This Week’s Stories
Opportunity is around every corner — if you know where to look. First In Line connects, inspires, and empowers people by helping them see the next big trend before it happens. Hosted by Brit Morin, a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, each episode explores the behind-the-scenes conversations, technologies, and innovations shaping the future. New episodes are released on Thursdays.
The Best Home Design Ideas We Learned From Joanna Gaines and Emily Henderson
Home design is not what it used to be. As popular looks start to make everything feel the same, it’s becoming harder to stand out, create the right style for your home, and maximize value — unless you know exactly what your house needs. When you have insider knowledge about the newest looks, best technologies, and DIY approaches, home design truly becomes an incredibly rewarding experience.
To help guide you through the process, Chip and Joanna Gaines joined Brit Morin on the First In Line podcast to share their invaluable wisdom and experience, and designer Emily Henderson also joined the chat to walk you through the new rules of home design.
Lesson #1: Trends will become less and less important as homemakers prioritize cultivating a consistent emotional experience within their homes.
"When someone spends time in your space, you want it to feel like home," Gaines told Morin on the new podcast episode. She continued, "A home is an emotional space, allow it to flow emotionally."
In recent years, Joanna Gaines confessed to steering home design clients away from trends and anything that feels too cookie-cutter. "The trends we are headed toward are more individual. [They're] unique styles that you can't necessarily pinpoint as, 'that's modern, that's eclectic, that's farm.' It's more like, 'it feels right,' and it feels right because it's truly the story of the people designing the space."
Lesson #2: If you want to make your home more unique, swap out light fixtures and add thrifted art to refresh your space.
NYTimes best-selling author and design star Emily Henderson has the cheat code to a fast and affordable home zhush: cull Craiglist, Facebook Marketplace, antique malls, and thrift stores for unique light fixtures and wall art to immediately change your space. "As a mom, practicality comes into design. But with art and lights, you can be more free in those areas."
She adds, "Art is personal and it's hard to find. But if you are thrifting or going to flea markets, it is the fastest way to make your house interesting." She shares that during the pandemic, so many of us started buying our home goods from the same websites and brands, and that's given rise to many of us living in pretty generic-looking homes. She cautions that we also might be making design choices that are too safe.
On the topic of art, Morin had to ask, "Are gallery walls still cool anymore?" To which Henderson replied, "If it's good art, it always works."
Lesson #3: As we emerge from the tough season the pandemic carried with it, home design will become more layered and deeply reflective of a moodier turn inward.
"Any time we have hardship, or any time we are pressed, beauty can rise from that. And creativity. When people get pinched, the beauty that comes from that is really amazing and fascinating," Gaines remarked. She predicts we'll start to see moodier home design choices, particularly with color choice. Think navy, deep greens, dark and moody plaids.
Chip Gaines adds, "The whole world experienced a traumatic reality. We've all felt caged up. So I hope this new season we're entering is a return to nature — something truly unifying."
Like fashion, you have to wear your home design choices confidently. Be sure to check out the rest of the episode for even more pro trips and to find out which design rules are meant to be broken. Below, we've shared helpful timestamps for our episode highlights so you can easily find the topic you want to hear most. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to First In Line wherever you get your podcasts!
(04:16) What’s new with Chip and Joanna and why they got into exteriors
(05:53) How Joanna makes rentals and flip homes feel like a home
(09:11) How anyone can now get involved in flipping homes and rentals
(13:19) Why a home needs to flow emotionally and why style should be consistent
(15:10) The most popular exteriors
(16:37) Why Joanna tries to steer her client away from trends
(17:11) The trends Joanna likes currently
(18:19) Why Chip hopes the new season is one that brings us closer to nature
(20:53) How Chip and Joanna started out with renovation and interior design
(23:34) Ways you can dip your toe into the real estate market and why it’s a great time to get involved
(28:18) How Emily got into interior design
(31:04) Emily’s early experiments with design and natural knack for it
(35:59) When to break the rules of design
(38:05) The new rules of design
(40:02) The most expensive choices to reverse
(41:27) Why Emily is a big fan of everything that’s in style now
(44:22) Why theme rooms are not timeless, and why cookie cutter might not last
(47:02) Thinking outside the box when it comes to wall hangings
(49:30) Why redesigning can be a positive for some, but unnecessary for others
(54:10) Why Emily isn’t big into tech in homes
(56:15) Brit’s techy home and features that help conserve water and energy
(1:04:26) Sustainably renovating on a budget
(1:08:23) The pros and cons of investing in a rental home and things to consider
(1:15:46) Emily’s final tips for getting started
How To Win In Web3 With Mila Kunis + Kevin Rose
Whether or not you understand Web3, there’s one thing you should know: it’s a massive opportunity for almost anyone — if you’re willing to have some growing pains. In this episode, you’ll learn why Web3 just doesn’t have big investors, it’s also a game-changing chance for women and non-binary individuals to get in early where they are typically left out.
Kevin Rose shares his lessons for growing Moonbirds to $500 million in just four months, and Mila Kunis explains how she has used Web3 to launch passion projects and create value for fans like never before.
In this episode, we cover:
(06:30) Meet Kevin Rose and Mila Kunis
(07:36) What is Web3, and how will it shift power to the people
(09:06) How blockchain keeps people honest
(12:20) Analogies to further explain blockchain
(18:03) Kevin's Doge experiment in 2014
(22:10) Mila's introduction to crypto
(25:00) Mila's passion project using NFTs in animation
(31:01) Why Hollywood didn’t get it right
(32:04) Mila's next project with the NFT community
(37:56) The PROOF Collective
(40:47) Explanation of the Moonbirds NFTs
(45:46) How women and non-binary folks have been excluded from financial and tech opportunities
(50:00) How to encourage marginalized folks to get involved in Web3 and the advantages of a diverse team
(55:00) Gatekeeping in the web3 community
(1:00:15) Big picture on web3 and ideas for keeping lower-income folks engaged
(1:04:00) Why NFTs and crypto should be seen more as a hobby
Where to find Mila Kunis:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/milakunisv
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MILAKUNISV/
Where to find Kevin Rose:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinrose
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kevinrose/
• Website: https://www.kevinrose.com/
• Podcast: https://www.proof.xyz/
Where to find First In Line and Brit Morin:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/brit
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brit/ & https://www.instagram.com/firstinline/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@firstinline_pod
• Website: https://firstinlinepod.com/