Surviving Design

Going Above and Beyond

Join professional interior designers Melissa Guerra, Melody Smith, and Timm Dolley as they discuss the behind the scenes situations in the interior design industry that are rarely talked about. Have you been stuck cleaning a client's home because the contractor's cleaning crew didn't show up? We have. Have you been tasked with repairing a sofa that arrived with a missing leg? Yep. Same here. There are so many intricate details that go on behind the scenes of every project that most clients - and home design shows - never see or fear to tread. What does it really take to run a design business? How far would you go to solve a problem with your clients? Do you dare to go above and beyond? Join us, and let's start Surviving Design! Music credit: Audiorezout

Collaboration or Exploitation?

Join professional interior designers Melissa Guerra, Melody Smith, and Timm Dolley as they explore the collaborative process with clients during the construction and furnishing phases of their homes and offices. Text messages at all hours of the day and night? Check. Spinning in circles on which throw pillow to choose? Check. Making unrealistic demands and having over-the-top expectations? Check. Is it collaboration or exploitation of your time and attention? Join us in Surviving Design as we teach industry pros and newbies about the various ins and outs of the design industry. From funny stories to horror stories, we've pretty much seen in all, but have you HEARD it all? Get ready to laugh and learn, and let's start Surviving Design!

Get Paid What You're Worth

Join professional interior designers Melissa Guerra, Melody Smith, and Timm Dolley as they discuss the elephant in the room: PRICE! You've heard it before. Sometimes you have to "fake it to make it" or sometimes you need to pick up work to pay the bills until you get to that "top tier" level of design where clients are literally beating down the door. Newsflash: It doesn't always work that way. Sometimes you lower your fees to gain a project only to find the client never quite respects you. Sometimes you ignore that gut feeling, and you take a job that lasts more than two years, and you're having to deal with clients you can't stand (and their feelings towards you might be mutual). In this industry, it's important to know your value because at the end of the day construction is complex, and the time it takes to build something beautiful costs money. Period. Don't undercut yourself - or our industry - by taking peanuts when you're worth the whole circus. Get ready, and let's start Surviving Design!

Be Real, Don't Steal

Join professional interior designers Melissa Guerra, Timm Dolley, and Melody Smith as they discuss a huge elephant in the design community: Taking credit for other people's work. Architectural Digest received a huge backlash when interior designer Timothy Corrigan noted that one of his projects for a famous celebrity (in which he did a lot of the work) was eventually taken over by another designer who took credit for the entire job. Social media is even worse with burgeoning interior designers stealing images from various sources and posting said work as their own. It's a complicated industry, and plagiarism unfortunately occurs more often than not. What should you do if another designer steals your work? Who actually owns those images after all? Laugh and learn with us, and let's start Surviving Design! Music Credit: Audio Rezout

2024 High Point Highlights

Join professional interior designers Melissa Guerra, Melody Smith, and Timm Dolley as they discuss the latest High Point Spring market. This episode is all about furniture and design trends, funny stories, and the highlights of market,  including excessive amounts of food and alcohol, but if you're going to get interior designers to show up to anything, there better be food and drink!  Music Credit: Audiorezout