Entering an interior design award can boost visibility, credibility, and client trust - but not all awards are created equal. In this episode, Jeff and Susie are joined by two BIID award-winning designers, Jennifer Hamilton from The Vawdrey House and Melinda Kiss from Keyhole Interiors for a deeper dive into the awards process. We'll explore how designers can identify award schemes with genuine merit and industry recognition, how to present a standout project and the storytelling techniques that capture attention and bring design concepts to life. Thanks to our episode partner, the British Institute of Interior Design, for their support. We are a Wildwood Plus production.

Interior designers have a bad rep on building sites for being demanding, difficult and dis-organised, but is this fair? In their drive for perfection, are interior designers their own worst enemy? Do designers efficiently provide the information needed by builders, or do contractors sometimes wilfully misunderstand their design intentions? What can designers and contractors do to make each other’s lives easier? In this episode, Jeff and Susie are joined by renowned interior designer Joanna Wood, Founder of Joanna Wood Interiors and Paul Fitzgerald, Founder and Managing Director of Hawksmoor Construction to answer these questions and more.

This episode was recorded as part of the Design Talks programme at Decorex 2025. Thanks to Decorex and to our episode partners, Sofas & Stuff for their support.

• (00:00:00) - Interior Designers: Difficult, Diva and Irrit
• (00:01:01) - Interior Design and Construction
• (00:01:48) - Both of the presenters start off with a brief introduction
• (00:03:22) - Do Interior Designers Have a Bad Reputation Among Contractors?
• (00:05:06) - Are Interior Designers Accused of Neglect?
• (00:05:54) - Do Interior Designers Have Prejudices About Their Jobs?
• (00:06:40) - Are Interior Designers Bad For Contractors?
• (00:11:02) - Projects and Construction Contractors
• (00:13:09) - Tender Process
• (00:16:41) - The quality of the Tender Pack
• (00:19:05) - Choosing a contractor
• (00:23:57) - Interior Designers: Do You Need a Contractor?
• (00:26:18) - Paul, have you ever refused to work with an interior designer on
• (00:28:26) - Paul and Joe: The Contractor Relationship
• (00:31:24) - How often do you need to go to site on a project?
• (00:32:59) - What's your biggest bugbear?
• (00:37:12) - Interiors Design: When Problems Occur, Do Designers Let
• (00:38:26) - What's the funniest, maddest thing a designer's
• (00:40:14) - The Worst Contractor Ever Do
• (00:42:26) - Inside The Interior Design Business Podcast

Taking The Strain - How To Be a Safe Pair of Hands. The only things in life more stressful than building or renovating a home are bereavement, divorce, and redundancy. And yet the finished result should be life-changing for the client and worth all the pain of the experience. To assist their clients, interiors designers must act as a safe pair of hands, ready to support and guide through the ups and downs of the design and project process, skilfully managing any unforeseen dramas, problems, or delays enroute. So, how can we best prepare and manage our clients to minimise the stress for them – and for ourselves, and emerge successful and feted at the finish line? Jeff and Susie are joined by two acclaimed interior designers Helen Bygraves, Co-Founder of Hill House Interiors and Christian Bense, Founder of Christian Bense to find out the best strategies behind achieving a stress-free project. This episode was a recorded in front of a live audience of designers at Decorex 2025. Thanks to Decorex and to our episode partners, Sofas & Stuff for their support.

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to the Interior Design Business
• (00:01:40) - Interior Designers
• (00:02:54) - Interior Designers on Vandalising a Home
• (00:04:51) - Having a career change in interior design
• (00:06:50) - Interior Design: The Client's Issues
• (00:09:24) - Does a stressy client affect your fee proposal?
• (00:11:43) - Project budgets and timescales
• (00:18:23) - Clients' emails and WhatsApp
• (00:22:41) - What do you do about clients' fear of making decisions?
• (00:24:51) - How should designers go about managing their clients expectations?
• (00:27:31) - Setting guidelines for the build phase
• (00:29:42) - Projects and the stresses of designing
• (00:32:42) - Interior Design Report
• (00:34:43) - How to Win the Client's Trust
• (00:36:41) - The Interior Design Business