1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,280 Hi Gary here from the cool beans pod. 2 00:00:02,280 --> 00:00:05,840 Listen, Vidan Matsenos, you need a coffee, you need a little bit 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,240 of a pick me up. Go to Mocha. 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,280 They sell speciality coffee. They've got their own beans down 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,600 there as well. Some stuff to make coffee with 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,920 as well, but a merch great nobles. 7 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,600 Ultimately the coffee is great, the service is great, smiles are 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,240 wonderful, The views are great. Go to Mocha coffee. 9 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,560 This pod is brought to you by the wonderful people from Mocha 10 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,000 Coffee Cool Beans. All I see are the treetops, all 11 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,159 the buildings are lower than me and I have a view of Gaia and I 12 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,600 see the the trees go from leaves to bugs. 13 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,720 To twigs. I, I whistled. 14 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,160 It really is a wonderful environment. 15 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,160 That coupled with the fact that I'm part of the Portuguese 16 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:47,680 community, I've been able to establish a relationship and a 17 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,440 reputation here. My future is to be here. 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,840 Lines almost size. It's beautiful, so it made a 19 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:08,320 good impression of it. Oops, okay. 20 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,000 Kevin, welcome to the Cool Beans pod we're running. 21 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:12,920 Thank you very. Much so much for coming over to 22 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,240 my seen us. I hope you haven't kept all the 23 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,240 good stuff for pre. Recording, I can repeat myself. 24 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,320 I want people to say it the same exact way, but I don't write. 25 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,720 Right. Karen's Chris Tully from 15 26 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,040 Coffees connected us and mentioned that you are interior 27 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,600 designer and the first thing you sent me or you sent me a few 28 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,320 things. One of the things was a video of 29 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,520 Ron White, one of my favorite comedians. 30 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,440 Tell me a little bit about your association with Ron White. 31 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:43,560 Well, he is a good friend. I met him at a dinner party and 32 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,200 in Los Angeles. He's not very well known, but I 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,880 followed comedians and I knew who he was. 34 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,640 And we started, we started a new friendship many, many years ago. 35 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,920 And then as it evolved, I stood up in his wedding and he tapped 36 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,520 me to build his house in Beverly Hills from dirt. 37 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,120 And it was has been a friendship ever since then. 38 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,840 I want to say that's probably over 10 or 12 years now, but it 39 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:08,680 was four years building the house at least. 40 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:10,560 Yeah. That would have been eight years 41 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:11,760 if you were building it in Portugal. 42 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,680 Yeah, 18 years was building a year. 43 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,880 So tell me Kevin, you are of Portuguese descent, grew up in. 44 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,520 I grew up in New Bedford, MA, born and raised. 45 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,840 My parents are Portuguese. My great grandparents or my 46 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,640 grandparents, my great, great grandparents are all Portuguese. 47 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:30,880 They came over at the whaling time and they were the best. 48 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,920 Those audience were the navigators of the world, and so 49 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,760 they all had where they're navigating the whaling ships. 50 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,440 And so my entire family lineage on both sides goes all the way 51 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,040 to San Miguel, Rashka da Gama, different areas in the sort of 52 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,560 islands. My great, great grandfather I 53 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,480 know was a whaling captain. He's written up in Antonio 54 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,920 Acosta is written up in a lot of whaling books because when he 55 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,240 was 14 years old on a whaling ship, he jumped overboard to 56 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,120 save a dog. And so he became a local hero. 57 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,240 And as he got older, he had his own whaling ship and then his 58 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,760 own fishing fleet for a long time at New Bedford, MA. 59 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,160 So New Bedford is coastal, right? 60 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,320 New Bedford is coastal, it's South of Boston. 61 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,120 It's kind of like on the little hook just before you start to 62 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,480 get into Cape Cod, MA. And it's all Portuguese found 63 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,720 and raised. And that's wasn't the reason why 64 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,840 I moved here. But I was familiar with the 65 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,280 Portuguese culture, the work ethic, the festivals, the food. 66 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:29,400 I just never grasped the language. 67 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,800 Sometimes those parties and festivals are more Portuguese 68 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,680 than Portugal itself. And the face of the Blessed 69 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,080 Sacrament in New Bedford, MA is a almost equivalent to a St. 70 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:39,040 while here. OK. 71 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:40,960 And it's been going on for many years. 72 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,920 So like I said, I I feel comfortable with the community 73 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,400 moving here. I was planning on moving to free 74 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,560 the France or Italy or Greece, other places. 75 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,360 But one by one they fell out of favor. 76 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,000 And then I looked into Portugal and it just won my heart over. 77 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,840 And especially in ports, I got what everyone talks about is the 78 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,840 feeling and especially in Bon Fiem, it was just, it's the 79 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,120 right pace, the right quality of life. 80 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,880 And I can easily say it's the best decision I've ever made in 81 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,000 my life was to move here. And the Portuguese people 82 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,399 especially are so genuine and nice that I can't say enough 83 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:17,720 about it. Great, great. 84 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,079 So you grew up in Massachusetts and then you moved up. 85 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:22,840 You spent some time in LA, 30 years. 86 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:25,280 Was it 30? Years is where I I lived. 87 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,520 I was married for a long time. I had my interior design 88 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,160 business there for 30 years, OK. And tell us a little bit about 89 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,280 your interior design business in California. 90 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,360 Well, I stayed busy all the time. 91 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,560 I never did any advertising. I never had a website. 92 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,320 I still don't. It's always been word of mouth 93 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,920 and it's possibly because of the way that I either approach my 94 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,520 interior design or I've learned, especially as I've moved here, 95 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,720 people are really buying me for my personality and for my work 96 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:57,880 ethic more so than my interior design, although I do well, but 97 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,120 it's much more, I think the comfort level. 98 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:04,160 And in Los Angeles I didn't have to worry about. 99 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,520 I always had work. Here. 100 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,760 I've had to prove myself a little bit more because I don't 101 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,280 have a reputation. And it's what I've learned is I 102 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:16,720 can land a job and by doing a video conference, that's my 103 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:18,480 consultation more so than on the phone. 104 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,280 But people see how I present myself, my ideas. 105 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,680 I work with all different kinds of budgets and it's much more. 106 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,960 I've always been transparent, but it's a lot less stress over 107 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,320 here. And comparing to Los Angeles, 108 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,120 it's just runs smoother. And it's I'm, I feel like I'm a 109 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,520 lot more of in service because I'm helping more people with 110 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,920 modest budgets here. People are retired, they're 111 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,640 coming over here. I just want to help people 112 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,800 create a home over there. It was business. 113 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,680 It was survive. It's still survival over here 114 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,960 too, but over there it was constant juggling 12 jobs a year 115 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,920 or whatever it is. Here I can do 5 to 7 and I'm 116 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,200 very happy and it's much more satisfying here too. 117 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,000 Did you ever work on movie sets? Yeah, I was a production 118 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,440 designer and art director for a few films, a lot of commercials, 119 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,560 videos. When I always maintained my 120 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,280 interior design business, I could never really go on 121 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:16,400 location for a long period of time to do that. 122 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,440 So there was only one movie that I worked on that I went to 123 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,040 Connecticut from Los Angeles for about 3 months to be a 124 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:23,720 production designer and the art director. 125 00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:26,680 What movie was that? It was called Officer Down with 126 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,400 a Stephen Dorff and James Wood and. 127 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,120 James Wood is a great actor. Great actor. 128 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,960 I can't remember it was any. Stephen Dorff movie You just 129 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:39,360 scroll over. You don't. 130 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,720 Yeah, don't explore. Walter Goggins was actually in 131 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,600 it and who is now really as Walter Goggins, I think is his 132 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,600 name is really now becoming much more popular. 133 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:52,400 But he wasn't even really well known over there. 134 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,320 And so I worked on that, but I could never really afford to 135 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,000 stay away from my business, which is my bread and butter all 136 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,480 the time. And I got enough exposure and I 137 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,040 knew how I know how the film industry works and but I could 138 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:09,440 do a lot of commercials, music videos, all the others weekends 139 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,600 kind of. And the vibe in Los Angeles, how 140 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:15,280 was the vibe sort of being there for 30 years? 141 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,040 It was not to be in the 80s, right? 142 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:18,840 They would have none in the 90s. I moved there. 143 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,360 I moved there in 92. 92 With the riots that was. 144 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,720 The gender riots. I moved to Laguna Beach, I went 145 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,920 from New Bedford, MA. I was commissioned to do a piece 146 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,360 of artwork in Laguna Beach and I had never been to California and 147 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,120 I know that I went there probably in the beginning of 148 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,080 July. Worked for about 3 weeks doing 149 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:37,960 some artwork, full finishing and Trump. 150 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,640 Lloyd was very popular then and fell in love with California and 151 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,400 especially living in a beach in the 90s. 152 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:45,080 In the way they were. Obviously the weather was 153 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,960 fantastic and so I moved. I went back after the job and I 154 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,400 know that by the end of August I had sold everything and I was 155 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,000 moving there permanently and it was absolutely wonderful. 156 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,280 But I get I've never really played well with the other 157 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:01,120 interior designers or had that pretense or that attitude. 158 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,840 So I knew them. And especially in Los Angeles, 159 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:05,720 it's there. There's just a lot of attitude 160 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,440 that I just I don't play well with in that in that 161 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:10,760 environment. And I'd much rather have 162 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,920 relationships with my clients that are long lasting. 163 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,040 I still have clients that I've had for 30 years. 164 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,840 I've built their their home or design their homes for their 165 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,600 kids that are 6 and seven. Then I've moved them into their 166 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,240 college dorms or their first apartment. 167 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,280 And a lot of the interior designers in Los Angeles just 168 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,240 want to turn over the next job, the next job and the next job. 169 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:35,120 I, like I said I, I, I wasn't about the fame and fortune. 170 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,480 For me, it was much more about doing a good job, being in 171 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,720 service, which I don't mind. I like the responsibility. 172 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,920 I've got keys. I still have keys to Ron's house 173 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,440 that he, when I moved over here, He's like, in case there's 174 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,800 anything that happens, you know, I don't know what would happen 175 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,560 then I'm going to FedEx keys from Portugal. 176 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:55,560 Will they now be his ex wife's house keys? 177 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:58,600 Well, the house has that video that you saw was him selling the 178 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,360 house. The house has since been sold. 179 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,200 But I do have clients that just said in case I ever need keys 180 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,200 and I like that responsibility. And here it's the same thing. 181 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,840 I have keys to probably about 5 or 6 different apartments. 182 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,760 Then in case somebody needs something they needed to get 183 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,520 checked on, the job is over and done and finished, but they just 184 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,960 know that they have a spare key sitting somewhere and if 185 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,200 something needs to be done, they can call on me. 186 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,760 I like that reliability, that responsibility. 187 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,560 To me that's I like that so. Tell me a little bit about 92 188 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:30,600 the rights in LA. It was. 189 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:32,920 For those of for those people that don't know, there's a great 190 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:37,680 documentary called 1992. So, so if people want to explore 191 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:39,720 that a little bit, but tell us a little bit about from your 192 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,280 perspective all the time there. At the time when the riots were 193 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:43,680 happening, I lived in Look at the beach. 194 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:45,760 Those were in Los Angeles, so it was about an hour and a half 195 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:50,760 away and much like it. It was very surreal to realize 196 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,000 that destruction. It's almost like living in a war 197 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,120 zone. I have friends that live in Kiev 198 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,400 and different parts of Israel that everything is fine and 199 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,680 normal, just like over here. But two hours away to get em 200 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:04,600 bombed and the LA riots was like that. 201 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,880 So I wasn't as directly involved in it. 202 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,720 What I was involved in was the devastating Laguna Beach fires, 203 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,720 which happened about six months after I moved into Laguna Beach. 204 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:19,000 OK. So still 92. 9394 I think is 205 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,920 when the fires were and then it loosened up all the soil. 206 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,000 So the next rain, there were massive floods. 207 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,880 And so there was, it was just much more of like a war zone 208 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,320 living in Laguna Beach during that time, but still idyllic, 209 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:34,640 beautiful Southern California beaches. 210 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,440 And then I moved up to Los Angeles and that's when the 211 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,240 things started to really happen. And my, I got this. 212 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,200 I worked for interior designer company for a short period of 213 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,800 time and I almost took over as the face of the design company 214 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,040 because everybody liked the way that I presented myself. 215 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:54,600 And even the lead designer would send me off on 1st jobs and 216 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,920 realize I could do this myself. And that's what I really planted 217 00:10:57,920 --> 00:10:59,440 the seeds to start my own business. 218 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:03,680 And that's I've only worked for myself for the last 30 years. 219 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:07,280 I've sometimes wanted to work for a company so I don't have to 220 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,400 deal with all the the business side of it and have somebody 221 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:14,520 else take care of that. But ultimately people, it's very 222 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:16,400 demanding. They really want my time and 223 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,920 they want me personally to handle their jobs. 224 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,640 There's a bit of a, it's a bit of this and that, you know, you, 225 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:25,720 if you're working for yourself, you have a responsibility 226 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,560 because you have certain level of freedom, flexibility, 227 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,760 autonomy over what you do. But working for someone else. 228 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,080 You would think that people always think, well, if you're 229 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,680 working for yourself, you've got all this free time, you work 230 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:38,960 more than 60 to 70 to 80 hours a week. 231 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,680 And I have my office always within my home. 232 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:45,880 And so my work is always in front of me. 233 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,360 So it wouldn't be surprising that at 11:00, at 12:00, I get 234 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,240 an ID and I'm sketching out a piece of furniture. 235 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,440 And so I'm always around it. And so, and I've, I'm trying to, 236 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:58,720 I'm trying to train my clients here in this true Portuguese way 237 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,520 that you do not text people and you do not talk about work at 238 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,760 all on the weekends. I still get text messages in the 239 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,000 mornings, in the evenings, on the weekends. 240 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,520 Again, I understand that my clients are expats. 241 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,640 They're not necessarily the Portuguese people don't really 242 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,000 understand the profession of interior design. 243 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,880 It's never really been established here in Portugal. 244 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,480 It's always been dictated by architects, if anything. 245 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,320 And so the people that are moving here just think like, 246 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,160 well, he'll answer this question on a Saturday night or like last 247 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,440 night was at a birthday party and I'm getting text messages 248 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,040 asking somebody. So it's a little bit of a 249 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,600 learning curve. And I also always want to 250 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:36,920 respond. I always want to make sure that 251 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,600 I can answer my clients. But I'm trying to really 252 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,960 separate it for the weekends and not work. 253 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,080 It's important, again, Puerto, at least northern Portugal. 254 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,040 It is a pace, it is a quality of life. 255 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,440 And I always tell people, you know, living in Portugal, they 256 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,280 find it very important to stop and watch the sunset. 257 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,120 And that pretty much sums it all up. 258 00:12:58,120 --> 00:12:59,680 Dan tells him and just have lunch. 259 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,880 And just have lunch and have a coffee for two hours, which is 260 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:05,600 difficult when you're running a business and you're waiting for 261 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:08,120 a pager to show up, but he's been having a coffee for two 262 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:10,480 hours. But it really is. 263 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:12,760 It teaches you. And you cannot fight the system 264 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:14,600 here. It is what it is. 265 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,720 That is the Portuguese way. I have learned that if I have a 266 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,520 vendor come in and be a pager plumber, Carpenter, the first 267 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,280 thing you do is you offer him an espresso, a cup of coffee or 268 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:28,080 beer and you make a friend 1st and then that they'll also come 269 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,960 back. But you break down that that's 270 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,440 something that's again, you don't do that in the United 271 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,360 States. Here it's much more personal, 272 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,160 it's much more social and it's you conduct your business 273 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,320 completely different. And I try to tell people that 274 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,600 move here and everyone will say too, you have to adapt. 275 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,360 You cannot change the way that it is. 276 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,200 And as everyone always says. Portugal, yeah, you get used to 277 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,640 it. You bring the skill set over and 278 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,080 you you bring the. But the approach needs to be. 279 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,480 You have to adapt, and you have to adapt to the way that they do 280 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:01,800 things here. Yeah, it's made it difficult for 281 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,240 me to take Portuguese lessons because I've enrolled in 282 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,320 classes. Maybe they start at 6:00 or 7:00 283 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,840 or 8:00, But my painter, my plumber, my something happens 284 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:12,360 that's delayed and I miss a class. 285 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:15,440 Not that that's an excuse, but that's happened three times. 286 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,040 I've tried three times to take classes on a regular schedule, 287 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:20,920 and that really, really has happened. 288 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:22,840 So you have to. It teaches you patience. 289 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,000 You can't fight the system, and it really puts things in 290 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,960 perspective as far as what's important. 291 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:32,120 So yeah. Tell me, leaving Los Angeles, 292 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:37,120 what sort of prompted you to pack your bags and go through 293 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:38,200 this journey through Europe? What? 294 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,240 France. Italy. 295 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,160 France, Italy increased. So what prompted that? 296 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:47,000 I could see the shift over 1012 years ago this shift happening. 297 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,480 To 2015 two 1016 right about that time it the mammoth 298 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,320 president that that. It was before that it was Sandy 299 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,200 Hook that really, really Sandy Hook. 300 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,520 Sandy Hook was the slaughtering of elementary children by a 301 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,560 gunman. And when the laws did not change 302 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,960 after four and five and six year old kids were gunned down in an 303 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,000 elementary school, I could see that the morality of the United 304 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,160 States was not in line with what my was. 305 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,600 And I, I love the United States. When I grew up in Cape Cod, MA, 306 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,480 in New Bedford, I had a great, great childhood and upbringing. 307 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,440 But I could see the writing on the wall, the intolerance that 308 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,520 was going on. I've always been very, very 309 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,480 confident as a gay man, but I know that the laws were 310 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,440 changing. I know that a lot of just the 311 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,240 prejudices were there. And I lived in California. 312 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,320 It was still the best state to live in. 313 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,200 But as I could see things shifting and I've traveled 314 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,560 through Europe all my life and just knew that there was 315 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,480 something else out there that I wanted to go into. 316 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,400 And so with the other countries that I looked at, Greece never 317 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,040 really recovered from its financial crash a long time ago, 318 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,800 and its islands, it was nice, but not a place to live. 319 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,480 Italy, which I absolutely love to, but it's very expensive. 320 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,440 And France, which I visited almost every single year. 321 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,720 But the French don't like us. And by us I mean everyone. 322 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,000 Well, they don't even like themselves. 323 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:05,760 Well, that's the thing too. The French don't even like the 324 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,200 French. And to live there, it's, it's 325 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,360 one thing. And that's why when I found 326 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,240 Portugal, because I was already familiar with so much of it. 327 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,400 And then when I started doing my scouting trips, Lisbon is too 328 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,360 much of A city. It's a Milan, it's a London, 329 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:21,360 it's a Paris. It moves at that Connecticut 330 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:22,760 energy. It's expensive. 331 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,440 So the survival rate is almost like in LA that you have to 332 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,800 really, really work hard. Al Gov I am nowhere near ready 333 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,800 for retirement, just for the record. 334 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,360 And then when I found ports, it was beautiful and it was 335 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,760 genuine. And I befriended, I moved here 336 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,680 right at COVID when everything was locked down. 337 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:43,840 And I befriended a whole bunch of Portuguese people. 338 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,800 And that also those those people that I met are still friends, 339 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,920 very close friends to this day, five years later. 340 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,960 And that's really, really important to have a connection 341 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,640 to the Portuguese community one way or the other, whether you 342 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,440 know the language or not. But to have the cafe, to have 343 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:04,680 your grocery store, to have that little bit of Portugal, I think. 344 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,079 That community. That community is so much part 345 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:11,119 of living here because I do think that the Portuguese people 346 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,200 in this country is very unique. It's run out of the radar. 347 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:17,040 We've got to make sure that we advertise it, but not to 348 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:18,640 everyone. Well, this is what. 349 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:20,960 Happened a paradox, isn't it? So there's a whole idea of the 350 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,480 podcast is to let people know how amazing it is. 351 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,319 There's also podcast down in Lisbon with it. 352 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:28,480 It's called that's further South called podcast Portugal. 353 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,920 I think he's the guy's based in Olindigia and it's literally 354 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:32,720 him. I think he's a pom. 355 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,200 He's literally trying to bring over people and I'm like, settle 356 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:37,920 down. We don't too many of. 357 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,800 Difficult. When I first moved here I was 358 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,360 the biggest Portugal wave flagger. 359 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:43,800 I was known as the Porto promo homo. 360 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,400 I don't mind if that's in there. I've stopped, right? 361 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:50,320 It should. Can I use that? 362 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,960 You can absolutely use thoughts and I would be the biggest flag 363 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,120 waiver. But when I moved here, I was 364 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:57,080 moving here for the feeling and I was always telling people 365 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,880 about it. Now people are moving here, 366 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:01,920 especially in the States, for escapism or for investment. 367 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,080 And I understand that Portugal had to open up the golden visa, 368 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,760 but I know Portugal was not expecting to be put on the world 369 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:12,080 map as the best destination, the best place. 370 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:13,720 It happened too quick it. Happened. 371 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:15,440 It happened too quick. Their infrastructure was not 372 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,680 ready, their their immigration was not ready for it and that's 373 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:20,440 why they pulled back. But that's really in the bit, 374 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:21,560 the bubble. What happened? 375 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,520 And that's why you see the right, the rise of the right, 376 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,240 because it's very, it's a populist politics, right? 377 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:30,360 So it's, it's if they, if they were prepared in terms of 378 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:32,520 infrastructure, you, you really put it the right way. 379 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,240 And, and a person, before you stop throwing stones, 1 needs to 380 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:38,280 understand that Portugal, they've always had a little bit 381 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,640 of an issue with housing, right? There's always been an issue. 382 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,520 And that lot goes way back to the colonies. 383 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,920 You know, when the colonies collapse, millions of people 384 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:46,760 came back. And that's why you just see 385 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:50,000 random buildings all over the place because they had to build 386 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:51,520 overnight. You know, it's literally people 387 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,880 just arrive. They Portugal never really 388 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,920 recovered from that because they've also never really had 389 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,040 the the type of infrastructure and industry such as the 390 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:01,840 northern parts of Europe. And they've always run under the 391 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:02,840 radar. Exactly. 392 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,840 You know, they may have, they may lacquered or colonize, 393 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,680 whatever you want to consider it, so many parts of the world, 394 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,120 but they've done it almost discreetly. 395 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,800 And we're not expecting to put be put on the world map. 396 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:17,440 You know that shortly after I moved into my neighborhood in 397 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,960 Bon FIM, I think Wisconsin, Nass said it was one of the best 398 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:21,480 neighborhoods in Europe to live in. 399 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,600 Well, that just added to it. And again, I'm no longer that 400 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,800 much of A a flag waiver for Portugal, unless you're moving 401 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,120 here for the right reasons. To me moving here for an 402 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:35,680 investment that's wrong. And I love again, I love port 403 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,960 and I love bone free, my neighborhood, my community. 404 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,600 I'm not a fan of Gaia because when they're building these huge 405 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,240 apartment buildings that don't don't have any connection to the 406 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,120 you could be living anywhere. And although I do have clients 407 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:51,360 and Gaia and I do like it there. There are certain pockets, but 408 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:55,160 it's huge and it's urban sprawl and I think you get you miss 409 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,840 having contact with the Portuguese people. 410 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,320 It's such there's such kind, genuine, beautiful people and I 411 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,360 think that's lost in a lot of other these communities that 412 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:07,720 become gentrified. Yeah, yeah. 413 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,720 The hope is is that the gentrification doesn't continue 414 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,800 to a point where you get to the center of Portugal or Porto. 415 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,520 They're moving up and you don't. You don't even you can't even 416 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,560 meet a Portuguese person. Yeah, and they're moving up 417 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,000 because the salaries are not adequate yet to keep them there, 418 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,160 or there's not enough housing to keep the. 419 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,120 Portugal, those housing fundamental housing, so they 420 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,680 deliver to their parents, that delay having children, that 421 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,120 delay getting married. And that's a big thing as I was 422 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:34,320 saying is the infrastructure was really in terms of let's build 423 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,520 housing complexes. Let's even if it is a certain 424 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:41,240 measure of urban sprawl, let's at least give people options and 425 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,280 then connect the public transport system so that they 426 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,320 can come into the city and work. Yeah, and have affordable 427 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:48,720 housing. They have affordable housing 428 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,880 also adjust the salaries. It's not. 429 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,320 The Portuguese people also are very hard working. 430 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,800 I get granted they take their two hour coffees and their the 431 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,240 beers, whatever, but when they do get there I think they're 432 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,200 very hard. Working salaries are rubbish. 433 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:04,200 They are and it's, you know, it, it's, it's so inadequate. 434 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,000 And again, they have to keep the Portuguese people here because 435 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,080 that's why people are moving. Well, it's cultural because 436 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,960 Portugal's always been a bit of a nation of immigrants. 437 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,800 Yeah, so it's a bit of a catch 22. 438 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:21,160 So, say, when I first moved to Portugal in 2009, end of, sorry, 439 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,240 end of 2010, beg your pardon, The salaries were poor, but you 440 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,160 could still live, right? Then obviously, we've got 441 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,840 inflation and we've got the war in Ukraine and, you know, Troika 442 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:34,160 came. We've got so many issues 443 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,080 inflation and then you've got a lot of people coming in, a lot 444 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,880 of people, Israelis in particularly imported buying 445 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:44,520 property and investing. So the salaries as in many other 446 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,800 countries salaries have not been been haven't matched the growth 447 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,680 of of price increases in prices inflation. 448 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:56,480 So suddenly those salaries were poor back then. 449 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,480 There's now even worse. Yeah, because you know, the, 450 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,400 the, the quality of life and the standard of living is going up 451 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,800 and the salaries are seeing very stagnant, very, very stagnant. 452 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,240 And it's difficult. It's and, you know, the 453 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,520 workforce here, a lot of it too, is also the Brazilians. 454 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,800 The Brazilians are taking the jobs, which is a good thing. 455 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,080 It's the same thing as the Mexican people in Los Angeles. 456 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,000 They are the backbone of a lot of the workforce. 457 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,400 It's difficult because the Portuguese people have to stay 458 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,960 here and have to stay integrated with the salaries, have to have 459 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:28,920 to match the hard work that they're doing. 460 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,880 When I first moved over, every person I met had about 3 jobs. 461 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:38,160 Yeah, I had no very suspended. So you go home at 5:00 and your 462 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,560 day ends and you rest and you watch TV, spend time with your 463 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:42,800 family. They would go home, eat 464 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,480 something and they go to their second job and then on Saturday 465 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,240 or Sunday they would have a third job. 466 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:49,320 Yeah. And they still have time to go 467 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,000 go and have a beer with their friends or go out to the 468 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:53,240 nightclubs till 4:00 in the morning. 469 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:54,480 Yeah, it's amazing. It's. 470 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:58,320 That the Porto does at least northern Portugal does party 471 00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,800 very hard they. Do party holiday. 472 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:02,400 But they like their dancing, they like their beers, they like 473 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,520 they're going out to the clubs all the time. 474 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,880 I got wrapped up in that in my first year or two with all my 475 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:09,400 friends. But yeah, so that's one of the 476 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,400 things you have to they there is a bad. 477 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,040 They do find the balance. Yeah. 478 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,440 Tell me, can you say Porto ports? 479 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,480 Have you heard that? He says it like Porter from the 480 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,160 north. We got that down. 481 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,640 You might not speak Portuguese, but you say Porto like a Drew 482 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,560 Porter person. Because I've been corrected so 483 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:26,840 many times by my very good friend Joao. 484 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:31,400 As far as it is not, it is not Porto, it's ports just. 485 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:32,680 You know, can you, can you say Porto? 486 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,000 Port see. So I'm glad you made comment on 487 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,280 that because that has been pointed. 488 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:40,680 You say it lightning many times. Thank you. 489 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:43,400 Yeah. So we're all sitting there. 490 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,800 So while sitting there in the back and he just got a bit of an 491 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,440 eagle eye, eagle eyes there. So you're in Portugal five 492 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:50,680 years, right? Five years now? 493 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:52,640 Yeah, five years. March 1st is when I moved here. 494 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:54,800 And starting a business. How's that been? 495 00:23:55,040 --> 00:24:00,840 You know, it's an ongoing process again, because I, I, I'm 496 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,160 lucky enough that I'm very active in social media. 497 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,840 I'm always there to help people and so if somebody is looking 498 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,560 for an interior designer on any of the social media groups I am 499 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,400 referred to or made recommendations to several 500 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,600 times. That is how I've always 501 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,080 maintained my business is through word of mouth. 502 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:26,480 It is a challenge to do my job here because there are not a lot 503 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,960 of and if I'm doing remodeling or just finding furniture, 504 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:31,840 there's not a lot of furniture showrooms. 505 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:37,000 If they're either IKEA or one one level or they jump up, 506 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,720 there's no middle ground. It's true. 507 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,320 And it's the same thing with the tile showroom or this is 508 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,120 situations that I'm dealing with now, firing a rug showroom. 509 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,520 Those little essentials, it's hard to find. 510 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,080 I'm used to Los Angeles where I could have 10 different carpet 511 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,600 showrooms to take my clients to. Here it's few and far between 512 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:59,560 and I like my clients need to feel and do things tacked. 513 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,160 You know, I have to touch the materials, I have to see things, 514 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,480 I have to see the colors. I can't do a lot of interior 515 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,360 design on. I can, but I don't like doing it 516 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:13,000 online, which these days a lot of showrooms are not don't exist 517 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,600 because they're not carrying inventory. 518 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,560 So it is challenging. It took me a few years to find 519 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,800 good trades, plumbers, painters, electricians, people that could 520 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:27,120 rely on me, good carpenters that could do the furniture that if 521 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,240 it can't find it already pre made. 522 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:33,720 I do a lot of custom work, which the custom work here is better 523 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,520 than what you'd find in a showroom and cheaper. 524 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,480 And people always think have a have a misinterpretation of what 525 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,160 an interior designer is. It's fancy, it's expensive. 526 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,200 It's my personal style that I incorporate in other people's 527 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,120 styles, and that's not it at all. 528 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,760 The custom work here is for normal, we got a carpet is just 529 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:51,240 down the road. Yeah, unbelievable. 530 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,760 You can take him any piece of furniture that's wrecked and 531 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,240 they can fix and custom make it. We've got a lot of, we've got 532 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,560 some custom made stuff even from up Andraga. 533 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,440 Yeah, so my, my, my, my carpenters are in Jonima 534 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,720 Valbaum, Joveim and. What's, well, that's got a lot 535 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,040 to do with the the furniture industry going back years. 536 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,040 Yeah, like partially for that is the big, big design area. 537 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,360 I don't like going up there because a lot of their furniture 538 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:18,040 tends to be mass produced. You can't really tweak it a 539 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,560 little bit for custom. And a lot of it comes with a 540 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:24,160 very high gloss lacquer on it. And to me that looks very 541 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,480 Italian furniture. So I've got my conferences that 542 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,600 I work with a lot in Joveim who do not speak English, but we 543 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,720 will have a full on conversation because I draw and I can draw a 544 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:36,720 piece of furniture and scale and perspective and all that. 545 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:38,560 And it's the language that they understand. 546 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,240 I had this, I did the same thing in Los Angeles. 547 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,880 I never spoke Spanish, but all of my carpenters and all my 548 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:48,080 vendors were Mexican and we would draw and sketch and and 549 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,360 work that way. And it's, I fallen into same 550 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:54,280 trap of being able to communicate with my Portuguese 551 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,800 carpenters, my trades, not knowing the language. 552 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:01,240 And that's a disservice for me. I know that I'm trying, but I 553 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,560 have now great carpenters and they also know that I have very 554 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,920 good clients, the expats. And again, it's not very high 555 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,840 end furniture. It's livable everyday furniture 556 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,040 on a modest budget that people are looking for. 557 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,680 But I can undercut, I can have a sofa made with the custom fabric 558 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:21,000 that I or fabric that I want to select the size that I need 559 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:22,760 cheaper than what you'd find in the store. 560 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:26,080 And because I also know the frames, the stains, and I know 561 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,560 how it's made and I know the people that are making it. 562 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,880 I really good relationships now with all of like, like I said, 563 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,120 all of the carpenters that I work with, all of the vendors 564 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:36,560 and everything. It's taken me a long time to 565 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,080 find that. I've used my own, my own 566 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,600 apartment and furniture as the Guinea pig here and there. 567 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,920 But it's taken me a long time to find, find them because there's, 568 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,800 there are a lot of inadequate carpenters out there or they 569 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,760 have the Portuguese attitude where they're just not, you 570 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,960 know, producing it within a timely manner even for Portugal. 571 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:01,320 Tell me, setting up a business in Portugal, how did that go for 572 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:02,840 you? But a red tape? 573 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,760 It's very difficult because you have to go through for the 574 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:10,800 Office of Finances, your bank accounts are attached to that 575 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,560 and you really can't. When I first moved here, you 576 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:18,720 could navigate through the financial websites. 577 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,480 Port this finances. The approach this finance easier 578 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:23,320 now, it's getting very complicated. 579 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,600 And because my business is not just interior design, hourly 580 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,240 services, consulting, there's sometimes where I'm buying 581 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,360 furniture, there's sometimes when I'm selling furniture. 582 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:33,520 Everything is a different tax bracket. 583 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,680 You can see you're offering a product and you're offering 584 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,320 offering a service, say here. So it's getting very difficult 585 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,680 and that's why everybody, Cpas and accountants here make a lot 586 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,720 of money because there's no, I find it very difficult to 587 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,760 navigate the finance system by myself. 588 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,440 Even just, you know, the green receipts and pet throttles. 589 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,880 It's it's complicated. It's also in Portuguese, but I 590 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,240 can translate here and there, but still there's always 591 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,880 different brackets. I still maintain. 592 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:05,080 I do everything legit that now. But as based as you can, because 593 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,360 there are some areas where it is very difficult to navigate and 594 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,000 very difficult to understand and no one can give you an answer. 595 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,720 Yeah, and no one, you know, again going back to what I said 596 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,560 before, interior design, it's not really profession that's 597 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,040 recognized here. A lot of interior designs always 598 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:22,200 been dictated by architects that wear a hat. 599 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,040 And architects only work usually, sometimes on a very 1-2 600 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,480 dimensional scale. I work 3 dimensionally and I 601 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:32,880 know the difference between a hallway, between this wide and 602 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,840 that wide and just the way that also the urban objects or the 603 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:40,680 way that people live. Architects don't tend to still 604 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:44,040 have that sensibility. When I look at floor plans or 605 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,960 layouts of an apartment, they'll have a bed in it, but yet the 606 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,240 closet door heads it so they're not thinking about or there's no 607 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,440 room for night stand or they're putting in A1 fourty bed, which 608 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:56,240 is a single bed not practical for a couple or a single person 609 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,240 versus a 160. So there's little loopholes that 610 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:02,080 I've seen that they take that really, really make it 611 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:04,120 difficult. I always have to insist on on 612 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:10,040 site measurements and really, you know, massage, you know, 613 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,640 what's what the floor plans are in the layouts that somebody 614 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,600 gives you versus what's real. And a lot of that is 615 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,360 architectural based and dictated. 616 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,720 They don't have interior design is all new. 617 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,440 So when I'm working with working with an accountant, they're 618 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:26,040 like, well, what exactly do you do? 619 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,880 And to break it down and plus I do an awful lot too. 620 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,200 I, I do a lot more than most interior designers. 621 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,120 I'm much more involved and I, I think I almost overthink a lot 622 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,840 of things. But you know, 111 example is the 623 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,080 closets, the doors hitting well, I don't like closet doors. 624 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,600 I like sliding doors. Greens me a lot more space or 625 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,320 underneath your sink. There's always a wastebasket, 626 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,360 but it's too damn too, too low to reach. 627 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,960 So I always raise them up, say damn, damn, OK, good. 628 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:57,800 Hello. This could be like a British 629 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,040 podcast, but I could. So there's a lot of things that 630 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:06,120 I just really try to make my clients a lot their life a lot 631 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:09,040 easier that people just don't think about that at all. 632 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:10,960 And so that's been a little bit of a challenge. 633 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:15,400 I do kitchen modifications a lot because they're still designing 634 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,880 kitchens with doors and people inherently now like drawers. 635 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,200 So it's that simple little thing that you can see. 636 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:22,960 Right. Why do people prefer drawers or 637 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,120 we just because? Instead of bending down to look 638 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,200 at what's behind the cabinet, I can open up a drawer and there's 639 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,400 everything right there. And so I can have deep, you 640 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,480 know, pots and pans and drawers and it's just, and I deal with, 641 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:38,240 you know, I work with cabinet makers and I modify things like 642 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,360 that too to be a little bit more user friendly for the end all 643 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,200 user. A lot of apartments these days 644 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,320 come with a washer, but not a dryer. 645 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,000 And then the philosophy is just like the Portuguese people do, 646 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:56,480 you know, hanging out on the line or they have a washer dryer 647 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,240 all in one unit and those things are useless. 648 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,600 So I have to try to figure out where can I get the convenience? 649 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,920 And it's a simple little convenience, but it would make 650 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,680 the difference between somebody wanting to buy an apartment 651 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:07,880 going, there's no place for a dryer. 652 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,720 What am I going to do versus provided the decision is made 653 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:15,600 simple or a shower niche, a little indentation in the shower 654 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,680 so I can have a place to put my shampoo. 655 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,360 Those little things like that are they're not fancy 656 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:25,480 conveniences, just everyday kind of things that make your life 657 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,560 easier. So those are the kinds of things 658 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,440 that I've had to manipulate a little bit for my clients to 659 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,320 make it, like I said, user friendly. 660 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:35,880 What type of? Trends are you seeing at the 661 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:37,640 moment in terms of interior design? 662 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,920 You know, that's a difficult. Question, you mentioned the 663 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,800 draws now, right? Those, again, those are specific 664 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:45,960 things that when I mentioned to a client, they're like, Oh yeah, 665 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:48,680 that does make sense. And that's been going on for 666 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:49,760 years. That was something that I 667 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:52,600 started 25 years ago in Los Angeles when I started 668 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:55,320 illuminating doors as I got older. 669 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:59,480 I'm also, you know, if I had older clients, but I did a lot 670 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,760 of commercial spaces, also offices. 671 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,720 So ergonomic chairs, long task chairs and just making things 672 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,800 easier to reach for in your kitchen. 673 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,600 And as far as trends, I don't follow trends. 674 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,080 Again, I, I what, what's popular, I don't know. 675 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:18,840 I, I adhere all of my designs to really what my client's needs 676 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:20,880 are. Bespoke, bespoke. 677 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,600 If they have kids, if they have animals, that all changes the 678 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:28,000 interior design completely. If they want a clean, minimalist 679 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,360 kind of look, which is, if anything, that's more the trend 680 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,120 that people are simplifying because they're, they're purging 681 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:36,360 all of their their life somewhere else. 682 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,320 And they're coming over here maybe with a container of things 683 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:43,120 that they want to reposition and give a new life to appreciation 684 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:44,400 for. Or they're coming here with 685 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,040 nothing and they're coming here with a budget so that it's not 686 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,840 an endless kind of, I'm in, you know, higher interior designer. 687 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,600 They think it's a fancy thing. I'm much more of a practical 688 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:58,520 kind of interior designer. I pay attention to the feels of 689 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,280 that, the way that things feel, comfort zones and practical. 690 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:05,960 I will tell you what I see an awful lot right now that I don't 691 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,719 like are very low coffee tables that are pretty much shin 692 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:13,480 Busters and very impractical for people. 693 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,199 I mean, really, if you're sitting in your sofa, unless 694 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,600 you're What is that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 695 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,960 I won't reach over there or I want to have space next to my 696 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,520 sofa to put my drink down. Not that I'm drinking a lot. 697 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:26,639 But you know, that's also because Portuguese people don't 698 00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:28,239 drink on a sofa, they drink in the kitchen. 699 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:30,639 Right, but that might. Have I noticed that difference? 700 00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:34,719 Yes, but but my and they don't have that kind of difference. 701 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:37,320 There's a difference between the Portuguese clientele and the 702 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:38,600 expansion. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the. 703 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:40,719 Living the situations are completely different again, 704 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:45,639 Portuguese have no use for me if they've been there be the same 705 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:48,480 furniture they've had for 40 years they broke don't fix that 706 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:51,960 kind of thing. It's it's that philosophy and I 707 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:54,480 just tried it. What I'm trying to do is even if 708 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,040 it is a Portuguese client I'm working with and they've got 709 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,880 this old family handed down armoire or chest. 710 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:04,440 Let's maybe strip it stain and paint it revitalize it look at 711 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,200 it in a different way or a different room. 712 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,800 But a lot of those trends are happening right now, but it's 713 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,440 not my clientele with my I've got a client right now enlisted 714 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,000 the Valmetto that was looking at a low coffee table and she's 715 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,560 like 70 years old and I'm like, you're going to trip over it. 716 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,200 You know you're going to hit your shin on it. 717 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,960 It's just not practical. You're going to have to bend 718 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,800 down or the coffee table is so far away from the sofa that you 719 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:31,560 have to get up and walk to it just to get. 720 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,360 Is she Portuguese? She's not. 721 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,480 She's from the States. But if she was Portuguese, the 722 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,280 coffee table would break before she breaks. 723 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,520 Yeah, you know, before she writes, something like that 724 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,600 would happen 'cause they've had it for such a long time. 725 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,600 So I'm always, I'm much more of a pragmatic interior designer, 726 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,000 thinking about really each specific client and what their 727 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,920 needs are and what they're going to do. 728 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:54,840 And if they're, are they living there long term? 729 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,320 Is this just, you know, I've done a lot where I've got 730 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,160 clients, it's a rental or I'm doing an Airbnb or something 731 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:02,440 like that. Well, that philosophy has 732 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:07,320 changed too, because nobody, if you're rental furniture, the 733 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,000 people that are renting it don't care. 734 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:10,400 They're not going to treat it well. 735 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,600 It's going to be abused versus you're picking up fabric for 736 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:15,640 yourself and that you're going to live in. 737 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,000 So everything else changes. I've done hotels that have to 738 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,960 be, you know, you know, scrubbable. 739 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,800 And right now I'm bidding on a motel in Vienna de Costello. 740 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:27,640 So do you know what a motel is here? 741 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,760 A motel here is basically just to go have a shag. 742 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:31,440 Right. Yes, it is. 743 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:32,440 It's a love motel. Yeah. 744 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:34,120 Yeah. So the surfaces are completely 745 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:35,640 different. And I've designed hospitals 746 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:37,360 here, so it's the same thing, the floor as the walls. 747 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:41,160 So you got to design like these, these motels that because the 748 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,640 motel in the States, we don't really it's a motel to stay 749 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:47,400 overnight for salesman. This is an hourly rental. 750 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:49,840 Yeah, yeah. But you have those in in essay, 751 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:52,320 I'm assuming. But we and in the states you 752 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,360 have the hour. But here they are, because if 753 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,240 you ride on the freeway here, you see the billboards. 754 00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,480 You see them? Yeah, there's some strange ads 755 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:00,120 on. There, Yeah. 756 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:03,480 So I'm working with the developer is an older gentleman, 757 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:05,960 he's about 7 years old. He actually owns three motels 758 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:09,080 already, and that's what they are and. 759 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:11,000 Actually, you know, people's infidelity. 760 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,040 Yeah. You know, look, it's a market 761 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:16,040 and it's ultimately accepted here and they're very nice. 762 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:19,360 It's not as seedy motels as I would have thought in the. 763 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,080 Do you know why? Do you know why they make money 764 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:22,720 here? Why they make, why they are 765 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:26,360 really financially viable? Because you've got, unlike in 766 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:31,000 the States or where I'm from, children stay at home for a lot 767 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,200 longer, right? Yes, but like in OK, that's in 768 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,800 Asian countries. So firstly because of the 769 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:39,720 current housing crisis, but they could, they'll stay at home 770 00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:42,080 until into the 30s, right? Right. 771 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:46,160 Unless they leave their town or village to go and study, but 772 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:48,400 then they anyway go and they and they come back every weekend, 773 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,720 right. So it's not like in South Africa 774 00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:53,560 you leave when you're 18, right? I think the States is a little 775 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,880 bit the same. Maybe not everywhere, but in 776 00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:58,960 South Africa it would have been weird if you were still living 777 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:02,440 at home 1890. You can maybe push it to 1920, 778 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:05,560 but then you've got to, you know, you got to get out good, 779 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:07,040 bad. I don't know, there's good 780 00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:09,400 things to it. There's bad things to as I've 781 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,600 got older, I've I've maybe been a little bit, a little bit more 782 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,120 accepting of it, but because of that. 783 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:16,720 So if you're in your 30s, you're living at home. 784 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:19,600 You meet a woman, she's also living at home and. 785 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:22,240 You want your privacy? You want your privacy, you know, 786 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,880 and, and they're actually quite well priced. 787 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,560 I don't know what the price structure was yet on them, but I 788 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,880 know that they're very well organized and they're really 789 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:31,880 nice. I mean, they're like a 790 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:33,640 townhouse. You drive in the garage, it's 791 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:35,640 very private. You go upstairs, you have a big 792 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:37,400 beautiful bedroom. You have a bathroom, you have 793 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:41,960 whatever kind of other little toys, fashion, always mice, 794 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:43,480 mirrors. I don't want. 795 00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:46,480 Mirrors out mirrors, different things. 796 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:49,320 I, One of the things I did in Ron White's house was I did his 797 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,640 dining room with a tin ceiling and I loved tin ceilings. 798 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:54,640 And so, and it's a very inexpensive way to add a detail 799 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,800 up there. Also, you know, your walls, your 800 00:38:57,800 --> 00:38:59,880 wall coverings, all of these things have to be scrubbable. 801 00:39:00,240 --> 00:39:03,200 They all have to be washed. Because there's a lot of freaky 802 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:05,240 stuff going on. There, I can't have an end table 803 00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:06,840 next to the bed because someone's going to stand on it 804 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:09,320 and do something like that. So there's a, it's a whole 805 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:13,480 different philosophy, but it's a great challenge and they're very 806 00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:14,880 nice. The ones that I'm designing are 807 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,400 going to be beautiful and there's probably, I think 30 808 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,000 rooms in here and I'm designing 5 bedroom styles. 809 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:23,760 And they'll be repeated so that if the dungeon room is not 810 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:26,120 available one night, there's a dungeon room down there, you'll 811 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:29,480 have the same theme repeated. Can you give us some of the 812 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:30,920 names of the themes you've got? Dungeons. 813 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:34,480 I've got, well, that's the there's the passionate red. 814 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,960 OK, what's happening there? I have big beautiful red 815 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,400 wallpaper with some and it's only the concrete right now 816 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:44,240 we're in construction stages, but big beautiful wallpaper with 817 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:48,920 bright red oversized flowers on it and red velvet. 818 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,520 And the floor is a little bit more of a darker. 819 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:56,160 It's always a laminate floor and that looks like wood, a rounded 820 00:39:56,160 --> 00:40:00,360 bed, and so it's much more of a passionate kind of place. 821 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:04,680 The dungeon room that I'm doing that has an Adam's cross in it, 822 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:05,880 which I never knew what that was. 823 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:08,440 It's the X thing that you get tied to. 824 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:11,320 Oh, never knew that. I'm learning an awful lot. 825 00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:13,880 My first proposal to this company was very. 826 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,400 So it actually has an actual Adam's cross and you get tied to 827 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:18,480 it. Yeah, I don't get tied to it, 828 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:22,160 but not. Huge the clients, yeah. 829 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:23,400 You might want to try it out though. 830 00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:25,400 Well, I've got to do a lot more research. 831 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:30,400 My first proposal was very was very stayed and very vanilla if 832 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,000 anything. And the second time she's like, 833 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:35,200 no, we really want you to explore all fetishes. 834 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:38,200 We've got rooms that people can get handcuffed and do all the 835 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:41,280 things and now in California you can't do things like that 836 00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:43,360 because you've got OSHA and rules and regulations and 837 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:46,040 liabilities and all that. That doesn't apply here. 838 00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:48,480 And so you can do things like that. 839 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:51,680 There's the ethereal room that is all white and romantic 840 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:55,360 because sometimes people want, you know, a just a really the 841 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:57,280 romance they. Don't want to be tied up on the 842 00:40:57,320 --> 00:40:58,720 edit. No, it's a totally, totally 843 00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:01,000 different thing. There's one room that I'm going 844 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,880 to have that will have these large vinyl dice in them, and 845 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,280 the dice will have different positions and different things 846 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:09,960 to do. So you can roll the dice and it 847 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:13,640 gives you, you know, so I'm trying to reinvent. 848 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,640 There's a lot of these beds that I got to get a gynecological 849 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:19,240 chair, a table. There's Yeah. 850 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,480 So it's, trust me, it's much further detail than what I 851 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,440 initially was thinking. So that's just one project 852 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,680 that's on my. OK, I hope you get it. 853 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:31,440 I do have it I. Do did you get it? 854 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:36,040 You know, yes, because I met with the father who's the 855 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:40,200 developer, the woman that is the contact, her husband is a 856 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:42,280 contractor. And because I have experience 857 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:46,960 with building homes and I've done hospitals before, and I 858 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:48,840 have an understanding of structural engineering and 859 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:52,000 plumbing and electrical, again, more than most interior 860 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,080 designers, I'm able to speak their language. 861 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:58,800 And we had a great meeting and I had brought one of my carpenters 862 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,480 up with me who has done a motel in the past and is Portuguese. 863 00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:07,160 So as the four of us were having cross conversations, they were 864 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:12,120 seeing, again, face to face is how I sell myself is or that's 865 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:16,720 what people warm up to, OK. And so, yeah, as far as I know, 866 00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:20,400 I'm at least in the running and the most responsible person to 867 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,960 work with them to, to provide the designs and then to project 868 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:29,200 manage the the build out of the rooms and be there and put the 869 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,360 finishing touches on it. So the report is already 870 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:36,160 established and I'm pretty I'm fairly confident that I will be 871 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:38,200 involved in it. You got to tag the Cool Beans 872 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:39,840 pod and some of those photos. On I will. 873 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,600 You know what the other thing too is? 874 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,080 I pride myself in networking a lot here and anyone will tell 875 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:49,800 you that if you've got a business, if it doesn't matter 876 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:55,040 what it is, if you're a paint stripper to a pole stripper, 877 00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,720 I've got connections and I have references. 878 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:02,000 I will absolutely always refer people if you're a good business 879 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:05,200 that I back up and that's also the reputation that I've built 880 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:07,960 up here. People do rely on me for if a 881 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,840 good restaurant recommendation and any scale of restaurant good 882 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:16,560 places to go wine tours again, as well as what's related into 883 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:18,880 my industry, but way beyond that. 884 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:23,920 And I for me, the benefit is helping somebody out and in 885 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:28,120 kind, if they need something, they, it can ask me. 886 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:32,120 And then I, I'm not trying to position myself that way, but it 887 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:36,120 is working out that way that if somebody needed a chair, I can 888 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:38,000 provide them with a chair or tell them where to go for a 889 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,400 chair. And then if they need something 890 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:44,080 else or more and more and more, I'm the person that they call 891 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:46,160 first on their list. Abundance mindset. 892 00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:47,800 Yeah. Tell me what we got. 893 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:50,680 We got the dungeon room. We've got the Velvet Room, 894 00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:52,320 Ethereal room. That's three. 895 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:56,720 There's more to go. There's going to be, oh, I'm not 896 00:43:56,720 --> 00:43:59,920 doing a jungle room that's done too many times. 897 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:03,280 Everybody does a jungle room. But I will be doing I will be 898 00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:08,160 doing a much more of an organic room greens and what? 899 00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:09,400 Happens. Sorry, what happens in the 900 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,560 jungle room? Well, in Jungle Room it's just 901 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:13,840 easy. You're using leopard print and 902 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:15,480 you're doing the the design of it. 903 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:20,160 Last one of the line of the Uma Uma Uma market Portuguese the 904 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:47,720 basic Super 220 shirts sweats a physical market, I don't know 905 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:51,960 what. They use swings. 906 00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:53,640 You can swing around like George at the jungle. 907 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:55,240 Right, exactly. Instead of having a stripper 908 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:58,520 pole, there might be a rope, but I'm not going to do that. 909 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:02,600 I'm going to do much more of like a tropical kind of room, 910 00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:05,480 like a taking room. And then I'm also doing a Greek 911 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:09,400 room, OK, so this and I don't care if you wrap yourself up in 912 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:12,400 sheets or whatever, but it'll be much more Caligular styled. 913 00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,720 What do you when you say Caligula styled, what does that 914 00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:18,120 mean? That means probably a lot more. 915 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,080 It's probably going to be a lot of gold and white aesthetic. 916 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:28,160 Is that what Caligula means? Caligula was the Roman kinky 917 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:31,360 emperor at one point that was known for orgies. 918 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:35,120 He's pretty much one of the ones that really treatment was known 919 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:38,880 for all of his sexual appetite. So there will be one that you 920 00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,960 can really explore in the Greek Roman kind of style. 921 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:46,040 I'm not doing any kind of church or anything like that, mainly 922 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:49,800 because there's a seminar right next to this motel that they're 923 00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:51,560 building and they're like, you can't do anything religious. 924 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:53,640 Because they obviously are some of the. 925 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:56,200 But because it's going to be written, yeah, I don't, I well, 926 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:58,920 I don't know what the reason was, but I was told I can't do 927 00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:00,760 religion, which is just as fine anyways. 928 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:03,320 And I think that's four out of the five. 929 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:04,440 I don't know what the fifth one is. 930 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:08,320 I have yet to be inspired to find the theme of the fifth one 931 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:10,360 that is over the top. I do have to. 932 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:15,200 There's one room that actually will have a dividing wall that 933 00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:17,800 can expand into two rooms. So in case you want to have more 934 00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:20,200 people. And one of the things I I 935 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:25,960 proposed was a two way mirror because voyeurism is also very, 936 00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:27,640 very popular and people like to do that. 937 00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,800 So if you're in a room of. Voyageurism as in watching other 938 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:32,680 people or being watched by other people. 939 00:46:32,680 --> 00:46:34,920 Correct. Korea, and that is, Is that 940 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:35,720 growing? In Portugal? 941 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:39,640 I don't know, but I know that I went to a nightclub slash 942 00:46:39,640 --> 00:46:43,040 burlesque place once here in Portugal in the Aprosity 943 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:45,280 Republic, Neocasa. The music around that. 944 00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:49,120 And it was very interesting as you had a dance floor that with 945 00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:50,800 disco and everyone's dancing and all this stuff. 946 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:53,600 And then you went around a corner and there were multiple 947 00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:55,640 different rooms and different themes that you'd have 948 00:46:56,280 --> 00:46:59,360 relationships, sex with. One of the rooms had a two way 949 00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:01,760 mirror. The mirror was facing the dance 950 00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:04,680 floor at the 28. The glass was over here so you 951 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:08,480 could be shagging up as you want in this bedroom with other 952 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:11,480 people just dancing. They can't see you, but there's 953 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,560 that voyeurism, kind of. That you can see then. 954 00:47:14,240 --> 00:47:15,360 They can. No, no, no. 955 00:47:15,640 --> 00:47:17,520 You can see that you can. Claim that they can't. 956 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:19,480 See, and then what was very interesting, if you went back on 957 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:21,640 the dance floor, you look at the mirror going someone's, you 958 00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:23,640 know, got nailed on the other side of this mirror. 959 00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,520 So that I'm going to incorporate that as well as a two way mirror 960 00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:30,760 that can go privacy or not privacy so you can see through 961 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:33,760 it like a window. But that is like I said, I just 962 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:39,080 got this was a week ago when I worked for the consul, the on 963 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,160 site consultation. So she's like, I want you to 964 00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:42,440 explore different kinds of fetishers. 965 00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:43,960 You have like a Francis in your room. 966 00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:46,200 Oh yeah, that's it, with a big sauce. 967 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:48,280 And big. Sauce and then as you walk in, 968 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:50,360 there's like a recently there's not a very. 969 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:56,280 Themed room yeah, but I I am 1 theme room yeah that's it you 970 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:57,560 just. As you go. 971 00:47:58,000 --> 00:47:58,800 Throwing. Room. 972 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:00,280 Yeah. And you just bath and cinnamon, 973 00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:03,600 Yeah. You know, again, it has to be 974 00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:06,840 turned over and cleaned really fast by the candy crew, and I'm 975 00:48:06,840 --> 00:48:08,720 very hypersensitive to them as well. 976 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:11,720 So that's why, you know, all the services have to be scrubbed 977 00:48:11,720 --> 00:48:12,920 down. They're using whatever kind of 978 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,760 materials and chemicals to clean it down fast for the next 979 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:19,040 client. So that has to be taken into 980 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:21,280 consideration. Like I said, the furniture has 981 00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:24,880 to be secured to the walls. I had gone to a really, really 982 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:28,040 cool. It was kind of like a junkyard, 983 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:31,600 but way down near Ovar. But they had huge plastic 984 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:34,760 animals and they had goats and flamingos and all that stuff. 985 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:37,840 Would be great there. But I know if I did that, 986 00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:43,320 someone's going to pump it. I mean, like, oh, right, it has 987 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:45,560 to be the right size. But what's going to, they have a 988 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:49,040 huge plastic fiberglass gorilla that was probably about, you 989 00:48:49,040 --> 00:48:51,360 know, 3 meters high. Like someone's going to do 990 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:54,360 something nasty to that, you know, So I had to eliminate 991 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:56,280 that. So you know all of those. 992 00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:58,080 Things and it's going to be that guy right it's. 993 00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:01,800 That guy that's going to. Do that guy. 994 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:03,960 That's oh, hey, there's a goat. Let's watch this. 995 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:09,400 So I had to, you know, I have to scale it back a little bit. 996 00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:12,320 I've got great ideas, but I have to be much more practical. 997 00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:14,480 As far as what it can be done and that's like I said, that's 998 00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:17,240 just one project that's across my plate right now. 999 00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:18,440 OK, cool. Wow, that. 1000 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:20,160 That's so interesting designing motels. 1001 00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:21,920 It has a very different flavor year over year. 1002 00:49:22,280 --> 00:49:24,440 Have you seen some of the adverts on the the freeway? 1003 00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:26,160 Yeah. And I've actually, I've, I've 1004 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:28,000 gone to the websites and it's actually competitive. 1005 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:30,040 So this one developer has three motels. 1006 00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:33,000 There's another family that has about 3 or 4 all throughout 1007 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:35,600 Portugal. And there's competition just 1008 00:49:35,600 --> 00:49:39,520 like any other kind of, you know, developments that they, 1009 00:49:39,600 --> 00:49:42,280 you know, who's going to get one spot and all this this picking 1010 00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:45,120 up in Ponte Lima, which is an evident Costello, I think is far 1011 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:46,840 removed. But for what? 1012 00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:50,760 Wherever it is, they there's a need there, but there's actually 1013 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:54,800 different families and different business groups that only. 1014 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:58,600 Build motels like a motel mafia. Yeah, it's a little bit like 1015 00:49:58,600 --> 00:49:59,680 that there. There is. 1016 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:01,720 So I'm learning an awful lot about that. 1017 00:50:02,320 --> 00:50:04,080 And it's again, challenging for me. 1018 00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,360 It's it's I like something like this. 1019 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:10,520 It's one more little feather in my cap and another another job 1020 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:12,320 to put into what. Keeps you going right you know 1021 00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:14,800 doing different things and and that align with with your 1022 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:17,600 passion, even if it's if it's not necessarily exactly what 1023 00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:20,240 you've been doing you're being challenged and you're exploring 1024 00:50:20,240 --> 00:50:21,320 different avenues. Yeah. 1025 00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:23,520 Tell me what are some of the dumbest things people do with 1026 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,600 interior designing. You mentioned a few, you know, 1027 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:28,720 like small beds opening up the the cupboard against the bed 1028 00:50:28,720 --> 00:50:31,000 door or. There's a there's a lot of 1029 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:33,280 things that. Dumbest requests, not this 1030 00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:36,320 request you've had. Well, the maddest requests I've 1031 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:39,760 had, and I've not, I've done this not just to one client, but 1032 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:43,680 two clients, one that we may or may not have mentioned before. 1033 00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:45,240 But I had to measure his ball height. 1034 00:50:45,920 --> 00:50:46,520 His. His how? 1035 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:49,440 Yes, because as he got older, he didn't want to stand on the side 1036 00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:51,480 of the bed and bend over. So I had to raise up the 1037 00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:55,880 mattress. And so there are two clients 1038 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:58,320 that I've had individually, they don't know each other, but two 1039 00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,160 guys as they got older, they didn't want to be, if they're 1040 00:51:01,160 --> 00:51:03,240 standing on the side of the bed, they didn't want to bend over so 1041 00:51:03,240 --> 00:51:04,760 much. So I had to raise the mattress 1042 00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:07,400 up. So I had to measure their ball 1043 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:09,960 height off there and to where they're not going to be hurt in 1044 00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:10,920 the facts. Okay. 1045 00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:14,560 Think about that now. Next time, you know what? 1046 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:16,200 I'm staying on the side of Ben. You're in this. 1047 00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:18,160 So they're American, they're Americans. 1048 00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:19,440 That's what level about the Portuguese. 1049 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,320 We said frugal of here, we couldn't care what's dragging on 1050 00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:25,240 the floor. Trust me, if you're hurting your 1051 00:51:25,240 --> 00:51:28,520 back or anything like that. So that was Los Angeles. 1052 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,520 That's why Ron's leaving there. Well, you know, it's, yeah, 1053 00:51:33,560 --> 00:51:35,960 right. It's the mass accident, certain 1054 00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:38,920 little things where people also the expats that are coming over 1055 00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:41,640 here, they want, there's a company in the United States 1056 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:44,640 called Restoration Hardware, Big oversized furniture. 1057 00:51:45,040 --> 00:51:46,840 Well, I don't care what you want. 1058 00:51:46,840 --> 00:51:49,080 If it's not getting in the front door, you're not getting it. 1059 00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:51,080 Because that's the other thing you have to take into 1060 00:51:51,080 --> 00:51:54,160 consideration. The front doors little smaller 1061 00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:56,080 over here. Staircases, no elevators. 1062 00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:59,920 You have to really adapt to what's practical. 1063 00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:03,240 And you don't have the big, big spacious houses. 1064 00:52:03,440 --> 00:52:06,240 And they're not that the apartments aren't as big, so you 1065 00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:08,640 have to scale it down. I have to really educate my 1066 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:11,680 clients as far as what the basics are, what you can and 1067 00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:16,120 cannot have, literally have. I can build a sofa inside your 1068 00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:19,120 apartment, but if it's going to be overwhelming and you're not, 1069 00:52:19,120 --> 00:52:20,520 you're going to have the trip over it. 1070 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:23,760 It's difficult. I've got a client in Flash that 1071 00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:28,920 is a single guy, I think he's about 45 years old, a tech guy. 1072 00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:32,720 His TV is massive. It takes up everything so and he 1073 00:52:32,720 --> 00:52:34,200 wants to have a sofa very close to him. 1074 00:52:34,200 --> 00:52:39,040 Like you have to be like maybe 8 meters away to have this. 1075 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:41,800 It's bigger than your TV. That's what he has. 1076 00:52:42,960 --> 00:52:46,560 And I have to adapt. And it's my biggest challenge is 1077 00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:50,800 usually single men because even if they're 40 years old, living 1078 00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:53,960 like they're in college, I do not want to see a plaque, 1079 00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:57,240 leather sectional sofa ever. But you know that they've lived 1080 00:52:57,240 --> 00:53:00,840 on. I tried to clean up their mess. 1081 00:53:00,840 --> 00:53:05,400 It's a lifestyle change too. And it's also an impression when 1082 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:08,440 you first walk in. I've got a client, you first 1083 00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:09,800 walk in, you take off your shoes. 1084 00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:13,200 I understand that. But all of his shoes? 1085 00:53:13,640 --> 00:53:14,760 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Away. 1086 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:17,640 There's nothing in his closet so that he can pick and choose. 1087 00:53:17,640 --> 00:53:18,920 I'm like, this is not what I want. 1088 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:22,720 And if you're bringing somebody home, whether it's somebody that 1089 00:53:22,720 --> 00:53:26,400 you want to be intimate with or just a neighbor, it's an assault 1090 00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:28,120 on your senses. And I'm always. 1091 00:53:28,120 --> 00:53:30,200 And you get that smell, you get this. 1092 00:53:30,200 --> 00:53:32,360 I've gone into a few houses where it's like that, like you 1093 00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:34,000 want to wear all your shoes here. 1094 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:35,120 I don't know what's in your cupboard. 1095 00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:39,880 Nothing, Nothing, you know, or he's got, you know, 15 coat 1096 00:53:39,880 --> 00:53:41,200 hooks over there because he wants to pick it. 1097 00:53:41,200 --> 00:53:43,480 I'm like, put it, you've got a closet that is empty. 1098 00:53:43,840 --> 00:53:47,040 And I'm Speaking of a specific client right now that I know of. 1099 00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:49,520 His closet is empty. He's got a few things on it, but 1100 00:53:49,520 --> 00:53:52,600 everything's in the hallway. Or he's got a coffee table 1101 00:53:52,600 --> 00:53:56,200 that's got so much crap on it and I'm like, let's get a box. 1102 00:53:56,760 --> 00:53:58,520 I don't care what kind of crap you have, put it inside of the 1103 00:53:58,520 --> 00:54:00,960 box, clean it up a little bit. You're not making a good 1104 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:03,520 impression. And it's a lifestyle change to 1105 00:54:04,320 --> 00:54:06,920 make your bed in the morning, you know to. 1106 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:09,800 When you go to tell a 45 year old to make his bed in the 1107 00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:12,040 morning, you there's deeper problems, right? 1108 00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:15,200 They're much deeper. In my house, we can't put a box 1109 00:54:15,200 --> 00:54:17,280 anywhere. The moment you put a box 1110 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:19,920 somewhere, it's filled up within 20 minutes. 1111 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:21,600 Well, it's better than being on, being on. 1112 00:54:21,600 --> 00:54:23,600 I think my wife would put me in the box if she. 1113 00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:25,720 Well, it's better than it being on the floor. 1114 00:54:25,720 --> 00:54:27,640 At least it's contained, you know? 1115 00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:30,480 And that's what I try to do for people too. 1116 00:54:30,720 --> 00:54:32,680 This is where it goes. I set up their kitchens. 1117 00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:34,240 I shouldn't reduce you to my father. 1118 00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:36,280 You should see him. It's a nightmare. 1119 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:38,240 He. Yeah, it's fine. 1120 00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:41,040 Again. Again, I pick and choose, you 1121 00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:42,600 know? If you run away. 1122 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:45,320 I pick and choose. I give the suggestions, I try to 1123 00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:47,760 do my best. The thing is too is when I'm 1124 00:54:47,760 --> 00:54:49,480 doing it, your design, I make it look beautiful. 1125 00:54:49,720 --> 00:54:51,520 I leave. You have to live there. 1126 00:54:52,040 --> 00:54:54,160 It's a big, big difference. So I'm always trying to take 1127 00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:57,440 into consideration what it's going to be like when I'm gone, 1128 00:54:57,760 --> 00:55:01,400 you know? And it takes an awful lot of 1129 00:55:01,680 --> 00:55:07,480 preparation, design, research design if I'm going into 1130 00:55:07,480 --> 00:55:09,960 production until I install everything. 1131 00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:12,760 And that's usually the only time that I get the satisfaction is 1132 00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:16,160 when it's all done and I get to see everything in place in my 1133 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:18,120 mind's eye. I always see every little 1134 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:20,400 detail. But then I leave. 1135 00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:22,600 And it's whether or not they keep the things there or they 1136 00:55:22,600 --> 00:55:24,560 want to adjust it. And that's the prerogative. 1137 00:55:24,720 --> 00:55:26,280 You live there now, do what you want. 1138 00:55:26,480 --> 00:55:29,480 But I've given you the tools to try to make your life a little 1139 00:55:29,480 --> 00:55:32,160 easier. And welcoming artwork on the 1140 00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:35,800 walls is sometimes nice. That gives you a little bit 1141 00:55:35,800 --> 00:55:38,720 more, you know, your visual eye when you walk into a room. 1142 00:55:41,760 --> 00:55:43,520 I've got you. I've got you. 1143 00:55:44,360 --> 00:55:45,400 Did you get that? Yeah. 1144 00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:47,880 Thank you very much. Can you just explore that a 1145 00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:49,240 little bit with my wife when we're done? 1146 00:55:49,680 --> 00:55:53,120 Because putting that one up took 3 1/2 years. 1147 00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:56,760 Thank you. And just. 1148 00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:00,720 That is, I agree this is a main focal part, because right when 1149 00:56:00,720 --> 00:56:02,040 you walk in, this is your anchor. 1150 00:56:02,280 --> 00:56:03,600 You're not. Looking at you go to that one 1151 00:56:03,600 --> 00:56:05,280 there. I didn't notice that one there. 1152 00:56:05,400 --> 00:56:09,920 Yeah, but this is a very, very important, brilliant area, this 1153 00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:12,000 wall especially, because it's the first thing you see when you 1154 00:56:12,000 --> 00:56:13,960 come in. And so the layering of things, 1155 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:15,320 and I'm always very conscientious. 1156 00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:18,520 How is somebody going to like pan and look at a room? 1157 00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:20,200 Please look at her when you're talking about this people. 1158 00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:23,160 She's the one. I'm with you. 1159 00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:25,440 I'm switching to the. Choir. 1160 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:28,360 I also armchair therapist for a lot of couples all the time 1161 00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:30,160 because I get what she wants, I get what he wants. 1162 00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:34,080 I don't, I don't do anything. I just want something like, I 1163 00:56:34,080 --> 00:56:39,080 don't care what we could put, you know, You know, I I don't 1164 00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:40,360 want to. I was going to be rude now, but 1165 00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:42,800 we can put anything there. OK, What it is I just put 1166 00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:45,680 something. It's if you pick and choose and 1167 00:56:45,680 --> 00:56:47,040 you pick and choose your, your battles. 1168 00:56:47,560 --> 00:56:50,840 But I've done that an awful lot as far as where it's important 1169 00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:54,400 what it's doing and how you feel when you walk into a room. 1170 00:56:54,800 --> 00:56:58,240 There is a psychology based on it and that I that I apply and 1171 00:56:58,240 --> 00:57:00,200 how you feel right when you walk into a room. 1172 00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:03,080 People don't put an Ottoman or chair right in front of a 1173 00:57:03,080 --> 00:57:06,720 doorway for a reason, because you walk in and you 1174 00:57:06,720 --> 00:57:08,720 automatically navigate where you're going. 1175 00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:14,560 To go. We're talking about me right 1176 00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:17,720 now. I love that chair. 1177 00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:20,560 It's fine, but why is it in a? Why is it you're not even 1178 00:57:20,560 --> 00:57:22,960 watching TV even it. No, I can't actually see the TV. 1179 00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:25,840 From yeah, at an angle. I mean really if. 1180 00:57:25,840 --> 00:57:27,880 So where would you put it? Just quickly just put it on top. 1181 00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:30,480 Of it all depends on what it what it's serving. 1182 00:57:30,640 --> 00:57:33,200 So you've got that chair. That I read, actually. 1183 00:57:33,240 --> 00:57:35,600 Now I watch TV. From this to me is a better 1184 00:57:35,600 --> 00:57:37,480 library. I know that this is your thing, 1185 00:57:37,480 --> 00:57:40,960 but if you want to read and sit and isolate yourself over here, 1186 00:57:41,120 --> 00:57:43,960 putting your bookshelves over here and the shape of this room 1187 00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:46,120 creates kind of like a cocoon library. 1188 00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:48,600 So that you would have an intimate, you could be facing 1189 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:53,120 this way and this could be the an intimate little spot if it's 1190 00:57:53,120 --> 00:57:55,240 your dining room and position things over there. 1191 00:57:55,240 --> 00:57:58,240 So I can see that's next to the bookshelf and it's reading. 1192 00:57:58,880 --> 00:58:00,800 So that's that's serving a purpose. 1193 00:58:00,800 --> 00:58:04,520 That's a little vignette over there, but you know, you can 1194 00:58:04,600 --> 00:58:06,760 carry it a little bit more. Where do we put this in? 1195 00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:11,160 Well, this is this is where your space needs to be juggled around 1196 00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:14,040 and a half to think about a little bit more because this is 1197 00:58:14,040 --> 00:58:15,720 also your business. This is where you're eating. 1198 00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:18,080 You can see the TV when you're eating as well. 1199 00:58:18,440 --> 00:58:21,240 I'm just saying that little spot could be the chair can be 1200 00:58:21,240 --> 00:58:23,120 turned. It's not practical for watching 1201 00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:27,080 TV, but it can work as having a little reading area. 1202 00:58:27,320 --> 00:58:29,800 So people do like that. They want to sometimes create 1203 00:58:29,800 --> 00:58:31,920 these little environments, cocoons, and it's a matter of 1204 00:58:32,120 --> 00:58:35,840 the bookshelf, a chair, a little rug, a side lamp, a side table. 1205 00:58:36,040 --> 00:58:40,880 Those little elements create, see those little elements create 1206 00:58:41,080 --> 00:58:44,720 the environment that I try to provide for people. 1207 00:58:45,440 --> 00:58:48,840 And it's amazing because a lot of people just don't realize 1208 00:58:49,840 --> 00:58:52,720 manipulating and moving a few little things changes 1209 00:58:52,800 --> 00:58:54,920 everything, and you're used to it being over there all the 1210 00:58:54,920 --> 00:58:56,680 time. It's only been there about 6:00. 1211 00:58:56,680 --> 00:59:00,280 Months it's, it's, it's, it's time, it's a while and it's 1212 00:59:00,280 --> 00:59:06,120 this, it's this, you know, also the the black leather chairs I 1213 00:59:06,120 --> 00:59:10,640 find very they can be, they can work here and there, but they're 1214 00:59:10,640 --> 00:59:13,400 very kind of like college dorm kind of the, like I said, the 1215 00:59:13,400 --> 00:59:15,480 black leather sectional kind of thing. 1216 00:59:15,800 --> 00:59:18,000 You could put a throw on it. You've got a pillow on it at 1217 00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:22,520 least, even if it's an animal fur or gift, like a little round 1218 00:59:22,520 --> 00:59:25,040 rug. So the space is defined that 1219 00:59:25,040 --> 00:59:27,400 that is its own little room. Right now. 1220 00:59:27,400 --> 00:59:29,360 It's there's a lot of things that are just floating. 1221 00:59:29,600 --> 00:59:32,920 So there's no continuity as far as how the whole room, you know, 1222 00:59:32,960 --> 00:59:35,080 relates 1 space to another space. 1223 00:59:35,640 --> 00:59:38,000 That's thank you. That's a quick assessment. 1224 00:59:38,520 --> 00:59:42,520 Kevin, tell me a little bit about your plans for the future 1225 00:59:42,520 --> 00:59:44,440 and being here in Portugal before we wrap it up. 1226 00:59:45,160 --> 00:59:50,600 I don't ever I I plan on staying where I am living right now in 1227 00:59:50,600 --> 00:59:52,760 Bon fame. I am very very fortunate that I 1228 00:59:52,760 --> 00:59:57,040 did find a beautiful apartment in an old historic building 1229 00:59:57,440 --> 00:59:59,800 that's all Airbnb. I'm the only one that lives 1230 00:59:59,800 --> 01:00:02,320 there and I live on the rooftop with wrap around balconies. 1231 01:00:02,560 --> 01:00:04,400 So it is a purchase. I did. 1232 01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:06,840 I rented there for six months and eight months, looking for 1233 01:00:06,840 --> 01:00:09,600 other places that would be my forever home and nothing 1234 01:00:09,600 --> 01:00:12,440 compared to that. I love the way the Americans 1235 01:00:12,440 --> 01:00:14,000 say, say my. Forever Home. 1236 01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:16,680 It is my favorite. That's that's America for me. 1237 01:00:16,680 --> 01:00:18,560 It's personal. If, if, if ever you're in the 1238 01:00:18,560 --> 01:00:20,840 Bonfy mirror, I'll show you. It's 35. 1239 01:00:20,840 --> 01:00:21,520 Fingers. Lovely. 1240 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:23,320 It's a lovely area. It's 35 square meters. 1241 01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:27,560 It's very small, but I am. And you've got no leather, black 1242 01:00:27,560 --> 01:00:31,040 leather sofas and paintings on the. 1243 01:00:31,040 --> 01:00:32,760 Wall all. I see a lot of paintings on the 1244 01:00:32,760 --> 01:00:34,640 wall. All I see are the treetops. 1245 01:00:34,640 --> 01:00:37,920 All the buildings are lower than me and I have a view of Gaia and 1246 01:00:37,920 --> 01:00:41,320 I see the the trees go from leaves to bugs to twigs. 1247 01:00:42,200 --> 01:00:45,520 I, I whistled. It really is a wonderful 1248 01:00:45,520 --> 01:00:48,400 environment. That, coupled with the fact that 1249 01:00:48,960 --> 01:00:51,840 I'm part of the Portuguese community, I've been able to 1250 01:00:51,840 --> 01:00:54,480 establish a relationship and a reputation here. 1251 01:00:55,040 --> 01:00:59,000 My future is to be here. What are the benefits to as an 1252 01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:02,360 American? It's very, very daunting and 1253 01:01:02,360 --> 01:01:06,040 very stressful to go to Europe, to travel anywhere. 1254 01:01:06,040 --> 01:01:09,720 It's 12 hours from Los Angeles to get over here, 14 hours. 1255 01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:13,960 Now everything is 2 hours away from where we sit right now, 1256 01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:16,920 Paris is 2 1/2 hours. To me, that's thrilling. 1257 01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:22,000 So to travel more to stay where I'm here again, I did buy my 1258 01:01:22,000 --> 01:01:23,480 apartment, so I'm back in the workforce. 1259 01:01:23,480 --> 01:01:27,720 I have to pay for it, but I don't plan on leaving. 1260 01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:31,080 I don't plan on going anywhere. I plan on being I need to get 1261 01:01:31,080 --> 01:01:33,320 the language down. I want to be part of the 1262 01:01:33,320 --> 01:01:37,280 community, I want to contribute. That's in a nutshell. 1263 01:01:38,160 --> 01:01:43,680 Again, the best decision of my life was to move specifically to 1264 01:01:43,680 --> 01:01:49,040 Portugal and to Fine 4th and Bon Ports and to live in and to live 1265 01:01:49,040 --> 01:01:52,080 in Bon Fiem. I'm very, very lucky and I've 1266 01:01:52,080 --> 01:01:53,840 seen the neighborhood changing so much. 1267 01:01:53,840 --> 01:01:56,000 There's been pubs and restaurants and little cafes, 1268 01:01:56,400 --> 01:02:00,080 some that I've designed that have opened up in the 1269 01:02:00,080 --> 01:02:03,040 neighborhood and it's really exciting to be there. 1270 01:02:04,240 --> 01:02:07,880 I, I landed there when it was raw and I know that it was very, 1271 01:02:07,880 --> 01:02:09,960 very rough many years ago. That's very dangerous. 1272 01:02:10,320 --> 01:02:13,920 And now to see things. Dangerous in Portuguese in 1273 01:02:13,960 --> 01:02:17,680 standard is very different to dangerous in in in American or 1274 01:02:17,680 --> 01:02:21,480 South African. 10 or 15 years ago, Portugal was not as 1275 01:02:21,480 --> 01:02:23,520 friendly as it was. There was a lot of problems. 1276 01:02:23,520 --> 01:02:25,840 Drama has educated me a lot on the drugs. 1277 01:02:25,840 --> 01:02:28,040 The areas, places that you didn't go to, there were no 1278 01:02:28,040 --> 01:02:31,080 lights. A lot of downtown ports was like 1279 01:02:31,080 --> 01:02:33,840 that. So port has changed a lot. 1280 01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:36,600 It's changed an awful lot, definitely for the better, 1281 01:02:38,160 --> 01:02:40,520 without a doubt. It still has it's it's it's has. 1282 01:02:41,040 --> 01:02:44,080 An old industrial area, this. We were talking about that when 1283 01:02:44,080 --> 01:02:46,760 we drove in this this. Apartment is built on an old 1284 01:02:46,760 --> 01:02:50,120 canning factory foundation. Really all of them are so this 1285 01:02:50,120 --> 01:02:54,360 blue building here, this is the last canning factory we have 1286 01:02:54,360 --> 01:02:55,200 here. Oh wow. 1287 01:02:55,360 --> 01:02:59,680 And all of, well, not all, but a lot of the the structures are 1288 01:02:59,680 --> 01:03:03,320 old cat, old canning factories. So even if you go over here to 1289 01:03:03,320 --> 01:03:04,720 macadonna, you'll see the chimney. 1290 01:03:05,360 --> 01:03:06,920 They have to restore the chimney. 1291 01:03:07,120 --> 01:03:09,120 They have to leave it in I. I think that's true. 1292 01:03:09,200 --> 01:03:12,760 I think that's beautiful. There are tax deductions, but 1293 01:03:12,760 --> 01:03:15,520 also the facade. If you look at Macadonna or if 1294 01:03:15,520 --> 01:03:17,840 you go to Pingudos just down the road, the facade needs to be 1295 01:03:17,840 --> 01:03:21,240 kept the same as well. So you see, it's Macadonna, but 1296 01:03:21,320 --> 01:03:23,760 up top it has the original Concerta. 1297 01:03:23,800 --> 01:03:28,280 Whatever, Rao or. I think that's so important that 1298 01:03:28,600 --> 01:03:32,520 they maintain that because I think that's the charm. 1299 01:03:32,720 --> 01:03:37,400 And how they incorporated the Urban Development using the 1300 01:03:37,560 --> 01:03:40,760 canning factory foundations. And this area particularly is 1301 01:03:40,760 --> 01:03:42,760 beautiful because you're so close to the water, you can 1302 01:03:42,760 --> 01:03:44,840 sense that you're there. And there are no. 1303 01:03:46,120 --> 01:03:47,600 Yeah. We struggle in the winter 1304 01:03:47,600 --> 01:03:50,560 because you get that North Atlantic wind blowing the cool 1305 01:03:50,560 --> 01:03:52,240 air of the North Atlantic. That's tough. 1306 01:03:52,880 --> 01:03:55,240 But now for maybe 6 more months, it's going to be amazing. 1307 01:03:55,360 --> 01:03:56,200 Yeah. So we get your bucket. 1308 01:03:56,480 --> 01:03:58,600 And the ring didn't seem so bad now that the spring is here. 1309 01:03:58,880 --> 01:04:03,080 Yeah, that was right. The worst in 2025 years is what 1310 01:04:03,080 --> 01:04:05,640 I've heard. But now looking behind like, 1311 01:04:05,640 --> 01:04:08,440 well, that's not so bad. No, now we This is why we're 1312 01:04:08,440 --> 01:04:11,320 here. Kevin, where can people find 1313 01:04:11,320 --> 01:04:13,080 you? Obviously, we share your socials 1314 01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:16,840 in the podcast blurb, so wherever you get your podcast, 1315 01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:21,480 Apple, Spotify, good listen podcast, but where can they find 1316 01:04:21,480 --> 01:04:23,560 you? Those will be in the links, but 1317 01:04:23,560 --> 01:04:25,400 where can they find you? If they're just listening just 1318 01:04:25,400 --> 01:04:27,200 and quickly want to Google your name, we'll find you. 1319 01:04:27,440 --> 01:04:30,480 My social media presence is on Facebook and Instagram under 1320 01:04:30,480 --> 01:04:32,800 Kevin Young Designs. Kevin Young designs. 1321 01:04:32,800 --> 01:04:37,440 And so anybody can easily just look at whatever they have and 1322 01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:40,160 then send me a message, a private message or make a 1323 01:04:40,160 --> 01:04:42,920 comment or something like that. And I am very, very diligent on 1324 01:04:42,920 --> 01:04:45,160 responding. And again, my philosophy is to 1325 01:04:45,160 --> 01:04:49,440 help people, so through Instagram I'm also Kevin. 1326 01:04:49,440 --> 01:04:51,240 Import though, is my personal one. 1327 01:04:51,560 --> 01:04:54,400 You've got a business 1 and. My, my business is Kevin Young 1328 01:04:54,400 --> 01:04:56,280 designs on Facebook and Instagram. 1329 01:04:56,280 --> 01:04:59,320 My personal one is Kevin Import. I don't mind if people contact 1330 01:04:59,320 --> 01:05:00,920 me. It's different kind of content 1331 01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:02,160 up there. It's the way that I live. 1332 01:05:02,240 --> 01:05:04,960 And again, if they had any questions on recommendations for 1333 01:05:04,960 --> 01:05:09,560 restaurants or cafes or they need a plumber or an electrician 1334 01:05:09,560 --> 01:05:12,840 or a roofer or anything like that, I'm happy to just like if 1335 01:05:12,840 --> 01:05:18,200 they need a podcast interview, I think you're wonderful to I like 1336 01:05:18,200 --> 01:05:20,000 networking. I like putting people together, 1337 01:05:20,000 --> 01:05:21,720 whether or not it benefits me or not. 1338 01:05:22,520 --> 01:05:26,240 I feel good about putting people in direct, direct contact with 1339 01:05:26,240 --> 01:05:29,320 people that I know that have a business because that's really 1340 01:05:29,320 --> 01:05:31,520 tough. It no matter what you're doing, 1341 01:05:32,000 --> 01:05:33,800 it's tough to have a business on your own. 1342 01:05:34,280 --> 01:05:37,160 And so I'm always trying to support and, and help people, 1343 01:05:37,360 --> 01:05:41,000 but they can find me at on that or just walking around on fee. 1344 01:05:41,040 --> 01:05:44,160 A lot of people can still say that must be I'm the only Kevin 1345 01:05:44,160 --> 01:05:45,640 around. So that's it. 1346 01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:47,640 Mate, it's been amazing having you. 1347 01:05:47,640 --> 01:05:49,000 Thank you so much for coming to Matsuna. 1348 01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:52,760 So I appreciate your time and hopefully you can share a few 1349 01:05:52,760 --> 01:05:54,960 names with me and we can get a few of your mates on your as 1350 01:05:54,960 --> 01:05:56,680 guests. Absolutely, absolutely. 1351 01:05:56,680 --> 01:05:59,720 I've got some great, fascinating friends that would love to speak 1352 01:05:59,720 --> 01:06:00,600 with you. This has been a great 1353 01:06:00,600 --> 01:06:02,920 experience. This has also been a special one 1354 01:06:02,920 --> 01:06:06,720 for me because these microphones, these toners, this 1355 01:06:06,720 --> 01:06:10,480 will be their last interview on this podcast. 1356 01:06:10,520 --> 01:06:12,880 Oh, really? Yeah, this will be their 26th 1357 01:06:12,880 --> 01:06:15,560 episode. Sorry 24th cuz the 1st 2 1358 01:06:15,560 --> 01:06:18,120 episodes I used so we're not gonna do. 1359 01:06:18,120 --> 01:06:19,400 Anything with them? This would make a nice little 1360 01:06:19,400 --> 01:06:21,960 prop on a shelf. Or we could bang them up against 1361 01:06:21,960 --> 01:06:24,080 the wall there. You know what? 1362 01:06:24,240 --> 01:06:28,440 So these will be their last ones and this little interface as 1363 01:06:28,440 --> 01:06:31,880 well cuz I got myself a couple of the mites would boom. 1364 01:06:31,880 --> 01:06:35,120 So we we're setting up this we're leveling up the sound 1365 01:06:35,120 --> 01:06:36,120 game. OK. 1366 01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:39,960 So yes, it's nice to have you getting a bit of emotional. 1367 01:06:40,840 --> 01:06:43,200 Yeah, I just like the shape of it right there. 1368 01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:48,840 So I'm not even fine with that. And it's got a protective cover. 1369 01:06:48,840 --> 01:06:50,920 And so I can see that. It's got safe for you as well, 1370 01:06:51,400 --> 01:06:53,160 the mate. It's been amazing and thank you 1371 01:06:53,160 --> 01:06:55,360 Tonus. And they've been amazing. 1372 01:06:56,000 --> 01:06:59,560 And so a big shout out to Danielle Skips. 1373 01:06:59,680 --> 01:07:02,640 What's the surname again? Danielle Kibera, who lent these 1374 01:07:02,640 --> 01:07:04,040 mics to me. It's been great. 1375 01:07:04,040 --> 01:07:06,720 And the audio interface, So toner mics, if you're starting 1376 01:07:06,720 --> 01:07:10,120 for podcast, these are great. OK, they plug and plays. 1377 01:07:10,120 --> 01:07:12,080 They've just got a little USB. They've got an interface. 1378 01:07:12,400 --> 01:07:13,360 They've been really, really good. 1379 01:07:13,360 --> 01:07:16,040 I'm very sad to let them go, but time to level up. 1380 01:07:16,280 --> 01:07:17,840 Absolutely. It can't be too sentimental. 1381 01:07:18,400 --> 01:07:21,160 Kevin, been amazing as well. Thank you very much for coming 1382 01:07:21,160 --> 01:07:22,240 over. Cool beans. 1383 01:07:22,240 --> 01:07:23,760 Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Sue.