A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

1198: Isabel Ladd: Build a Business that Matches Your Vibe

June 5 · 1 hr 24 min

0:00-1:24:02

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Today with Isabel Ladd:

Today with Isabel Ladd, self-taught interior designer and unapologetic maximalist, we are getting into what it actually looks like to build a business entirely on your own terms. Isabel is a 2026 High Point Market Authority Style Spotter, a Kips Bay and House Beautiful Whole Home Showhouse alum, and someone who has spent 11 years in business deliberately engineering her client process so that by the time someone works with her, it's a love match — for both of them.

Isabel walks us through the intentional speed bumps she's built into her intake process, the 15-page handbook her clients receive before they ever get on a call with her, and the mindset shifts that changed everything — including why she deleted more than half of her portfolio and never looked back. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to run a business from a place of joy instead of obligation, this is your episode.

More About Isabel Ladd:

A ride-or-die Maximalist, Isabel Ladd thrives on creating homes saturated in a kaleidoscope of intelligent, meticulously layered colors and patterns. A girl of many mantras, Isabel loves to preach: More is More, Less is never enough; and Mix: don’t match.

Isabel has participated in both the Kip’s Bay Designer Showhouse and House Beautiful’s Whole Home Showhouse. She won the Luxe Magazine Red Award “Interior Design: Best of the Rest” , is a House Beautiful “Next Wave” Designer, represented Kentucky in Business Of Home’s “50 States Project, ” and was named a “New Trad” in Traditional Home magazine. Her work is regularly featured in design + lifestyle outlets.

Ah Ha Moments with Isabel Ladd:

"It's not about the market that you're in that determines if your aesthetic is successful. It's about who aligns with your vibe. And good vibes are more important to me than anything else.” - Isabel

“There’s not a problem. There’s just a solution we haven’t figured out just yet.” - Isabel

“I give myself authority to make the best decisions for you on your behalf.” - Isabel

"If I don't care if there's only 5% of the people in Kentucky that appreciate your look — you're going to get 100% of that 5% because you're willing to say, this is who I am and this is how I show up." - LuAnn

Connect with Isabel Ladd:

Website

Instagram

What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:

Watch the Docuseries!

http://www.luannnigara.com/cob

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Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts