Laurie Laizure interviews Boston-based designer Dane Austin about building a design career with intention, focusing on community, and anchoring projects in comfort and quality. Dane shares that he has known he wanted to be an interior designer since childhood, inspired by his grandparents’ stylish, welcoming home. He steadily pursued that path, earning two degrees over 10 years while working in retail, fashion, and hospitality—experiences that shaped both his taste and his client-service mindset.

A key theme is the importance of professional community. Dane shares how he moved from DC to Boston and rebuilt his network by joining organizations, attending events, and volunteering, not just to “get” connections, but to contribute. He advises designers to try groups more than once before deciding they aren’t a good fit, and to focus on one or two organizations at a time to keep involvement manageable.

The episode also examines pricing realities and how fee inconsistency affects the industry. Laurie points out that undercharging can be a significant issue for newer designers who lack mentorship and benchmarks. Dane adds that in more transparent designer communities, established professionals often charge much higher hourly rates, which can be eye-opening for designers still determining their prices.

From there, the conversation shifts to client education about product quality. Laurie and Dane discuss value engineering in mass-market furniture and why marketing-focused brands can signal internal material compromises. They explain the “designer filter,” which narrows down thousands of options to just a few, based on comfort, durability, maker reliability, lead times, and whether pieces can be repaired or reupholstered. Dane’s main principle is that comfort is the ultimate luxury, and he encourages clients to invest in what they touch and use every day, especially custom upholstery and window treatments.

Dane also shares a practical purchasing strategy: build strong relationships with a few trusted showrooms and vendors. Focusing spending enhances support when problems occur and simplifies sourcing. Finally, he redefines what great design provides; it’s not just the final appearance but also the quality of daily life through better lighting, sound, flow, and usability. His process focuses on how clients want to feel in a space, then guides them through decisions as a trusted advisor.

In the last episode of 2025 the To-The-Trade podcast from the Interior Design Community, hosts Laurie Laizure and Nile Johnson get real about what it takes to support design pros, and where the business of interior design is heading next. Laurie opens by thanking Nile for the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the show, from guest vetting to shaping questions that actually serve working designers.

A big theme is advocacy, and specifically, trust. Laurie shares that a primary focus going into 2026 is helping more people “know and trust” designers because trust is what converts into clients. She also calls out the role manufacturers can play by investing in design business education and marketing support so that designers can sell with more confidence and product backing.

They also talk about money in a grounded way. Laurie references an ASID jobs report showing higher average salaries than in past years, but stresses that even improved averages can still fall short of a living wage in many of the markets where designers work. That leads into a larger point, the industry needs more respect, better compensation, and stronger collaboration across trades, vendors, brands, contractors, and clients.

One practical concern they raise is the volatility of health insurance costs. Laurie flags that changes to Affordable Care Act subsidies could impact self-employed designers, with some estimating that costs could jump dramatically, putting real pressure on small design businesses. Nile adds that insurance costs can still feel unpredictable, especially when it comes to emergency care pricing.

From there, the conversation gets very tactical about how designers can protect revenue and increase project value without burning clients out. They dig into why clients sometimes skip an accessories package at the end, often it is budget anxiety and decision fatigue after months of choices. One solution, phase it. Build in follow-ups at 6 to 9 months to revisit adjacent spaces, accessories, or even the exterior plan once the client has recovered mentally and financially.

They offer a clever visual sales tactic, too, using AI photo editing to show clients “with vs without” accessories and art, so the finishing touches are no longer abstract. When clients can literally see what disappears when they cut accessories, it becomes easier to justify the full scope.

Then Laurie delivers a decisive “ROI” mindset shift: designers are building equity in clients’ homes. She suggests creating an investment guide using an Excel list of past projects, comparing home values from project start to today, and using that data to talk about how your work increases net worth. That confidence is key when clients ask for discounts, because the equity upside goes into their pocket, not yours.

Finally, they zoom out to community culture, learning, and leadership. They talk about embracing imperfection, asking questions like 'markup vs. margin,' and sharing failures so newer designers do not have to spend a decade figuring everything out alone. Laurie and Nile close with a holiday send-off and a big announcement, Nile will serve as a Style Squad ambassador for Design Edge as the podcast heads into its third season.

In this To-The-Trade podcast episode, host Laurie Laizure interviews Montreal-based interior designer Romina Tina Fontana of Fontana & Company about how her background in marketing and graphic design influences her approach to running her studio. After nearly twenty years in advertising, working with major agencies and brands, Romina shifted into interior design by photographing her own home and friends’ houses. A behind-the-scenes Instagram story caught the attention of HGTV editors, who featured her Victorian “bachelorette pad,” helping to launch her interior design career.

Romina discusses how she treats her business like a brand, using a consistent palette of yellows and greens and a custom illustration in her logo. She depends on a detailed ten-phase process document that reflects her services agreement. Whenever she has allowed a client to pressure her into skipping or changing a phase, problems have resulted, so she now safeguards that structure and improves it after each project. She has even added a specification phase to emphasize the technical details involved in choosing fixtures and fittings.

A significant theme is photography as a strategic business tool. Drawing on her advertising experience, Romina budgets for professional images on nearly every project, sometimes waiting for the right season to show a home at its best. She collaborates with trusted photographers and editorial stylists, like Me and Mo in Toronto, to create vertical vignettes that work for magazines. One Rosedale project styled and shot this way was later published, clearly showing a return on her marketing investment. Her advice to designers is to set aside photo funds from the start and invest in experienced stylists, especially early in their careers.

The conversation also covers collaboration with trades, the peer community, and client communication. Romina loves her trades, invites their expertise, and even uses a “love your trades” hashtag. She shares how a London trip with Christopher Farr Cloth turned into an ongoing WhatsApp support group for twenty-five designers, where they talk candidly about billing and custom work. On the client side, she runs Monday and Friday status meetings and sends Friday updates, often by audio message, so clients head into the weekend feeling informed.

Finally, Romina and Laurie emphasize the importance of insurance. Romina maintains a binder of coverage for herself and every trade on major projects, while Laurie advises designers and their virtual assistants to carefully consider liability and business structure, especially when managing procurement. It offers a grounded perspective on the business side of interior design, combining creativity with real-world risk management.

In this To-The-Trade podcast episode, Laurie Laizure and Nile Johnson interview DC-based designer Isy Jackson, founder of Chelt Interiors, about British-inspired homes, antiques, and sustainable business habits for design pros.

Isy explains how her creative roots in the UK, from a fashion sketching Nana to parents who flipped houses and a stepfather in high-end tiling and crystal, taught her to see both structure and beauty in interiors. She describes her style as layered and lived-in, with patina, books, and dogs that make spaces feel welcoming rather than staged.

The conversation dives into antiques and sourcing strategies. Before suggesting changes, Isy tours a client’s home to identify what is truly sentimental and must stay. Only then does she bring in estate sales, Georgetown shops, and auction houses like Sloan and Kenyon, Weschler’s, and Quinns, always setting a maximum budget and aiming to bid around half the low estimate. Hence, clients get value without losing control in the auction rush.

Holiday decorating shows up as both joy and revenue. Isy and Laurie talk about how seasonal installs can take over one to two months. Still, once decor comes down, clients suddenly see bare rooms and are ready for the next project, making holidays an innovative moment for designers to drive marketing and retention.

On money and client transparency, Isy walks through her pricing strategies for designers who want to maintain high trust. She currently bills hourly with frequent invoices so clients always know where they stand, then splits the margin on trade discounts to show how much she saves them below retail. She also uses a room-by-room budget spreadsheet and an investment guide with low, medium, and high ranges, which helps clients understand realistic spending and prioritize investments.

Finally, the group tackles overwhelm and boundaries. Laurie describes the cure for overwhelm as true “nothingness,” a reminder that creative energy needs rest, especially during holiday crunch season. Isy shares how communication, personality awareness, and a service mindset help her navigate client and trade conflicts without burning out. The result is an interior designer tips-packed episode on client management for designers who love antiques, history, and thoughtful homes.

In this episode of the To-The-Trade interior design podcast, host Laurie Laizure welcomes Los Angeles-based designer and Kitchen Design Innovator of the Year, Shannon Ggem. Shannon shares how her bi-coastal practice blends New England sensibilities, antiques, and California ease, and how she uses biophilic or dopamine-driven design to connect people to nature and the makers behind their homes.

Laurie and Shannon dive deep into empathy as a core business skill in interior design. Shannon explains how highly sensitive, empathic designers can almost read a client’s mind, and why that is both a gift and a trap. She walks through the specific language she uses in client management for designers, such as telling clients they cannot hurt her feelings and having couples rank choices on a scale to make decisions clearer and faster.

The conversation shifts into pricing strategies for designers and the fear many clients have around being “sold to.” Laurie pushes back on the big box narrative that designers are expensive middlemen, contrasting it with heavily marketed, value-engineered retail. Shannon opens up about her responsibility to vet factories, materials, and human rights, and why she refuses to sell low-quality products that will fail and damage trust.

They also tackle overdelivery, shaving hours, and how constant unpaid emotional labor leads to burnout and resentment. Real stories about showing 167 sconces, clients chasing dupes and bargain antiques, and brands navigating tariffs all highlight why the designer’s professional filter matters. Shannon closes by calling designers to clean up their business practices, educate clients upfront on budgets and fees, extend empathy to vendors and trades, and protect their own boundaries so they can keep serving at a high level.

In this episode of the To-The-Trade podcast, Laurie Laizure chats with Jenny Warner, founder of J Thomas Designs, about her evolution from a hands-on childhood in construction to leading a profitable interior design firm with confidence and clarity.

Jenny shares the pivotal moment she realized she was undervaluing her time, and how that realization helped shift her mindset around billing and profit. With 24 years of experience under her belt, she now advocates for designers to understand every layer of a project, from tile installation to taxes, and to never lose sight of their value.

Jenny also reveals how she intentionally built her team, starting with a bookkeeper and later hiring part-time help that suits her business rhythm. Her leadership style blends flexibility with professionalism and includes thoughtful touches, such as spa rewards after intense installations.

The conversation also touches on legacy planning and future growth. Jenny and Laurie explore how to refine your client pipeline, resist the temptation of vanity projects, and invest in the right kind of support for long-term success.

This episode is packed with candid insights and practical strategies for design entrepreneurs navigating the business of interior design.

Interior Design Talk with Kris Kennedy of LoudHouse Branding: Learn how to brand yourself and build a successful design business. Discover insights on:

• Personal branding: Define your strengths, attract ideal clients, and balance personal & professional identities.
• Market research: Understand your audience, research your niche, and leverage AI tools like Chat GPT.
• Branding consistency: Maintain a unified image across online platforms and social media.
• Content creation: Develop engaging content with SEO optimization and explore voice services.
• Google My Business & Reviews: Leverage Google for visibility, prioritize reviews, and attract local clients.
• Work-life balance: Manage your time effectively and achieve success without sacrificing personal life.

Featuring:

• Kris Kennedy: Branding expert and founder of LoudHouse Branding
• Laurie (host): Interior design professional and podcast host
• Michael Kaestner: Philadelphia-based interior designer (co-host)

Join Laurie Laizure and Nile Johnson of Interior Design Community's new podcast To-The-Trade. This week, we delve Inside the Grand Opening: Mabley Handler's New Design Showroom | Exclusive Interview with Austin Handler

Dive deep into the heart of interior design innovation with Austin Handler in this exclusive YouTube video celebrating the grand opening of Mabley Handler Interior Design's newest showroom. From their humble beginnings in the Hamptons, sparked by a single project and fueled by referrals from real estate brokers and builders, Austin and Jennifer Handler have ascended to the pinnacle of design excellence, now bringing their visionary approach to Florida.

In this video, Austin shares the journey of their business expansion, from their initial steps in the industry, buoyed by a landmark feature in the New York Times, to their strategic foray into licensing deals and the creation of coastal-inspired furniture collections. Discover how they've woven authenticity and humor into the fabric of their brand, making it a cornerstone of their design philosophy.

Get an insider look at the challenges and triumphs of opening a retail store, the meticulous process of building out the space, and the collaborative spirit that defines their team. Austin discusses the balance of family and work, revealing how personal life enriches their designs, and hints at future plans that could redefine their business's landscape.

Join us as Austin Handler offers invaluable insights into navigating the design industry, the significance of maintaining integrity, and the excitement surrounding their new showroom. This video is a must-watch for design enthusiasts, aspiring interior designers, and anyone curious about the art of transforming spaces with creativity and passion.