Tiffany Solomon is the owner of Tiffany Solomon Designs in Boca Raton, Florida. As a long-time interior designer, she specializes in new construction and renovations. After a few years of working for a design firm, Tiffany started her own business, eager to share her style with the world. Now she focuses on striking the right balance between her customer’s wants and needs, striving for the perfect fit. She combines her unique vision for the space with the customer’s lifestyle to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Visit Tiffany’s website, tiffanysolomondesigns.com, or email her at tiffany@tsoldesigns.com. 

Episodes are sponsored and produced by Isaiah industries, a manufacturer of specialty metal roofing systems and other building materials. Learn more at isaiahindustries.com

Tiffany Solomon:

The use of renderings is my number one tool where they can visualize something before it's being built, it's everything for them. So I'm lucky I am an artist at heart. I'm able to sketch something for them. I'm able to envision something. But when they see it, it speaks for itself.

Todd Miller:

Welcome to the Construction Disruption podcast, where we uncover the future of building and remodeling. I'm Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, manufacturer of specialty residential metal roofing and other building materials. And today my co-host is Seth Heckaman. So I was thinking about today we are recording this on the day that is would have been my dad's 86th birthday and he passed away just not quite eight years ago. So that's something as I think about that and every year I kind of take this time either on his birthday or the date of his death, the anniversary of his death, to think back on him. Of course, Dad was the founder of our company, the company that I have spent my entire career in. And we got to work side by side with each other for 30 years, which was a huge blessing. But, you know, everyone knows that sometimes relationships between, I think, fathers and sons and mothers and daughters, more so than the other way, can sometimes be a little interesting relationships, that's for sure. And certainly that was the case for my father and myself. And one of the things I was reflecting on, and this is, I guess deeply personal, but I've talked to other guys who have had the same experience. For several months after my father passed away, I had these intense dreams and even nightmares. And I've talked to other guys who had very similar experiences after their dads passed away. But, you know, one of the things I'm really glad that I did and I did this while I was honored to do a eulogy at my father's funeral. And so I had to do this right in the couple of days immediately after he passed away. But I wrote down some memories of some of the good times with him and some of the good stuff. And because you wouldn't read bad stuff at the eulogy, probably. But anyway, so I wrote some of that down and actually it's captured on the Isaiah Industries website. If you go to the About Us section and you go to the About Our Founder section, you'll find what I wrote. But I have found that really comforting over the years to be able to go back and look at that and remember the good stuff in particular. And I know that that's part of my advice to anyone when they lose a parent, which is a painful thing. And I'm at the generation where that's kind of what we're all experiencing right now here in recent years. But I always advised him, you know, spend some more time capturing some of those good memories and writings. So you've always got something to go back and take a look at down the road. So Pops, I guess I will say tip of the hat to you today. He was an interesting guy. A great guy, created a great legacy, left a lot of good memories. So a tip of the hat to you here on what would have been your 86th birthday. So I think also in thinking about my dad, I have to do something that we do occasionally here on Construction Disruption.

Seth Heckaman:

Dad jokes?

Todd Miller:

Share a couple of dad jokes. That's right, okay. So I will address these to Seth. What happens when you cross a rabbit with a shellfish?

Seth Heckaman:

No idea.

Todd Miller:

You get the oyster bunny. Okay.

Speaker:

That's a good one.

Speaker:

One more, we will continue with a nautical theme here. What do you call a fish wearing a bow tie?

Seth Heckaman:

Nope. I'm at a loss too, on this one.

Todd Miller:

He is very so-fish-sticated. Okay, try to say that a few times fast. Anyway, okay, so again welcome here to Construction Disruption. Our goal here is to provide timely and forward looking information regarding the construction world. We're always looking for those things, those topics that will change the future of our industry, and that may be through some gradual evolution and change, or it could be through abrupt, mind-blowing disruption. But the things that are going to change our industry going forward, that's what we're always looking for and trying to bring to our audience. And to that end, we're constantly looking at new innovations as well as trends and practices, building materials, the labor market, leadership. Today, we're delving into a world we haven't delved into a whole lot, and I'm excited about it. We spend, Seth and I, most of our lives in kind of the what we call the building envelope or the shell of the building, the outside of the building. Well, today we're going to go inside the building. And rather than get stuck on the overall structure and that exterior, we're gonna look at the inside, which really is the place that touches people. That's the place where we live and work. And one of the things that we talk a lot about is we over the years have sold and marketed higher-end exteriors for buildings. As we often talk about, sometimes people are more apt to pay extra for the stuff that they touch and they feel and they live with each and every day inside rather than the things they just see from the outside. So I'm excited about our guest today. Our guest today to discuss building interiors is Tiffany Solomon of Tiffany Solomon Designs, based in Boca Raton, Florida. Specializing in both construction, new construction homes and renovations, Tiffany has more than 15 years of interior design experience. Her firm focuses on coming up with new and beautiful ways to create and recreate the favorite spots and also everything inside of our homes and our workplaces. And also they work with some retail buildings as well. I know that they take a personal approach. They're determined to match building and building interiors, specifically to meet the needs and the desires of their occupants. Tiffany, welcome to Construction Disruption. I'm looking forward to learning from you today.

Tiffany Solomon:

Thank you. It's so nice to be here.

Todd Miller:

Well, thank you again. So, Tiffany, you majored at Concordia University in political science and also sociology. I guess I can see how that sort of thing would have given you a great basis from which to understand people and know what might appeal to them and what might move them emotionally. Tell us, I'm curious, what drove your interest in interior design?Is this something that you had felt since childhood, that you loved things that were aesthetic and design or what really drove that for you?

Tiffany Solomon:

Absolutely. For me, I'm an artist at heart. So I always delved into that path. However, my family is a real estate family, so I also grew up on construction sites. My grandfather developed buildings, my mother took it over, my little brother works for them. I was 16 and I was designing offices and doctor's offices. And so, you know, I kind of grew up in the field, but I also always really loved it. I think it's just very instinctual for me. And when I decided to go to university. I was going to say I was thinking of something that I knew very little about. I'd always known art, I'd always known design, and I'd always known construction. So I figured it was my opportunity to learn something different. So I did that and then went right back and moved down here to Florida permanently, which I grew up in Miami Beach and Montreal. So once I made that move, it was full force into real estate and building and construction and interior design.

Todd Miller:

Wow, and that's interesting because one of the things that we've had several past guests bring up as they have talked about giving advice to younger people in their careers, as you said, to find that thing that you're passionate about and that thing that moves you emotionally and personally and so that's fantastic. Neat that you delved into something else, got that experience behind you that kind of makes us that whole person we are and yet went right back to where your passion were. That's great. So I'm curious, what does the process look like once a prospective client comes to you? What sort of things do you dig in to to gain the knowledge and the insight into them that will allow you to put together designs that that will nurture them and comfort them and be be comfortable for them.

Tiffany Solomon:

I think it's really mostly about connecting with your clients. That's the basis for everything. It's really hearing about how they live, what they're looking for. It's also more of a spiritual practice for me too, in a way, in that I love to feel the energy. I love to understand their situation. I think it's much more than just the home, so it's really their lifestyle that I have to get to know. I have to connect with them on a deep level so that I can hear what their needs really are, what they like, what they don't like. It's simply about first connecting with them. So I love to spend as much time as possible with them, whether I have many clients now moving from New York. So it's not usually face to face until they're down here. But I'll set up Zoom calls. I will talk with them over the phone numerous times before I even decide if it's a project that I feel that I can take on that's going to make them happy. Or I just really I just want to feel out the situation. And then once I make the decision to go through with it and they've decided that it's a good fit, I will come up with a proposal for them more of a more of a structured way about going. I will explain to them their process. I'll explain to them the industry, explain to them what's going on in the industry. I like to be very upfront. I like to be very truthful. I work mostly on word of mouth. So for me, making them happy is my ultimate goal. So I find that if I'm truthful with them from the beginning, it leads to just a beautiful process. So educating them on disruptions is very important, and then I'll take them through a step by step. There's different design phases. There's the development phase, there's the creative phase, there's the implementation. All sometimes depends on how detailed orientated they are. I have clients who really, really want to be part of it and some who just let me run with it. So it just depends on the clients. And I do a lot of shared albums with them, a lot of shared files with them. I work a lot with software. So from then on I feel like we can just really communicate on a design level.

Todd Miller:

Well, a couple things you said in there. I mean, I loved everything, but couple of things really resonated with me. And one was where you said when it works, right, it's just a beautiful process. And I think that any of us who have been in that consumer seat have had those relationships, especially in the service industry, that really have resulted in that beautiful process. And we've had some that haven't gone that way, and so we know the difference. So I really respect that, that that's what you're striving for and you do it by connecting with your clients. That's something we've heard a lot from architects we've interviewed and even to general contractors, building contractors is so much of it is about finding out the real needs and dreams of that client. So a lot of what you do is, you know, you help pull out of your clients, I'm sure, and then inspire them, help them dream and help them see things in their hearts, in their eyes, in their minds. But curious, where where do you get your inspiration from other than just the things that they're kind of feeding to you? Where do you go to tap into trends and creative ideas and your own creativity?

Tiffany Solomon:

I absolutely love this question. For me, though, it's natural. I feel like it's just instinctual. And most of the time it falls into my lap. It's the weirdest, most bizarre thing. But then again, it's not so surprising. I don't believe much in coincidences, so when I see something, I know I like it or I know I don't. I know I can, if I can adapt it, how I can maneuver it. Sometimes I'll just be outside and something will pop up or a color or a vision or it's just a natural process for me. Especially when I walk into the actual space, it's like I have these ideas that just flood into my head. And I think that comes also from years of experience and seeing what's out there, knowing the materials to use. So I think it's just a combination of everything. But for me, I would say the biggest thing that I rely on is my instincts. It has not served me wrong yet. I hope it continues to be to be that way. But you know, I love being outdoors. I love just feeling what that space is going to feel like.

Todd Miller:

Wow, that's awesome. And again, I could see where that's going to lead to a really neat experience for your clients as well. Are there any particular trends you're hearing about from your clients these days or things that they're telling you, Oh, Tiffany, do what you want, but I've got to have this or this is what I really want. Things they can't live without. Are there any things like that that you're hearing from folks?

Tiffany Solomon:

You know, I think mostly people really do want to integrate technology, the use of smart homes. I think people really love the idea, especially down here in Florida, of the outdoor/indoor living concept, which I absolutely love. I feel like it is such an important part of life to just be outside and inside. So whatever I can do to make that those spaces more cohesive and flow, I think that my clients are very receptive to that. Open spaces is something they talk about all the time, you know, open floor plans. It used to be in Florida we'd have houses with formal living areas, and then only up until recently are new, new construction developers kind of integrating the use of a large kitchen with a family room and omitting the formal living room. So many times I've seen where it just it's a beautiful space, the formal living room. But is it really getting used? Now people are getting wind of that. And I see more and more that people don't want that. They want just an open space, a flow to their home. You can divide the space without the use of walls. So, you know, those are the things that my clients are very, very interested in at this point.

Todd Miller:

I like that where you said you can divide a space without the use of walls. And my wife and I live in a home that was built in the late 70s. So it was very traditional, living room, family room, formal dining room, kitchen. And over the years, we've done a number of remodeling projects, and part of those has been to open up and create bigger spaces. We still have this living room that never we never go into. Our dining room got changed into sort of a coffee room, which is kind of a neat personal space for us because we were like, We're never going to have formal dining meals or anything like that. Our family room has a neat dining area in it. So anyway, I certainly can resonate with that. You know, these trends and changes you've seen take place over the years, are any other ones that you can relate to us that you've seen? And I'm kind of curious, do you see some of these changes be gradual or more overnight type changes? I guess the removal of walls is almost pretty overnight. And just tell us a little bit more about those trends and changes you've seen.

Tiffany Solomon:

You know, it's interesting speaking of those removal of walls. For a long time, I couldn't understand why developers or builders were still building these homes with these formal rooms, but then all of a sudden it just switched. So those are things that just that just switch. But then there's other things that take more time. If you want to talk about technology and the use of technology, that's making things change exponentially. It used to be when I first graduated from design school, I worked for the top retail design firm in the country, and that was 2007 and then 2008 hit. But I was doing projects in Las Vegas, I was doing Christian Lacroix, I was doing Federated Department Stores, Macy's, Bloomingdales, all kinds of great stores and the firm that I worked for was around for 50 years. They were the top. They waited three months for me to graduate. This is where I wanted to work. And I came in and their use of technology was a little bit outdated. And slowly we would adapt. So in terms of the process, I feel like it was slow to adapt. But now that when you see things in the house, it is quick to adapt. The point being that I do now my renderings on the computer. CAD has evolved significantly, we have SketchUp, we have the ability to bring out many different designs very quickly or a lot quicker than it used to be when I used to have to sketch them and then paint them. And then now there's programs I can watercolor on the Internet, I can, there's vast amounts of resources available. There's even programs where you don't have to learn CAD. You have, you have kitchen designers using programs that take 5 seconds to learn. So it's quite, it's quite interesting. But, yes, I do think that other things are taking place a lot quicker. I think that social media has really, really, really enabled people to be really part of the process of they want what they see, and that's instantaneous. So let's say organization, now you have TikTok. If you search organization on TikTok, you are overloaded with a tremendous amount of information and now you can organize everything. So that's that's what I'm seeing a lot of now, this huge organization trends, which is kind of interesting. I actually enjoy it because I do believe there should be systems in place in everybody's house, but that out of the blue just popped up. So it's kind of cool to see. It's never a dull moment. Things happen very slowly for certain things and other things they just arise.

Todd Miller:

So on the organization you're talking about, you know, designing so that I kind of go back to the thing we used to say when I was little, everything has a place and everything in its place and it all supports life. Is that kind of what you're talking about?

Tiffany Solomon:

Absolutely. You see these companies creating. Well, I mean, the whole Container Store is based on organization. And things used to be in a pantry, in boxes. Now everything my clients love when they're displayed or they're in clear cabinets or they're in clear bins and everything is strategically, aesthetically pleasing. So it's definitely interesting. Is it livable? Yes and no. So there you see a picture of something, you're like, I want that. I'm like, okay, but that's going to take maintenance. So, you know, it just depends. But yeah, like, you know, I find for me when I design, I like to hide everything. I don't love stuff everywhere, I'm very clean. I'm also very big into Feng Shui, so clutter is just chaos. So I like to hide things. I like things when they're organized, so I'm happy with this trend that's blowing up. But yeah, it's just one day there it was.

Todd Miller:

A few years ago, my wife and I did a kitchen remodel and I remember the kitchen designer was kind of pitching us on, Oh, you ought to have a couple glass-door cabinets. And my wife was like, Yeah, my stuff in there will look nice for about two weeks, and then I'm going to be really upset that everyone could see it. So I, I could certainly relate.

Tiffany Solomon:

There are ways of manuvering it, but yes, absolutely.

Todd Miller:

So you talked about outdoor living. And I'm just curious, are you seeing any of this trend? I see it every once in a while on HGTV and some of the design magazines of the movable exterior glass walls. Are you seeing interest in those right now?

Tiffany Solomon:

It depends, it depends on the project. Down here in Florida, most of my clients are building with developers. They're not doing custom homes because there isn't very much unless they're rebuilding. Those are very few. They're not really, they're building with developers and they are pretty much, their hands are tied when it comes to the types of windows and the types of doors that they're using. But in other projects where I get to do renovations and new windows. Absolutely, I love bringing the inside out. Even in my home, I have windows that stack, that pocket so that you can just completely open it up into a courtyard. It's just the way for me. But that's just my connection to nature and outside. And I want my clients to experience that. I want them to know that. So whenever there is an opportunity, yes, absolutely.

Todd Miller:

Good stuff. Yeah, they're absolutely beautiful and and striking. Yeah. I keep going back to things my wife and I have done because it's it's fun, it excites me. But we had had a, Struxure is the brand name, pergola put on the back of our home which is a motorized, all-aluminum system with the motorized louvers up on the roof. And that's such a neat thing as far as being able to go outside and know that if it starts raining, that'll just automatically close up and we're still outside and all that cool stuff, so.

Tiffany Solomon:

Especially with the use of the outdoor kitchen, speaking of outdoor/indoor living, I'm seeing so many outdoor kitchens. Before you'd see one here, one there. Many of the people buying with builders would be interested in spending the money in it. Now it's almost a given. So that's also very, very nice.

Todd Miller:

You know, it's kind of funny when I look at the outdoor kitchens. When I grew up, my family had a farmhouse and, you know, they had what they called a summer kitchen. So they would cook in this exterior building during the summer because they didn't have to cook inside the house where it just made everything hot. And here we are kind of going back to that, so cool stuff. You talked a little bit about design and using design to show renderings. Is there still a real wow factor for your clients when they see those renderings?

Tiffany Solomon:

There absolutely is. I think that bringing a space to life is is everything. That's the magic in what I do. That's, I think, a part of the process that I like the most. But we're also talking about a substantial amount of money for a lot of my clients. So the use of renderings is just to ease their anxieties. That's the way I look at it. I'm a problem solver, problem mitigator, problem expertise and my clients, I want to provide them with the most amount of trust and the most amount of faith that I can handle whatever comes along the way. But the use of renderings is my number one tool where they can visualize something before it's being built. It's everything for them. So I'm lucky I am an artist at heart. I'm able to sketch something for them. I'm able to envision something, but when they see it, yeah, it speaks for itself.

Todd Miller:

You mentioned being a problem solver. I'm just curious, have you ever been faced with a project, maybe it was design, maybe it was new construction, or maybe it was remodeling? But you saw something in the structure itself and you thought, Oh, no, what in the world am I got to do with that? Or what was that architect thinking? Just curious, you ever run into that? And any ways you solved that particular problem or something that really sticks out in your mind is that was the one that, oh, my goodness, didn't know what I was going to do and we solved that problem?

Tiffany Solomon:

Yes, actually, those are my favorite projects. I mean, I really have to say, I learned from some amazing people. I really, seeing them and their aspects, I was able to pick and choose what I wanted to take with me in my journey. And one of the most important things I ever learned is there's nothing that you can not solve and everything is possible. And I also learned that sometimes when you have your most awkward, ugly, horrible beam in the middle of the room, or you have something that just doesn't flow. You want to bring attention to it. You want to actually turn it into the positive. You want to make it into something really cool where somebody will say. If you try to hide it, there's only so much you can do. But if you make it into something else completely different and you're like, Whoa, that's really cool. You have an opportunity there, and that I find exciting. So no, I haven't really come into a situation where I'm like, Oh, no, not again. I'm like, What can I do with this? This is going to be fun.

Todd Miller:

So turn those negatives into opportunities to make something fun or exciting or unique.

Tiffany Solomon:

Absolutely. That's the nature of the business.

Todd Miller:

That's a great approach, is that everything is possible. You can see it happen.

Tiffany Solomon:

You just have to have persistence, persistence, positive attitude. Yeah, it's, yeah, anything is possible.

Todd Miller:

Are there any techniques or let's say on a new construction, a new build, any suggestions or ideas or techniques for making sure that a positive and productive relationship exists between the architect, the property owner, all the the GC, all the sub trades and the interior designer? Anything you like to see being done to help facilitate that relationship?

Tiffany Solomon:

So glad you brought that up. There's so much behind the scenes that goes on in a project that the clients aren't privy to. So my relationships with the people that I work with are longstanding, so I know how they move. I know we've had years of of figuring things out. I think the most important thing is really just communication and trust. I know when I put somebody on the job, they're going to do their best. It's so easy and so often you see people throwing each other under the bus. Well, it's this person's fault. Oh, well, the architect didn't get me this in time, and I need to do this and this material and the contractor. I don't really enjoy that game. I don't play that game. For me, it's trust that my clients have trust in me and that the people that I'm working with have trust in me and that everybody comes to the table doing their best. Sometimes it happens and odd times it doesn't. But I do think that honesty and communication is everything.

Todd Miller:

Man, I agree with you. That means so much. And I, I will often see relationships related to construction go really south. When people do hit that point of where that communication just has been completely lost and it all comes down to finger pointing and negativity. And, you know, one of the things I'll often have to remind people when I find them in that situation is, look, you can argue all you want, but at the end of the day, here's the problem we have to solve and nothing happens good going forward until we solve that problem. And getting people to refocus on that and come back together is the ideal thing.

Tiffany Solomon:

Yeah, I could not agree more.

Todd Miller:

So I'm curious if we had anyone out there in our audience who may be entering interior design as a career choice. Any particular advice you have for them for their career path or maybe even things or people they should be paying attention to?

Tiffany Solomon:

Oh, so much, so much of it. If I only knew then what I know now. Yes, I mean, you can learn in school, you can have a natural eye. But once you get into the field, that's where the real learning begins. You're going to learn most from your mistakes. You're going to learn most from other people's mistakes and choose wisely who you work for. There's a choice in everything, I learned from some amazing people. It didn't come without a high price, okay? I mean, I worked and worked and worked, but I knew that eventually it was going to take me to the place I wanted to go. So my advice to people getting into this field is really choose wisely, gain as much experience as you can, and then to turn some of the negatives into a positive is another huge aspect. I was graduating and 2008 hit and it was a huge, huge hit, but I stuck with it and I made it through and I worked really hard and I did my best and I kept my side of the street clean and I forged through it. And we went from a company that was 120 employees to 20. But I wrote it out. And then I saw a new opportunity that people from Florida working with JL Homes, people were moving to Florida. So the housing, even there was a housing bust. There was also a building boom out west here in Del Rey and Boca. So find the opportunities, go with it, use your instincts, follow your heart, but just don't be scared to work.

Todd Miller:

That's neat. And so it sounds like you generally would suggest a career path. You know, you come out of school, be selective, but go out and work for someone else for a while and you know, maybe you fit there and always stay there, but, you know, maybe you eventually break off on your own.

Tiffany Solomon:

Absolutely, that's exactly what happened to me. I was working, I saw the retail design firm and then I saw the opportunity and I took the leap of faith. And 15 years later, I still have my company and I have nothing but amazing clients. I go solely on word of mouth, so I know I do my best. Some people I can't make happy, some people I can. But I know every project has been the right project for me and that I'm most grateful for.

Todd Miller:

What was that transition like for you? You know, one of the things that I often look at a lot of careers and we've talked to architects about this and, you know, they'll say, okay, when I was in college or maybe it was technical school, they trained me to do the thing, but they didn't train me to run a business or to own a business. What was that transition like for you?

Tiffany Solomon:

A lot of work, but in all fairness, I got lucky in the sense that I got to watch my family build a very successful business. My mother is through and through a businesswoman, I have learned so much from her. She has guided me along the way until I said, Okay, stop fighting me, I got this. I need to learn on my own. But, you know, she has, I just grew up in a very business oriented family. My grandfather came after World War Two with not a penny in his pocket and built a huge real estate empire. So I was lucky to be part of that and just grow up in that environment of family business where we would sit around the table and talk business. So I was lucky in that. However, when it actually came to do being the accountants, being the receptionist, being the manager, being the talent, that one kind of throws you for a loop and you just forge through little by little, step by step to keep growing.

Todd Miller:

Good advice. Well, this has been great, really have enjoyed our time together. We're getting close to the end of our time and I want to thank you again. Before we close out, and we have a couple other questions after this, but I want to ask you if you're willing to participate in our rapid fire questions. So these are seven questions. Sometimes serious, sometimes can be a little silly. All you got to do is give a quick answer and our audience needs to understand, Tiffany has no idea what we're going to ask, so what is it? Are you up to the challenge of rapid-fire?

Tiffany Solomon:

For sure. Bring it on.

Todd Miller:

Well, Seth and I will kind of alternate questions here. I will start and then we'll alternate. So this one is pretty serious. I'm just curious, what is your favorite place to be in the interior of your own home and why is that your favorite place?

Tiffany Solomon:

My backyard, it's exceptional. It's where I really put a lot of love and energy. It's also where I take my girls and we do garden and get out there and just we're so lucky we live in Florida. It's so beautiful out almost every day. So for me, it's the swimming pool, it's the the outdoors. I've just made it into a beautiful, safe, fun, beautiful place.

Todd Miller:

Awesome.

Seth Heckaman:

Very cool. Second question, what is your least favorite color?

Tiffany Solomon:

Oh, that is a good question. Red.

Seth Heckaman:

That was a quick answer. So what is then, if we can add in eighth question, what is your favorite color then?

Tiffany Solomon:

Pink.

Todd Miller:

Oh, like light red, as I would say.

Tiffany Solomon:

Yeah, isn't that interesting?

Todd Miller:

Cool stuff.

Tiffany Solomon:

Two extremes.

Todd Miller:

Okay, so what is your favorite animal print like zebra or giraffe or cow?

Tiffany Solomon:

Or cow?

Todd Miller:

Well, it could be whatever you like. I'm just throwing out examples.

Tiffany Solomon:

It's a funny question. I actually really don't like animal prints. I find it a little dated. It comes in and it goes out, it comes in. I'm more of a neutral. If you're going to put a hide in a house, it's going to be a neutral. It's not going to have any kind of animal prints on it.

Todd Miller:

Awesome, well, perfect answer.

Seth Heckaman:

If you could snap your fingers and do anything to change the world, what would it be?

Tiffany Solomon:

I think I think there's two to that. I think I think there would be two answers. So I'm going to steal it. I'm going to take two wishes instead of one.

Todd Miller:

That's great.

Tiffany Solomon:

First one would be environment, especially being working with builders and working in land development. I've worked extensively with developers, so seeing for example, around here in Florida, US starting to build into the agricultural reserve and certain things like that, you know, is really just being very, very aware of conscious building and environmentally sustainable building. I think that would be my top priority to focus on the environment. And the second thing I would do is, I guess in a way I would wish that that kids would grow up with more love and more, a solid school system and an education where they can reach their dreams. I see in this country a tremendous lack of value in the arts, especially in the public school system now, especially after COVID, where their hands are really tied. But these kids are in school all day long. There's no creative outlet for them anymore, as much or as nearly enough of a creative outlet. I feel like self-expression and love. All those kind of emotions are being neglected. So I think I would that would be my second wish to see more of that.

Todd Miller:

Those are beautiful answers. And I knew when I wrote that question. I thought, oh, my goodness, I don't know how I'd answer this, this is a tough one. Beautiful answer. So what do you like most about your line of work?

Tiffany Solomon:

I love the process. I love building something. Like I'd mentioned, that to me is magic. So being able to collaborate with somebody and build something for them on an energetic level is so satisfying for me. Building their home or redesigning their home, but being able to take the client along the process and have them have trust in my abilities and my designs or working with them. That's really everything for me.

Seth Heckaman:

What is the time of day that you're most productive?

Tiffany Solomon:

The morning, for sure.

Todd Miller:

I'm right there with you. I'm worn out by the end of the day. Okay. Final rapid fire question, even though we snuck a couple extras in there, which was cool. Do you have a favorite movie?

Tiffany Solomon:

I do, actually. It's Love, Actually. I watched it last night and I forgot about how much I love this movie. That's one of my favorite.

Todd Miller:

I don't know if I've ever seen that. I remember it, but I don't know if I've ever seen that.

Seth Heckaman:

One of my wife's favorites.

Tiffany Solomon:

Oh, I love it.

Todd Miller:

Well, again, Tiffany, thank you so much. Been a real pleasure to visit with you today and learn from you today. Is. Is there anything we haven't covered today that you'd like to to cover or share with our audience?

Tiffany Solomon:

You know, I think I think when you brought this to my attention and disruptions in the field and what was going on, the only thing that I would probably add to this discussion is that everything has been affected, timing of projects, timing of getting materials, the availability of new materials. It used to be you can always see reps with new lines of stuff and really creative, fun, beautiful, new, new things. So it's just kind of I think I would just add that anybody who is entering into either building a home or redesigning a home, that they be very aware of the timing of projects. It used to be we'd get a deadline and we'd work to get to that deadline. Now things are so beyond our control where the timing of the project really is, what it's going to be.

Todd Miller:

Yeah, we're living that in our world as well. And yeah, that's that's good advice. So, Tiffany, if folks wanted to get in touch with you, what is the best way for them to do that?

Tiffany Solomon:

I do. I have a website. They can do that or I'm on Instagram. tiffanysolomondesigns.com and my Instagram you can follow the link through.

Tiffany Solomon:

Todd Miller: Great, tiffanysolomondesigns.com and I've been on there it's beautiful, it's inspiring, love your website. Good stuff. Well, thank you again, Tiffany, and thank you audience for tuning in to this episode of Construction Disruption with Tiffany Solomon of Tiffany Solomon Designs, based in Boca Raton, Florida. We encourage you, please watch for future episodes of our podcast. We have more great guests coming up. And don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. Until the next time, though, I encourage everyone change the world for someone, make them smile, encourage them, bring them hope. Powerful things that we can do to change the world one interaction at a time. In the meanwhile, God bless, take care. This is Isaiah Industries signing off until the next episode of Construction Disruption.