Join the discussion with high end designers Ella Hall, Justin Dazey, and Richelle Plett, moderated by Ruti Wajnberg as they talk about ways to increase your comfort level and profitability while collaborating with designers.

Ella Hall is the founder of Stitchroom, a Brooklyn upholstery shop that can help you make custom pillows, cushions, curtains, and other upholstery. After receiving a degree in fashion design at Parsons, Ella pursued a career interior design, where she learned all about designers’ processes and all their major pain points. Always the entrepreneur, Ella saw a legitimate opportunity to build a business within an industry that hadn’t changed for decades.

 Richelle Plett is an interior designer in Kansas City. She previously owned an upholstery studio that specialized in the restoration of vintage seating, rescuing both curb treasures and iconic designs. Today she teaches professional designers about the science of upholstery construction and encourages a collaborative spirit between the design industry and professional upholstery.

After receiving his B.A. in Interior Design from Washington State University, Justin spent over a decade developing a career culminating as a Design Director responsible for a small team of Interior Designers and the daily operations of a multi-million dollar luxury design showroom. During this time he had the opportunity to partner with multiple Custom Upholsterers and Soft Goods Workrooms on a wide variety of projects. 

In 2013 Justin made the leap from one side of the Upholstery/Designer relationship to the other. Beginning work for a third generation upholstery family he soon found himself operating their newly acquired urban showroom while studying the trade and is now a full time Upholsterer.

Developing and sharing practices that smooth the interface between Upholsterer and Interior Designer has been a natural outcome of this perspective.