About Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know: Insider Industry Advice for Residential Interior Designers
Looking for real-talk wisdom that'll help you steer your residential interior design biz to sweet, sweet success?
Welcome to "Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know" – the podcast where seasoned interior-designer-turned-marketing-and-communication-strategist Rebecca West of Seriously Happy Coaching & Consulting serves up perfect pours of business and industry advice for residential interior designers who want to help their clients get seriously happy at home.
No topic's off-limits and the advice is wide-ranging, covering everything from how to create an interior design website to what interior designers need to know about bookkeeping. No matter the topic, every episode is meant to help both new and experienced residential interior designers succeed in business.
So put down that paint fan and let’s dive in for some no-nonsense, totally actionable advice that'll help your design biz thrive and keep your sanity intact.
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Hosted by business coach Rebecca West, an interior designer with nearly two decades of experience running her residential interior design firm Seriously Happy Homes. She’s obsessed with costume parties, cat videos, and - oh yah - raising the standards for professional interior design services.
Ep. 16: Want to Use More Antiques in Your Designs? Here’s What You Need to Know with Debbie Mathews LeRoy
I hear you love antiques. The depth! The character! The history! Maybe you’d even like to use MORE of them in your design work? Let's ask some practical questions! How do you know whether something is actually worth what they’re asking? What happens when the perfect antique fireplace arrives... and nobody wants to install it? How do shipping, repairs, upholstery, tariffs, and all the other costs affect what you charge your client?And... What if there are bugs? 😳 In ...
8 Aug 2026
Ep. 15: What’s It Really Like to Open an Interior Design Showroom? With Maison Mischief Co-Founder Katie Gutierrez
What does it really take to open an interior design showroom? You may be picturing beautiful windows, fabulous objects, and customers wandering in to admire your impeccable taste. Now add the commercial lease, insurance, accessibility, security cameras, wholesale minimums, damaged shipments, tariffs, returns, music licensing, broken merchandise—and the occasional day when not one person walks through the door. In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca sits down with Ka...
28 Jun 2026
Ep. 14: Everything’s Backordered — Now What? Handling Backorders & Lead-Time Chaos with Interior Designer Maggie Griffin
What do you do when the sofa is delayed, the fabric is backordered, the tariff surcharge shows up after the order is placed, and your client is staring at you like you personally disrupted the supply chain? In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca sits down with Maggie Griffin, founder and principal designer of Maggie Griffin Design in Gainesville, Georgia, to talk about one of the least glamorous — but most business-critical — parts of running a residential int...
20 Apr 2026
Ep. 13: How To Outsource Design Drawings with Jessica Marchant of BlueSky Creative
Will you be ready when your contractor and trades ask you for buildable plans and detailed construction docs? 😬 In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca sits down with Jessica Marchant of Blue-Sky Creative to talk about one of the most important parts of a successful interior design project: technical drawings. Rebecca asks: What are technical construction drawings? 🤔 What is "fractional technical drawing support?" 😅 Why would a designer outsource this...
27 Mar 2026
Ep. 12: Design Documents & Outsourcing with Interior Designer Ronniesha Rivera of Vetted by Design
What actually separates a “pretty ideas” designer from the one contractors trust, clients respect, and projects run smoothly for? In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca West sits down with residential interior designer Ronniesha Rivera, founder of Alder & Stone and Vetted by Design, to talk about the unsexy (but wildly powerful) backbone of a successful design business: documentation. They get into the real, behind-the-scenes role that drawing sets, specs, and s...
1 Dec 2025
Ep. 11: From Intern To Studio Owner: Rachel Went From ‘I Know Nothing’ to Running a Successful Studio
Rachel Poe describes her journey from intern to studio owner, sharing the lessons learned and challenges overcome in building a thriving interior design firm in an interview with Rebecca West.
29 Oct 2025
Ep. 10: What It Really Takes To Set Up Flat Fees For Interior Design Services with Houston-Based Designer Caron Woolsey
Interior designer Caron Woolsey discusses transitioning from hourly billing to flat fees for interior design services with host Rebecca West, offering insights into team leadership and business growth in this interview.
1 Oct 2025
Ep. 9: How Interior Designer Amanda Welch Attracted Her Ideal Clients (& Stopped Wasting Time On Useless Phone Calls)
Interior designer Amanda Welch discusses how clarifying her website copy and boldly posting pricing attracts ideal clients and transforms her business in this interview.
18 Mar 2025
Ep 8: Make your Contractor Your Best Referral Partner: How-To Tips for Contractor-Friendly Interior Design Files
Want your contractor to rave about you (and send you referrals)? Turns out, the secret isn’t great design—it’s great design files! You know: floor plans, elevations, and material lists. They aren’t just nice to have. They are essential to a smooth project! In the latest episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know, Rebecca chats with general contractors Chris and Lisa of Raincap Construction (Seattle, WA) to get the inside scoop on what makes design documentation truly contractor-fr...
31 Jan 2025
Ep 7: Don't Give Away The Rights To Your Name! and Other Essential Legal Advice About Licensing, Trademarks, & Copywrite from Lawyer Nicole Dolgon
Want to Be the Next Joanna Gaines or Nate Berkus? Here's What You Need to Know About Licensing Your Name Ever wondered what it takes to build a brand like Joanna Gaines, Nate Berkus, or Jonathan Adler—the kind that turns your name into a household one (and a revenue stream)? You’re not alone! In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know, we’re diving into the world of licensing, trademarks, copyrights, and patents with Nicole Dolgon, an attorney at ESCA Legal in New York. If you’v...
25 Nov 2024
Ep 6: A Logo Is NOT A Brand! and Other Essential Marketing Advice from Website Designer Robyn White
In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know we enjoy a masterclass on marketing strategies for interior designers with Robyn White of RDW Design Studio, a website design firm dedicated to Interior Designers. She may have come to the industry thanks to an embarrassing addiction to HGTV <cue the cringe lol> but she's since learned exactly what it actually takes to be a professional interior designer offering luxury services to exacting clients, and loves helping designers n...
31 Oct 2024
Ep 5: What Can You Learn From Someone Who Used to Write For Elle Decor? Straight Talk with Copywriter Kamala Nair
In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know I sit down with Kamala Nair, CEO of Kamala Nair, Inc, a copywriting firm dedicated to Interior Designers, to help us understand when - and how - to work with a professional copywriter. Having worked for Elle Decor Magazine as a content writer, and West Elm as a copy writer, she's got behind-the-scenes knowledge on what it takes to reach the luxury client and tell the unique story of your designs. This episode is a must-lis...
19 Sept 2024
Ep 4: Stop Charging Your Clients For Credit Card Fees! And Other Smart Advice From Bookkeeper Natalie Spears of Vintage Grey
In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know I sit down with Natalie Spears, CEO of Vintage Grey, a bookkeeping firm dedicated to Interior Designers, to reveal the bookkeeping essentials every designer needs. From the often-ignored legal pitfalls of co-mingling funds (it’s not just a bookkeeping nightmare!) to those dreaded credit card processing fees (and why avoiding them might actually cost you clients) Natalie shares priceless advice about what interior designers...
15 Aug 2024
Ep 3: This Interior Designer Isn't Afraid of AI, and Here's Why
Hey interior designers! We’re living in an exciting era, watching AI technology unfold before our eyes. Of course, just like when the printing press, the telephone, or even TV emerged, people are scared AI is going end life as we know it. Are they right? Is AI going to take our interior design jobs? 🔍 In this episode, we explore: Why AI isn't as threatening to interior designers as it seems.The current limitations of AI in design, from wonky fingers to impractical build concepts.The irr...
11 Jul 2024
Ep 2: How to Create an Interior Design Website: A Roadmap That Leads Your Clients to a YES!
In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know we talk about the fundamentals of building in interior design website. Whether your DIYing your first site, or finally investing in a professional website designer develop, this episode will give a roadmap that decomplicates the ecosystem of your site and turns it into a conversion machine! In 17 short minutes we'll cover: Function First: Prioritize functionality over aesthetics when designing your website, just as you would when design...
14 Jun 2024
Ep 1: Is this podcast for YOU? The Intro Episode
In this first episode, host Rebecca West introduces the heart and soul of the Stuff Interior Designers Need to Know podcast. With over 17 years of residential interior design experience, Rebecca shares her mission to help designers, especially those new to the industry or transitioning from other careers, gain the respect and success they deserve. Whether you're a solo designer or leading a team, this podcast will offer valuable insights on everything from business strategy and client communi...
Who has been a guest on Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know: Insider Industry Advice for Residential Interior Designers
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Rachel Poe
Caron Woolsey
Amanda Welch
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
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