John Ryan and Wendy Lynn are back with a behind-the-scenes look at their Holiday House show house collaboration in Wellington, Florida. From getting selected for the inaugural South Florida designer showcase to building an entire luxury bedroom in just five weeks, this episode dives into the reality of designing under pressure, working with sponsors, making bold creative decisions, and creating the room everyone now calls “the sex room.”
The duo shares how their friendship made collaboration seamless, the challenges of sourcing custom pieces on impossible timelines, and the risks they took to create a dark, moody, high-end space that stands out from traditional Palm Beach interiors. They also break down the sponsorship process, vendor relationships, wallpaper drama, custom furniture details, and the design choices that turned their room into one of the most talked-about spaces in the house.
If you love interior design, show houses, luxury finishes, or hearing the unfiltered reality behind the scenes of the design industry, this episode is for you.
Topics include:
• Holiday House Wellington and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Designing a luxury room in five weeks
• Collaboration between two interior designers
• Creative risks in Palm Beach interiors
• Sponsorships and vendor relationships
• Color drenching and moody design trends
• Custom upholstery, wallpaper, and luxury finishes
• The story behind the “sex room” nickname
What is Design. Drink. Dish.?
Design drink and dish is going to be, first and foremost, about interior design. I want this to be
an uncensored podcast talking about everything that goes on day to day. the nitty gritty of it all.
There is a stigma attached to interior designers that we dress fancy and our job is super luxurious and easy but that is simply not the case (at least for the REAL interior designers and not the decorators haha). So I will talk about issues that arise, crazy client stories, expectations vs reality etc. I am a huge drinker (not an alcoholic lmao) so there will be drinking involved and I will describe the cocktail and how to make it in the beginning of each episode (this will be quick). I do plan to have guests on certain episodes. They will be vendors, clients (past and present) or just someone who has no idea about interior design.