Episode 191 – What They Don’t Teach In Design School With Guest Kate Lester

Design schools tend to focus on the creative process in interior design, but fall short when it comes to teaching the business side of the industry. In this episode of Inside Design, our incredibly talented friend and colleague, Kate Lester, shares valuable insights to help you run a more successful design business.

Key Takeaways:

• Get at least five years of real world experience before you even THINK of going out on your own. Make mistakes on someone else’s dime first. 

• If your scope of work is very fluid and your efficiency is at the mercy of others (i.e. contractors), billing hourly vs flat fee is the smarter way to go. 

• Above all, stay in your lane and remain true to yourself no matter what your creative peers are doing! 

This episode is sponsored by

Norwalk builds heirloom quality furniture rather than landfill quality furniture. You know what that is also called? Sustainable! Doing their part to create healthy homes and environments is a core principle at Norwalk and we want to be a part of that.

Unlike many other manufacturers, Norwalk has a particularly fabulous array of patterns and bright, fun fabrics to partner with performance fabrics, leathers, and textures like boucle and velvet.

If you are in the Trade, you really must be sourcing Norwalk Furniture. Check out their website – norwalkfurniture.com and especially their 360-Design tool to help visualize pieces. They are shipping in under 8 weeks!