Host: Anthony Mlachnik (Senior Wealth Advisor, Annex Private Client)
Guest: Anna Franklin – Founder & Creative Director of Stonehouse Collective (Milwaukee/Wisconsin-based luxury interior design firm)

Anna’s Journey

• Grew up in small-town Wisconsin → studied Public Relations → moved to Chicago for event planning & major-gift fundraising (10 years).
• Met husband in Chicago, moved back to Wisconsin (Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee area) ~10 years ago to raise family (now 3 kids).
• After first child, rediscovered creative passion → accidentally fell into home staging → became “the stager of Milwaukee” → pivoted to full interior design during 2020/COVID.
• Not a formally trained designer; acts as creative director/entrepreneur.
• Grew Stonehouse Collective to 15 employees (5 full-time designers), opened first retail store in Shorewood in March 2023, and hit record revenue in 2025.

Key Themes & Insights on Wealthy Clients

1. Two Types of Clients Today
   • High-customization, unique, heirloom-quality (willing to pay $30k for a sofa).
   • Want the “look” but at the lowest possible price (tariffs & cost pressures pushing this segment).
2. Psychology of Spending
   • Wealth does not equal willingness to spend on furniture/design.
   • Some ultra-wealthy clients buy the $3k sofa because “they don’t care about furniture.”
   • Some middle/upper-middle clients will stretch or max out credit for fully U.S.-made, 40-hands-touched heirloom pieces because that is what they value.
   • It’s never about the dollar amount; it’s about personal values, legacy, memories, and emotional connection.
3. Trends by DemographicYounger / Millennial / Liquidity-Event Wealth
   • Full smart-home integration (Lutron, Sonos, automated showers, security, lighting scenes controlled by phone).
     Wellness spas at home: cold plunges, saunas, steam, red-light therapy — all ideally in one integrated wellness room.
     Hitting all five senses the moment they walk in (scent, sound, light temperature, etc.).
4. Boomers / 60s–70s
   • Surprisingly also adding wellness/spa elements (many now want saunas & cold plunges too).
   • Grandkid-focused spaces (arcade rooms, integrated TV/gaming areas with sleek motion furniture instead of old dedicated theaters).
   • Aging-in-place planning: wider doors, future elevator shafts, curbless showers.
   • Strong aversion to bold 90s-style patterns/color that millennials are embracing (“grand-millennial” trend).
5. Tech & Smart Homes
   • Almost everything is now phone-controlled; wall panels and whole-house distributed audio are largely out.
   • TVs hidden or pop-up, projectors still used, but giant TVs are cheap and ubiquitous.
   • Some boomers initially resist phone control but warm up once they see it in action.
6. Outdoor & Extended Living
   • Big focus on indoor-outdoor flow, pool houses with saunas, outbuildings (elevated “she-sheds,” homeschool barns, wellness barns).
   • Layered exterior lighting (down-lights, up-lights, feature lighting on stone/wood) is huge.
7. Emerging & Fun Requests
   • Flower rooms / cutting rooms (glass conservatory-style for arranging bouquets).
   • Dog washes still popular but no longer novel.
   • Lighting as “jewelry” of the house — heavy layering (picture lights, sconces, pin spots, etc.).
8. Social Media & Pinterest Effect
   • 97% of clients arrive with a Pinterest board or saved Instagram images.
   • Pros: helps clients communicate when they lack design vocabulary.
   • Cons: creates unrealistic expectations about cost, lead times, and customization (Amazon-effect).
   • Anna actively discourages excessive scrolling and digs deep (“You say you love this photo — is it the lamp or the feeling?”).

Closing Message from Anna

• Emphasizes timeless, classic design with layers of trend so homes don’t need gutting every 5–10 years.
• Stonehouse Collective retail store in Shorewood, Milwaukee is open to the public.
• Instagram: @stonehousecollectiveco

Overall, the episode highlights how deeply personal luxury design is — wealth buys options, but values and life stage dictate what people actually spend money on and how they want their home to feel.