Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know: Insider Industry Advice for Residential Interior Designers

What do you do when the sofa is delayed, the fabric is backordered, the tariff surcharge shows up after the order is placed, and your client is staring at you like you personally disrupted the supply chain?  In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know , Rebecca sits down with Maggie Griffin, founder and principal designer of Maggie Griffin Design in Gainesville, Georgia, to talk about...

Will you be ready when your contractor and trades ask you for buildable plans and detailed construction docs? 😬  In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca sits down with Jessica Marchant of Blue-Sky Creative to talk about one of the most important parts of a successful interior design project: technical drawings . Rebecca asks: What are technical construction drawings? 🤔 ...

What actually separates a “pretty ideas” designer from the one contractors trust, clients respect, and projects run smoothly for? In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know , Rebecca West sits down with residential interior designer Ronniesha Rivera, founder of Alder & Stone and Vetted by Design, to talk about the unsexy (but wildly powerful) backbone of a successful design busin...

What does it actually takes to go from “wide-eyed intern” to confident design-firm owner? What does it feel like to be two years into running your own studio? In this very special episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know Rebecca sits down with her former Seriously Happy Homes team member, Rachel Poe, to unpack the real-world lessons she carried from her early days into running her own thri...

Grab a drink and get ready for the most real talk, spill-the-tea convo, not just about what it takes to set up a flat fee billing system , but also about the reality of leading a team , growing a design firm , saying no , and marketing a small business .  In this candid conversation, Rebecca sits down with Texas-based designer Caron Woolsey of CW Interiors to unpack the real-world journey from hou...

What happens when an interior designer finally gets crystal clear about who she works with—and who she doesn’t?  In this episode, interior designer Amanda Welch of Brooksvale Design (Woodinville, WA) shares how refining her website copy , clarifying her process , and boldly posting pricing transformed her business. Amanda tells us why it was scary (but powerful) to put pricing on her website , how...

Want your contractor to rave about you (and send you referrals)? Turns out, the secret isn’t great design—it’s great design files!  You know: floor plans, elevations, and material lists. They aren’t just nice to have. They are essential to a smooth project! In the latest episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know , Rebecca chats with general contractors Chris and Lisa of Raincap Construction...

Want to Be the Next Joanna Gaines or Nate Berkus? Here's What You Need to Know About Licensing Your Name Ever wondered what it takes to build a brand like Joanna Gaines, Nate Berkus, or Jonathan Adler—the kind that turns your name into a household one (and a revenue stream)? You’re not alone! In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know , we’re diving into the world of licensing,...

In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know we enjoy a masterclass on marketing strategies for interior designers with Robyn White of RDW Design Studio, a website design firm dedicated to Interior Designers. She may have come to the industry thanks to an embarrassing addiction to HGTV <cue the cringe lol> but she's since learned exactly what it actually takes to be a profes...

In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know I sit down with Kamala Nair, CEO of  Kamala Nair, Inc, a copywriting firm dedicated to Interior Designers,  to help us understand when - and how - to work with a professional copywriter. Having worked for Elle Decor Magazine as a content writer, and West Elm as a copy writer, she's got behind-the-scenes knowledge on what it takes to rea...

In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know I sit down with Natalie Spears, CEO of  Vintage Grey, a bookkeeping firm dedicated to Interior Designers,  to reveal the bookkeeping essentials every designer needs. From the often-ignored legal pitfalls of co-mingling funds (it’s not just a bookkeeping nightmare!) to those dreaded credit card processing fees (and why avoiding them might act...

Hey interior designers! We’re living in an exciting era, watching AI technology unfold before our eyes. Of course, just like when the printing press, the telephone, or even TV emerged, people are scared AI is going end life as we know it. Are they right? Is AI going to take our interior design jobs?  🔍 In this episode, we explore: Why AI isn't as threatening to interior designers as it seems...

In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know we talk about the fundamentals of building in interior design website. Whether your DIYing your first site, or finally investing in a professional website designer develop, this episode will give a roadmap that decomplicates the ecosystem of your site and turns it into a conversion machine! In 17 short minutes we'll cover: Function Firs...

In this first episode, host Rebecca West introduces the heart and soul of the Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know podcast. With over 17 years of residential interior design experience, Rebecca shares her mission to help designers, especially those new to the industry or transitioning from other careers, gain the respect and success they deserve. Whether you're a solo designer or leading a t...