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The Business of Beautiful Spaces Podcast for Interior Designers
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The Business of Beautiful Spaces Podcast for Interior Designers

Author: Laura Thornton, Interior Designer

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Welcome to The Business of Beautiful Spaces, the podcast where interior design matters! As Interior Designers, we understand the power of creating beautiful and functional spaces that not only look good, but also enhance our daily lives. Join us on this journey as we explore the ins and outs of the interior design industry and dive into the business side of things. From one interior designer to another, we'll share our experiences, insights, and lessons learned as we strive to create spaces that not only make a statement, but also make a difference. So sit back, relax, and let's get started on The Business of Beautiful Spaces. 

The Business of Beautiful spaces Freebie: 

https://the-business-of-beautiful-spaces.ck.page/

Mentorship One on One :

https://theprofitacademyforinteriordesigners.com/mentorship


The Profit Academy for Interior Designers Online Course:

https://theprofitacademyforinteriordesigners.com


You can find us at  www.thebusinessofbeautifulspaces.com, email us at hello@thebusinessofbeautifulspaces.com or any social media platform @thebusinessofbeautifulspaces.


138 Episodes
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Send us a text If you’ve ever second guessed your pricing, shaved hours off an invoice, or wondered how other designers confidently charge what they’re worth, you’re not alone. In this special episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I’m pulling back the curtain on Profit Academy for Interior Designers, my 6-week online course designed to help you master the financial side of your design business. But this isn’t just about pricing. It’s about building a business that not only pays you a s...
Send us a text From Start-Up to Profitability with Suzanne Robson In this replay episode, Laura sits down with interior designer Suzanne Robson, one of the very first students of The Profit Academy for Interior Designers. Together, they dive into the real challenges of launching and running an interior design business—from navigating pricing to setting boundaries with clients—and how Susan was able to build a profitable practice right from the start. You’ll hear Suzanne's perspective as a bra...
Send us a text Today, we’re talking about one of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of running a design business: contracts. I’m thrilled to have Erica Canas, Esq., a Florida licensed attorney and interior design enthusiast, join us for this important conversation. Erica is the founder of ID Law Shop, where she creates “best-practices” legal templates specifically for interior designers and architects. Her journey began when she couldn’t find legal templates that were actually ta...
Send us a text Welcome to Part Three of our special four-part series on building a profitable interior design business with Laura Thornton! In this episode, Laura brings together everything you’ve learned so far—understanding your numbers, tracking your time, and getting lean on spending—and reveals how to turn efficiency into profit that’s yours to keep. If you’ve invested in your systems, process, and team, you deserve to be rewarded. Laura shows you how efficiency and smart procurement are...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, Laura Thornton sits down with financial therapist Aseel El-Baba to dive deep into the hidden challenges creatives and designers face around money, self-worth, and pricing. Aseel shares her inspiring personal journey from growing up in Lebanon and immigrating to Canada, to becoming a Bay Street financial advisor, and ultimately shifting to a holistic practice as a financial therapist. Through her story and expertise, Aseel rev...
Send us a text Welcome back to The Business of Beautiful Spaces! This is Part 2 of our special four-part series on building a profitable interior design business with Laura Thornton. In this episode, Laura shares why tracking your time is one of the smartest—yet most underused—profit strategies for designers. From eye-opening stories about flat fees gone sideways to actionable tips on building better habits, Laura breaks down how understanding where your time really goes can transform both yo...
Send us a text In the first episode of our special four-part series, Laura Thornton—founder of Thornton Design and The Profit Academy for Interior Designers—shares the essential financial foundations every designer needs to run a truly profitable business. Drawing from her own journey and real-world client stories, Laura breaks down the difference between revenue, profit, fixed and variable costs, and tackles the age-old designer dilemma: margin versus markup. Whether you’re just starting out...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I’m joined by Gabriela Eisenhart of Silo Studios to discuss how interior designers can confidently add construction management to their offerings—and boost profitability in the process. Gabriela shares how designers can start integrating construction-related services, improve communication with contractors and clients, and take more control over project outcomes. We cover everything from procurement strategies and vendor coor...
Send us a text Some are fortunate enough to discover their passion when they are young — Caron Woolsey is one of them. A native Texan, growing up Caron spent the summers visiting her grandparents in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is where her love of interior design, historic homes, and her appreciation for Creole and French Colonial architecture was born. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Texas Tech, Caron embarked on a career in oil and gas, which spanned 16 years. While she loved her car...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, Laura Thornton reveals why accessories are the secret weapon for both designers and clients—and how they can turn “nice” rooms into wow-worthy homes and boost your profit margins. Learn how to educate clients who think they only need the basics, why accessories matter for every project (and photo shoot!), and the business strategies that can turn those finishing touches into real revenue. Be sure to follow along on Instagram ...
Send us a text Are your leads or clients suddenly silent? You’re not alone! In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, Laura Thornton shares practical strategies for what to do when you’ve been “ghosted” by a client or prospect. From using systems and trackers to sending the perfect “magic email,” Laura explains how to stay proactive, get clarity, and keep your design business moving forward—without the stress or self-doubt. Laura also reveals smart ways to keep your business top of...
Send us a text Today we are diving deep into a topic that is close to my heart and wallet—pricing your services for profitability. With over 20 years in the interior design industry, I've seen it all, and I'm here to share the golden nuggets of wisdom to help you further your business. Be sure to follow along on Instagram @thebusinessofbeautifulspaces + @thorntondesign to stay up to date on what we're talking about next week. If you love our podcast, please, please, please leave us a review. ...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I’m joined by hiring strategist Jamie Van Cuyk, founder of Growing Your Team. Jamie shares her expertise on how interior designers can confidently hire their first (or next) team member, avoid costly mistakes, and build a supportive, productive team that fuels business growth. From crafting the right job posting to onboarding effectively, she offers practical tips for hiring with intention and creating a team culture that ref...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, we’re uncovering the often-overlooked details that can make or break your bottom line as an interior designer. From light bulb installation to crown moldings, cleaning services to designer switches — these seemingly “small” extras can add up to significant lost revenue if you’re not pricing them properly. Laura walks you through a checklist of commonly forgotten line items that not only increase your profits but also enhance ...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I’m joined by Nicole Fisher, principal of BNR Interiors, a New York-based luxury residential design firm known for its layered, editorial approach to interiors. Nicole shares her fascinating journey from working on fashion editorials and styling with Lady Gaga’s team to curating timeless, soulful interiors filled with vintage treasures and bespoke pieces. Her eye for detail, honed through years in the fashion world, now shape...
Send us a text REPLAY: Starting off a presentation on the right foot is key. An interior design presentation package should be a visually engaging and comprehensive set of documents and visual aids that communicate the designer's ideas and concepts clearly and effectively to clients. By incorporating a range of visual and interactive elements into their presentation package, interior designers can elevate their presentations and help clients better understand and appreciate their designs. Th...
Send us a text n this inspiring episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, Laura chats with Laurie Laizure, founder of the Interior Design Community and host of the To-The-Trade Podcast. Laurie is a connector, a cheerleader for designers everywhere, and a true thought leader in the interior design industry. With over 94,000 members worldwide, IDC has become a trusted space for designers to share, learn, laugh, and grow—especially during times of industry change. Together, Laurie and Laura d...
Send us a text This episode couldn’t be more timely. As many of us are navigating a major shift in our businesses—grappling with pricing pressures, uncertain clients, and the ever-growing noise around tariff talks—it can be hard to stay positive, charge what we’re truly worth, and hold firm on the value we bring. That’s why I’m so excited to welcome today’s guest, Andrea Liebross. Andrea is a business and mindset coach who works with unapologetically ambitious women entrepreneurs across a var...
Send us a text In this episode of The Business of Beautiful Spaces, I sit down with Ronniesha Armstead, founder and CEO of Vetted By Design, to tackle one of the most common questions in the design industry: How do you know when it’s time to hire help? If you’re feeling overwhelmed with admin work, spending more time managing orders than designing, or simply questioning if you need support—this episode is for you. We discuss how outsourcing tasks like accounting, renderings, AutoCAD drawings,...
Send us a text As the visionary founder of Brenda Brix Consulting and AMR Design, Brenda leads an exceptional team, collaborating with ideal clients to transform her long-standing dreams into reality. Despite facing health challenges and experiencing burnout early on, Brenda's transformative journey led her to create a streamlined and repeatable business structure that allows her the time and mental space to pursue her passions. Brenda has launched a furniture line, has projects across ...
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