The Interior Design Business

Design Dialogues For Decorex 2026 With Alex Dauley and Grant Pierrus of AEVEN Collective

We welcome Alex Dauley and Grant Pierrus of AEVEN to discuss the thinking behind their bold, collaborative concept for the Decorex Bar. This exciting space for Decorex 2026 will be far more than somewhere to pause for refreshments. Instead, it will be a curated destination intended to spark conversation, foster connection and celebrate the creative energy that defines the design community. Alex and Grant explore the inspiration behind the concept and share their thoughts on the importance of bui

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Design Dialogues For Decorex 2026 With Claudia Dorsch

Acclaimed designer Claudia Dorsch reveals the thinking behind one of the most ambitious spaces at Decorex 2026: the show’s VIP Lounge. Drawing on her experience designing homes across city, ski and surf destinations, Claudia shares how she is re-imagining the traditional mountain chalet through a “back to the future” lens, creating an immersive environment that blends craftsmanship, heritage and contemporary design. We explore Claudia’s creative process, the challenge of transporting visitors fr

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Design Dialogues For Decorex 2026 With Claire Coles

As Decorex 2026 approaches, this episode shines a spotlight on the remarkable journey of wallpaper artist Claire Coles, whose richly layered and highly tactile creations are redefining the relationship between art, craft and interiors. Drawing inspiration from nature, travel, vintage wallpapers and decorative history, Claire discusses how her distinctive process combines paint, embroidery, collage and hand-cut materials to create bespoke wallpaper art for interior designers and homeowners alike.

Lighting Reimagined With Samantha Bartlett, Luke Thomas, James Ratcliffe and Shaun Gumbs

Lighting has evolved from a functional necessity into one of the most expressive tools in the interior designer's palette. With intelligent fixtures, light can now shift in colour, temperature and intensity throughout the day, warming mornings, energising afternoons, and creating cinematic evenings, all tuned to how we actually live. It can transform art, sculpture and materials within the home, add layers and drama, quietly shaping mood, emotion and experience. How are interior designers and li

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Inside WOW!house 2026 With Martin Kemp, Henri Fitzwilliam Lay and Darren Price

From bold concepts and standout schemes to the latest collections making their international debut, WOW!house has firmly established itself as an exciting and pivotal stage in the interior design calendar. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of WOW!house 2026, talking with designers, brands and sponsors about what we can expect to see at this year’s event. We discuss the creative energy that fuels WOW!house, the role it plays in setting trends, and what we can learn from its ever-evol

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The Power of WOW!house With Natalia Miyar, Sara Cosgrove and Alexandra Singer

WOW!house is renowned as an international showcase for acclaimed designers, bold, emerging voices and stellar brands with creative collaborations transforming ideas into fully realised, inspirational spaces. In this episode, we explore the true impact and potential of WOW!house through the voices of those shaping it from the inside. We’re joined by Natalia Miyar, who designed the Bedroom within WOW!house back in 2023, Sara Cosgrove of Sara Cosgrove Studio, who will be designing the Drawing Room

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United in Design With Alex Dauley And Eman Akbar

Traditionally, interior designers in the UK were well-heeled, well-connected lady decorators with good posture and expensive handbags, creating interiors for people just like them.  One could even go so far as to say ‘Pale, Stale and Female’. It felt like this would never change, but then, in 2020, seemingly out of nowhere, a charity called United in Design appeared with a mission to shine a light on the issue and do something about it! Jeff and Susie welcome Alex Dauley and Eman Akbar from Unit

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Putting The WOW In WOW!house With Claire German, Durgesh Sinh And Benedict Foley

We are all eagerly anticipating WOW!house 2026 which will run from 2nd June until the 2nd July so what better time to take a look at the phenomenon that is WOW!house. From a standing start in 2022, WOW!house has, in 5 short years, grown to become the UK’s premier showcase for luxury interior design talent and style. Going way beyond the mere setting of trends, WOW!house has come to embody the aspirational direction of travel for the whole UK prime residential market. But how did it all begin? Wh

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Why Craft Matters With Natasha Mann, Claire Coles, Louisa Pacifico, Sam Fisher And Katharine Pooley

We live in a mostly mass-produced, machine-made world of globalised banality. Interior spaces from north to south look and feel the same. Yet, as human beings, we revel in our individuality and crave the means to add a personal stamp to the way we live and the places we inhabit. We yearn to possess things that are unique to us and that no one else can have. Artisan-made items created by skilled and loving hands will deliver those special touches that make a room memorable and distinctive, but wh

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What They Don't Teach You at Design School With Laura Hammett, Franky Rousell and Charu Gandhi

As interior design gains ground as a serious career and profession, more and more academic institutions are offering degree and master’s level interior design courses to teach the rudiments of this highly technical subject. But is this enough?  Susie and Jeff are joined by three renowned designers - Charu Gandi from Elicyon, Franky Rousell from Jolie Studio and Laura Hammett from Laura Hammett Interiors to discuss whether design schools adequately equip budding designers with the skills they nee

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A BIID Awards Special: Turning Great Design Into Industry Recognition

Entering an interior design award can boost visibility, credibility, and client trust - but not all awards are created equal. In this episode, Jeff and Susie are joined by two BIID award-winning designers, Jennifer Hamilton from The Vawdrey House and Melinda Kiss from Keyhole Interiors for a deeper dive into the awards process. We'll explore how designers can identify award schemes with genuine merit and industry recognition, how to present a standout project and the storytelling techniques that

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Divas, Devils or Delights? With Joanna Wood and Paul Fitzgerald

Interior designers have a bad rep on building sites for being demanding, difficult and dis-organised, but is this fair? In their drive for perfection, are interior designers their own worst enemy? Do designers efficiently provide the information needed by builders, or do contractors sometimes wilfully misunderstand their design intentions? What can designers and contractors do to make each other’s lives easier? In this episode, Jeff and Susie are joined by renowned interior designer Joanna Wood,

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Taking The Strain With Christian Bense and Helen Bygraves

Taking The Strain - How To Be a Safe Pair of Hands. The only things in life more stressful than building or renovating a home are bereavement, divorce, and redundancy. And yet the finished result should be life-changing for the client and worth all the pain of the experience. To assist their clients, interiors designers must act as a safe pair of hands, ready to support and guide through the ups and downs of the design and project process, skilfully managing any unforeseen dramas, problems, or d

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Awkward Clients and How to Manage Them With James Roberts and Simon Mayhew

It has often been said that interior design would be a great job if it wasn’t for the clients. They can be unappreciative, indecisive, and unreasonable even when their project is on track and bellicose, belligerent, and litigious when things go wrong. In fact, the designer-client relationship which often begins as a love affair can sometimes end tragically in the bitterest of divorces. But is there really such a thing an awkward client, or are any problems just down to poor communications? What

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Lighting The Way With Lee Lovett and Henriette von Stockhausen

Interior designers know that lighting is crucial to the success of every project. Bad lighting can be simultaneously gloomy and glary – deadening colours and flattening textures, while good lighting can make even basic decorative schemes sing. But lighting is also a highly complex and technical minefield that designers must somehow learn to navigate.    Susie and Jeff are joined by Lee Lovett, founder and managing director of Soho Lighting and award-winning interior designer, Henriette von Stock

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Decorex And The Power Of The Pop-Up

In this episode, Jeff and Susie dive into the dynamic world of pop-up installations while exploring the enduring appeal of Decorex. Recorded at the Sofas & Stuff showroom on the Kings Road, they’re joined by designers Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́(Adẹ̀kọ́ & Co) and Lucy Mayers (Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler), both creators of standout temporary spaces for Decorex 2025. Together, they explore what makes a pop-up truly successful, the creative and logistical challenges behind these here-today-gone-tomorrow marvels,

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Finding The Ultimate Hook With Venetia Rudebeck and Romanos Brihi

It is often said that Interior Design is 5% creativity and 95% uphill slog. Most of what we do involves translating a creative vision into a set of instructions for someone else to build and then battling through to make sure the vision is realised. So, while the process is important, without that precious initial spark there is no interior to build. All designers suffer at times from designer’s block – there are times when the ideas simply will not flow, and times when the designer can find the

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Designing For Health And Wellness with Mark Tremlett, Fiona Watkins and Melanie Zarins

We are joined by Mark Tremlett, founder and managing director of Naturalmat, Fiona Watkins founder and creative director of Fiona Watkins Studio and Melanie Zarins, Project Director at international design powerhouse, tp bennett to explore the topic of wellness and interior design. Interior design has evolved way beyond mere aesthetics to embrace wellness as a core principle. Whether designing homes, workplaces, or public spaces, integrating wellness into design decisions is no longer optional -

Interior Design Roles and Responsibilities With Sammy Bikoulis and Liz Bell

Interior designers undertake complex, highly skilled, technical work, within a framework of building safety regulations and consumer protection legislation yet are still largely credited only for good taste and an ability to shop. But are designers their our own worst enemies? And if that is the case, how should they sharpen up their act, disabuse the public of this perception, and command the respect they deserve? In this episode, recorded at the London offices of LXA Projects, Susie and Jeff a

Fee Charging And Getting Paid For The Work You Do With Andrea Benedettini and Anna Burles

It’s a problem most interior designers are familiar with. You have been given a brief for a lovely project, and you quote a fee based on that brief. But then the actual job turns out to be much more complex and difficult than you had expected and nothing like what you had quoted for. What can designers do to protect themselves from goalposts that move and projects that creep?  And what steps do they need to take at the start of a project to ensure smooth running further down the track? We’re joi