Designing Success

Rhiannon Lee
  • 4.5 (4)
  • Design
  • Updated Semiweekly

Designing Success from School to Studio by Rhiannon Lee is dedicated to filling in the gaps in your design course to encourage you to build a sustainable business that supports your dream lifestyle. Are you searching for strategy, systems and support? Looking for a community to bounce industry issues around in?  In this podcast, we will cover the interior design business infrastructure you need to supplement your design school curriculum with practical insights and actionable advice. We also cover all things marketing, product innovation, client acquisition, and more. Go beyond the theory, filter through the stuff that doesn’t serve you and get on with creating. You will find real talk with industry professionals, practical tactics from business realists that leave you reenergised and focused on exactly how to improve the current landscape of your own business. For more behind the scenes of the interior design industry, check out oleander and finch in Instagram https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finchor head to www.oleanderandfinch.com

  1. 1d ago

    Should you run your FF&E past a low-tox consultant? With Susie from Casa Flair

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. You can smell it the second you walk into some budget stores. Then we bring the occasional chair home, pop it in the corner and call it styled. Susie from Casa Flair Interiors has run her design studio in Sydney's Hills District for six years. Before that, she taught creative arts. Now she's niched into low-tox consultations, which means looking at a space through what's actually in it. Off-gassing floors. Fire retardants in fabric. The glue holding your sofa together. The flickering downlight nobody notices until the headaches start. We've worked together for about six months, so we get honest about how scary niching felt and what changed when "I'm not techy" became "not techy yet". Spoiler: she set up her own automation in 20 minutes while I sat on Zoom and mostly watched. Then I got on my soapbox about AI ethics. Barbie boxes, sticker packs, wallpaper with octopuses riding tricycles. I'm judging you a little. What we get into What low tox actually means in a home, and why fast furniture is basically landfill you paid forHow designers can bring in a low-tox consultant to review an FF&E schedule without touching the designCreating spaces where neurodivergent kids can decompress and self-regulate after schoolWhy niching feels uncomfortable before it feels right (nobody was born in a blazer and heels)Preliminary procurement: describing the chubby walnut console in your head and letting AI go find itKeeping your processes mapped outside the tools, so you can switch platforms, or walk away, if your ethics say soFind Susie Website: casaflair.com.auInstagram: @casaflairinteriorsShe's speaking at the Sydney Home Show, 9–11 October at ICC SydneyIf you've been calling yourself not techy, add the word yet. Then come and find me. Studio CEO details are at rhiannon-lee.com. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  2. Sep 2

    Finding your creative voice, pricing your work & actually putting yourself out there, with Kasia

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. What happens when the thing you started doing for yourself quietly becomes the thing you want to build your life around? In this episode of Designing Success, I’m joined by fibre artist Kasia for a conversation about creativity, business, motherhood, visibility and what it actually takes to stop treating your creative work like a little hobby and start backing it properly. Kasia’s work began during motherhood as a way to slow down, process emotions and have something that belonged to her. There was no grand business plan. There was rope from the local hardware store, a dismantled broomstick, some YouTube tutorials and one extremely ambitious two-metre-wide wonky first attempt. Which, frankly, is how some of the best businesses begin. Fast-forward and her work has developed into a recognisable fibre art practice, with large-scale sculptural pieces, interior designer commissions, exhibitions, art prizes and collaborations — including work that has appeared on The Block. But what I really wanted to talk about was everything that happened in between. Because whether you’re an artist, interior designer or running any other creative business, there comes a point where being good at the creative bit isn’t enough. You have to decide to be seen. We talk about finding your own creative voice in an incredibly trend-driven world and why Kasia deliberately moved away from traditional macramé aesthetics to develop work that now feels unmistakably hers. We get into the slightly murky business of pricing handmade creative work when calculating “materials + hours” doesn’t remotely capture the value of a one-of-a-kind piece — and how reputation, exhibitions, awards, experience and collectability begin to influence pricing as an art practice grows. We also talk about collaborating with interior designers, creating bespoke pieces for difficult or oversized spaces, working with colour and scale, and why the best creative collaborations require the client or designer to give the artist enough trust and freedom to actually do their job. And then we get into something I think almost every creative business owner needs to hear: Nobody is coming to discover you. At some point, you have to send the email. Submit the application. Enter the award. Pitch the collaboration. Post the Reel even though hearing your own voice makes you want to crawl directly into a cupboard. Kasia openly talks about feeling awkward on camera, worrying about her accent and questioning whether she should be putting herself forward at all. But over the past year, she’s stopped allowing those things to be reasons to hide. And unsurprisingly, opportunities have started appearing. Not because she sat beautifully in her studio waiting for the art world to stumble across her. Because she started knocking on doors. We also talk about why the messy middle is often the most interesting part of your marketing. Your audience doesn’t only want the polished reveal. They want the experimentation, the change of mind, the process, the problem solving and the story behind what you create. Connection is marketing. And sometimes the most powerful business strategy really is just being a human being brave enough to say: Hi. This is what I do. I think we could make something interesting together. In this episode, we talk about: Turning a creative hobby into a serious art practiceFinding your own visual language instead of chasing trendsPricing bespoke and one-of-a-kind creative workWhy reputation and recognition influence the value of artWorking with interior designers on commissioned piecesScale, colour, tactility and using fibre art in residential and commercial interiorsWhy trust creates better creative collaborationsShowing the process rather than only the finished resultGetting comfortable being visible when you’d really rather notPitching yourself for collaborations, exhibitions, awards and opportunitiesBuilding the courage to hear “no”Why waiting to be discovered is not a marketing strategyAnd the strange moment a creative business starts feeling suspiciously like another child you’re responsible for raisingKasia also shares some of the exhibitions and group shows she has coming up, including West End Art Space in Melbourne, Forty Five Downstairs’ Primal Instincts group show, and Woollahra Gallery in Sydney, where she has been selected as a finalist. This is such a good listen for anyone who knows they’re capable of more but is still waiting for some imaginary permission slip before they properly put themselves out there. There isn’t one. Send the email. Apply for the thing. Show people what you do. And please stop assuming the impressive person on the other side of the DM is some terrifying untouchable industry overlord. They’re probably just a person having a coffee. Listen now to Designing Success. You can find Kasia and visit her upcoming exhibitions below  Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize - https://www.woollahragallery.com.au/Artists/Woollahra-Small-Sculpture-Prize Primary Instincts - https://fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/primary-instincts/ Biennale at West End Art Space - https://westendartspace.com.au/exhibitions_details/biennale-of-colour-and-light-2026/ Kasia on Insta - HERE Visit her website HERE Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  3. Aug 26

    Before You Use AI With Client Work: 7 Things Every Interior Design Studio Needs

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Explore the AI safe policy KIT here Check out Studio Build HERE If you’re using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or other AI tools inside your interior design business, there are a few decisions worth making before client information starts casually finding its way into AI. Because “is AI safe?” isn’t actually the right question. The better questions are: What information are you uploading? Whose intellectual property is it? Do you have permission to use it? Which AI account are you using? What happens to that information after you upload it? And does everyone in your studio know the rules? A quick but important disclaimer: I’m an AI educator and business strategist, not a lawyer. Everything discussed in this episode — including the frameworks, questions, clauses and policy considerations — is designed to help you identify what your studio needs to think about and document. It is not legal advice. Ultimately, these are operational questions and starting points until you seek independent legal counsel about what is appropriate for your business, your contracts and your clients. In this episode of Designing Success, I’m sharing key excerpts from my recent AI safety webinar for interior designers and breaking down what actually happens when you upload information into an AI platform — including transmission, processing, output and retention. Then we get practical. I walk through seven things I believe every interior design studio should consider documenting when using AI with client work: A current client AI clauseAn internal AI use rule or policyA restricted data listAn approved AI tools registerA simple redaction processA human review checkpointA contractor and team AI acknowledgementWe also look at my Stop, Pause, Play traffic-light framework for deciding what information can go into AI, what needs to be redacted or assessed first, and what should stay out altogether. Because the goal isn’t to become terrified of using AI. It’s to stop making the decision from scratch every single time you open ChatGPT. Decide once. Document it. Then operate by it. And this conversation goes beyond AI safety. Towards the end of the episode, I explain the difference between a safe, useful and scalable AI studio — and why jumping straight to agents and automations before documenting how your business actually operates is usually just accelerating the mess. Safe AI has boundaries. Useful AI has context. Scalable AI has documented processes it can reliably help execute. If your SOPs are still living in your head, your business knowledge is scattered across folders and your workflows depend on you remembering what happens next, AI isn't ready to magically take the business off your plate. That’s the work we do first. In this episode: What happens when you upload a client file into AITransmission, processing, output and data retention explained simplyWhy different AI plans and accounts offer different levels of controlPersonal vs business/team vs enterprise AI accountsThe questions to ask before putting client information or third-party IP into AIHow to minimise and redact client information before uploadingThe Stop, Pause, Play framework for assessing AI riskSeven areas to consider documenting in your studioWhy your team and contractors need to understand your AI rules tooThe difference between safe, useful and scalable AIWhy documented SOPs and workflows are the foundation for genuinely useful AI automationAI Safe Studio Policy Kit If listening to this has made you realise, Ohhhh… we probably need to actually write some of this down, I’ve already built you a starting point. The AI Safe Studio Policy Kit is a ready-to-customise operational pack designed to help interior design studios ask the right questions and begin documenting their decisions around AI use, client information, approved tools, restricted data, redaction, human review and team expectations. It is intentionally a starting point, not a substitute for legal advice. Once you’ve worked through the questions and made some preliminary decisions, you can take that thinking to your own legal counsel to review what is appropriate for your studio. [LINK TO AI SAFE STUDIO POLICY KIT] Ready to make your whole business AI-compatible? The policy piece helps you build the safe foundation. Studio Build tackles the bigger operational piece underneath it. Over six weeks, we document how your studio operates, centralise the knowledge and context currently living across your head, folders and platforms, map your repeatable workflows and identify where AI can safely and reliably start taking work off your plate. Instead of building your business around whichever AI platform happens to be winning the Mario Kart race this week, we build a documented business that can plug into the tools as they evolve. The final Studio Build cohort for 2026 begins 8 September. Explore Studio Build: Designing Success is hosted by Rhiannon Lee, AI strategist, business coach and educator helping interior designers build smarter, more documented and AI-ready design businesses. Subscribe to the podcast for practical conversations about AI for interior designers, interior design business systems, marketing, pricing, studio operations and building a design business that doesn't require you to personally remember absolutely everything. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  4. Aug 20

    The Instagram Strategy That Added 4,500 Followers in 30 Days

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. If Instagram has felt like you’re posting into the void lately, Trial Reels might be worth your attention. In this episode of Designing Success, I’m sharing the Instagram growth strategy I’m actively testing in my own business — and the results have been pretty hard to ignore. In the last 30 days, I’ve added around 4,500 Instagram followers, had a Trial Reel reach 300,000 views, and while recording this episode, five Trial Reels posted across one day had put my business in front of around 50,000 new eyeballs. And no, this does not mean I’m suggesting you add five beautifully edited Reels to your already ridiculous weekly to-do list. Trial Reels work differently from your normal Instagram content because they’re designed to be shown predominantly to people who don’t already follow you. That makes them a really interesting top-of-funnel marketing tool for interior designers who want to increase Instagram reach, grow an aligned audience and ultimately create more opportunities for enquiries and in-home consultations. In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly how I’m approaching them. We talk about: What Instagram Trial Reels are and why they’re different from posting to your normal feedWhy Trial Reels should be treated as top-of-funnel contentThe simple 6–9 second B-roll format I’m usingHow I’m repurposing videos already sitting in my camera roll rather than constantly creating new contentWhy strong opinions and specific points of view make better Trial Reel hooksHow interior designers can use their expertise to create content potential clients actually care aboutThe problem with designers constantly creating content for other designersHow I’m using ChatGPT and Claude to turn existing long-form content and IP into Trial Reel ideasWhy every Instagram content strategy needs an actual business goal behind itHow I’m tracking views, comments and performance so I can work out what’s actually driving growthHow you could adapt this strategy to generate more followers, DMs, enquiries or interior design consultationsI also share the exact workflow I’m currently using to create five Trial Reels in around 20–30 minutes — without filming five new videos every morning. Because the point isn't more content for the sake of more content. It’s using content you already have, pairing it with a stronger message, putting it in front of people who don't know you yet, and then paying attention to what actually works. FREE AI + CLIENT DATA WEBINAR I’m also running a free live webinar for interior designers: What’s Really Happening When You Upload Files to AI? The Truth About Client Data, Intellectual Property & AI for Interior Designers We’re talking about client files, transcripts, floor plans, intellectual property, privacy, AI tools, internal policies and what responsible AI use actually looks like inside an interior design studio. No AI panic. No “delete ChatGPT immediately” nonsense. Just a practical conversation about understanding the tools we’re increasingly using inside our businesses. Register free here: Register even if you can’t attend live and you’ll receive access to the replay. WANT THE SYSTEMS BEHIND THE STRATEGY? Inside Studio Build, we go much further than simply asking AI to write a few Instagram captions. We build the documented business underneath it — your systems, processes, SOPs, AI workflows and marketing infrastructure — so AI actually has something useful to work with. The next round of Studio Build kicks off in September and is the final cohort for the year. Explore Studio Build HERE Topics: Instagram marketing for interior designers, Instagram Trial Reels, interior design marketing, social media marketing for interior designers, Instagram growth strategy, how to get interior design clients, content marketing for interior designers, AI for interior designers, ChatGPT for interior designers, Claude AI, interior design business, interior design business coaching, marketing an interior design business, Instagram Reels strategy, Studio Build. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  5. Aug 12

    AI in Design: Client Data and IP Policy's

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Clients are starting to ask interior designers how they use AI with their private information — floor plans, budgets, family details, meeting transcripts. Rhiannon Lee, AI strategist for Australian interior designers, breaks down what actually happens to uploaded data, why your account type changes the answer, and how to build a simple studio policy so you can answer with confidence instead of stumbling through it. Register for the free webinar (24 August): → What's really happening when you upload files to AI: Explore Penelope, proposal GPT here Get your Contract Clause HERE ────────────────────────── CHAPTERS ────────────────────────── Why clients are starting to ask about AI in interior design What actually counts as "using AI" in your studio Protecting your own IP from AI in client contracts What client information should never go into AI How to redact client details before you prompt AI What actually happens when you delete an AI chat Does your AI account type change your privacy protection What is shadow AI and is it happening in your studio Getting client consent to record and transcribe consults How to build a simple AI policy for your studio ────────────────────────── RESOURCES MENTIONED ────────────────────────── → Free webinar — What's really happening when you upload files to AI: [link] → DM "contract" on Instagram for the AI IP clause: @the_rhiannonlee → Studio Build — 6-week AI implementation intensive: [link] → Studio CEO — 12-week business coaching program: [link] → Studio Learn — free resources for interior designers: [link] ────────────────────────── ABOUT RHIANNON LEE ────────────────────────── AI strategist for Australian interior designers. Former Oleander & Finch. Creator of the Studio Suite — Studio Learn, Studio Build, and Studio CEO — operational AI implementation for design businesses, not productivity theatre. → Instagram: @the_rhiannonlee → Website: rhiannon-lee.com Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  6. Aug 5

    What I told a room of designers about AI at The Design Show, Sydney.

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Register for the AI Safe Webinar, HERE  Join the weekly email list HERE  learn how to build out project management in Notion HERE Interested in my speaker fee card and customising a talk for your business or group? email me at hello@rhiannon-lee.com and I'll point you right to it.  Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  7. Jul 29

    20 years and beyond with Mandie Wright, of Infinite Interior design and renovations.

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

  8. Jul 22

    why interior designers keep landing $4k jobs, not $40k ones

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.  Grab  more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_rhiannonlee For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/ Get your interior design studio running on AI in 6 weeks. admin, client follow-ups, content, and operations handled. Six live build sessions. You leave with a working system, not more mess. Studio BUILD  ( now open)  Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations.  Thank you for your support!

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Designing Success from School to Studio by Rhiannon Lee is dedicated to filling in the gaps in your design course to encourage you to build a sustainable business that supports your dream lifestyle. Are you searching for strategy, systems and support? Looking for a community to bounce industry issues around in?  In this podcast, we will cover the interior design business infrastructure you need to supplement your design school curriculum with practical insights and actionable advice. We also cover all things marketing, product innovation, client acquisition, and more. Go beyond the theory, filter through the stuff that doesn’t serve you and get on with creating. You will find real talk with industry professionals, practical tactics from business realists that leave you reenergised and focused on exactly how to improve the current landscape of your own business. For more behind the scenes of the interior design industry, check out oleander and finch in Instagram https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finchor head to www.oleanderandfinch.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rhiannon Lee
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    195
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Designing Success
  • Show Website
    Designing Success

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