The Interior Collective

Epizodes

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  Building A Design Firm Outside a Major Market with Emily Tucker 24.07.2026 1h 8min

  Season 9 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Materio. Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today I’m joined by someone whose story I think is going to resonate deeply with so many of you who are building businesses outside of the obvious design epicenters. Emily Tucker is the founder of Emily Tucker Design, a full-service residential studio headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with projects across the country. With a degree in Architecture and Planning from the University of Colorado Boulder and nearly a decade spent training under Kelly Wearstler, Steven Gambrel, and Ruthie Summers in Los Angeles and New York, Emily returned to Colorado in 2015 with a clear vision and a serious pedigree. She has since built one of the most respected design studios in her region, working on large-scale custom residential projects and earning a spot on Luxe’s Gold List — and just this year, she was named a Luxe ‘NEXT’ Designer for 2026. What makes Emily such a compelling voice for this community is her willingness to talk about the business of design with real honesty. Today we’re diving into what it actually looks like to build a thriving firm in a smaller market, navigating the realities of non-linear growth and unpredictable pipelines, and why the economics of a great project start long before any furniture is selected. We’re talking client alignment, budget stewardship, the right team, and what it means to do this work sustainably. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow beyond the market you’re in, or how to weather the slow seasons without losing your footing, this conversation is for you.
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  Creative Mindset: How to Do Your Best Work and Protect the Creativity of a Project from Start to Finish with Julia Miller 17.07.2026 1h 29min

  Season 9 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Materio. Hi, and welcome back to The Interior Collective. I'm your host, Anastasia Casey, and I'm so glad to have a returning guest with us today. Julia Miller is the founder and creative director of Yond Interiors, a full-service residential design studio based in Minneapolis that serves clients across the country. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, RUE, Sunset, and more, and she's been recognized by House Beautiful's Next Wave and The Expert Top 40. Beyond Yond, Julia is the co-founder of Brunel, a custom furniture shop rooted in craftsmanship, and the founder of The Studio Table — a mentoring program built around the real operations of a working design firm. When Julia came back to the show, we had planned to dig into the systems and process side of her practice. But in the lead-up to this conversation, she brought up something she felt was even more foundational — and honestly, I couldn't agree more. Today we're talking about creative mindset: what it actually takes to get into the frame of mind to do your best work, how to protect that creativity throughout the lifecycle of a project, and what happens when the pressure of running a business starts to crowd out the thing that made you want to do this in the first place. This one is a little different, a little more personal, and I think it's going to resonate deeply.S2 E5: The Logistics of Distance DesignYond InteriorsBrunelStudio Table The Interior Collective: Website | YoutubeIDCO Studio: Website | InstagramKwin Made: Website | InstagramDesign Camp: Website | Instagram
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  The Strategic Hire: Utilizing Remote Support to Scale Your Studio with Reed Humphrey 19.06.2026 46min

  This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Today on The Interior Collective, I'm sitting down with Reed Humphrey, co-founder of Alder & Tweed, one of the largest residential interior design firms in the country, and the founder of Dezign Assist, the platform helping interior designers grow their team at a fraction of the cost. Reed built Alder & Tweed alongside his sister Heather, carved out a niche in luxury second-home and vacation destination design, and scaled the firm to a team that now relies on more than 20 remote junior designers to support projects across the country. That staffing model didn't come from a business book. It came from hitting a very real wall inside his own firm, recognizing that the way most design studios hire was making growth unnecessarily expensive and unnecessarily painful, and deciding to solve it differently. What he built became Dezign Assist. And today we're going to get into all of it: the problem it was designed to solve, who these designers actually are, how to integrate remote support into a studio without losing your standards or your client experience, and what it really means to build a team that lets you get back to the work only you can do. If you've ever talked yourself out of hiring because you couldn't justify the cost, this episode is going to reframe that conversation entirely.
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  Vintage as a Revenue Stream: How to Source, Price, and Scale One of a Kind Design with Ashley Montgomery 12.06.2026 1h 3min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Today’s guest is someone who needs very little introduction: Ashley Montgomery is the founder and principal of Ashley Montgomery Design, one of Canada’s most publicly recognized interior design studios. Her work is instantly identifiable. Layered, warm, deeply collected, and anchored in vintage pieces that feel storied and intentional rather than trendy. But what I’m especially excited to unpack today is not just the aesthetic. It’s the operational side of building a firm around vintage. Because sourcing one of a kind pieces at scale is not for the faint of heart. It requires systems, relationships, risk management, pricing strategy, and a deep understanding of margin. And doing that from Canada adds an entirely different layer of logistics that many U.S. designers may not fully understand. Ashley has built a studio that doesn’t just use vintage occasionally. It is embedded into her brand identity. And in today’s conversation, we’re pulling back the curtain on how she sources, how she prices, how she protects profitability, and how she has scaled a taste-driven aesthetic across a growing team. We’ll talk about cross-border importing, markup strategy on antiques, client education, and whether vintage actually increases project profitability or simply increases complexity.
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  What It Really Takes to Launch a Textile or Wallpaper Line with Callie Jenschke 05.06.2026 1h 8min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi. Today’s episode is one I know so many of you have been curious about, because we’re diving into what it actually looks like to step beyond client work and into product development. I’m joined by Callie, founder of SUPPLY Showroom-a boutique fabric and wallpaper showroom-which is the hub of Austin’s design community, and whose reach extends well beyond Texas.  It’s truly one of those spaces that’s worth the trip, whether you’re local or flying in. They’ve also been a longtime partner of Design Camp, generously hosting our campers each year for a welcome breakfast and private tour, and we’ll be back with them again this August. You can learn more at design-camp.co. Callie has a front row seat to what makes a textile or wallpaper collection successful, and just as importantly, where designers tend to get it wrong. We’re talking through the real investment required to launch a line, how to think about memos and distribution, what showrooms actually do behind the scenes, and how to approach this as a long-term business decision, not just a passion project. If you’ve ever considered launching your own textile or wallpaper collection, this episode is going to give you a much clearer picture of what it takes to do it well.
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  Contract & Scope Missteps Designers Make and How to Prevent Them with Brittany Hakimfar 29.05.2026 58min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi. Hi, and welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today we’re diving into one of the most important, and often overlooked, foundations of a healthy design business: contracts and scope management. I’m joined today by Brittney Hakimfar, founder of Far Studio, a Philadelphia–based interior design studio known for its thoughtful, layered work and highly organized project structure. But beyond the aesthetics, Brittney has built a reputation for running projects with clarity, strong boundaries, and systems that protect both the designer and the client experience. In this episode, we’re talking about the contract and scope missteps that so many designers encounter at some point in their careers. We’ll get into the specific language that helps prevent scope creep and revision overload, why vague deliverables often lead to long-term issues on a project, and how to structure revision rounds, approvals, and change orders clearly from the very beginning. Brittney also shares how Far Studio structures their team, how they approach pricing and project management today, and how those systems have evolved as the studio has grown. If you’ve ever had a project expand far beyond its original scope, or struggled to set clear boundaries with clients, this conversation will give you practical tools to protect your time, your creativity, and ultimately your profitability.
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  Taking the Leap: Building a Design Business Through Growth, Trust, and Strategic Support with Danielle Rose 22.05.2026 1h 1min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Today on The Interior Collective, we’re talking about something that every designer eventually faces in their career: the moment when growth requires a leap of faith. Building a successful interior design studio isn’t just about talent or great projects. It’s about mindset. It’s about trusting yourself enough to make big decisions before you feel completely ready. And it’s about recognizing that the strongest businesses are rarely built alone. In this episode, I’m joined by Danielle Chiprut of Danielle Rose Design Co. a designer who has embraced that growth mentality in a meaningful way. We’re talking about what it really looks like to bet on yourself, how to navigate the risks that come with scaling a creative business, and why building a strong support system outside of your internal team can be one of the most powerful decisions you make. From photographers and PR partners to the broader network of collaborators who help bring a designer’s work to life, we’re exploring how those relationships shape not only the visibility of a studio, but its long-term trajectory.
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  The Visionary vs. The Enforcer: Why Designers Lose Authority (and How to Get It Back) with Bri Ussery 15.05.2026 1h 10min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Hi, and welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey. Today’s conversation is one I think a lot of interior designers are going to feel deeply seen by. I’m joined by Bri Ussery, and together we’re unpacking a dynamic that quietly shapes almost every design studio: the split between the visionary and the enforcer. Designers are often asked to hold two opposing roles at once. On one hand, you’re expected to be the creative leader. The person with taste, clarity, and vision. On the other, you’re also expected to enforce boundaries, manage approvals, push timelines forward, and uphold fees. When both of those identities live in the same person, something starts to fracture. In this episode, Bri and I explore why that split happens, where it shows up most clearly in real projects, and how it impacts everything from client trust to profitability to a designer’s sense of authority. We also talk through the structural and operational fixes that help protect the principal’s role and keep designers in the visionary posturerole clients believe they’re hiring them for. If you’ve ever felt the tension between leading creatively and enforcing operationally, or noticed moments where your authority starts to blur, this conversation will give language and structure to something you’ve likely been experiencing for years.
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  Scaling Back to Scale Better: Redefining Success as an Influencer Designer with Nicole Salceda 08.05.2026 58min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Today’s guest is Nicole Salceda, founder of Eye for Pretty. Nicole built a highly visible brand at the intersection of interior design, retail, and digital influence. But what makes her story especially compelling is not just how she grew quickly, but how she chose to scale back with intention. In this episode, we’re talking about what happens when growth outpaces alignment, how to downsize without feeling like you’ve failed, and what it really means to be an “influencer designer” in today’s market. We also get into her team structure, partnerships with builders, brick and mortar retail, and how custom spec builds have reshaped her revenue model. If you’ve ever questioned whether bigger automatically means better, this conversation is for you.
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  Art with Authority: Integrating Fine Art into Your Design Process with Sarah Hurt 01.05.2026 56min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Today we’re talking about one of the most intimidating and misunderstood layers of an interior design project: art. My guest is Sarah Hurt, founder of Seattle Art Source, an art advisory that has worked alongside interior designers across the Pacific Northwest since 2017. Sarah’s entire business exists to remove the hesitation designers often feel around specifying art, and to help them position it not as an afterthought, but as a strategic and emotional anchor within a home. In this episode, we’re getting practical. We’re talking about when to introduce art into the project timeline, how to speak about it with authority, what your role is versus an art advisor’s role, and how art can actually elevate your client experience while protecting their financial investment. If art has ever felt like the most mysterious line item in your design proposal, this one is for you.
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  Creating Profitable Proposals: Pricing, Presenting & Closing with Confidence with Lindsey Borchard 24.04.2026 1h 41min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today we are diving into a topic that every single interior designer has to master if they want a profitable, sustainable business and that is creating proposals, pricing projects, and confidently selling the bid. Because here’s the truth. You can be the most talented designer in the room, but if you cannot build an accurate quote, present it with clarity, and hold your ground when pricing pushback comes up, your business will feel reactive instead of strategic. And this is not just about choosing hourly versus flat rate. This is about understanding your numbers. Gathering real data from your past projects. Accounting for your team’s time. Structuring a proposal that protects your profit. And then having the confidence to walk a client through that number without shrinking when they raise an eyebrow. So I invited back someone who I trust deeply on this topic, Lindsey Borchard, Principal of Lindsey Brooke Design and my co-founder of Design Camp. Lindsey has been incredibly transparent about how her pricing has evolved, what she has learned through trial and error, and how she has built systems in her studio to create accurate, timely, and profitable quotes. Today we are getting very tactical. We are talking about how to calculate flat fees behind the scenes, how to blend hourly and flat rate models, how to turn around proposals efficiently, and how to handle negotiations without discounting yourself into resentment. If you have ever hesitated before hitting send on a proposal, if you have ever wondered whether your number was too high or too low, or if you have ever reduced your fee just to secure the project, consider this episode a mini-masterclass from what you can expect at Design Camp.
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  Building a Product Brand Alongside an Interior Design Studio with DuVäl Reynolds 17.04.2026 1h 10min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezign Assist. DuVäl Reynolds is the founder and principal of DuVäl Design, a studio known for its layered, highly curated interiors. But alongside the studio, DuVäl has also created a completely separate brand, House of DuVäl, an e-commerce destination for furniture, lighting, décor, and objects that reflect his design perspective. In today’s conversation, we’re talking about what it actually looks like to build a product business as an interior designer. DuVäl shares why he intentionally kept the studio and retail brand completely separate, how he approaches sourcing and developing products, and what it takes to run an e-commerce company alongside a design firm. We also discuss licensing, including the debut of his new upholstery and casegoods collection with Sherrill Furniture Brands at High Point Market, and of course, his wildly popular “Curse of a Designer” social media series. If you’ve ever thought about expanding beyond client work and building a product-driven brand, this episode is a great place to start.
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  Strategy First: Applying Advertising Principles to Interior Design with Kylie Bass 10.04.2026 59min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today I’m sitting down with Kylie K. Bass, founder of KKB Interiors. Before launching her interior design studio, Kylie built her career in advertising, working inside an industry that’s deeply rooted in strategy, messaging, timelines, and performance. In today’s episode, we’re unpacking how those skills translated into the structure, pricing, and client experience of her design practice. We talk about the surprising ways advertising thinking shows up in everything from proposals to project pacing, how designers can borrow proven frameworks from other industries without overcomplicating their business, and why clarity, not creativity, is often the thing that unlocks growth. As always, we’ll also get into the nuts and bolts. Team structure, pricing models, and how Kylie thinks about running a studio that’s both creatively fulfilling and commercially sound.
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  The Business of Launching a Furniture Line with Bergman Vass 03.04.2026 59min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Today on The Interior Collective, I’m sitting down with Erica Vassalotti and Dana Bergman Falcione, co-founders of Bergman Vass. Erica and Dana’s work sits at the intersection of interior design, product development, and brand building, and in this episode, we’re diving deep into what it really looks like to expand beyond services and into physical product. We’ll be talking about the business realities of developing a furniture and rug line, from early concepting and manufacturing decisions to financial risk, pricing, and long-term brand strategy. Erica and Dana also share how growing a product arm has influenced the way they run their studio, how they think about visibility in a crowded market, and why investing in a new studio space was a non-optional move. If you’ve ever considered launching a product line, scaling your brand beyond client work, or building a studio that supports where your business is going, not just where it’s been, this conversation is for you.
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  From 0 to 60: Scaling a Bi-City Design Firm in Record Time with Parris Mckenna 27.03.2026 1h 19min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Today on The Interior Collective, I’m honored to be sitting down with Parris of Parris McKenna Design, a Toronto-based interior design firm that has experienced what I would call true star power acceleration. Not only is Parris the principal of one of House & Home’s 100 top designers, she’s a close, personal friend and dear advisor. In just a few short years, Parris has grown her studio from a new business to a multi-office operation serving both Toronto and Muskoka, with a large and expanding team to support it. And what fascinates me most is not just the growth, but the infrastructure behind it. We’re diving into her 0 to 60 trajectory. How she built momentum quickly, what operational decisions supported that scale, how she structured her team, and how YouTube became a serious marketing engine for her business. If you are in a season of growth, or hoping to be, this episode is going to give you a real look at what scaling actually requires.
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  Building Client Trust from Inquiry to Referral with Alex Azat 20.03.2026 1h 5min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Today on The Interior Collective, I’m joined by Alexandra Azat, founder of Plaster & Patina, a renovation-focused design studio known for its thoughtful work in historic homes and layered interiors. Alexandra has built a business rooted in trust, not just in aesthetic vision, but in process, execution, and financial stewardship. From the very first inquiry to the final walkthrough, her studio has developed a reputation for guiding clients confidently through complex renovations while protecting both the integrity of the home and the integrity of the investment. In this episode, we’re unpacking what it really means to build client trust. We talk about screening for alignment before signing, creating true design buy-in, leading with clarity during construction, and positioning yourself as a financial steward once a project budget is set. If you’ve ever felt the tension between creativity and control, or struggled to maintain client confidence through a renovation, this conversation is for you.
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  Designing for Longevity and Repeat Clients with Jess Weeth 13.03.2026 1h 7min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today I’m sitting down with Jess Weeth, founder of Weeth Home. Jess has built a studio known not just for beautiful, thoughtful work, but for long-term client relationships that extend well beyond a single project. And that’s exactly what we’re unpacking today. Instead of focusing on one finished space, we’re talking about how designers can intentionally build their businesses to support repeat clients, multi-phase projects, and long-term trust. In this episode, we’re diving into what it actually takes to move from one-off engagements to ongoing relationships. How you structure your services, how you communicate early on, and how your process either invites clients back or quietly pushes them away. We’ll talk about operational decisions, pricing confidence, boundaries, and the systems that make longevity possible, not just creatively, but sustainably from a business perspective. Jess will also walk us through how Weeth Home is structured today, how her team operates, how they charge for their work, and what’s changed as the studio has matured. If you’re thinking about how to grow your business without constantly chasing new leads, this conversation is for you.
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  Building a Multi-Hyphenate Design Business Without Losing Focus with The Brownstone Boys 06.03.2026 59min

  Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio. Today on The Interior Collective, I’m joined by the Brownstone Boys, a Brooklyn-based design duo who have built a studio that lives at the intersection of historic preservation, modern renovation, media, and brand partnerships. What makes their business especially interesting is not just the work itself, but the way they’ve expanded beyond traditional client services. From editorial features and product collaborations to a strong digital presence and storytelling-led brand, they’ve managed to grow visibility without diluting their design practice. In this episode, we’re talking about what it actually looks like to turn attention into leverage. How they decide which opportunities to pursue, how they protect their studio operations while expanding into new lanes, and what interior designers should think about if they want to build a platform alongside a service-based business. As always, we’ll also get into the practical side: team structure, pricing models, decision-making frameworks, and what’s next behind the scenes.
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  Finding Calm in Layered Design with Sarah Solis 02.01.2026 1h 3min

  Season 7 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Materio.An operating system built specifically for design projects—from start to finish. That’s what Materio is.From concept to handoff, client billing to procurement—it’s one connected workflow. Try it for free.It’s intuitive. It’s fast. The Interior Collective listeners get 50% off their first month. Just head to getmaterio.com to claim the offer. Subscribe now at patreon.com/theinteriorcollective Welcome to The Interior Collective! Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with Sarah Solis, founder and principal designer of Sarah Solis Design Studio. Sarah has made a name for herself in the design world by embracing a refined, minimalist approach that still feels incredibly warm and full of depth. As many interiors today are leaning towards bold colors and layered patterns, Sarah has perfected a nuanced style rooted in quiet layers. She combines her backgrounds in fine art, architecture, and fashion to create spaces that are thoughtfully curated and timeless. In this episode, we’ll dive into Sarah’s unique design philosophy—what she calls “the subtle art of restraint”—and explore how she creates livable, elegant spaces that feel both layered and minimal. Sarah will walk us through her design process, from selecting textures and materials to achieving that delicate balance between simplicity and richness. We’ll also discuss the structure of her design studio, the talented team members who bring her vision to life, and how she approaches pricing her services. And finally, Sarah will give us an inside look at her latest venture, Galerie Solis, a curated collection of original furniture, textiles, antiques, and art that embodies her signature approach to design. This is a conversation about intentionality, craftsmanship, and the art of storytelling through design—I encourage you to take note and begin the practice of refinement in design.
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  Design Logic: Selling Creative Vision to Analytical Clients with Sam Sacks 26.12.2025 1h 2min

  Season 7 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Materio.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Loloi.An operating system built specifically for design projects—from start to finish. That’s what Materio is.From concept to handoff, client billing to procurement—it’s one connected workflow. Try it for free.It’s intuitive. It’s fast. The Interior Collective listeners get 50% off their first month. Just head to getmaterio.com to claim the offer. Subscribe now at patreon.com/theinteriorcollective Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by Sam Sacks—Ontario-based interior designer, former magazine editor, and consummate storyteller—whose work masterfully blends creativity, strategy, and historical context. As the founder of Sam Sacks Design, Sam has carved out a niche working with highly analytical clients—think lawyers, doctors, and finance professionals—who don’t just want a beautiful home, they want to understand the why behind every decision. In this conversation, we’re diving into how Sam has built a design process and presentation style that speaks directly to the left-brained client. From using architectural history as a strategic storytelling tool to delivering visually refined yet logic-driven presentations, Sam shares how she earns trust, builds alignment, and avoids hours of costly back-and-forth. You’ll hear how her time as a writer gave her the language to translate intuition into clarity, and how her detailed intake process filters for client compatibility from the very first conversation. We also unpack how she structures presentations to maintain creative control while still appealing to highly analytical thinkers—essentially, selling her design process like a business case. Whether you’re refining your presentation style, working with more corporate clients, or just want to build a more efficient and aligned process—this episode is full of gems.