Description
Business of Home's editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen talks to interior designers about nurturing creativity, finding a firm’s financial footing, setting goals and discovering their own version of success as a result.
Episodes
- 2026 / 2 / 18Ask Us Anything: Dan Mazzarini on how to get client approval for antiquesDan Mazzarini, the founder of New York–based interiors firm Mazzarini & Co., joins the show to answer a question from a designer who wants to start sourcing antique and vintage pieces, but needs guidance...
- 2026 / 2 / 11Yates Desygn on the course correction that saved their teamBryan and Mike Yates discovered that at the height of their firm’s success, their team’s morale was at its lowest. In this episode, they explain how that realization prompted an internal overhaul, setting in...
- 2026 / 2 / 4Ask Us Anything: DuVäl Reynolds on finding new clients in a slowdownDuVäl Reynolds, the founder of East Coast interior design firm DuVäl Design, joins the show to answer a question from a designer whose steady stream of clients has slowed down dramatically in recent months....
- 2026 / 1 / 28How Evan Millárd used showhouses to launch his design careerEvan Millard’s strategic approach to showhouses catapulted his firm to early success. In the years since, he’s flourished as a solo designer, pursuing new business opportunities and entering what he calls the...
- 2026 / 1 / 21Ask Us Anything: Victoria Sass on how to get published [Rebroadcast]Victoria Sass joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who is hoping to land her young firm’s first magazine feature. She has a project she’s excited to share with the world—but finding...
- 2026 / 1 / 14Why Zoe Feldman doesn't believe in complete transparency [Rebroadcast]Zoe Feldman got some surprising advice just as she was starting to feel settled in her business: While she thought she couldn’t afford to hire more employees, she was told that if she wanted to keep...
- 2026 / 1 / 7Ask Us Anything: Kevin Isbell on what to do when an order goes wrong [Rebroadcast]Kevin Isbell joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who reached out with the story of an order gone awry, and is now looking for advice on what it takes to make things right for clients...
- 2025 / 12 / 31Alvin Wayne on making social media the bedrock of his business [Rebroadcast]Alvin Wayne spent years juggling a double career in luxury retail and interior design. But when the pandemic happened, he was hit with a realization: it was finally time to wholeheartedly pursue his passion...
- 2025 / 12 / 24Ask Us Anything: Erin Gates on clients who disrupt the design processErin Gates joins the show to answer a question from a designer trying to establish boundaries with clients who requested revisions too late in the design process. Gates offers advice on the importance of...
- 2025 / 12 / 17Richard Anuszkiewicz on launching a new creative studioRichard Anuszkiewicz has been a rising star in the kitchen and bath industry since his design school days. He spent the better part of his career working within other design businesses—now, he’s starting a...
- 2025 / 12 / 10Ask Us Anything: Ashley Hughes on how to level up your clienteleAshley Hughes joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is looking to reach the next level of clientele. Hughes, whose firm is based in Dallas, offers advice on the importance of auditing your...
- 2025 / 12 / 3Lilse McKenna on building client confidenceLilse McKenna honed her craft under some of New York’s top design talents before striking out on her own. She learned from the best when it comes to systems and processes, but as the leader of her own firm,...
- 2025 / 11 / 26Ask Us Anything: Live with Heather Fujikawa, Jean Stoffer and Grace StartDesigners Heather Fujikawa, Jean Stoffer and Grace Start joined host Kaitlin Petersen for a live episode of the show—recorded at the Four Hands showroom in Austin—to hear anonymous designer questions on...
- 2025 / 11 / 19Why Ariel Okin believes all clients deserve ‘unfailing optimism’Ariel Okin’s early look at the industry inspired her to structure her business with a clear separation of the creative and operations teams. She also built a media empire, complete with a digital platform, a...
- 2025 / 11 / 12Ask Us Anything: Jenna Chused on rising prices in the tariff eraJenna Chused joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is looking for help when it comes to communicating with clients about tariffs. Chused, whose firm is based in Brooklyn, jumps in with...
- 2025 / 11 / 5How Dan Mazzarini built a firm that benefits from a diverse project mixDan Mazzarini kicked off his career working in retail design before stepping into residential and hospitality work. Today, clients hire his firm for all three—leading to a diverse project mix that keeps his...
- 2025 / 10 / 29Ask Us Anything: Anissa Zajac on getting out-of-state jobs rightAnissa Zajac joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is looking to scale her business by expanding into new markets. Zajac, whose firm is based in Indianapolis, jumps in with advice on the...
- 2025 / 10 / 22Heather Fujikawa on always putting the business firstHeather Fujikawa quickly realized that she wanted her firm to be about more than herself, and built up a team early on so that her budding design business could grow exponentially. The secret, she says, is a...
- 2025 / 10 / 15Ask Us Anything: Noz Nozawa on how to find the best talentNoz Nozawa joins the show to answer a question from a designer who’s finding it difficult to expand her team. Nozawa, whose firm is based in San Francisco, jumps in with advice on the value of investing in a...
- 2025 / 10 / 8For Jean Stoffer and Grace Start, starting slow is the key to growing big ideasJean Stoffer and Grace Start’s multigenerational firm always has an eye towards the future. They’ve paved a path to growth by launching new ventures—including a cabinetry business, a home store and a Magnolia...
- 2025 / 10 / 1Ask Us Anything: Georgia Zikas on staying nimble amid a business slowdownGeorgia Zikas joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer whose firm is experiencing a slowdown in new business. Zikas, whose firm has offices in Boston and West Hartford, Connecticut, jumps in...
- 2025 / 9 / 24Lindsay Anyon Brier on building space for joy into her firmLindsay Anyon Brier’s business spans a full-service firm and a home boutique with outposts in San Francisco and Dallas. As she explains, she couldn’t do it without her team—a group guided by a shared set of...
- 2025 / 9 / 17Ask Us Anything: Dwayne Bergmann on how to purchase another designer's firmDwayne Bergmann joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who recently received an offer from the principal of her firm to purchase the business. Naples, Florida–based Bergmann jumps in with...
- 2025 / 9 / 10How Luis Fernandez structured his firm to foster creativityLuis Fernandez’s boundless creative energy led him to a career in architecture, fashion, and ultimately, interiors. Now, he’s intent on pushing the limits of his craft with new challenges, like designing in...
- 2025 / 9 / 3Ask Us Anything: Michael Hilal on how good photography drives growthMichael Hilal joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer about how to prioritize project photography after missing out on the opportunity to shoot a great job. San Francisco–based Hilal...
- 2025 / 8 / 27Anne McDonald’s roadmap to investing in yourselfAnne McDonald made a big push a few years back to take her firm to the next level—toward bigger projects, more robust budgets, and new opportunities. The process required not only refining her team, but also...
- 2025 / 8 / 20Ask Us Anything: Jean Liu on the best way to use credit cards for purchasingJean Liu joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is wondering whether or not to pass along vendor processing fees to clients. The Dallas–based designer jumps in with advice on communicating...
- 2025 / 8 / 13How acquiring another design firm helped Dwayne Bergmann get back in touch with his creativityDwayne Bergmann’s multifaceted approach to business growth has included everything from repping cabinet lines and cofounding a slab importing company to acquiring another Florida designer’s firm. He shares...
- 2025 / 8 / 6Ask Us Anything: Brian Paquette on warehouse insurance that works for designersBrian Paquette joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who wanted to know the best way to protect items in storage for her clients. The Seattle-based designer jumps in with advice on...
- 2025 / 7 / 30How Michelle Gage built the team that helped her escape burnoutMichelle Gage found herself fast-approaching the point of burnout several years ago. In response, she threw herself into the process of remaking her business—overhauling back-end systems and making high-level...
- 2025 / 7 / 23Ask Us Anything: Bria Hammel on why full-service firms should always take credit cardsBria Hammel joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer in need of advice as she embarks on an overhaul of her payment processes, especially amid a recent shift to charging flat fees....
- 2025 / 7 / 16Considering a sabbatical? Chloe Redmond Warner did it—and shares how you can, too [Rebroadcast]Chloe Redmond Warner realized several years ago that she had reached a breaking point. To get back to herself, she took a four-month sabbatical, with the hopes of returning to her firm as a better designer,...
- 2025 / 7 / 9Ask Us Anything: Live with Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop at High Point MarketDesigners Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop joined host Kaitlin Petersen for a live episode of the show—recorded during Spring High Point Market—to dish out advice on topics including when to start...
- 2025 / 7 / 2The pandemic almost shut down Meg Lonergan’s business—here’s how she revived it [Rebroadcast]When Meg Lonergan embarked on her design career, it seemed that her biggest hurdle was demonstrating to the rest of the design industry that despite her nontraditional education and early career experiences,...
- 2025 / 6 / 25Ask Us Anything: Meagan Camp on helping clients come to terms with storage feesMeagan Camp joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer in need of advice on streamlining her procurement process as she takes on a larger project load. The New York designer jumps in with tips...
- 2025 / 6 / 18How Alex Kaehler stepped away from her firm to gain a new vision for its futureAlex Kaehler found herself with a rush of new work an opportunity to really scale her business during the pandemic boom—but soon realized that the way the firm was growing didn’t leave her feeling fulfilled....
- 2025 / 6 / 11Ask Us Anything: Amy Storm on navigating complex contractor relationshipsAmy Storm joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer in need of advice on working with a contractor who is consistently missing the mark. The Glen Ellyn, Illinois designer jumps in with advice...
- 2025 / 6 / 4How better boundaries helped Adam Hunter fall back in love with his businessAdam Hunter’s first career on Broadway gave way to a second act in design, where he’s tapping into his talent for selling a vision. With candor, he shines a bright light on the real costs of design at a...
- 2025 / 5 / 28Ask Us Anything: Emilie Munroe on why you should never charge a consultation feeEmilie Munroe joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who is wondering how to approach the client vetting process, and wants to know if she should be charging for a consultation before the...
- 2025 / 5 / 21How eliminating a markup has fueled Bella Mancini’s creativityBella Mancini’s firm was flying high for nearly two decades when the pandemic hit, shattering her project pipeline. With a bit of outside help, she embarked on an overhaul of her systems, ultimately building...
- 2025 / 5 / 14Ask Us Anything: Kevin Isbell on what to do when an order goes wrongKevin Isbell joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who reached out with the story of an order gone awry, and is now looking for advice on what it takes to make things right for clients...
- 2025 / 5 / 7How Studio DB took their firm out of its startup phaseBritt and Damian Zunino are a husband-and-wife duo whose creative partnership was a perfect match—bringing together expertise in architecture and design to create spaces where each discipline informs the...
- 2025 / 4 / 30Ask Us Anything: Victoria Sass on how to get publishedVictoria Sass joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who is hoping to land her young firm’s first magazine feature. She has a project she’s excited to share with the world—but finding...
- 2025 / 4 / 23Why Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry get real about the design process on social mediaPulp Studios was born when Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry bonded over similar aesthetics—despite their very different working styles. On this episode of Trade Tales, they explain what it takes to operate a...
- 2025 / 4 / 16Ask Us Anything: Dane Austin on taking design presentations to the next levelBoston designer Dane Austin joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who knows the basics when it comes to presenting design ideas, and is now looking for advice on how to take her strategy...
- 2025 / 4 / 9How making a handbook for her firm helped Isabel Ladd fall back in love with designIsabel Ladd’s lifelong penchant for pattern and color set the stage for a maximalist approach to life and design. But after several busy years, she realized that she was falling out of love with her...
- 2025 / 4 / 2Ask Us Anything: Clara Jung on building community as an introvertSan Francisco Bay Area designer Clara Jung joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who identifies as just that. She’s craving community, collaborators and deeper conversations, but often...
- 2025 / 3 / 26How Arianne Bellizaire stopped chasing the industry’s standard of successEarlier in her career, Arianne Bellizaire worked hard to build a large firm—only to realize that the pursuit of what she thought success was supposed to look like had taken the joy out of the work. Her...
- 2025 / 3 / 19Ask Us Anything: Regan Baker on how to scale without putting client relationships at riskSan Francisco–based designer Regan Baker joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer whose five-person firm is going through some growing pains. She’s already brought on a senior-level hire who...
- 2025 / 3 / 12How Jae Joo unlocked better creative control over her projectsJae Joo’s work is all about taking a step outside of the status quo. But getting there isn’t a destination; it takes constant effort. On this episode, she explains why it’s essential to attract clients who...