224: Sarah Richter & Brandon Medlin - The "Other" Designers on the Job Site

Today we welcome Sarah Richter and Brandon Medlin—partners in life and business and leaders of Sarah Richter Design, an architectural lighting design studio based in Annapolis, Maryland. In this episode, Sarah shares the pivotal moment when she discovered architectural lighting design, and Brandon shares how his skills and background helped bring the business full circle. We also discuss their B2B business model and how they partner exclusively with designers, builders, and architects to elevate the design process and help create truly extraordinary spaces.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

How Sarah's background in architecture led her to discover the specialized world of architectural lighting design. Brandon's journey through business, sales, lighting distribution, controls, and project management—and how those skills complement Sarah's design expertise. Why Sarah Richter Design operates as a B2B architectural lighting studio serving interior designers, architects, builders, and other trade professionals. How an independent lighting designer can support an interior designer's vision without competing for decorative lighting sales or taking over the designer's scope. The value of bringing a lighting designer into a project early to help coordinate architectural lighting, decorative fixtures, controls, dimming, color temperature, and installation details. How Sarah and Brandon balance being spouses, parents, and business partners while bringing different perspectives to the creative and operational sides of the firm. A look inside a 22,000-square-foot residential project where collaboration, tunable white lighting, color-changing lighting, mock-ups, and layered lighting helped create atmosphere throughout the home. Why curiosity, community, trusting the process, and surrounding yourself with knowledgeable collaborators are essential to building a successful design business.

NOTABLE QUOTES

"We are a real-life encyclopedia." "It might be a grind, but it feels like you have a purpose." "I think it's remaining curious." "Our personal definition of success is time."

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

Sarah Richter Design Website: https://www.sarahrichterdesign.com/ Sarah Richter Design Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahrichterdesign/

SPONSOR LINKS

Design Manager / Design Spec: https://designspec.com/survivalguide Interior Design Society: https://interiordesignsociety.org/