughtful approach to design.
From sophisticated private residences to hospitality and large-scale developments, Karen brings an extraordinary ability to balance architectural rigor with warmth, materiality, and human connection. Regardless of scale, her work remains grounded in intention—protecting the integrity of the original idea while creating environments that feel authentic, timeless, and deeply personal.
Her journey is also a powerful reminder that success isn’t necessarily about becoming bigger. Sometimes it’s about becoming more focused, more intentional, and more connected to the work that truly matters.
✨ Karen, thank you for being a guest on Beyond the Design. Your immense talent, generosity, insight, and commitment to meaningful design made for an exceptional conversation. It was truly an honor and pleasure to have you on the show.
🎧 Listen and Watch!
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #DesignIntegrity
Open
Beyond the Aesthetic — A Conversation with Karen Asprea
What keeps great design meaningful as projects become larger, more complex, and increasingly collaborative?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn @cray.bflynn sits down with Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio @karenaspreastudio , for an engaging conversation about creativity, integrity, leadership, and the responsibility of protecting a design vision from concept through completion.
Together, Cray and Karen explore what it takes to create environments that resonate beyond the aesthetic—where materiality, proportion, functionality, and human experience work together to give a space lasting meaning.
Karen also shares how her journey from large-scale Manhattan projects to founding her own boutique studio reshaped her perspective on success, allowing her to prioritize deeper collaboration, greater intentionality, and work that remains authentic regardless of scale.
At the heart of their conversation is a shared belief: exceptional design isn’t defined by size or spectacle, but by the integrity of the idea and how thoughtfully it is carried through every detail.
✨ Karen, thank you for joining Cray on Beyond the Design and sharing your remarkable experience, creativity, and perspective. It was an absolute pleasure having you on the show.
🎧 Watch now on our YouTube channel
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #CrayBauxmontFlynn #DesignIntegrity
Open
Designing at Scale Without Losing the Soul — Karen Asprea
As projects grow larger and more complex, how do you ensure the original design vision doesn’t become diluted along the way?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn sits down with Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of @karenaspreastudio , to explore the importance of maintaining integrity, intention, and design resonance at scale.
Drawing from decades of experience with complex residential, hospitality, and large-scale development projects, Karen understands that exceptional design requires more than a powerful initial concept. It demands discipline—protecting the narrative through countless decisions, collaborators, technical requirements, budgets, and phases of execution.
For Karen, scale should never come at the expense of soul. Materials, proportion, detail, and human experience must continue to reinforce the original idea, creating environments that feel cohesive, purposeful, and emotionally connected from the broadest architectural gesture to the smallest detail.
It’s a compelling conversation about the responsibility of the designer: stay true to the vision, remain rigorous through execution, and never allow complexity to diminish what made the concept meaningful in the first place.
🎧 Listen now.
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #DesignIntegrity #InteriorDesign
Open
Beyond Beauty — Creating Spaces with Soul with Karen Asprea
Exceptional design isn’t simply about how a space looks—it’s about how it feels, how it lives, and how it evolves over time.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host @cray.bflynn welcomes the immensely talented Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio, for an engaging conversation about her creative journey and thoughtful approach to interiors.
From her early exposure to Scandinavian design to leading complex projects in New York, Karen has developed a distinctive perspective rooted in materiality, authenticity, and longevity. Her work embraces materials that age beautifully and interiors that become more meaningful as life unfolds within them.
Today, Karen brings that philosophy to sophisticated residential, hospitality, and commercial environments—combining architectural rigor with warmth, personality, and an exceptional eye for detail.
✨ Karen, thank you for sharing your extraordinary creativity, journey, and perspective with us on Beyond the Design. It was an absolute pleasure having you on the show.
🎧 Listen or Watch - Link in Bio
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com - @karenaspreastudio
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #CreativeVision
Open
Designing for Life — Karen Asprea
Great interiors aren’t meant to remain untouched—they should live, evolve, and become richer through the people who inhabit them.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host @cray.bflynn welcomes Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio - @karenaspreastudio for an inspiring conversation about creativity, materiality, and designing spaces with lasting meaning.
Influenced by her studies at Pratt Institute and in Copenhagen, Karen developed a philosophy centered on how materials age, how spaces evolve, and how thoughtful design can enhance everyday life.
After years leading complex projects in Manhattan, Karen founded her own studio to create a more intentional and collaborative approach to design. Today, her extraordinary work spans luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors, balancing technical rigor with warmth, sophistication, and soul.
🎧 Listen and watch now.
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #LuxuryInteriors
Open
Celebrating Creativity, Nature & Living Design — The Plant Daddies
What an absolute pleasure to welcome Macy Lucarelli and Dane Jordan of The Plant Daddies to Beyond the Design for a conversation filled with creativity, humor, friendship, and an infectious passion for bringing nature into the spaces where we live.
Macy and Dane shared their unconventional journey from longtime friends to creative entrepreneurs—and how their willingness to experiment and challenge traditional thinking has transformed the way they approach plants within architecture and interior design.
Their extraordinary talent lies in seeing plants as far more than decorative accessories. In their hands, greenery becomes sculpture, texture, movement, architecture, and living art—an integral part of a room’s personality and emotional experience.
From selecting plants that complement a client’s home and lifestyle to creating dramatic installations that become the defining statement of an interior, The Plant Daddies remind us that successful design is ultimately about connection—to our surroundings, to nature, and to the way we want to live.
✨ Macy and Dane, thank you for being guests on Beyond the Design. Your immense creativity, expertise, humor, and genuine enthusiasm made this such a memorable conversation. We loved hearing your story, learning from your perspective, and discovering how you continue to push the boundaries of living design. It was truly an honor and an absolute pleasure having The Plant Daddies on the show.
🎧 Listen now and follow The Plant Daddies for more inspiration, creativity, and extraordinary living design.
🔗 Explore more at theplantdaddies.com - @the.plant.daddies
#BeyondTheDesign #ThePlantDaddies #PlantDesign #BiophilicDesign #livingart
Open
The Right Plant. The Right Place. The Right Personality. — The Plant Daddies
Choosing the perfect plant isn’t simply about finding something beautiful. It’s about finding something that belongs—in your home, with your lifestyle, and ultimately, with you.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, hosts @cray.bflynn and @gunta.sandmeyer sit down with @macylucarelli and @lord_dane of The Plant Daddies - @the.plant.daddies to explore the art of selecting greenery with intention.
Just as we consider architecture, furniture, lighting, and art, plants deserve the same thoughtful approach. How do you live? How much natural light does your home receive? How much care can you realistically provide? And what do you want the space to feel like?
For The Plant Daddies, the answer isn’t simply choosing what’s trending. It’s about understanding the relationship between plant, person, and place.
A dramatic specimen tree can become living sculpture. Something lush and unruly can bring personality to a restrained interior. A quieter architectural plant can complement a minimalist home. The right selection doesn’t simply fill an empty corner—it adds scale, texture, movement, character, and life.
And perhaps most importantly, it has to fit the person living with it.
🌿 The best plant isn’t necessarily the most exotic or impressive. It’s the one that works beautifully with your environment, your lifestyle, and your personality.
🎧 Show links in Bio
🔗 Explore more at theplantdaddies.com
#ThePlantDaddies #PlantDesign #LivingDesign #IndoorPlants #DesignWithNature
Open
The Art of Connection — Valentin Renner
What if art could do more than capture our attention? What if it could change our perspective—and connect us to one another?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn ( @cray.bflynn ) welcomes artist Valentin Renner ( @valentineliasrenner ) for an inspiring conversation about creativity, human connection, perspective, and the emotional power of art.
Working with threads and nails, Valentin creates intricate three-dimensional works that transform as the viewer moves around them. What appears one way from one position can become something entirely different from another—turning perspective itself into part of the experience.
But for Valentin, the physical threads connecting each point have come to represent something much larger: the connections between people. Watching strangers gather around his work, exchange ideas, and see the same piece differently revealed art’s extraordinary ability to open dialogue and bridge perspectives.
His work also challenges the traditional distance between artwork and audience. Valentin encourages people not only to look, but to touch, experience, and emotionally connect with his pieces.
Because ultimately, meaningful art should make us feel something.
🎧 Listen and Watch - Link in Bio
🔗 Discover more about Valentin and his work: valentineliasrenner.de
#BeyondTheDesign #ValentinRenner #ContemporaryArt #Sculpture #stringart
Celebrating Vision, Integrity & Design with Purpose — Karen Asprea
Great design requires more than creativity. It demands vision, discipline, integrity, and an understanding of how people truly experience a space.
It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of @karenaspreastudio to Beyond the Design for an inspiring conversation with host @cray.bflynn about her remarkable career, creative philosophy, and thoughtful approach to design.
From sophisticated private residences to hospitality and large-scale developments, Karen brings an extraordinary ability to balance architectural rigor with warmth, materiality, and human connection. Regardless of scale, her work remains grounded in intention—protecting the integrity of the original idea while creating environments that feel authentic, timeless, and deeply personal.
Her journey is also a powerful reminder that success isn’t necessarily about becoming bigger. Sometimes it’s about becoming more focused, more intentional, and more connected to the work that truly matters.
✨ Karen, thank you for being a guest on Beyond the Design. Your immense talent, generosity, insight, and commitment to meaningful design made for an exceptional conversation. It was truly an honor and pleasure to have you on the show.
🎧 Listen and Watch!
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #DesignIntegrity
Beyond the Aesthetic — A Conversation with Karen Asprea
What keeps great design meaningful as projects become larger, more complex, and increasingly collaborative?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn @cray.bflynn sits down with Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio @karenaspreastudio , for an engaging conversation about creativity, integrity, leadership, and the responsibility of protecting a design vision from concept through completion.
Together, Cray and Karen explore what it takes to create environments that resonate beyond the aesthetic—where materiality, proportion, functionality, and human experience work together to give a space lasting meaning.
Karen also shares how her journey from large-scale Manhattan projects to founding her own boutique studio reshaped her perspective on success, allowing her to prioritize deeper collaboration, greater intentionality, and work that remains authentic regardless of scale.
At the heart of their conversation is a shared belief: exceptional design isn’t defined by size or spectacle, but by the integrity of the idea and how thoughtfully it is carried through every detail.
✨ Karen, thank you for joining Cray on Beyond the Design and sharing your remarkable experience, creativity, and perspective. It was an absolute pleasure having you on the show.
🎧 Watch now on our YouTube channel
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #CrayBauxmontFlynn #DesignIntegrity
Designing at Scale Without Losing the Soul — Karen Asprea
As projects grow larger and more complex, how do you ensure the original design vision doesn’t become diluted along the way?
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host Cray Bauxmont-Flynn sits down with Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of @karenaspreastudio , to explore the importance of maintaining integrity, intention, and design resonance at scale.
Drawing from decades of experience with complex residential, hospitality, and large-scale development projects, Karen understands that exceptional design requires more than a powerful initial concept. It demands discipline—protecting the narrative through countless decisions, collaborators, technical requirements, budgets, and phases of execution.
For Karen, scale should never come at the expense of soul. Materials, proportion, detail, and human experience must continue to reinforce the original idea, creating environments that feel cohesive, purposeful, and emotionally connected from the broadest architectural gesture to the smallest detail.
It’s a compelling conversation about the responsibility of the designer: stay true to the vision, remain rigorous through execution, and never allow complexity to diminish what made the concept meaningful in the first place.
🎧 Listen now.
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #DesignIntegrity #InteriorDesign
Beyond Beauty — Creating Spaces with Soul with Karen Asprea
Exceptional design isn’t simply about how a space looks—it’s about how it feels, how it lives, and how it evolves over time.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host @cray.bflynn welcomes the immensely talented Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio, for an engaging conversation about her creative journey and thoughtful approach to interiors.
From her early exposure to Scandinavian design to leading complex projects in New York, Karen has developed a distinctive perspective rooted in materiality, authenticity, and longevity. Her work embraces materials that age beautifully and interiors that become more meaningful as life unfolds within them.
Today, Karen brings that philosophy to sophisticated residential, hospitality, and commercial environments—combining architectural rigor with warmth, personality, and an exceptional eye for detail.
✨ Karen, thank you for sharing your extraordinary creativity, journey, and perspective with us on Beyond the Design. It was an absolute pleasure having you on the show.
🎧 Listen or Watch - Link in Bio
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com - @karenaspreastudio
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #CreativeVision
Designing for Life — Karen Asprea
Great interiors aren’t meant to remain untouched—they should live, evolve, and become richer through the people who inhabit them.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, host @cray.bflynn welcomes Karen Asprea, Founder and Principal of Asprea Studio - @karenaspreastudio for an inspiring conversation about creativity, materiality, and designing spaces with lasting meaning.
Influenced by her studies at Pratt Institute and in Copenhagen, Karen developed a philosophy centered on how materials age, how spaces evolve, and how thoughtful design can enhance everyday life.
After years leading complex projects in Manhattan, Karen founded her own studio to create a more intentional and collaborative approach to design. Today, her extraordinary work spans luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors, balancing technical rigor with warmth, sophistication, and soul.
🎧 Listen and watch now.
🔗 Discover more at aspreastudio.com
#BeyondTheDesign #KarenAsprea #AspreaStudio #InteriorDesign #LuxuryInteriors
Celebrating Creativity, Nature & Living Design — The Plant Daddies
What an absolute pleasure to welcome Macy Lucarelli and Dane Jordan of The Plant Daddies to Beyond the Design for a conversation filled with creativity, humor, friendship, and an infectious passion for bringing nature into the spaces where we live.
Macy and Dane shared their unconventional journey from longtime friends to creative entrepreneurs—and how their willingness to experiment and challenge traditional thinking has transformed the way they approach plants within architecture and interior design.
Their extraordinary talent lies in seeing plants as far more than decorative accessories. In their hands, greenery becomes sculpture, texture, movement, architecture, and living art—an integral part of a room’s personality and emotional experience.
From selecting plants that complement a client’s home and lifestyle to creating dramatic installations that become the defining statement of an interior, The Plant Daddies remind us that successful design is ultimately about connection—to our surroundings, to nature, and to the way we want to live.
✨ Macy and Dane, thank you for being guests on Beyond the Design. Your immense creativity, expertise, humor, and genuine enthusiasm made this such a memorable conversation. We loved hearing your story, learning from your perspective, and discovering how you continue to push the boundaries of living design. It was truly an honor and an absolute pleasure having The Plant Daddies on the show.
🎧 Listen now and follow The Plant Daddies for more inspiration, creativity, and extraordinary living design.
🔗 Explore more at theplantdaddies.com - @the.plant.daddies
#BeyondTheDesign #ThePlantDaddies #PlantDesign #BiophilicDesign #livingart
The Right Plant. The Right Place. The Right Personality. — The Plant Daddies
Choosing the perfect plant isn’t simply about finding something beautiful. It’s about finding something that belongs—in your home, with your lifestyle, and ultimately, with you.
On this episode of Beyond the Design, hosts @cray.bflynn and @gunta.sandmeyer sit down with @macylucarelli and @lord_dane of The Plant Daddies - @the.plant.daddies to explore the art of selecting greenery with intention.
Just as we consider architecture, furniture, lighting, and art, plants deserve the same thoughtful approach. How do you live? How much natural light does your home receive? How much care can you realistically provide? And what do you want the space to feel like?
For The Plant Daddies, the answer isn’t simply choosing what’s trending. It’s about understanding the relationship between plant, person, and place.
A dramatic specimen tree can become living sculpture. Something lush and unruly can bring personality to a restrained interior. A quieter architectural plant can complement a minimalist home. The right selection doesn’t simply fill an empty corner—it adds scale, texture, movement, character, and life.
And perhaps most importantly, it has to fit the person living with it.
🌿 The best plant isn’t necessarily the most exotic or impressive. It’s the one that works beautifully with your environment, your lifestyle, and your personality.
🎧 Show links in Bio
🔗 Explore more at theplantdaddies.com
#ThePlantDaddies #PlantDesign #LivingDesign #IndoorPlants #DesignWithNature
