Shows
AVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiAuthentic Living & Timeless Design with MAURA DINEEN of MOE’s HOME COLLECTIONFor the Season 2 finale of AVD Inspire, we took the podcast LIVE on the Main Stage at the Interior Design Show in Vancouver. I had the pleasure of having Maura Dineen, Creative Director at Moe’s Home Collection, join me in front of an amazing live audience. Maura pulls back the curtain on what it really means to shape a design-forward furniture brand – from in-house product development and global collaborations, to the quiet, behind-the-scenes role Moe’s Home plays as a “silent partner” for designers and retailers. Together, we dive into authentic living, timeless design, and why your home s...
2025-11-2128 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiWhen Beauty Is the Awakening - The Soulful Path to Her Next Chapter: ODETTE by KELLY DECKAward-winning Vancouver interior designer Kelly Deck joins Aly live at IDS Vancouver to talk tranquil luxury, the renaissance of decoration, and the launch of her new wallpaper brand, Odette by Kelly Deck. They dive into how the best rooms evolve in layers, why “happy accidents” become defining design moments, and how to hold a vision while staying fluid on site. Kelly also shares the career pivot that reshaped her practice and why personalization, story, and textile layering are back in a big way.In this episode, we talk aboutTranquil luxury and how...
2025-11-1428 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiThe Art of Brushstrokes and Breakthroughs - with artist ZOË PAWLAKVancouver artist Zoë Pawlak joins Aly Velji to share her journey as an artist, creative collaboration, and how she pushes herself to expand herself beyond the traditional canvas. We get into original art vs. planned obsolescence, fashion and rug collaborations, collecting with intention, and why creative discipline matters as much as inspiration. Recorded live at IDS Vancouver inside our custom booth by Bureau.In this episode, we talk aboutWhy spiritual wellness fuels creative flowOriginal art vs. planned obsolescence and how to build a meaningful collectionFrom canvases to h...
2025-11-0725 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiConfessions of a Design Powerhouse - with KARIN BOHN of HOUSE OF BOHNAward-winning Vancouver designer Karin Bohn—founder and creative director of House of Bohn and host of Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge—joins Aly Velji live from IDS Vancouver to talk about creativity, collaboration, and the courage to scale back to move forward. This conversation dives into the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur, creative burnout, and how to build a business with soul.In this episode, we talk about• The evolution of House of Bohn and building a West Coast design brand • The reality of creative design concepts vs. what actually g...
2025-11-0328 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiTimeless Design & West Coast Soul - with Vancouver Interior Designer SOPHIE BURKEThis week, my fellow design lover and friend Sophie Burke, joins me for another AVD Inspire episode inside our custom recording booth by Bureau x IDS Vancouver. She is the founder of Sophie Burke Design, an award winning Vancouver interior designer known for West Coast interiors with quiet luxury, subtle sophistication, and beautiful restraint. We talk about human centered design, heritage home renovation, why professional interior photography matters, and how collaborations elevate every project. From London design roots to Pacific Northwest style, this is a masterclass in timeless interiors you will actually want to live in....
2025-10-2422 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiConfessions of a Lighting Genius - with Founder/Creative Director MATTHEW MCCORMICKSeason 2 of AVD Inspire continues live from IDS Vancouver inside our custom recording booth by Bureau and this one’s a total glow-up! Aly sits down with Matthew McCormick, the brilliant mind behind Matthew McCormick Studio, to talk about all things light, creativity, and collaboration.Known for his sculptural lighting and quietly powerful presence in the global design scene, Matthew opens up about his creative process, career-defining moments, and what it really takes to make lighting unforgettable. This episode is packed with inspiration, humility, and design confessions that will change how you see the light. ...
2025-10-1727 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiThe Art of Capturing Raw Emotion - with Photographer EMA PETERWe’re keeping the Design Confessions rolling, recorded live from IDS Vancouver inside our custom recording booth by Bureau. Today I’m joined by the incredibly talented Ema Peter - an award-winning architectural and interior photographer whose images make you feel something.Ema’s work has that rare, emotional pull - the kind that stops you mid-scroll and makes you want to step right into space. We talk about the beauty of raw, honest work, the comeback of analog, and how to capture that spark that makes a photo unforgettable. From her early days at Magnum in Paris...
2025-10-1025 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiMagazines, Mentors & Modern Design - with ANICKA QUIN of WESTERN LIVING MAGAZINESeason 2 is here, design lovers! And I couldn’t be more excited to kick things off with someone who has been such a champion of my work and the Canadian design scene: Anicka Quin. She’s the VP of Content at Canada Wide Media and the powerhouse behind Western Living, Vancouver Magazine, BC Business, BC Living, and TV Week. Basically, she’s the woman keeping Western Canada on the design map — and doing it with serious style.Anicka and I go way back, and this chat feels full-circle. Usually she’s the one interviewing me, but this time the t...
2025-10-0325 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiShaping the Future of Design — with WILL SORRELL of IDSFor our season finale of AVD Inspire, I’m joined by someone who’s not only curating Canada’s biggest design stage but also shaping where the industry is heading: Will Sorrell, National Director of the Interior Design Show (IDS).Will’s journey is a story of global vision meeting Canadian design. Raised in London by designer parents, he spent 20 years curating and producing exhibitions across 16 countries before making the leap to Canada. Today, he leads IDS Toronto and IDS Vancouver — reimagining what design shows can be and ensuring Canadian talent shines on an international stage.In this co...
2025-08-2626 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiCraft, Culture & Creative Roots — with LAURA NORIEGA of TRIBUTOThis week on AVD Inspire, I’m joined by the brilliant Laura Noriega — Founder and Creative Director of TRIBUTO, a design brand that celebrates Mexico’s cultural heritage through timeless, handmade objects.Laura’s story is all about leaving, returning, and rediscovering her creative roots. She studied and worked in Barcelona, Milan, and even Kyoto — chasing inspiration all over the world. But when she returned to Guadalajara, she found her true calling: reconnecting with her culture and championing the artisans who keep traditional craft alive.Together with her sister, Laura built TRIBUTO into a brand that’s as...
2025-08-1924 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiWoodwork, Legacy & Leaps of Faith — with TJ EDMONDSONThis week on AVD Inspire, I’m joined by the inspiring and grounded TJ Edmondson — President & Owner of Windsor Workshop and Co-Founder of Local Made Market. His story is a masterclass in following your gut, taking the leap, and building a life with your hands, your heart, and a whole lot of sawdust.TJ’s journey began in the world of management consulting, racking up hotel loyalty points and living out of airport lounges. But when the pandemic hit, he swapped boardrooms for the woodshop, taking over one of North America’s most iconic furniture makers and carrying forw...
2025-08-1124 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiWeaving Identity, Art, and Power — with SIMONE ELIZABETH SAUNDERSThis week on AVD Inspire, I’m joined by the brilliant and bold Simone Elizabeth Saunders, one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary textile artists. Her hand-tufted portraits are more than art — they’re powerful statements rooted in Black womanhood, visual storytelling, and ancestral connection.Simone's rise from a decade-long career in theatre to becoming a globally recognized fiber artist is nothing short of inspiring. Her work has been exhibited in major galleries from Toronto to Miami, featured in Forbes, CBC, and Colossal, and now lives inside her stunning new book, Encompass the Galaxy.In this hea...
2025-08-0525 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiLights, Grit, and Taking the Leap — with KATE MACNEILL of Concord Custom LightingThis week on AVD Inspire, Aly sits down with lighting designer and creative entrepreneur Kate MacNeill, founder of Concord Custom Lighting — the all-female Canadian studio known for crafting bespoke light fixtures for luxury residential and high-end hospitality interiors.In this episode, we dive into:How Kate built a women-led lighting design studio from scratchThe behind-the-scenes process of custom lighting manufacturingHow to turn a design vision into a functional, code-compliant productWhat it really takes to thrive as a female founder in the design industryHow to...
2025-07-2920 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiFrom Science to Soulful Spaces with STANLEY SUN of Mason StudioThis week on AVD Inspire, I’m sitting down with one of my oldest (and most fabulous) friends — Stanley Sun, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Mason Studio.Before he was designing hotels, restaurants, exhibitions, and retail spaces around the world, Stanley was deep in the world of neuroscience. That’s right…he almost became a doctor! But thankfully for all of us, he followed his heart (and his talent) straight into the world of design.In this episode, we’re talking about what it really means to bring your whole self into your creative work — your backgro...
2025-07-2225 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiDesign, Drag & Doing the Bold Thing — with JONATHAN SOTTO of Yabu PushelbergThis week on AVD Inspire, Aly Velji sits down with Jonathan Sotto — Director of Business Development at the Global Creative Design Studio Yabu Pushelberg — for a conversation that’s equal parts style, soul, and show-stopping resilience.From cold-calling firms straight out of school to now leading business across Asia and the Americas, Jonathan shares the behind-the-scenes story of how grit, good timing, and knowing when to pivot shaped his two-decade journey in the world of design. The two dive into everything from imposter syndrome to the importance of feedback, what it's like to make bold career decisions, and why givi...
2025-07-1528 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiThe Art of Starting Fresh: Artist MURRAY DUNCAN on Letting Go to Create FreelyWhat happens when you step away from something safe to pursue something soulful? In this inspiring episode of AVD Inspire, Aly Velji sits down with Toronto-based contemporary artist Murray Duncan to talk about creativity, courage, and the choice to start again—this time with purpose.After years of running his beloved retail store Hardware in Toronto, Canada, Murray followed an inner pull toward art. That leap turned into a career rooted in storytelling, emotion, and deep personal alignment. His work often described as an emotional visual diary—has now been featured in top publications and homes across North Am...
2025-07-0821 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiStyle, Soul & Reinvention - with Stylist & Fashion Icon PETER PAPAPETROUWhat is style, really? In this vibrant, heartfelt and hilarious conversation, Aly Velji sits down with legendary stylist and creative force Peter Papapetrou to talk about how fashion, identity, and creativity evolve across decades, cities, and life chapters.From the basement fashion shows of his youth to styling for The Marilyn Denis Show and working with couture houses like Giambattista Valli, Peter opens up about the hustle and the joy behind his colorful career.Now splitting his time between Toronto and Miami, Peter shares how marriage, moving abroad, vintage fashion in Amsterdam, and reconnecting...
2025-07-0135 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiFull Circle with MARILYN DENIS : Legacy, Laughter & Letting GoTo launch the AVD INSPIRE Podcast, Aly Velji sits down with none other than Canadian media legend Marilyn Denis — in a heartfelt, full-circle moment that’s as personal as it is powerful.From her 49-year reign across Canadian radio and television to her timeless wisdom on reinvention, legacy, and self-worth, Marilyn opens up like never before. The two dive into everything from therapy and personal check-ins to career pivots, iconic interviews, and their shared Calgary connection — with a few surprises along the way (Stevie Nicks, Beyoncé, and a very memorable birch tree wallpaper).
2025-06-2430 minAVD INSPIRE with Aly VeljiWelcome to AVD INSPIRE | A Creative Podcast by ALY VELJI for Design, Bold Moves & Staying GroundedThis is where creativity gets lit.Interior designer and creative director Aly Velji invites you into the vibrant, real, and sometimes messy world of artistry, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.In this AVD Inspire teaser, Aly shares what sparked this passion project, what’s in store for Season One, and why launching this podcast on his birthday (June 24th) means more than ever.Whether you're in a creative funk, plotting your next big pivot, or just craving real talk with purpose-driven people — this podcast is your new go-to.Expect intimate convos with Aly’s clos...
2025-06-1902 min
CONNECT older episodesChristmas decorations: Greenery, berries - and paper plates?!Alykhan Velji Designs helps on design projects big and small
2023-12-2209 min
Into the Story: True Stories, Better Communication#39 | Have a Thick Skin (with Alykhan Velji)Alykhan recalls the story of his first day of school after moving to Canada from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania when he was 8 years old.
Level: upper intermediate*
Accent: Canadian
🚐 Ready to take your English further? CLICK HERE FOR FULL EPISODE PACKAGE with vocabulary, test, and transcript
5 words and expressions in today's story:
- GO DOWNHILL: When things get worse or go in a bad direction.
- WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?: Asking if a decision might lead to problems or difficulties.
- TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE: Using someone unfairly for...
2022-03-2215 min