Design Anatomy

Buying dining chairs should be fun, but it’s also one of the fastest ways to waste money if you skip the basics. Bree Banfield and Lauren Li, are getting practical about how to choose dining chairs that look great, feel comfortable, and actually work in your home day to day.

We start with the brief most people forget to write: who’s sitting there, how long they’ll stay, and what kind of meals happen at your table. That simple thinking leads straight into the details that decide whether you’ll love your chairs for years or quietly resent them. We talk arms and mobility, casual versus formal dining, and why your location matters more than you think (hello beach towels, chlorine, and fabrics that can’t cope).

From there we go deep on fit: chair width, how many seats you can realistically fit, and how the chair interacts with your table base. We also cover the underrated annoyances like chair legs snagging on a dining rug, scratched timber floors, and why “matching” can backfire. If you want upholstered dining chairs but you’ve got kids, we share what’s changed in outdoor fabrics and why they’re now a genuinely stylish, durable option. We also get into leather, vegan leather, patina, and what you’re signing up for with each.

You’ll hear our favourite chair picks, plus a more grounded shortlist of brands and stores to explore when budget matters. We also share what’s coming up for Design Anatomy, including our Sydney Milan in Review event at Hali Rugs on 24th June at 6 pm and our live podcast on 17th July at the Melbourne Convention Centre where we answer your questions.
Sydney Milan in review 24th June 6pm event tickets here
Live Design Anatomy Podcast Melbourne - Decor + Design Show 17th July 12pm

Hit play, then subscribe, share with a design mate, and leave a review. Got a question you want us to answer live? Send us a DM and tell us if you want to stay anonymous.
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 
Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren for The Conversation Circle beginning Monday 15th June.
This fortnightly small-group mentoring program is designed for interior designers, decorators and stylists who are ready to fast-track their business growth, gain clarity, and have the support and accountability to take action.
To ensure everyone receives personalised guidance and mentoring, the group is intentionally limited to just 6 designers. This creates space for meaningful conversations, individual feedback, and practical support tailored to your business.
For more info & application process please see below:
The Conversation Circle 2026

A lot of interiors look “right” and still feel wrong. We’re chasing something harder to name: the feeling of a home that actually belongs to you. That’s why we loved this chat with designer Anna-Carin, who has built a client briefing process around an unexpected tool: music.

We talk through her signature question: if your project had a theme song, what would it be? From there, she layers in a project name and three feeling words to create a brief that’s clear, emotional, and genuinely personal. We unpack how rhythm can hint at a client’s quirks, how a “raw” track can give you permission to propose bolder ideas, and why starting with mood helps you avoid the copy-and-paste trap of image-led design. If you’re an interior designer wanting a stronger client connection, or a homeowner stuck between “nice” and “mine”, this approach is pure gold.

The conversation goes wider too: Scandinavian rituals, seasonal living, and what happens when a culture loses the small traditions that anchor us to time, place, and each other. Anna-Carin also shares her career story, the mentor who taught her the power of five millimetres, and why commitment to the person behind the project is what turns a house into a home.
Check out Anna-Carin on her socials below:
Instagram: @annacarindesign
Web: www.annacarindesign.com.au

If you enjoyed this one, subscribe, share it with a design mate, and leave us a review. What would your home’s theme song be?
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 
Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren for The Conversation Circle beginning Monday 15th June.
This fortnightly small-group mentoring program is designed for interior designers, decorators and stylists who are ready to fast-track their business growth, gain clarity, and have the support and accountability to take action.
To ensure everyone receives personalised guidance and mentoring, the group is intentionally limited to just 6 designers. This creates space for meaningful conversations, individual feedback, and practical support tailored to your business.
For more info & application process please see below:
The Conversation Circle 2026

A sofa is never just a sofa. It’s where you crash after work, where friends pile in with a glass of wine, where kids build nests out of cushions, and where the whole room quietly takes its cues. That’s why we’re kicking off a practical “how-to choose” series with the most high-stakes piece in the living room: the sofa. 

We start with the question that saves the most money and regret: how do you actually live? From entertaining versus Netflix sprawl, to seat height for different bodies and stages of life, we break down how lifestyle should drive everything from depth to firmness. Then we get ruthless about scale. A sofa can measure “right” and still feel wrong, especially when you’ve only seen it online or in a cavernous showroom. We share simple ways to map it out at home, plus what to consider around coffee tables, side tables, lighting, and circulation. 

Fabric and colour get their own reality check too. Upholstery isn’t just aesthetics; it’s texture, cleanability, stretch, durability and whether you’ll hate the feel the second you sit down. We also challenge the default beige and grey reflex, and talk about “safe” colour that still brings warmth and personality, like navy, deep green, and caramel leather. We finish with quality and construction tips, common sofa mistakes, and the unglamorous but essential topic of delivery access. 
Join us for the Milan In-Review talks @ Hali Rugs, tickets are available below :
Melbourne -  Wednesday 10th June 6pm
Sydney - Wednesday 24th June 6pm

If you love practical interior design advice, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s sofa shopping, and leave us a review so more Australians can find the show.
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 
Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren for The Conversation Circle beginning Monday 15th June.
This fortnightly small-group mentoring program is designed for interior designers, decorators and stylists who are ready to fast-track their business growth, gain clarity, and have the support and accountability to take action.
To ensure everyone receives personalised guidance and mentoring, the group is intentionally limited to just 6 designers. This creates space for meaningful conversations, individual feedback, and practical support tailored to your business.
For more info & application process please see below:
The Conversation Circle 2026

Your place can have great bones, beautiful light, cool vintage pieces, and still feel oddly unfinished. That gap between inspiration and reality is where so many people get stuck, and it is exactly what Lauren tackles solo while Bree is off travelling and living her best design life. We talk about the real reasons people book interior design consultations, and why it is rarely about “just picking a sofa” and almost always about getting the home to feel calm, cohesive, and emotionally right.

We break down five repeat problems that show up in homes across Australia and beyond: rooms that feel flat even when they are “done”, decision fatigue from too many options online, awkward architecture that makes zones feel like hallways, and the constant push-pull between aesthetic dreams and practical reality. Lauren shares the fixes that actually move the needle, like adding curtains to soften acoustics and privacy, anchoring spaces with the right rug, turning off harsh downlights, and using layered lighting to create warmth at night. We also get honest about renovation sequencing, material choices, durability, and the compliance surprises that can burst the mood board bubble.

The deepest thread is atmosphere. Beyond the visuals, we explore how scale, shadow, textiles, scent, sound, and personal objects build a home that feels like you, not a showroom. If you have ever second-guessed a paint colour, delayed a rug purchase, or felt overwhelmed by Pinterest, this one will give you a clearer plan and a bit of permission.
Want details on Milan in Review in Melbourne or Sydney? Send us a DM or click on the 'trybooking' links below:
Milan In-Review Melbourne Wed 10th June 6pm 
Milan In-Review Sydney Wed 24th June 6pm

Subscribe, share with a friend who is stuck mid-reno, and leave a review so more design lovers can find us. 
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 
Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren for The Conversation Circle beginning Monday 15th June.
This fortnightly small-group mentoring program is designed for interior designers, decorators and stylists who are ready to fast-track their business growth, gain clarity, and have the support and accountability to take action.
To ensure everyone receives personalised guidance and mentoring, the group is intentionally limited to just 6 designers. This creates space for meaningful conversations, individual feedback, and practical support tailored to your business.
For more info & application process please see below:
The Conversation Circle 2026

A childhood New York souvenir turns into a full-blown compass, and for Marcus Hay it points straight to a 20 year creative career in the US. We’re talking Manhattan apartments, the magazine years, and what it’s really like to build visual worlds for major lifestyle brands when the industry shifts under your feet. Now Marcus is back in Sydney, living with a view of a park instead of a brick wall, and he’s entering a new chapter with fresh eyes and a much calmer nervous system.

We chat about how place shapes taste and how your interior style quietly gathers clues from movies, travel and the objects you can’t throw away. Marcus shares a grounded approach to authentic interiors and styling: the reason a home feels “real” is rarely the perfect sofa. It’s the history, the patina, the personal touches and the small architectural oddities that suggest people have actually lived there. If you love layered, colour filled, lived in spaces, this one is packed with practical thinking you can apply to your own rooms and your client work.

We also get honest about the business side: the post GFC budget crunch, the constant flights, the not-so-glamorous hotels, and why slowing down can be the most radical creative decision. Marcus tells us about teaching creative direction and styling, and his new venture Annex 3000 in Alexandria, built around curation, collaboration and more community with less gatekeeping in the design industry.
Please follow along with Marcus Hay on his socials.
@marcushay , @annex.3000, Studio Marcus Hay

If you enjoy Design Anatomy, subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a designer mate, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of your home tells your story best?
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. 
Bookings now open -  Book now

Join Lauren for The Conversation Circle beginning Monday 15th June.
This fortnightly small-group mentoring program is designed for interior designers, decorators and stylists who are ready to fast-track their business growth, gain clarity, and have the support and accountability to take action.
To ensure everyone receives personalised guidance and mentoring, the group is intentionally limited to just 6 designers. This creates space for meaningful conversations, individual feedback, and practical support tailored to your business.
For more info & application process please see below:
The Conversation Circle 2026