Behind the Design is a podcast that brings you closer to the projects, people, and untold stories behind the Pinterest saves you’ve been obsessing over for years. Hosted by Camilla Ingall, interior designer and founder of Unfolded, each episode goes beyond the finished photos to unpack how great design actually comes to life through honest conversations with designers, architects, stylists, builders, and creatives.
If you care about thoughtful design and want a deeper understanding of what really goes on behind the scenes, you’re in the right place.
53. 20 Years of Woods & Warner: What Running a Design Studio Really Takes
Twenty years ago, Sonia Warner and Jacinta Woods started Woods & Warner with two people, no plan B and a shared goal of creating beautiful spaces. Today they lead a seven-person Sydney studio, and most of what they know about running it was learned the hard way.
In this episode, Camilla sits down with both directors for an honest look at what it really takes to build a design studio that lasts. They share the seven-bedroom project they designed without charging a cent, only to have it cancelled in a ten-minute meeting. They talk about IVF, bed rest and the mother guilt of building a business with three children under five, and how those years shaped a studio culture that genuinely supports motherhood. And they relive the morning their Hunters Hill project landed the front cover of Belle, just as their website and Instagram were hacked.
It's a conversation about knowing the value of your design intellect, hiring properly, reading your clients and finding joy in the work for the long haul.
In this episode:
Why they ignored a mentor's advice to stick to one style and five suppliers, and what that choice has cost and given them
The unpaid seven-bedroom job that taught them to charge for their time and put contracts first
How IVF, bed rest and early motherhood forced them to build a business that could run without them
Reading clients: telling the difference between a budget problem and a fear problem
The year they broke down in tears over the wrong team, and why paid trial days are now non-negotiable
Using AI to cut hours of admin, collaborating with architects and builders, and how they define success after 20 years
Join The Behind The Design Collective
https://youreinvited.behindthedesignco.au/ (https://youreinvited.behindthedesignco.au/)
Follow the guest
https://www.woodsandwarner.com.au/ (https://www.woodsandwarner.com.au/)
https://www.instagram.com/woodsandwarner/ (confirm handle)
Follow Unfolded & Behind The Design:
https://www.unfolded.com.au/ (https://www.unfolded.com.au/)
https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_ (https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_)
https://www.instagram.com/behindthedesignpod_/ (https://www.instagram.com/behindthedesignpod_/)
00:00 The job that changed everything
01:00 Welcome to Behind the Design
02:50 20 years of Woods & Warner
03:51 IVF, bed rest and being forced to step back
06:10 Mother guilt and a studio that supports motherhood
08:27 Structure, chaos and a week in the studio
09:24 Two directors, two lanes
11:57 Settling creative disagreements
13:01 The advice they ignored: one style, five suppliers
15:21 No signature look: connection as the signature
17:02 A word from Unfolded
17:39 Budget problem or fear problem?
21:23 The year they broke down in tears
24:34 Hiring for passion
27:12 Using AI to cut the admin
30:07 Hire like a corporate: paid trial days
32:28 The seven-bedroom job they never got paid for
38:50 Contracts, staff and the 50% nobody sees
40:43 Working with architects and builders
45:37 A Belle cover and a hacked website
48:45 The next 20 years
49:56 Success, gratitude and taking the plunge
interior design
residential interiors
creative business
design consultancy
Behind the Design podcast
Camilla Ingall
Woods and Warner
Sonia Warner
Jacinta Woods
Sydney interior designers
charging for design fees
hiring in a design studio
working mothers in business
Belle magazine
ChaptersKeywords
14 Oct 2026
52. I Studied Law to Hide Who I Was. Design Brought Me Back
What happens when a designer spends years pursuing the practical path before finally trusting his creative instincts?
Stefan Vignogna of Bespoke Joinery Design built his career around bespoke kitchens, considered interiors and technical expertise. In this episode of Behind the Design, he joins Camilla Ingall to share the personal and professional decisions that shaped his journey, from studying law to building a design business on his own terms.
They explore why Stefan chooses to stay small, what eight years on the workshop floor taught him, and why great joinery involves far more than beautiful finishes.
In this episode:
Why Stefan walked away from law to pursue design
Stefan’s journey in coming out and what happened when he finally did
What years of hands-on joinery experience taught him that formal education couldn't
How he built a referral-based business without chasing growth
The underrated power of setting boundaries with his work
Why the details behind great joinery matter more than most people realise
How he's making specialist design knowledge more accessible
It's an honest conversation about finding your creative direction, building a business around your values, and deciding what success actually looks like.
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Follow Stefan Vignogna
https://www.stefanvignogna.com/ (https://www.stefanvignogna.com/)
https://www.instagram.com/stefan_vignogna (https://www.instagram.com/stefan_vignogna)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanvignognadesigner/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanvignognadesigner/)
https://www.facebook.com/stefanvignognadesigner/ (https://www.facebook.com/stefanvignognadesigner/)
Follow Unfolded:
https://www.unfolded.com.au/ (https://www.unfolded.com.au/)
https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_ (https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_)
https://www.instagram.com/behindthedesignpod_/ (https://www.instagram.com/behindthedesignpod_/)
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Chapters
00:00 Why Stefan Vignogna Chose Interior Design Over Law
02:15 Growing Up Creative and Discovering a Passion for Design
03:46 Why Stefan Studied Law Instead of Following His Creativity
06:20 From Office Furniture to a Career in Interior Design
08:25 Embracing His Identity and Finding Creative Confidence
11:03 How Life Experience Shaped Stefan’s Design Philosophy
12:47 What Eight Years of Hands-On Joinery Experience Taught Him
14:45 Building a Referral-Based Interior Design Business
15:48 Why Stefan Chooses Quality Over Business Growth
19:39 Why Interior Designers Do More Than Design
22:27 What Makes Bespoke Joinery More Than Just Cabinetry
23:42 Making Kitchen Design More Accessible to Homeowners
27:49 Building a More Profitable and Sustainable Design Business
Keywords
bespoke joinery designkitchen designcustom joineryinterior designjoinery designkitchen renovationcabinetry designresidential interiorsjoinery detailingkitchen functionalityspatial planninginterior design businesscreative businessdesign consultancydesign business growthclient relationshipscreative entrepreneurshipStefan VignognaBespoke Joinery DesignBehind the Design podcastCamilla IngallAdelaide interior design
7 Oct 2026
51. From Small Styling Business to Large-Scale Operation | Bowerbird Interiors
Bowerbird Interior’s success isn’t just a story about beautiful design. It’s a story about what happens when the business behind the design keeps getting bigger.
Lauren Lewis, co-founder of Bowerbird Interior, joins Camilla to explore the side of the design industry we rarely see: the people, systems, logistics and commercial decisions behind the finished spaces.
What started as a property styling business has grown into a much bigger operation spanning residential homes, commercial spaces, build-to-rent and large-scale furnishing projects. But what happens behind the scenes when a creative business reaches that kind of scale?
Lauren shares what she has learned about building the infrastructure behind the creativity, working alongside her husband Jeff, finding the right people, and knowing when the founder needs to step back and let others take the lead.
In this episode:
• How Bowerbird evolved from property styling into a much larger furnishing operation
• The systems, logistics and procurement required to operate at scale
• Why creative instinct alone may not be enough to grow a sustainable business
• How commercial thinking can influence creative decision-making
• How Lauren and Jeff built complementary roles around their different strengths
• What separates people who want something to happen from those who make it happen
• Why delegation becomes harder, but more important, as a business grows
• Knowing when to step away from the details and focus on higher-value work
• What can sit behind the success people see from the outside
There’s often a lot more behind a finished space than meets the eye. For Lauren, growing Bowerbird has meant navigating the tension between creativity, people, systems and the realities of running a much bigger business.
But as a creative business grows, one question becomes harder to ignore: how do you scale the business without scaling away what made it special in the first place?
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Follow Lauren Lewis and Bowerbird Interior
https://www.instagram.com/lauren_lewis84/
https://www.facebook.com/BowerbirdInt
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https://www.instagram.com/bowerbirdinteriors
https://bowerbirdinteriors.com.au/
Follow Unfolded:
https://www.unfolded.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/unfolded_
https://www.instagram.com/behindthedesignpod_/
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Chapters
00:00 - From Property Styling to Bowerbird
02:15 - The Story Behind Bowerbird’s Growth
05:40 - What Happens Behind Beautiful Spaces
09:25 - Scaling a Creative Business
13:10 - The Systems Behind Property Styling
17:05 - Procurement, Warehousing and Logistics
21:30 - Why Creative Businesses Need Commercial Thinking
25:45 - Building a Business Around Different Strengths
30:10 - Lauren and Jeff’s Roles at Bowerbird
34:20 - Building the Right Team and Culture
38:15 - What Makes a Great Team Member?
42:05 - Knowing When to Delegate
46:00 - Letting Go as Your Business Grows
49:40 - The Reality Behind Business Success
53:15 - Relationships and Community in Design
56:30 - What Lauren Would Do Differently
59:10 - The Future of Bowerbird and Creative Business Growth
Keywords
Bowerbird
Lauren Lewis
Bowerbird Australia
Bowerbird furniture
Bowerbird property styling
property styling Australia
furniture hire Australia
furniture styling
interior design business
creative business
creative entrepreneurship
creative business growth
scaling a creative business
design business growth
creative business strategy
business systems for creatives
creative business systems
property styling business
property styling business growth
interior styling business
design entrepreneurship
creative leadership
business operations
commercial design
Who has been a guest on Behind The Design
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dimitri Vargas
Jonathan Tsoupis
Andrew
Montana Moore
Craig
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5.0 / 5
33 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
31
Social presence
0
YouTube
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Engagement
60
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