Natalie Hartkopf: Sameness is the Real Risk

Cuff Studio: Rethinking Craft in a Mass Production World

What if craftsmanship isn’t a limitation, but a competitive advantage? In this episode of Play with Matches, Kristi Bender and Wendy Schwartz, cofounders of Cuff Studio, share how building a handcrafted furniture and lighting practice in Los Angeles has shaped their approach to design, production, and growth. From early custom pieces to a full collection, they explain how materiality, artisan collaboration, and staying close to the work drive innovation and differentiation. They also unpack why clients are increasingly asking where products are made—and what that shift means for designers and manufacturers. Cuff Studio [https://www.cuffstudio.com/] | Show Transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZfLw7roVKGDK5sZOtvv8e4W7MHC_KHUf/view?usp=drive_link] Think you’d make a great guest on Play with Matches? We’d love to hear from you.  [https://2frj1.share.hsforms.com/2-rSJqJtzQPGDuqOd4Hz3Mw] UpSpring is a strategic PR, marketing, and growth partner for firms and product companies shaping the built environment. For more than 17 years, the agency has helped architecture, design, development, and building product brands turn expertise into market authority. Learn more about UpSpring: Website [https://hubs.la/Q047L-_j0] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareupspring] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareupspring/]

Amie Shao: Designing Birth Spaces That Change Outcomes

What if maternal health outcomes are shaped by design decisions? In this episode of Play with Matches, Amie Shao, Principal and Senior Director at Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS), explores how architecture and the built environment influence maternal care, health equity, and patient outcomes. Through projects spanning Malawi to Boston, she explains why birth spaces impact trust, dignity, and whether families seek care at all. This conversation reframes healthcare design in the AEC industry as a critical factor in access, outcomes, and equity. Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) [https://modelofarchitecture.org/] | Show Transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R6MHcnyzSvTnFtcGuwvns9iWGAySWilB/view?usp=sharing] Think you’d make a great guest on Play with Matches? We’d love to hear from you.  [https://2frj1.share.hsforms.com/2-rSJqJtzQPGDuqOd4Hz3Mw] UpSpring is a strategic PR, marketing, and growth partner for firms and product companies shaping the built environment. For more than 17 years, the agency has helped architecture, design, development, and building product brands turn expertise into market authority. Learn more about UpSpring: Website [https://hubs.la/Q047L-_j0] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareupspring] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareupspring/]

Adaeze Cadet: Better Design Starts with Inclusion

What if equity isn’t separate from design excellence, but the foundation of it? In this episode of Play with Matches, host Tiffany Rafii sits down with Adaeze Cadet, Design Principal at HOK, to explore how equity and mentorship shape better outcomes in architecture. From community-centered projects to leadership at the firm level, Adaeze shares why who is included in the process directly impacts the quality of the work. HOK [https://www.hok.com/] | Show Transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o7ZxKvny7sQmmW_JBY9X_mVP_9efGOwL/view?usp=sharing] Think you’d make a great guest on Play with Matches? We’d love to hear from you.  [https://2frj1.share.hsforms.com/2-rSJqJtzQPGDuqOd4Hz3Mw] UpSpring is a strategic PR, marketing, and growth partner for firms and product companies shaping the built environment. For more than 17 years, the agency has helped architecture, design, development, and building product brands turn expertise into market authority. Learn more about UpSpring: Website [https://hubs.la/Q047L-_j0] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareupspring] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareupspring/]

Avi Rajagopal: Attention is Earned, Not Pitched

What makes a story earn attention in today’s design media landscape? In this episode of Play with Matches, host Tiffany Rafii sits down with Avi Rajagopal, Editor-in-Chief of Metropolis, to unpack how products, projects, and brands break through—and why most don’t. From editorial judgment and timing to positioning and cultural relevance, Avi shares what separates the pitches that land from the ones that get ignored. Metropolis [https://metropolismag.com/] | Show Transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iFhbHDLBuwiJFxcWEqsmQuBO5IBFQxhN/view?usp=sharing] Think you’d make a great guest on Play with Matches? We’d love to hear from you.  [https://2frj1.share.hsforms.com/2-rSJqJtzQPGDuqOd4Hz3Mw] UpSpring is a strategic PR, marketing, and growth partner for firms and product companies shaping the built environment. For more than 17 years, the agency has helped architecture, design, development, and building product brands turn expertise into market authority. Learn more about UpSpring: Website [https://hubs.la/Q047L-_j0] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareupspring] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareupspring/]

Natalie Hartkopf: Sameness is the Real Risk

What happens when you refuse to follow the industry’s playbook? In this episode of Play with Matches, Natalie Hartkopf, co-owner and chair of Hightower, shares how independence, curiosity, and collaboration have shaped one of the most distinctive brands in contract furniture. From rethinking product development to challenging trade show norms and pushing for real supply chain transparency, Natalie makes a compelling case for why differentiation—not scale—is the true competitive advantage. In a market full of lookalikes, sameness isn’t safe. It’s the risk. Hightower [https://hightower.design/] | Show Transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GbW7JGTiKV-SXpYmWaqMRAwK7O4Flxfi/view?usp=sharing] Think you’d make a great guest on Play with Matches? We’d love to hear from you.  [https://2frj1.share.hsforms.com/2-rSJqJtzQPGDuqOd4Hz3Mw] UpSpring is a strategic PR, marketing, and growth partner for firms and product companies shaping the built environment. For more than 17 years, the agency has helped architecture, design, development, and building product brands turn expertise into market authority. Learn more about UpSpring: Website [https://hubs.la/Q047L-_j0] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareupspring] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareupspring/]