The Interior Design Business

Many people would love to have a career in interior design. To get there, some take the conventional route of obtaining an interior design qualification straight out of school and then gain experience within an established design practice before branching out on their own, but many also set up businesses later in life and enjoy a satisfying career having already had a career in another field.

Do late-design bloomers have any advantages over their younger rivals? And is it possible to be a good designer without a design qualification?

We are joined today by three designers from very different backgrounds to discuss this topic - Charlotte Dawson from Chestnut Interiors, Stephen Tozer from Boaz Interiors and Susie Rumbold, creative director of Tessuto Interiors and a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design.

Recorded in front of a live audience at Design Central South West in Blagdon, Somerset. Thanks to Havwoods, the prevailing name in beautiful wood flooring. 

The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood Plus production.  

Sustainability is defined as ‘the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level’.

But, given the environmental damage we have already inflicted on our planet, is it sufficient to maintain the status quo at our current degraded level?

In other words, is it enough to merely cause no further damage or should we be setting our sights higher with long-term goals to restore the environmental quality of our home to pre-industrial levels?

Mel Meale from Steer Design and Simon Myatt from Havwoods share ideas with Jeff and Susie in an episode recorded in front of a live audience at the recent Design Central South West event held at Blagdon in Somerset. 

Thanks to Havwoods the prevailing name in beautiful wood flooring. 

The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production. 

Buying the services of an interior designer is unlike any other purchase. The client knows they have a project and a set of requirements, they have a budget figure in mind, they know when they want the project to end, and they may know what they like, but beyond that they have no idea what the finished product will be.

For most people that is a truly daunting prospect. The answer,of course, is to get help from a professional. But where can you go to find this wonderful person who truly gets you and will be able to give you the perfect product? And, once you think you have found them how can you be certain that they can deliver?

Jackie Fisken from Ampersand Interiors, John Amabile from John Amabile Design and Nicky Emlick from N M Design joined co-hosts Jeff Hayward and Susie Rumbold to share their views in a lively discussion recorded in front of a live audience at the splendid sofa.com showroom in Glasgow.  

Thanks to our series supporter, Havwoods.  

 

In this episode, we explore ways that designers can sustain and grow their businesses by working smarter not harder in the company of Freeman Studio's, Mathew Freeman, the President of the British Institute of Interior Design and Anna Burles, Creative Director and Founder of Run For The Hills.  

It seems the only way designers and architects can achieve the quality results that their clients expect is to produce drawings and other information in such detail that there is no room for misinterpretation on site and that nothing could possibly ever go wrong.

But was this always the case? Or has something fundamentally shifted? And if so, how can designers do less and still achieve the perfect product for their clients?

This episode was recorded at the Havwoods showroom in Clerkenwell. Havwoods, the prevailing name in wood flooring is a supporter of the series.  

The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood Plus production.  

Most people walk through the world with their eyes closed, not seeing the beauty or noticing the details that surround them, but this is certainly not true of interior designers.

But how can they ensure their work never gets stale? Where should they go to look for fresh inspiration and how do they recognise it when they see it?

For this episode, we are lucky enough to be joined by internationally acclaimed designer, Katharine Pooley, to find out how she uses travel as an inspiration and how it translates into her work.

The Interior Design Business is supported by Havwoods, the prevailing name in beautiful wood flooring. 

We are a Wildwood production. 

Today architects and interior designers work closely together to deliver highly intricate building projects for their clients.

How can these design professionals ensure their clients appoint the right people at the right time during their project? And, what steps do architects and designers need to take to achieve a continuity of service to ensure the project runs smoothly?

Max de Rosee and Claire Sa, founding partners of international architecture and interior design studio, De Rosee Sa join Susie and Jeff to answer these questions and more in this latest show.

The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

The working life of an interior designer is rarely, if ever, entirely plain sailing.

As we strive to deliver projects on time, that meet our client’s brief as well as their budget, there are frequently bumps on the road to navigate, pitfalls to avoid and unforeseen difficulties that arise which challenge the most resourceful and most creative-thinking designers.

So, quite how do interior designers manage to deal with what’s thrown at them to make sure they solve the seemingly insoluble and emerge triumphant, against all odds, to the delight of all parties, especially their clients! 

Let’s find out in the company of Philip Vergeylen and Heather Lindahl from the internationally renowned design firm, Paolo Moschino.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Decorex Talks programme. 

We all know those crazy interior design TV shows where wannabe amateur designers try to cover themselves sometimes in glory but more often than not cover themselves in paint. Love them or hate them they make weirdly compelling viewing for practicing designers and the public alike.

But do these reality TV shows bear any resemblance to what real designers do?

How do they impact the public’s perception of the interior design profession?

What is it really like to be a contestant, and do the winners go on to become renowned designers in their own right? 

We asked Verity Coleman from Rascal & Roses, Siobhan Murphy from Interior Curve and Peter Grech from The SpaceMaker Interiors the question, ‘Is TV Good For Interior Design?’ in this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at DesignCentral North West. 

Find out what they have to say in a fascinating and hugely entertaining hour of conversation with Susie Rumbold and Jeff Hayward.  

There are many ways in which products can be unsustainable.

Some are flown halfway round the world, some are produced using unacceptable quantities of water and other natural materials, some produce dangerously polluting substances as bi-products and others exploit and dehumanize the people that produce them. And then there is the problem of what happens to the product when it is no longer required.

But in a world of competing sustainability claims, how can designers find out the truth about the products they specify and steer a confident path between the many hazards?

We're joined by three designers in the vanguard of the interior design sustainability movement to answer the questions at the forefront of designer minds: Alexandra Jurkiewicz, Creative Lead at Helen Green Design, Chloe Bullock, founder of Materialise Interiors and David Chenery, founder and director of Object Space Place. 

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience of designers gathered at the newly renovated showroom of sofa.com in Chelsea. 

In this show, we’re looking forward to Decorex 2022, Europe’s leading event for interior design professionals, which opens its doors at Olympia London on Sunday 9^th October running until Wednesday 12^th October.

 

So, what can we expect from this year's event?

 

We talk to Bethan Laura Wood, Carden Cunietti, Natascha Dartnall, Alidad, De Rosee Sa and Rita Konig to find out.

All designers have them.

The clients who are allergic to colour, refuse to listen to the designer’s pearls of wisdom, fail to recognise their strokes of genius and only want what they already have. Or, worse still what their best friend already has!

But why are some clients so afraid, and what exactly are they afraid of?

And how can interior designers help their clients discover their true inner style and be confident in expressing it?

In this show, we are joined by leading residential designers and masters of confident eclecticism, Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti, co-founders of Carden Cunietti to find out how it’s done.

In this episode, we’re exploring healthy spaces, happy places and how to integrate wellness into the design process.

Wellness is defined as ‘the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal’.

Interior designers have always understood that well-ordered, functional spaces can relieve anxiety and bring relaxation and peace, but today’s well-informed clients are now demanding enhanced wellness as requisite for their interior spaces.

So, what exactly constitutes wellbeing? How can we achieve this elusive goal?And, what should interior designers do to keep pace with the latest thinking on wellness and apply that theory in their work?

We're joined by Karen Stonely and Peter Pelsinki, co-founders and the creative force behind SPAN Architecture LLC, the internationally renowned, New York-based, architecture and design studio, to find out how they embed design for wellness at the core of their spectacular projects. 

Interior designers are well respected for their creativity, but much less so for their business practices. Most design studios are micro businesses whose owners are often too busy designing to pay sufficient attention to contracts and other key project documents.

So, what do designers need to do to tighten up their business practices in order to be seen as true professionals? And where can they turn to for advice?

The British Institute of Interior Design in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects has commissioned a new, comprehensive guide to professional practice for interior designers, called ‘The BIID Project Book.

The author of this publication, none other than podcast co-host, Susie Rumbold, a Past President of the BIID and Creative Director of London firm, Tessuto Interiors, joins us on the show to explain more about the project and tell us what we can find inside 'The BIID Project Book'. 

Success, like beauty, is firmly in the eye of the beholder.

For interior designers, and the practices they run, it goes without saying that success involves happy clients and being paid to create beautiful, functional interiors but, in reality, what does this look like? What really constitutes success for an interior designer? Is it fame? Or is it fortune? And in the end, does size really matter?

In this show, recorded in front of a live audience of designers at the fabulous Roca London Gallery as part of the Chelsea Design Quarter Springtime Sessions, Jeff and Susie talk with David Goodman, COO of the renowned David Collins Studio, and Monique Tollgard Co-founder and Head of Studio of the Tollgard Design Group, to find out what success means to them personally and professionally. 

 

 

In this episode, we’re taking a detailed look at typical lighting issues facing interior designers with advice on how to deal with them from Luke Thomas, Design Director at John Cullen Lighting.

Interior designers and their clients often underestimate the importance of lighting.

Simply put, it seems senseless to spend time, energy and lots of money designing and installing beautiful interiors, if you cannot see them properly. 

So, how can interior designers avoid the most common pitfalls and create the right lighting for their projects?

We are a Wildwood production. 

Interior designers are always looking for ways to showcase their work and gain recognition from a wider audience, but this is not always easy to achieve. Getting editorial coverage in glossy magazines can be tricky and Instagram has become a seriously crowded place. But what about winning interior design awards?

Will winning a recognised design award bring about the desired rise in profile? Or does the cost and effort of entering outweigh the benefits? And in a space crowded with design award schemes, how can you tell which ones are the real deal? 

We're joined by two multi-award-winning practitioners, May Fawzy of specialist workplace design practice MF Design Studio and Matt Freeman, Senior Associate at Goddard Littlefair and President-Elect of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), to talk about how they go about entering, and more importantly, winning interior design awards. 

We also receive privileged insights into the new BIID Interior Design Awards scheme. 

This episode is a Wildwood production. 

 

You’ve worked hard to get your interior design qualifications and you have spent years working even harder in other people’s design studios honing your knowledge and skills. Finally, you feel ready to break free, spread your entrepreneurial wings and run your own interior design company.  

But how do you know when the time is right to take the first step? And do you go it alone or join forces with a partner? Should you rush out and rent office space? And, most importantly, how will you let prospective clients know you are open for business and ready to take on their projects?

New kids on the block, Courtney Giles and Marianne Roe, explain how and why they set up Studio Smiths and what's making their partnership such a success. 

This episode is a Wildwood production.       

So, you have spent a fortune on your website and have a clutch of completed photogenic projects ready to be showcased. As a designer, you know that quality photographs will make your interiors sing and induce those high spending clients to pick up the phone.

But how do you go about finding that special photographer who will be capable of conveying and amplifying your unique style?

Once found, how should you work with them to ensure you ratchet the maximum value from each photoshoot?

And how important is the quality of communication between designer and photographer in ensuring a breathtaking outcome?

We're joined by the experienced interior design photographer, James Balston, to find out the answers.

This episode is a Wildwood production.       

For interior design projects, the perfect client is one with deep pockets and a spirit of adventure; a client who admires their designer’s personal style and respects and trusts the designer’s vision for their spaces.

So just how important is it for designers to have a recognisable style to attract their dream clients?

And how should designers define their unique design vision and then communicate it effectively to attract those dream clients?

We're joined by acclaimed interior designer Susie Atkinson for her perspective on this fascinating topic as she shares her own journey with a live audience of designers, together with her views on interior design style and client relationships.

This episode was recorded at the Roca London Gallery as part of the podcast's third birthday celebrations. We are grateful to series sponsors, Parkside Architectural Tiles, for their support.

We are a Wildwood production.     

 

Most interior designers begin in a whirl of creativity, energy and optimism.

In an average working week, they will act as designer, specifier, accountant, project manager, client liaison, IT support, office dogsbody and tea-lady.

There is no time to spare for marketing the business or finding new clients. Workflows are impossible to manage, and famine follows feast in a never-ending cycle that can be difficult to break. This is the curse of the small business.

Yet some design businesses seem to quickly grow and effortlessly thrive acquiring prestige and financial success along the way. Their founders serene, glamorous and much admired.  

So, what is their secret? At what point did they make the jump to hyperspace? And how did they orchestrate it?

In this episode, we are joined by two very special guests, successful designer Lindsey Rendall, British Institute of Interior Design President and founding partner of Rendall and Wright, and Rose Murray, founder and creative force behind These White Walls, to find out they did it.

 

This episode was recorded at the Parkside Studio in Clerkenwell - thanks to Parkside for their support. 

We are a Wildwood production. 

 

The worst experiences often make the best stories. Never has this been truer than in the world of interior design!

In this episode, we are going to explore some of the best-worst moments in the careers of Joanna Wood from Joanna Wood Ltd, Irene Gunter from Gunter & Co and co-host, Susie Rumbold from Tessuto Interiors. We'll find out how this acclaimed panel of designers solved the insoluble and still came up smiling and smelling of roses.

This discussion was originally part of the Talks Programme in the Seminar Theatre at the international design fair, Decorex.

It was recorded on 12th October 2021 - we apologise for any temporary audio interference with the recording. 

Our thanks to series supporters, John Lewis & Partners Business and Parkside Architectural Tiles. 

We are a Wildwood production. 

 

This year, Decorex, Europe’s leading event for interior design professionals, returns as an in-person event. 

The show welcomes back the design community at Olympia London from Sunday 10^th until Wednesday 13^th October.

What can we expect from Decorex 2021?

In this special episode, we talk to designers Sara Cosgrove, Laura Hammett, Charu Ghandi, Olivia Outred and Dee Gibson as well as Ben Rigby from Decorex exhibitor, Haberdashery, to find out what's in store. 

Home staging is the preparation of a private residence for sale but how far is it an area of opportunity for interior designers today?  

 

We're joined by Paloma Harrington-Griffin, Founding Director of the Home Staging Association and Lauren Colquhoun, Senior Interior Designer at the Accouter Group of Companies to assess the state of home staging in the UK and find out how designers can tap into this potentially lucrative stream of work.

This episode was recorded in the John Lewis store in White City. Thanks to our supporters John Lewis & Partners Business and Parkside Architectural Tiles. 

We are a Wildwood production.

In this episode, we explore interior design and the circular economy with Jules Haines from The Haines Collection and Chaline Church from 540 World.

In 2018, a major study concluded that the world was only 9% circular with more than 90% of raw materials not being cycled back into the economy.

Clearly, for the health of the planet and the survival of the human race, we must become more sustainable and resource-resilient.

But how will this new thinking impact the sourcing and use of materials in the construction industry? How can interior designers embed circularity into their approach to design? And, how can we best encourage our clients to embrace this new way of consuming?

This episode was recorded at the Sustainability Studio of series supporter, Parkside Architectural Tiles in Clerkenwell. Thanks also John Lewis & Partners Business for their support.  

 

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there for interior designers. The competition is fierce and new designers are entering the market every day.

We work our socks off, our designs are beautifully considered, and we have happy clients, but for many designers the reality is one of alternating feast and famine, and sometimes it can feel as though we are being left behind. 

Not only do designers have to find new business, they have to convince new clients that they are the right person for the job and then close the deal at a level that makes it financially worth doing.

So, what tools do interior designers need to secure new business and how can they be sure they are getting their fair share of the action?

We're joined by Lloyd Princeton from the Design Management Company and Helen Bygraves and Jenny Weiss, the co-founders of the internationally renowned, Hill House Interiors to find out more. 

Thanks to our series supporters, John Lewis & Partners Business and Parkside Architectural Tiles. 

We are a Wildwood production. 

 

2020 was the year that bought our homes and the way we use them into sharp focus. Stuck inside while the pandemic raged, we were all forced to find space at home to work, play and carry out activities that would previously have been done elsewhere. For residential interior designers, all this domestic churn has created real challenges as they try to advise their clients on future home trends and accurately interpret their needs. But was 2020 really the year that changed everything? Or, were these lifestyle changes already taking place? Will these changes be a permanent feature of our future lives and how can interior designers determine what advice to offer their clients? To discuss all of this and more, Susie Rumbold and Jeff Hayward are joined by Suzanne Knight, Partner and Sales Manager, Property at John Lewis & Partners, Sarah O’Sullivan, from the Trend team at John Lewis & Partners, and Verity Coleman, residential interior designer and founder of design practice, Rascal & Roses. This epsiode is recorded at the Peter Jones store in Sloane Square and is supported by John Lewis & Partners. We'd also like to thank Parkside Architectural Tiles for their support. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

In the third decade of the 21st century, designers could be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the colossal variety of pattern available to them. Fabrics, wallpapers and tiles are embellished with patterns created by man, while stone, timber and other materials provide us with the ever-changing patterns that occur in the natural world. Throughout history, much of man’s ingenuity has been spent designing cunning patterns and developing techniques to apply them to cloth and other materials and today new production techniques mean that pattern is now only limited by the designer’s imagination. But what is it that designers need to know about the application of pattern? How can we learn to use it with confidence, and how can we encourage our clients to welcome pattern into their world? To find out, we're joined by Christian Lee, Managing Director of the fabric company, Christian Lee and Philip Sykas, Reader in Textile History at The Manchester Metropolitan University. Thanks to our series partner Parkside Architectural Tiles for their support. Parkside offers a RIBA approved CPD, ‘An Introduction to Tiling Patterns – symmetry, repeat patterns and tesselations’ – more information available at https://www.parkside.co.uk/.

A group of nine forward-thinking and influential design firms have joined forces to launch an ambitious initiative for our industry, Interior Design Declares. They have committed to working together to urge everyone in the UK design and construction industry to adopt a paradigm shift in their behaviour over climate change. We're joined by three of these founding members - Oliver Heath from Oliver Heath Design. Jecks Stone from Persona Abode and Josie Lees from MCM - to find out how interior designers can be a force for good in the global fight against imminent environmental catastrophe. Thanks to our series partner Parkside Architectural Tiles for their support.

In his 2003 book, Emotional Design, the well-known American academic, Don Norman, came up with a theory to capture how and why people react, and emotionally connect, to certain objects and visual experiences. His theory was that true delight and enduring pleasure in something can only be achieved if positive visceral, behavioural and reflective reactions are achieved. In this episode, Jeff and Susie are joined by Brian Woulfe of Designed by Woulfe to explore how this theory can be applied to the design of interior spaces. Is Don Norman’s approach just marketing spin or are there real benefits to be had? And, if so, how can designers ensure their clients respond positively to their designs on all levels? Thanks to our series partner Parkside Architectural Tiles for their support. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

How do you design an overseas project for clients, especially in these most difficult of times? Established in 2009 by husband-and-wife team Aaron and Laura Hammett, London-based studio, Laura Hammett Interiors, has since expanded into a global design powerhouse, undertaking complex residential projects for demanding private clients all over the world. But, how do the team manage to maintain their exacting luxury standards when working across the globe? In this episode, Aaron and Laura join us to explain just how it's done. It's a fascinating conversation. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

Originating in the late 1990s, blogs were, initially, personal online diaries or journals, mostly written in internet cafes by gap year students on their travels. From these humble beginnings, and with the advent of social media, blogging has evolved into big business and is an important way for creative businesses of all kinds to engage with their target customers. But, writing a blog can be a daunting and arduous task! Is blogging worth the considerable effort involved? And, will it increase your client base and add to the profitability of your interior design business? In this episode, we are joined by Kate Watson Smyth, the property and interiors journalist, co-host of The Great Indoors podcast and author of the multi-award-winning interiors blog “Mad about the House” and Fiona Mostyn, specialist digital marketing coach for interior designers and founder of My Deco Marketing, to find out the answers to these and other burning questions. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production. We are supported by Parkside Architectural Tiles.

In March 2020, hotel design was booming. There were 6,860 luxury hotels in the construction pipeline in Europe alone, containing a planned number of 1,516,493 new guest rooms. The sector was experiencing unprecedented global expansion and new groups of customers with new requirements were emerging. And, then, along came COVID-19... How have hotel designers dealt with the challenges they've faced in 2020? What long-term impact might the pandemic have on hotel design and what other trends are affecting the way they will be working on future schemes? Co-hosts Jeff Hayward and Susie Rumbold are joined by Elizabeth Lane from RPW Design and Fiona Thompson from Richmond International to find out the answers. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

As awareness of the crisis facing our planet grows, more and more interior suppliers are making environmentally friendly claims for their products to increase their sales; but working out who to believe can be a minefield for designers. Greenwash, defined as behaviour or activities that mislead people into believing that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it actually is, is rife. How can interior designers cut through the greenwash to be sure that they are sourcing as sustainably as possible? What information is available to designers who want to understand the origins and impact of what they are specifying, and what are the questions all designers need to be asking their supply chains to get to the truth of sustainable sourcing? We're joined by Nicola Keenan from Boxx Creative, Chloe Bullock from Materialise Interiors and Stefan Dodds from Dodds & Shute to find out. This episode was first broadcast as a panel discussion as part of the Decorex Virtual 2020 Agenda programme.

This year, Decorex, Europe’s leading event for interior design professionals, transitions from a live event to an all-virtual format show. Decorex Virtual 2020 will bring the industry together from 17th to 19th November and, in this epsiode, we explore one of the exciting, immersive features of the event, The Great Escapes. We talk to Sam Fisher, Event Director of Decorex, about how this new feature will work and we also speak with the talented designers who will create these virtual spaces - Charu Ghandi of Elicyon; Louise Wicksteed of Louise Wicksteed Interiors; Alexandria Dauley of Dauley Design; Henriette Von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors and Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of Campbell Rey. This episode is supported by Decorex and is a Wildwood production.

In this show, co-presenter Susie Rumbold, Creative Director of Tessuto Interiors, and our special guest, Julia Alexander of Julia Alexander Interiors talk us through that significant first step for a designer in any client relationship, taking the brief. The success or failure of every project lies in their ability to extract an accurate brief from their clients. It sounds straightforward enough, but many clients who begin work with a designer are unable to articulate what it is that they need and want. Often, they simply don’t know, and, in many cases, they are not aware of what is possible. So, where should designers begin in this process and how do they determine what questions to ask their clients in order to gain the information essential to delivering that successful project? This episode is a Wildwood production.

Tricia Guild OBE is the creative force of Designers Guild and has been at the forefront of interior design since starting the company in 1970. Internationally renowned for her passion for colour, pattern and texture as well as her signature lifestyle brand and books, Tricia has built a formidable reputation for her dynamic and innovative collections and is instantly recognisable for her unique and contemporary style. In this episode, recorded at the Designers Guild flagship store on the King’s Road, Jeff and Susie sit down with Tricia to talk about her design inspirations and how she develops those ideas into the beautiful finished products that grace the homes of discerning consumers the world over. Listen in for a product design masterclass. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

What can we expect from the international design show, Decorex, when it opens this November? In our latest episode, we talk to Event Director, Sam Fisher, about the challenges facing exhibition organisers, what the long-term future looks like and how a virtual Decorex will offer business opportunity for interior designers and brands. This episode is supported by Decorex and is a Wildwood production.

Never before in the history of the modern family have homes been under such intense pressure as they have been since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Residential properties that would have been mostly empty during weekdays and only fully occupied during sleeping hours have suddenly had to do double duty as office, school, and gym, putting enormous strain on occupants as they compete for the space they need. We are radically rethinking our homes and how we want to live. What should interior designers be focusing on to meet these new needs? And, how can technology help in solving some of the issues encountered in this Brave New World? Join Vanessa Leyland of Vanessa Leyland Interiors, Andrew Royall of Eclectic Home Technology and Susie Rumbold of Tessuto Interiors to find out. Sponsored by CEDIA, this episode is an edited, audio-only version of our webinar which is available to view, if preferred,from the on-demand content at Designscape here: https://www.thedesignscape.co.uk We are a Wildwood production.

The recent horrific killing of George Floyd in the US and the worldwide protests that followed have sparked a long overdue discussion in the UK about the lack of opportunities afforded to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in every aspect of their lives, including their careers. How difficult is it to be a BAME designer working in the interior design profession today? What are the barriers encountered by young BAME people, trying to get started in their design careers? And, what should be done to address these issues? We're joined by Design Career Consultant, Simon Hamilton, and Charmaine White of The White House Interiors to explore diversity in interior design. We support Design For Diversity and we support United in Design, a movement which, since the recording of this epsiode, has now launched. We are a Wildwood production.

In this episode, we have invited a distinguished selection of suppliers to share their thoughts with us on the COVID-19 crisis. We find out how their supply chains have been affected by the pandemic and get their predictions for the likely shift in availability of product ranges for interior designers and their clients one year on from today. Between them, they cover a broad range of product types from specialist interior finishes and hand-woven textiles to international lighting, timber flooring and bespoke furniture. We hear from Fameed Khalique of Fameed Khalique, Chiara Prestigiacomo from Porada, Mark Abbott of Abbott and Boyd, Lisa Mabey from Malissa Lighting, Simon Myatt of Havwoods, Margo Selby from Margo Selby, Robert Knapp of Robert Langford, Miranda Kirwan from Tom Faulkner and Martyn Bennett of Stereo Interiors. We are a Wildwood production.

We talk to interior designer, Francesca Rowan Plowden who, in trying to find a way to show her appreciation for NHS workers, alighted on a brilliant but simple idea. What if she could bring the interior design and construction communities together to give our NHS heroes the sort of beautiful rooms that would become havens for them from the stresses and fatigue of their daily working lives? The result was new charity Design Havens for Heroes. In this episode, Francesca tells us about the charity and how designers, brands and others can get involved to support this fantastic initiative.

In this second COVID-19 special episode, we look at how interior designers from around the country are surviving the present storm and looking to thrive in a post-pandemic future. We’ve interviewed nine designers, running both large and small practices, for insights into their response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We find out the positives that they're taking from the current situation and the advice they have for other interior designers in the community. Our thanks to Aflux Designs, Ashton House Design, Henry Prideaux Interior Design, Julia Alexander Interiors, Louise Bramhill Interiors, MF Design Studio, Smartstyle Interiors, Studio Suss and Taylor Howes. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production. We support Design Havens For Heroes.

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has resulted in closed building sites, current projects on pause and a vanishing pipeline of work. Many viable and profitable interior design businesses are facing extinction. Meanwhile, a sometimes-confusing deluge of information on funding and financial support has emerged intended to provide help for small businesses on how they can remain functioning entities until the situation eases. Luke Desmond, CEO of Crisp Accountancy, is our special guest on this episode. Crisp Accountancy specialise in the provision of business advice to SMEs in the construction sector. He talks with us about business survival strategies, giving us some clear direction on the packages of financial support available from the UK Government and advice on how to access them. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood production.

Jeff and Susie are joined by Jane Landino and Helena Lowry from Taylor Howes to discuss interior design for historic buildings. In the UK, we are blessed with a huge stock of incredible old buildings. In fact, around 30% of all our homes were constructed before the year 1910. Many of these properties are quite rightly protected by strict laws designed to preserve their historic features and, at the same time, maintain our lovely streetscapes. But wonderful as these buildings are, they were designed for the way people in previous generations lived and worked, which is a far cry from the way we live and work today. Plus, many of them are fragile and in need of repair. Is it possible to sensitively re-purpose these outmoded historic structures and make them relevant for modern use, and what is the role of the interior designer as protector and custodian of our national heritage? This episode is recorded at Taylor Howes in Knightsbridge.

For this show, we’re joined by a very special guest, Sophie Paterson, to dissect the interior designer as brand in front of a select gathering of VIP designers. Interior designers tend to fall into two camps. Those who deliberately avoid having a house style and always try to subjugate their own taste to that of their client’s preferences. And others whose names become firmly associated with a particular interior style, and eventually become a brand in their own right. But does this approach make the successful delivery of projects harder or easier for interior designers and their clients? Recorded at the wonderful Andrew Martin showroom in South Kensington.

We celebrate our first anniversary with a live audience special where we talk all about colour and interior design. In the company of colour and design consultant, Karen Haller, the author of 'The Little Book of Colour' and Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux, Jeff, Susie and our audience of designers learn about colour psychology and its impact on interior design. We ask how colour works and learn about its innate power to change human behaviour, happiness and well-being. We then discover how interior designers can harness the positive virtues of colour in their work. Karen and Marianne also answer questions as part of a lively discussion that's packed with insight and intelligence. Recorded at the fabulous Roca London Gallery in Chelsea Harbour.

In this special episode, we look at the unethical practice of kick-backs in interior design on the day that the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) launches its Kick Out the Kick-Backs campaign. Susie and Jeff are joined by Katherine Elworthy, COO of the BIID, to find out more about the potential issues that can arise for interior designers and how the Kick Out The Kick-Backs campaign can help. Recorded in the Experience Centre of BIID Industry Partner, Lutron, this episode is released to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day 2019.

In this episode, we’re joined by May Fawzy from award-winning interior architecture and design firm, MF Design Studio, to explore the impact of activity-based working on office design. Back in the day, the corporate workplace used to be filled with serried rows of employees in battery-style cubicles while bosses resided in spacious paneled offices on the upper floors of the building. Today’s organisations measure their success by the ideas, innovation and creativity of their teams. And, when individuals come together to talk, big ideas are born. The result is a more flexible approach to workplace design where staff can occupy any space at any point of their day depending on the activity they are performing. But what does activity-based working mean for the interior designer? Listen in to find out in this show, recorded at Workstories in Clerkenwell, the commercial furniture company, representing 6 brands carefully curated from across the globe for workspace, hospitality and residential projects. This show is brought to you with support from Bureau.

In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at Decorex 2019, we ask: what makes a happy, healthy home? Back in 1971, an American researcher called Roger Ulrich began tracking the outcomes of patients recovering from routine surgery in a suburban hospital in Pennsylvania. Half of these patients had rooms that overlooked the trees of the adjacent park while the other half had rooms with a panoramic view of a brick wall. To his astonishment, Ulrich discovered that the group of patients looking at the trees, achieved faster recovery rates, spent less time in hospital and needed fewer painkillers than the ones left staring at the wall. Since then further studies have gone on to support these findings. Human beings have an innate connection to nature. If we believe this connection to be important, how should designers approach the design of interior spaces, both public and private, that will improve physical and mental health, and enhance the wellbeing and happiness of their clients? Cinzia Moretti of Moretti Interior Design and Phoebe Oldrey of Smartstyle Interiors, two passionate advocates of well-being, happiness and interior design, join us to offer their take on this increasingly important subject.

In this episode, we're looking at design for the Third Age. The term “Third Age” was first coined by British historian, Peter Laslett, in 1987. His theory on positive ageing stated that life consists of Four Ages, with the Third Age being that period immediately after retirement,generally characterised by health, vigour, on-going personal achievement and a positive attitude to life. The truth is that we all want to remain living well and independently into our Third Age for as long as we can. How can designers approach the design of interior spaces, both public and private, that will allow people to enjoy every aspect of their lives to the full, for the longest possible time? Lori Pinkerton-Rolet, Principal at Park Grove Design, a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design, and an expert practitioner in this field joins us to explore the challenges and the opportunites of designing for the Third Age. This episode is recorded in the Clerkenwell showroom of Hitch Mylius.

More than half of all design projects fall outside of the private residential realm. In the workplace, healthcare, education, hospitality and residential development sectors, interior designers are frequently creating schemes for 'clients' that they never meet. Dean Keyworth, Principal at Armstrong Keyworth and a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design, is our guest as we explore this important and challenging aspect of design. We look at the pressures facing designers on projects where commercial success, or, indeed, failure often rests on the designer’s ability to accurately predict the needs and aspirations of the imagined end user. We also unearth the tricks of the trade that can be employed to achieve the right design and commercial goals. This episode is recorded in the Clerkenwell showroom of Danish furniture brand, NORR11.

In the latest episode, we’re looking at the relationship between architects and interior designers. Do architects and interior designers get on? And, if not, why not? Some architects are known to dismiss interior designers as mere cushion fluffers whilst interior designers can see architects as patronising at best and bullying at worst. Do these views still hold sway today? Have designers and architects learned to collaborate effectively? And, is there room in today’s challenging construction industry for them both? Susie and Jeff are joined in this frank disussion by John Tehan, Director at the renowned London practice, Smallwood Architects. Founded by Christopher Smallwood in 1976, Smallwood Architects was set up to provide a very personal service to clients, delivering beautiful buildings of the highest quality. This episode is recorded in the Farringdon showroom of modular furniture specialist, USM.

We examine the secrets of successful sourcing in another live audience special. Once upon a time, interior designers were only as good as the contents of their “little black book”. Favoured suppliers and specialist tradespeople were jealously guarded secrets. In today’s age of the internet and globalisation, we’re in a different place but one where designers can still add value to their client’s projects through clever sourcing. But how? Sharing their insights with co-hosts Jeff Hayward and Susie Rumbold are Jim Hamilton of Jim Hamilton Design and Creative Director of the internationally acclaimed consultancy, Graven, alongside BBC Scotland’s Home of the Year judge, Anna Campbell-Jones from Habitus. This episode is brought to you from the magnificent Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed Billiard Room at the Willow in the heart of Glasgow. Jim, Anna and Susie also take questions from our audience of designers as part of this wonderful and wide-ranging conversation.

Susie and Jeff are joined by Charles Leon of Leon Black, a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design, to examine the fee proposal. As a designer, your fee proposal should speak volumes about you, your approach to design and your practice. Typically, it’s the first piece of written information that your client will ever receive from you. It should showcase your professionalism and present you as the safe pair of hands who they can trust to complete their project. Most importantly of all, it should clearly set out the design services that are included for the stated fee. But how should you put a fee proposal together? What assumptions and exclusions should you consider? How can you make sure it’s as ironclad as possible? We also hear Charles’s take on the strangest request that he’s ever received from a client. This episode is recorded in the Bulthaup Holland Park showroom. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood and Alfi Media production.

In our first ever show recorded in front of a live audience, we examine social media for professional interior designers. Interior designer, Simone Suss, founder and CEO of London-based practice, Studio Suss (17.8K followers on Instagram), together with well-known interiors influencer and the uncontested queen of colour, Sophie Robinson (78.4K followers on Instagram), join us to share their secrets in this specially extended edition. How can social media help you build your brand and your business profile? Is it all about Instagram and, if so, why so? How should you use social platforms to grow your business? What content works best and where and when should you use it? Simone and Sophie also take questions from designers in our audience as part of a lively discussion that's choc-full of great advice. Recorded at the Roca London Gallery in Chelsea Harbour.

We're in Manchester to explore the chemistry between interior designers and private residential clients. It can be hugely satisfying and fun to work on private residential projects. Indeed, interior designers can have a massively positive impact on the lives of clients and their families. All designers dream of working for delighted, grateful, non-quibbling, fee-paying, private clients, but, in reality, how easy is this to achieve? And, what can you do to avoid some of the possible pitfalls? Fiona Watkins of Fiona Watkins Design joins co-host Susie Rumbold, Head of Tessuto Interiors and a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design, to share their experiences and offer practical advice. We also take the temperature of business in the North with the help of Natalie Holden from NH Interiors and Melinda Kiss of Keyhole Interiors. Natalie and Melinda are the founders of Concept North, the region's fast-growing community for designers. We find out what Concept North is all about and the type of events, activities and support that they offer to help interior designers in the North. This episode is recorded in the Havwoods Manchester Showroom, located in Deansgate, the Design Quarter of the city. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood and Alfi Media production.

In this episode we take a look at the state of design education with expert help and insight from the Principal of the KLC School of Design, Jenny Gibbs, and co-presenter, Susie Rumbold, Head of London-based design practice, Tessuto. We ask if design education is preparing graduates successfully for real-world employment. We also consider other important questions. How is interior design education changing to meet the needs of the construction industry? What are the key skills that interior design practices look for in graduates? And, what can be done to ease that, sometimes, painful transition from education into professional practice? Susie reveals how, even when qualified, the learning process never stops and Jenny takes us right back to the beginning of her career in design education to explain the origins of KLC. This episode is recorded in the offices of KLC. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood and Alfi Media production.

The latest episode is all about hard hats and hard knocks. Kia Stanford of London-based practice, Kia Designs, joins co-presenter Susie Rumbold, Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design and Principal of Tessuto to look at how designers can successfully manage contractors. What constitutes a good contractor, how do you find one and how do you keep them on the straight and narrow to deliver great projects and good profit? We also examine the problem situations that can arise with contractors and hear from Kia and Susie on ways that they’ve dealt with real issues on site. In a wide-ranging conversation, we also find out about Kia’s pathway into the profession and how she’s able to keep her sanity, reduce stress levels and switch off from interior design in her spare time. This episode is recorded in the luxury cinema beneath the Experience Centre of Ideaworks. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood and Alfi Media production.

In this episode, we get our teeth into one of the most talked about topics for professional interior designers: fees. How do you go about pricing a project? What value should you place on design? How should you deal with FF&E? How does pricing affect the perception of interior design as a profession? And, ultimately, we also look at the steps you can take to ensure your client pays for the service you provide. Listen in for insights and practical advice provided by two Past Presidents of the British Institute of Interior Design, co-presenter Susie Rumbold of Tessuto and Lori Pinkerton-Rolet of Park Grove Design. Finally, we discover the life-changing experience that has made Lori the designer she is today. Recorded in the offices of Tessuto, this epsiode is sponsored by Crestron. The Interior Design Business is a Wildwood and Alfi Media production.

September is a busy, back to work month. The holidays are a dim and distant memory, the kids are heading off to school and it’s time to gear up for show season - a time that's full of innovations, new ideas and education opportunities. From the 15th until the 23rd September, London is taken over by the London Design Festival. Smart home is an increasingly visible part of the events taking place. So, on this first episode we talk about interior design and technology integration. We welcome two special guests to look at how professioanl designers and integrators collaborate, sometimes collide, but, ultimately, can work better together for the mutual benefit of clients. From the world of interior design, we're joined by Susie Rumbold of Tessuto Interiors, former President of the British Institute of Interior Design, and from award-winning, London integration business, ClearSphere, we have Director, Alistair Ingram. Our home for this episode is the Crestron showroom, located on the second floor of the sourcing mecca for savvy interior designers, the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour. Later in the show, Phil Pini and Kate Fauset from Crestron are our guests. They will explain the showroom experience, how it works and give their insights into how this facility helps bring home technology to life for the benefit of interior designers and their clients.