156 – Las Vegas Market Live: Dann Foley

   Las Vegas Market Live: Dann Foley Today in The Lounge, Nick talks with Dann Foley LIVE from the Phillips Collection Showroom at Las Vegas Market. Dann talks about how interior design entered his life as a kid, about how he runs his business with a staff of three, and he gives YOU advice for a successful life and career. Getting to Know Dann Dann’s favorite fashion accessory is a blazer, he wears them all the time, even while living in the desert. His favorite vacation spot is Paris, which he calls his other home. To quote Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea.” Dann has more than one room that he wouldn’t put on Instagram because he prefers his privacy... he doesn’t put any interior pictures of his home up on social media. When asked beer, wine, or cocktail, Dann chooses "none" because he doesn’t drink and he never has. Dann only drinks water: living in Palm Springs, where this summer the temperature reached 122 degrees, you simply can not leave the house without a bottle of water. Drinking water all the time is also really good for the skin. Dann is gone for at least part of every month, traveling about 45% of the year. His favorite place to travel for business is Vegas Market because there is always something to do. When traveling, he can’t be without his shoes. Even though Dann has accomplished a lot in interior design, he believes that there are still more plateaus to climb and always more to do and learn. How Dann Started in Interior Design Dann has always had an interest in interior design. His mom loves to tell the story that when he was a kid, his parents were afraid to go out to dinner because he would always rearrange the furniture when they left the house. As a result, his parents made sure he went to design school and got his degree. Dann went to Drexel University in Philadelphia. The idea of design school there is:' if you don’t have good taste, we can’t teach it to you.' They show you everything you need to know in order to work as a professional in the industry. At Drexel, he went to school year-around and worked in the industry for a paid position. Dann was given an interview for this job through their placement office. He worked at the design firm while in school and when he graduated he was offered a job there, but turned it down to pursue his own business. Dann has always looked really young. When he graduated from his university he met up with some clients, the builder and the general contractor, walked into the meeting and everyone’s jaws dropped. He looked too young to be the designer. His very first client was a friend of his parents whom he worked with while he was still in school to get extra credit for his degree. Dann's first client outside of school was a developer, who built resorts.  The Business Today Dann’s firm is called Dann Inc., they are primarily an interior design firm, though today he would call Dann Inc. a lifestyle design business. Over the years, when you get involved in doing someone’s home, clients love having the full experience. Dann Inc. delivers a very personal touch, they weren’t just giving people rooms, they were giving them a whole new life. Dann has never just done a single room for a client because afterward, the client will want their entire home done, right down to their closet and the wardrobe. Dann Inc. will even plan the parties to show off the client’s new home, from designing the invitations to doing the catering menus and wardrobes.  Dann launched his own product line, Dann Foley Lifestyle, about four years ago. It coincided with the NBC’s premiere of American Dream Builders, hosted by Nate Berkus. Dann’s first product launch was with Phillips Collection. He has a brand new collection being launched at High Point this October. His products are about people being able to take his pieces and layer them with your own pieces of art.