The Interior Collective

Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezyn Assist.

Today we’re talking about one of the most intimidating and misunderstood layers of an interior design project: art.

My guest is Sarah Hurt, founder of Seattle Art Source, an art advisory that has worked alongside interior designers across the Pacific Northwest since 2017. Sarah’s entire business exists to remove the hesitation designers often feel around specifying art, and to help them position it not as an afterthought, but as a strategic and emotional anchor within a home.

In this episode, we’re getting practical. We’re talking about when to introduce art into the project timeline, how to speak about it with authority, what your role is versus an art advisor’s role, and how art can actually elevate your client experience while protecting their financial investment.

If art has ever felt like the most mysterious line item in your design proposal, this one is for you.

Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezyn Assist.

Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today we are diving into a topic that every single interior designer has to master if they want a profitable, sustainable business and that is creating proposals, pricing projects, and confidently selling the bid.

Because here’s the truth. You can be the most talented designer in the room, but if you cannot build an accurate quote, present it with clarity, and hold your ground when pricing pushback comes up, your business will feel reactive instead of strategic.

And this is not just about choosing hourly versus flat rate. This is about understanding your numbers. Gathering real data from your past projects. Accounting for your team’s time. Structuring a proposal that protects your profit. And then having the confidence to walk a client through that number without shrinking when they raise an eyebrow.

So I invited back someone who I trust deeply on this topic, Lindsey Borchard, Principal of Lindsey Brooke Design and my co-founder of Design Camp.

Lindsey has been incredibly transparent about how her pricing has evolved, what she has learned through trial and error, and how she has built systems in her studio to create accurate, timely, and profitable quotes. Today we are getting very tactical. We are talking about how to calculate flat fees behind the scenes, how to blend hourly and flat rate models, how to turn around proposals efficiently, and how to handle negotiations without discounting yourself into resentment.

If you have ever hesitated before hitting send on a proposal, if you have ever wondered whether your number was too high or too low, or if you have ever reduced your fee just to secure the project, consider this episode a mini-masterclass from what you can expect at Design Camp.

Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Dezyn Assist.

DuVäl Reynolds is the founder and principal of DuVäl Design, a studio known for its layered, highly curated interiors. But alongside the studio, DuVäl has also created a completely separate brand, House of DuVäl, an e-commerce destination for furniture, lighting, décor, and objects that reflect his design perspective.

In today’s conversation, we’re talking about what it actually looks like to build a product business as an interior designer. DuVäl shares why he intentionally kept the studio and retail brand completely separate, how he approaches sourcing and developing products, and what it takes to run an e-commerce company alongside a design firm.

We also discuss licensing, including the debut of his new upholstery and casegoods collection with Sherrill Furniture Brands at High Point Market, and of course, his wildly popular “Curse of a Designer” social media series.

If you’ve ever thought about expanding beyond client work and building a product-driven brand, this episode is a great place to start.

Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio.

Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today I’m sitting down with Kylie K. Bass, founder of KKB Interiors.

Before launching her interior design studio, Kylie built her career in advertising, working inside an industry that’s deeply rooted in strategy, messaging, timelines, and performance. In today’s episode, we’re unpacking how those skills translated into the structure, pricing, and client experience of her design practice.

We talk about the surprising ways advertising thinking shows up in everything from proposals to project pacing, how designers can borrow proven frameworks from other industries without overcomplicating their business, and why clarity, not creativity, is often the thing that unlocks growth.

As always, we’ll also get into the nuts and bolts. Team structure, pricing models, and how Kylie thinks about running a studio that’s both creatively fulfilling and commercially sound.

Season 8 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Loloi.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Materio.

Today on The Interior Collective, I’m sitting down with Erica Vassalotti and Dana Bergman Falcione, co-founders of Bergman Vass. Erica and Dana’s work sits at the intersection of interior design, product development, and brand building, and in this episode, we’re diving deep into what it really looks like to expand beyond services and into physical product.

We’ll be talking about the business realities of developing a furniture and rug line, from early concepting and manufacturing decisions to financial risk, pricing, and long-term brand strategy. Erica and Dana also share how growing a product arm has influenced the way they run their studio, how they think about visibility in a crowded market, and why investing in a new studio space was a non-optional move.

If you’ve ever considered launching a product line, scaling your brand beyond client work, or building a studio that supports where your business is going, not just where it’s been, this conversation is for you.