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 can make a good client turn bad? And how can designers effectively manage this most important and sensitive of relationships? Jeff and Susie are joined by Simon Mayhew from Txtured and James Roberts from James Roberts Interiors to answer these and other questions in front of a live audience of designers at the Design Central North West event at Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire.

Thanks to our series partners Naturalmat for their support.

• (00:00:00) - Intro to the Interior Design Business
• (00:00:39) - An awkward Client
• (00:01:41) - Three of the Designers
• (00:03:06) - Getting Off On The Right Foot With Your Clients
• (00:04:53) - How To Lead a Design Team With Age
• (00:08:40) - How To Win A Friend's Over
• (00:09:18) - Are there any client categories that you avoid?
• (00:12:38) - On Working With An Angry Partner
• (00:13:26) - How to manage a big project's budget
• (00:14:12) - The importance of access to the client
• (00:16:37) - How to Talk Budget With the Client
• (00:17:53) - Budgeting in the UK
• (00:20:15) - Projects' length and timings
• (00:23:37) - The Challenges of Leading a Project
• (00:27:29) - The Importance of a Fee Proposal
• (00:31:17) - Interior Design: Natural Mat
• (00:35:43) - A Good Team For Tougher Clients
• (00:38:03) - The Big Picture
• (00:41:34) - Structural engineers: Quality of design and cost
• (00:46:37) - "It's like a funeral..."
• (00:46:53) - How To Read 2-D Plans
• (00:51:49) - How to Deal with Difficult Contractors
• (00:53:19) - The On-Site Blame Game
• (00:58:21) - "When to say enough is enough?"
• (00:59:00) - What Do You Do When a Client Threatens to Sue You?

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 Stockhausen, founder and Creative Director of VSP Interiors to explore how interior designers should go about managing this critical design element. They also discuss how early in the project cycle lighting should be considered and the lighting knowledge and tools that designers need to succeed at every project stage.

This episode was recorded in that front of a live audience of designers at the Simpsons showroom in the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour.Thanks to our series partners Naturalmat for their support. We are a Wildwood Plus production.

• (00:00:00) - The Importance of Lighting in the Interior Design
• (00:01:27) - Both of the Electricians have now reached 25 years of practice
• (00:02:56) - Lighting
• (00:04:38) - Should Lighting be Included in Project Space Planning?
• (00:05:52) - The Lighting of a Home
• (00:07:04) - How to Describe Good Lighting
• (00:09:11) - How Lighting Affects the Client's Mood
• (00:09:43) - How to light a house room
• (00:12:06) - The Art of Architectural Lighting
• (00:13:34) - How to light architectural features indirectly
• (00:15:25) - How to Lighting a Low Ceiling with High Ceilings
• (00:20:07) - How to light a period house?
• (00:22:03) - Natural Mat
• (00:23:13) - Lighting layering
• (00:25:48) - Interior Lighting
• (00:28:36) - Lighting and shadows
• (00:32:08) - In the Elevator: Architectural Lighting
• (00:34:54) - The Perfect Spotlight
• (00:37:47) - Dimming Systems
• (00:40:30) - Setting the lights on and off
• (00:42:11) - The Secret to Lighting Design
• (00:42:58) - Inside The Interior Design Business

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, and how temporary design can deliver lasting value.

The conversation continues with insights from Decorex’s Sam Fisher, QEST’s Deborah Pocock, and Ricky Partner from Sofas & Stuff. They look at the secrets behind Decorex’s ongoing relevance, the importance of curation, and the role of live craftsmanship in engaging audiences.

Whether you’re a designer, exhibitor, or simply passionate about interiors, this episode offers inspiration and practical advice on making the most of pop-ups and trade shows. Tune in for expert perspectives, behind-the-scenes stories, and a celebration of creativity at the heart of the design industry.

Thanks to Sofas & Stuff and to our series partner, Naturalmat, for their support.

We are a Wildwood Plus production.

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to the Interior Design Business
• (00:01:24) - Introducing the Design Teams
• (00:02:18) - What makes a good pop-up?
• (00:03:56) - What Makes a Signature Space?
• (00:05:23) - How a bar can feel like a garden?
• (00:08:01) - The Circus Lounge at Decorex
• (00:12:54) - The Luminous Tented Bar at Decorex
• (00:20:04) - The DPA Pop Up
• (00:23:57) - What motivates you to create pop up design?
• (00:26:46) - Decor X: What Lessons Have You Learned?
• (00:30:32) - Natural Mat
• (00:31:48) - Decorex
• (00:32:25) - The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
• (00:33:17) - Decor X: What sets Decor X apart?
• (00:37:07) - Decor X: A Curation Experience
• (00:38:38) - What Makes the Decorex Show So Successful?
• (00:39:53) - What exactly are the goals of an exhibitor at Decorx
• (00:43:58) - Decorx: Making Spaces
• (00:47:42) - How do exhibitors measure the success of their participation in Deco
• (00:53:19) - Wonders of the World 2017 talk
• (00:54:35) - Decorex Pop-ups

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 themselves drowning in the 95% of project admin.

So how can designers keep their heads above water and keep the creative spark alive? Where should they look for the design hooks that will make their projects sing? And how can they hold onto their vision while weathering the din of project noise that can sometimes threaten to overwhelm them?

To find out the answers to these and other burning questions, we’re joined in this show by two very special guests – Venetia Rudebeck and Romanos Brihi – the creative drivers behind London based practice ‘Studio Vero’ – recently named one of House and Gardens Top 100 finest interior designers.

Recorded at Studio Vero.

Thanks to our series partners, Naturalmat, for their support.

• (00:00:00) - How to Keep Your Creativity in the Interior Design Business
• (00:01:28) - Inside Studio Vero
• (00:04:13) - What sort of projects do you focus on?
• (00:05:48) - How do you start a project?
• (00:08:28) - Working with Romanos and Venetia
• (00:10:35) - Do you also take inspiration from your clients?
• (00:11:43) - How does inspiration from the design process influence your work?
• (00:13:33) - Are Clients' Existing Possessions a BENEFIT or
• (00:15:36) - The interior of a house
• (00:18:04) - How important is the design process for the client?
• (00:19:09) - The Art of Working With a Client
• (00:20:51) - Interior Design's Creativity
• (00:23:18) - Visit The National Trust's London Homes
• (00:24:24) - Meet Natural Match
• (00:26:56) - How to Develop a Design: Christie's
• (00:28:44) - The Layering of Color in Interiors
• (00:30:02) - The Art of Antiques and Furniture
• (00:32:16) - How often do you need to meet with a client?
• (00:35:01) - Australian Interior Designers: Inspiring Work
• (00:37:57) - Getting inspired by places
• (00:40:01) - Inside The Interior Design Business

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 - it’s essential.

But whereas in the past wellness referred only to physical comfort and health, today’s definition has expanded to include mental health, the long-term health of our planet and of society as a whole. Never before in the history of the built environment have interior designers had so much to worry about or been under such pressure to do the right thing! But what exactly is the right thing? What and how should we be specifying to ‘Do No Harm’, and how can we fight against the tide of greenwash that threatens to engulf and overwhelm us?

This episode was recorded in the beautiful and very comfortable Naturalmat showroom in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Thanks to our series partner Naturalmat for their support.

Idb is a Wildwood Plus production.

Books mentioned by Fiona Watkins:

BIID Interior Design Project Book by Susie Rumbold

The Little Book Of Colour by Karen Heller

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 are joined by Sammy Bikoulis, Associate Director at LXA and Liz Bell, Director at Absolute Project Management and President Elect of the British Institute of Interior Design to answer these questions and explore the roles and responsibilities of interior designers.

idb is a Wildwood Plus production.

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 joined by two renowned interior designers, Anna Burles founder of Run For The Hills, and Andrea Benedettini, founder and principal designer of Andrea Benedettini Interiors to explore the issues and potential solutions.

This episode was recorded at the London office of Run For The Hills.

idb is a Wildwood Plus production.

Intimately connected with the interior of our homes, we use our outdoor spaces to relax, eat, socialise and connect with nature, and we appreciate the contribution they make to our wellbeing and mental health.

But who should be trusted with the design of these significant spaces? Is it the role of the interior designer or the garden designer? And should these relate to the interior or the exterior of the host building?

In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience of designers at the Design Central South West event in Bristol, Jeff and Susie explore these and other questions in the company of Cathryn Bishop from Cornish Interiors and Caroline Palk from Ashton House Design.