Dennis Oz: Welcome to the Remodeler Success Podcast, where we dive into the kitchen and bath industry. Thank you so much for being here again. I’m sure that with our listener notes and the emails that we receive is showing us that we are on the right path for giving you the great content here.

Today is going to be in another amazing episode folks, because today we have an incredible guest whose innovative design philosophy has really transformed the countless spaces into modern sanctuaries. With over two decades of experiencing the interior architectural design. She has been recognized for her creative approach and contributions to our kitchen and bath industry. Her high end residential and commercial projects that we are going to also dive in today. They reflect a really unique blend of artistry and wellness.

I don’t want to steal her storm anymore. Please join me welcoming Michele Alfano to our podcast. Michele, welcome to the show.

Michele Alfano: Thank you so much, Dennis. I’m so happy to be here and you’re hired. I’m taking you with me to my client.

Dennis Oz: Thank you. Michele, could you please introduce yourself to us?

Michele Alfano: Sure. I’m Michele Alfano. Um, my, my work is Michele Alfano Design. I’m located in Montebello, New York, which is in Rockland County. Um, I, do you want to hear my whole story? I can, I can, I can go as far back. You know,

Dennis Oz: This is going to be my first question, actually. We always say a lot of influence about our guests, how they get into the kitchen and bath industry. What is your story?

Michele Alfano: Yeah. Um, so my story is I’m a daughter of an experimental physicist. I grew up around innovation. he really led me on a path of math and science and I was an applied math major in college, but it wasn’t until I went off my junior year to Florence, Italy.

And I fell in love with not only, of course, the architecture, the food, but the fashion. And I came back and I said to my physicist dad, I’m going to be a fashion designer. And he said, yeah, no. He said, you’re going to somehow figure out fashion, art. You love art and science and math. Figure that out. And I said, okay.

And, um, I went off to architecture school and that is a science and an art. And I was lucky enough to have a professor who was an art professor from Union College, and he really directed my skills, and I came back, and I literally fell in love with architecture. Um, the thing is, when I was in the field, and I was trained as an architect, I really fell, found a journey of falling in love with interior experiences.

And there was one project that really inspired me, and it was a, it was a project in Fukuoka, Japan. And this client, it was, uh, he wanted to do something different with his department store. Because in Fukuoka, Japan, it’s an island surrounded by water, and everything is connected back to the train stations.

But he didn’t want stores in these pedestrian tunnels. So people were walking and buying and then coming in, you wanted something unique. So the design of the pedestrian tunnel was a tricking of the mind. You, you didn’t feel like you were walking through a tunnel, you were walking over a bridge of water.

So, um, in that experience, and I designed this at Walker Group CNI when I was working in Manhattan, I got the opportunity to include lighting and multimedia and dichroic glass and cool cable design. And I learned at that moment that interior experiences and emotion. Was very important in in design.

Dennis Oz: That’s right. It’s extremely important. Thank you so much for joining us here again. Let’s dive in Michele. When we visit your website, which is Michelealfanodesign.com, we see that poetic modernism. Can you tell us about the philosophy of it? What’s behind it and how it influences your design approach?

Michele Alfano: Well, poetic modernism, I developed the approach because I really wanted to get to know my clients on a deeper level. Um, you know, in modernism, it’s about form follows function, right? In poetic modernism, it’s about how emotion shapes form and function. It’s about positive emotions can drive design and uplifting design.

So to give you an example of what I mean, think about something, a place in the world, in nature. That gives you absolute awe. If you just take a breath, I love that. I take that feeling from my clients and I weave that in into the design. I find that to be kind of a good way to understand how a person’s body is feeling in their environments, because that I want people to feel motivated to live in positive spaces and feeling satisfied, fulfilled.

And if I can tap into emotions in their memories, And bring them into the design. Then they will have uplifted lives.

Dennis Oz: This is a very interesting fact. We are changing the lives when we are designing spaces.

You talk about different elements when you are designing a space. And there are some cross relations between those and how do you incorporate these elements into your modern interior design?

Michele Alfano: Well, my, my overall aesthetic is warm, modern. So I use earthy textures, earthy color palettes, clean lines, um, but a, I weave elements of emotional connection.

That is very important, right? Those positive memories that provide comfort and emotional wellbeing. Like for example, in one of my projects, the client, um, wanted a spa bathroom and they talked about how they loved, uh, upstate New York and how they got married, um, outdoors. And I took that emotional connection and I created like a slot of moss and embedded in tile.

So when she’s sitting in her freestanding tub and she’s about, you know, she’s around nature, she’s thinking about her wedding day and it’s subconscious, you know, so elements like that, um, tidiness, really important. I encourage functionality and organization, you know, that will just elevate your routines on a daily basis and make you, you know, Um, I had a project where, um, again, it was a spa bathroom where they had a small closet and a little bathroom.

We opened it up and I had the closet in the bathroom all in one space. So now it’s efficient. They can get ready in the morning. They have linen closets on both sides of the vanity and their closet right now. Everything is off the counters. It is organized and they say that it has improved their lives, um, tenfold.

Well, integrating nature as I talked about, uh, we now know by neuroscience that reduces to have nature around you in your spaces. You reduce stress, right? Increase, increase creativity and another project. Um, I had a project where you walked in the door and it was complete organized chaos, toys everywhere.

Now we created a mud room. Where you walk in and I see a plant wall, so they’re already starting off their day or coming home from work and and feeling good. In their spaces. There’s so many ways elements that I bring into into the design.

Dennis Oz: This is amazing to hear. Well, since you’re talking about your projects, we got a lot of fun and also we learned a lot of things from our speakers about their projects that really stand out from their other projects . Do you have any kind of project that you talk about today?

Michele Alfano: Um, well, one project that was a challenge was a project in Hoboken. Um, it was a 1890 townhouse. And the client was, uh, traditional, however, wanted, uh, a modern surprise when they come back into their, into their kitchen.

Um, so we opened up the space, opened up the back wall. So it was all glass looking beyond into their garden. And how did I, I said, how do I give that nod to 1890? Um, so by creating a soffit in the ceiling and popping up and creating a, uh, tin ceiling over the island that gave that architectural nod. Now, the contractor, however, I wanted the lights.

The J boxes were not specifically embedded in the pattern of the 10 ceiling. And when I came to the site, I saw that the holes of the J boxes were not embedded within my pattern. And it’s that detail that literally ruined the whole ceiling design. So it had to come down and and read and read jigs, even even though that it was in the construction documents.

It’s great. I just don’t know. I still to this day don’t understand how that happened. So that was a big challenge, but it was rectified. And now it was it was a stunner. It was a stunner to see the Everything coordinated over the kitchen island.

Dennis Oz: It’s great to hear the stories when they start with the challenge and turn out to be a great story so it’s always something that we like to hear more in this channel too.

So thank you so much for sharing this one. Let’s discuss technology on interior design. How do you leverage that technology and some of the tools that you’re using on your day to day work and on your designs. How do you use it?

Michele Alfano: First of all, I love technology. I love it. I love it. I always want to go, I go to, I always want to see what’s out and what’s next. Um, but I do love those smart faucets and integrating that into the kitchens, whether it’s.

You know, the wave or voice activated. Um, I think that’s brilliant and, you know, it really makes cooking easier. Uh, you can be cooking a chicken, right? And just wave and you’re not spreading germs, uh, within, within the sink. Uh, I love integrating those smart toilets. Um, not only do they self clean, but they clean you, and then they heat your bum, um, they use, you know, uh, different flush technologies to save water, so I love that about the sustainability of these smart toilets.

Um, and not only that, I think they save marriages because with the self closing lid, hello.

And, and I’m lately, uh, putting more home automation, uh, into homes. It’s great when it’s a new project, when all the studs are open and you’re able to integrate, um, you know, a pad that has, that can control multiple functions.

Uh, just with one button creating scenes and spaces, you know, coming home, just pressing a button, say welcome home. And then your lighting level comes down to us to what you’re what you desire or the blinds come down. Your security system is tied into it. Airflow is tied into it. So it just really, um, accentuates, you know, high standard of living and helps you live easier if you can control things on scenes.

I love also, uh, lighting controls. There’s one, even Legrand came out with an automated system. They have beautiful, I don’t know if you know Legrand, they have beautiful switches and dimmers and different. Uh, plates with different colors, so you can integrate them into your design. Um, but you can even do as little with Legrand as just automating the light level that you want in the space just by pushing a button.

It comes to the lighting level you want and the color you want, or you can go all the way with their, with their system. Um, so yeah, so those are, those are some ways that I bring in technology into my,

Dennis Oz: This is amazing to hear. Since we are talking about technology, Michele, I’m going to ask you this question.

How do you stay current and on top of everything? How do you educate yourself?

Michele Alfano: Um, well, there are design shows. Year that I, that I like to go to, uh, kitchen Bath Industry show.

Uh, used to be in Florida and in Vegas, but now it’s only in Vegas.

Dennis Oz: I think they’re gonna bring it back to Orlando. Not this year because we were exhibiting last year in Vegas. They said it’s gonna be in Vegas too. I think what they liked about the KBIS is every time that they do it in the more central location instead of the corner of the country, they have more people walking in.

Vegas is a place where East Coast and West Coast can get together. That’s why every time that they do the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in somewhere in the middle of America, like Vegas. They can host this kind of a big events because it’s not only Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, it’s also international builders show with that as well. It’s connected. So I think they have more visitors and everything from East and West. I think this is my opinion as an exhibitor on the show. They are planning to do that on Vegas a little more, but they are planning to bring it back to Orlando, not in 2025, but could be in 2026.

I’m also in a Vienna, New Jersey. Every time I’m just going there and make us like a three hours local time difference, it’s just kind of killing us. Right?

Michele Alfano: It is far very easy to go down to Florida. I have family that lives in Florida.

Dennis Oz: There we go. Yes, we all have some reasons to be

Michele Alfano: one stone.

Dennis Oz: We all have some reasons to be in Florida, but Vegas.

If the CEO of the National Kitchen and Bath Association maybe hear us from here. So we want Florida.

Michele Alfano: We want Florida.

Um, just to, just

Dennis Oz: to, just to, you know, Funny part of it, of course, whatever is better for our industry, Kitchen and Bath Association will be giving that exact direction to us.

But you said you’re getting most of the updated information from the shows, right?

Michele Alfano: I go from the shows or even getting invited to the showrooms. You know, um, they have lots of events showrooms. Um, I was just at an event in jersey Uh at our appliance center, you know, and it’s fun to actually connect with all people in the industry But see what else is going on people can talk to you and I love going to kitchen showrooms because they have chefs That will, you know, make lunch for you and you get to actually, yeah, and you, and you can actually work on the appliances and you’re part of the show.

You’re actually making, uh, yourself and everybody that was invited at lunch. So you really get to learn about the technology in the ranges or the induction cooktop. And, and it’s great. So I learned that way. And then of course, you know, magazines keeping updated, um, with what’s going on.

Dennis Oz: Those are great ways, exactly.

Kitchen and Bath Industry Show plays a really important role for all of us, folks. If you’re listening here and if you haven’t been any kind of shows, we strongly suggest and recommend you to be there. I believe the next one is going to be February, but I don’t know the exact time and date.

February 2025 in Vegas, it’s on nkba.org and kbis.org, you can see the information from there and you should be there. Just like Michel said, this is a show that brings everyone together, and we are learning from each other. The connections that you made will bring you a lot of value out of these shows even if you are spending a lot of time flying. Some of our listeners from Vegas too. So it’s really easy for them. But if you are listening and tuning in from East Coast folks, yes, you’ve got to book that plane ticket and you’ve got to go there.

Michele Alfano: Do have good shows in New York too. We have, ICFF actually has gotten a lot better for a lot for, you know, they have the architectural design, uh, architectural digest show that was, goes with the ICFF, um, for many years and then architectural digest.

That was, that was one of my favorite shows because it showed really the artisans, um, and Diffa’s, uh, dining by design. Just so much eye candy during all those, uh, designs of dining rooms. Um, but besides ICFF, uh, there’s, uh, BDNY, which is Boutique Design New York, which is hospitality design. That’s also in the fall.

There’s really, really some good events.

Dennis Oz: East Coast folks are learning from you here. Because most of those shows going with the Kitchen and Bath Industry show, but guys, there are a lot of different shows that you can go and attend. Michele, just like you said, maybe your chapter is just getting together in a showroom.

It’s another way to just update ourselves. Mindset is really important here and you will be learning from the similar mindset people when you just attend this, events and gathering. So that’s a very important part of your educational discovery.

So Michele, we talk about the challenging projects, but I would like to ask your personal professional challenges. You have decades of experience, maybe something that really created you a little bit of hard work or hardship to learn or could be a client relationship.

Can you give us a little bit of examples on how you overcome these challenges in your professional career?

Michele Alfano: Yeah. Well, first of all, there’s, I find there’s always challenges. During any kind of remodel and construction, and I set that expectation, uh, with my clients first and foremost, because we have to have a sense of humor when we are going through construction.

So, um, I try to relay that to the client and, and I find that that, that actually helps. I’m going to talk a little bit about the design process, because they’re they’re waiting for something to happen when something happens. It’s not as terrible, right? Um, one. There was one, uh, thing that really gave me a good learning lesson.

And that was when, uh, I had done the design, the architectural planning, right down to all the interior design in this project, Um, and the and the client hired, um, a design build firm to execute the design. Um, I found that there was a lot of pointing fingers. Between my mill worker and the and the GC’s electrician blaming blaming each other and I and I learned very fast.

That when I work with any kind of contractor, I always say to them, we are a team. And then I do not tolerate finger pointing. I do not want any going back to the client. We are the ones to figure out and problem solve, not to run to the client and make more problems out of it. I find that to be very, very important.

Dennis Oz: Your client doesn’t want any problems. I believe this is why we are on board. All the problems need to be solved and educating the actual contractors and whoever else in the team plays an important role. Folks, you are also learning the project management details here. Not only how to do the actual work but when you’re working on a project, it is different components there and when you’re designing it, design and build company is another part of it.

You have to run the project with them and sometimes it becomes so challenging, just like Michele’s approach, you have to be up there as a professional not to let anything just slip through the cracks or any kind of complaints go back to the customer, so this is a very professional way to say that, Michele, thank you so much for sharing this and also underlining and highlighting this for our listeners too.

Michele, there is a lot of things about AI. I just wanted to shift the question different subject . AI is everywhere. In design, we are using it for content creation, video production, even like a coach. A couple of days ago, my wife is asking me, can AI help me calculate my calories? Let’s talk about this.

Michele Alfano: Yes, it can.

Dennis Oz: What do you think about AI and how do you utilize AI?

Michele Alfano: Yeah. Um, I am not afraid of AI. There’s a lot of designers that are very upset, upset about AI and how people just post images online and don’t and take credit for the images, right? Um, I embrace it. I’ve even, I’ve even customized my own, uh, GPT bot to be in my own brand voice.

So when I need to kind of write something down for an Instagram post or something like that, it’s in my brand voice. And I asked them, you know, I asked, this is kind of what I want to write about. And, you know, it’ll spit out something, you have to edit it. I think it’s important to always edit. Because AI tends to be a little bit repetitive, but I do use it.

And I also, um, use it actually as an inspiration image for a bar design that I was doing. Um, I, you know, prompted it, the different materiality that I wanted the bar to look like. It developed an image, albeit the space was not the same dimension, it’s not, you know, the scale is kind of off, but as an inspiration image, I gave it to the client, they said, yes, this is, this is actually, I’m grooving to this.

I’m like, great. So now then I had to apply that and create, you know, the design within SketchUp model as per the proportions and design based off of that inspiration from AI. I mean, it is, it is, it is kind of amazing.

Dennis Oz: AI is almost everywhere. Some people are really feeling, Oh my God, AI is coming. But just like Michele said, folks, AI is not going to replace you. You will be replaced by someone who is using AI if you’re not using it. So that’s the most important part here. Just like Michele said, creating a GPT bot, folks, Can I just briefly explain, Michele? Here, you just go to your chat GPT and you create your own GPT model.

You feed the information over there and you have your brand voice. This is what you’re doing, Michele, right?

Michele Alfano: You have to be in 4. 0 in order to create it. And you do have to, it’s not free. You have to pay for the chat GPT in order to create your own custom bots.

Dennis Oz: Once the bot learns about what you do, what type of language that you’re using? You can utilize that bot in your blog productions or if you’re creating some social media captions.

In today’s age, that shouldn’t be a problem, folks. You should be at least have a paid version of chat gpt or could be a cloud or google gemini those are different models and you can implement those strategies to your work. AI is pretty much inside our industry right now, and our designers are using it. It’s amazing to hear. And thank you so much for sharing that one, Michele. Let’s take the conversation to the marketing. Digital marketing, especially . With the decades of experience, Michele, you have a massive word of mouth, I’m sure about this.

If you have no reputation and no word of mouth. What would be your strategy if you start digital marketing from scratch?

Michele Alfano: That’s a good question. Um, well, you know, Facebook groups I think are pretty helpful. Um, especially, you know, if you do, let’s say you designed your own house or you designed a friend’s house and you have that friend.

To go into a group, um, and look for, Oh, I’m looking for a designer and they respond, Oh, I know this designer. Um, here’s their email or website or whatever it is. Then people, other people in the group, when they’re looking for that designer, we’ll see that and we’ll call you

Looking for referrals.

Dennis Oz: Great advice. By using the social media here, folks, it’s just like Michele said, it’s a power and it’s free. That’s why I’m asking you how you do that from scratch. Now, going back to today, how Michele Alfano plays digital marketing? Can you tell us what you do?

Michele Alfano: Well, I, I definitely, I actually asked past clients.

Not only to write a testimonial and use that on my social media channels, but also to write those on those groups. And I do get calls. I do get calls from moms or whomever who’s looking for a designer. Um, I also, I I’m in business networking groups and we all, you know, we all kind of refer one another. So that’s also very important and in your business group, they will refer you online in digital marketing Also keep talking about you you want some you want to be talked about when you’re not in the room That’s that’s the key

Dennis Oz: It’s a quick two cents from me folks , If you don’t really know how to post it again create your bot and let them write .

You don’t need to write it today. You can write it, so that’s it. Even if you just ask this bot how to put on Facebook groups, I’m sure that you can create those kind of content over there, right?

Michele Alfano: A hundred percent.

Dennis Oz: The capabilities over there is endless, folks.

You just utilize it and you’re not going to regret it. So that’s a very important part of it. Thank you so much, Michele. Digital marketing is one thing in our industry because it’s been a topic that we have different major networks like google network and also social medias and SEO is a part of it, our content is a part of it.

Here Michele just gave us what we can actually do especially for you folks. If you don’t have a referral base, sometimes you’re just getting started, this is pretty normal. You will get there but look if you just reach out to the people in your area with a case study that will support your reputation in your own local neighborhood.

Michele, that is such an eye opener advice here and thank you so much for this. This is an amazing episode today. Michele also we have couple of people, they are just getting started and they would like to learn from people like you who are in the industry for a long time. What will be your piece of advice to these people?

Michele Alfano: For those aspiring designers out there, um, we’re just getting started.

I think it’s really important to work for an architect or a studio that sends you out into construction because it’s very important to have that. Uh, language skill to know how to integrate plumbing, electrical, structural with your design, uh, aesthetic, uh, because then contractors will respect you more, especially women.

Contractors will respect you more. And if you have that foundation to problem solve and speak their language, trades, people’s language, your, you will be, you will do very well. And you can then break the rules.

Dennis Oz: Thank you so much for sharing,Michele. I’m sure there will be some follow up questions after this episode is published.

What would be the best way to reach out to you?

Michele Alfano: Yeah, sure. So my name, Michele Alfano design. com and I’m on Instagram also at Michele Alfano design, please contact me with any of your questions.

Dennis Oz: That was great , Michele. Thank you so much one more time for being here, sharing all your wisdom.

Thank you so much for this one. Folks, that was another episode of Remodeler Success Podcast. We’re going to see you next time.

Goodbye.