What if the most “invisible” category in the office—storage—could quietly shape culture, signal quality, and make work feel human? That’s the question we chase with Heartwork founder Karen John, whose path from UCLA to Florence and Milan reframed design as a deeply connected system: product, space, brand, and manufacturing working as one. She shares how her experience in Italian studios inspired Heartwork’s decision to manufacture in the U.S. and keep design close to the floor.

We dig into the unglamorous parts of the process that matter: engineering that holds up in enterprise environments, installation that respects crews and timelines, and a color strategy—built with Laura Guido-Clark—that refuses to settle for “fifty shades of gray.” 

Karen explains why large organizations don’t want to overpay, but absolutely can’t afford to replace flimsy laminate in six months, and how thoughtful customization at scale unlocks standards programs that work in the real world. 

Along the way, we unpack hard truths of entrepreneurship: early skepticism, name debates, and the long, necessary work of building a team and partners you trust.

We also talk about the future. AI is already reducing rework, visualizing experiences before a shovel hits dirt, and compressing the messy loops between program, budget, and design intent. For an industry that thrives on complexity—and suffers from it—this is a chance to protect furniture quality instead of cutting it at the last minute. 

Karen’s take is optimistic and practical: let machines handle the drudgery so people can do the human parts better—listening, crafting, deciding. We close with career advice that sticks: follow the work that gives you energy after you do it, because joy and success tend to travel together when you build with intention.

If this conversation sparks ideas, share it with a colleague, leave a quick review, and hit follow so you never miss the next deep dive. Your support helps more designers, dealers, and makers find stories that move our industry forward.

In this episode: