Design Anatomy

You see the finished rooms, the polished captions and the big-name collaborations. What you don’t see is the work that holds it all together. We’re joined by Sacha Strebe, an Australian editor and storyteller who now works behind the scenes as executive director with Athena Calderone to help craft and execute the creative vision for EyeSwoon. Sacha takes us from her Gold Coast journalism days to building a career in the US, including the mindset shifts that come with backing yourself, building relationships online, and writing your way into opportunities.

We get specific about what it takes to run a modern interior design and lifestyle brand with a small team: shaping brand voice, planning content calendars, creating newsletters, affiliate strategies, and supporting major partnerships from ideation through to contracts and production. If you’re a designer, creative, or business owner trying to grow an audience, this chat breaks down what still works across every platform: service, inspiration and entertainment, plus the discipline to stay true to your point of view.

Then the conversation turns deeply personal. Sacha shares the devastating experience of losing her home in the LA fires, the “phantom” feeling of a place that’s gone but still present, and how rebuilding becomes both grief and gratitude at once. We finish on what’s next, how Sacha defines success, and her current design obsession: brutalism, concrete, stone and light. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves design and storytelling, and leave a review to help more listeners find us.
Podcast Cover Photography Credit: Julie Guével Goldstone 
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 online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 
What has worked for Lauren over the past year
What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects
For more info see below
The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.

This week, Interior designers Lauren Li and Bree Banfield explore why homes that look beautiful can still feel uncomfortable or frustrating to live in. Many clients come to them not just for aesthetics, but because their spaces create stress, limit connection, or don’t reflect who they are—making the process feel more like “interior design therapy” than simple decorating.
They highlight common issues, starting with the feeling of not enjoying your own home. This often stems from poor layout, awkward furniture placement, or a disconnect between styled interiors and real-life comfort. They emphasize how subtle design rules and spatial flow impact confidence and daily experience.
The conversation then shifts to functionality—homes that don’t support modern life, like working from home or fostering family interaction. They also address decision paralysis caused by endless inspiration from platforms like Pinterest and AI tools, explaining how designers simplify choices by focusing on what truly fits a client’s lifestyle and needs.
Finally, they discuss challenges in new builds and renovations, where visually impressive designs can overlook practical realities such as lighting, glare, window treatments, and furniture placement. The overall message: good design is about aligning your home with how you actually live, not just how it looks.
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 online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 
What has worked for Lauren over the past year
What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects
For more info see below
The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.

A single book can change the way you decorate a room, not by handing you a shopping list, but by sharpening how you see. We’re diving into the design books that have genuinely shaped our interior design practice, from the emotional impact of architecture to the surprisingly personal meaning of colour, art and everyday objects.

We start with Alain de Botton’s The Architecture of Happiness and why the best design is never just “style”. It’s about how a space makes you feel, and why beauty can support wellbeing. That takes us to Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, the modernist icon that promised machine-like living yet struggled with very human problems like constant leaking. It’s a reminder that design theory, history and lived experience all belong in the same conversation.

From there we move through books that celebrate real, layered homes: Robyn Lea’s A Room Of Her Own, Kassia St Clair’s The Secret Lives of Colour, and Amber Creswell Bell’s Australian Abstract. We talk about choosing colour with more confidence when you understand cultural symbolism, and using abstract art as a feeling-led anchor rather than something you have to “decode”. We also share why Nate Berkus’ The Things That Matter hits so hard, because the most beautiful homes are built over time through objects that carry memory. Finally, we shout out The Life Eclectic and a few favourite bookshops, plus a little teaser about upcoming Paris and Milan adventures.

If you enjoyed this one, subscribe, share it with a design-loving friend, and leave a review so more Australians can find the show. What’s the one book that changed how you see your home?
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 online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 
What has worked for Lauren over the past year
What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects
For more info see below
The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.

What if a home could feel calmer, look warmer, and bring you closer to your neighbours—all at once? We sit with interior designer Rebecca Leijer of Leÿer Design Studio to explore design with restraint that still feels generous, and the surprising community benefits of a street‑facing, glass‑fronted home in Torquay. From the first sketch to the final touch, Rebecca shares how simplicity, texture, and tactility can deliver spaces that welcome sandy feet, morning light, and real life without dating fast.

We dig into the budget realities shaping residential design right now and why pairing building design with on‑site know‑how changes everything. Rebecca and her builder husband are combining forces to deliver a full‑service studio: think early cost clarity, fewer nasty surprises, and smarter paths like extending at ground level instead of paying for scaffolding on a small second storey. We compare laminate and stone with open eyes, defend the “big three” of tapware, tiles, and lighting, and map priorities so clients protect what truly changes how they live.

Then we jump to hospitality, where deadlines are brutal and ceilings do the heavy lifting. Rebecca reveals the bamboo canopy that redirected the gaze in an Anglesea venue and the burgundy spray that unified a tricky Ocean Grove ceiling—proof that one bold, well‑placed move can transform a space fast. Along the way, we reframe trends and timelessness: cork can be cool or tired; stone is forever until your taste evolves. The goal isn’t to dodge fashion, but to choose materials you’ll love longer, and build confidence through a curated, step‑by‑step process.
Check out Rebecca's socials: Insta  @leyer_td & website Leÿer Design Studio

If you’re craving a calmer home, fighting scope creep, or curious how a single design gesture can carry a room, you’ll find practical ideas you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the one element—lighting, tiles, or tapware—you’ll never cut from your budget?
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 online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 
What has worked for Lauren over the past year
What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects
For more info see below
The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.

What if your home could meet you where you are, every day? We sit down with Paris-based designer Cléophée Poli of Cléo Interior Design Studio to explore the psychology of home and why the best interiors are built around how people live, not what’s trending. Cléo’s path from luxury hospitality to interiors sharpened her instincts for service, diplomacy, and solving problems before they start, and she shares the scripts and strategies that keep projects humane and on track.

We trace how culture and climate shape design choices, from Australia’s indoor–outdoor ease to Paris’s nimble apartment living and Scandinavia’s cocooning warmth. Cléo designs across borders for expats and international clients, translating codes and expectations while protecting a clear vision. You’ll hear how she adapts drawings across regions, keeps trades aligned, and uses communication as the true universal tool of design.

Then we dive into a standout project at the famed Marché Paul Bert: a packing-and-shipping studio reimagined as a living gallery. With rotating vintage curated from market dealers, caramel and buttery tones, and a custom rug inspired by Eileen Gray and art deco geometry, the space proves even a practical brief can carry real theatre and soul. Along the way, we talk about sourcing vintage that gives rooms presence, building relationships with dealers for off‑market finds, and resisting trend fatigue by choosing objects with weight and memory.

If you’re rethinking your space, this conversation is a roadmap: honour your rituals, design for your climate, and choose a few pieces that speak so loudly they quiet the rest. 
Check out Cléo's socials: @cleointeriordesign ,  www.cleointeriordesign.com & Paul Bert Project
Subscribe, share with a friend who loves design, and leave a review to tell us what makes a space feel like home to you.
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 online for a workshop to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: 
What has worked for Lauren over the past year
What hasn’t worked, and what she has changed
The exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projects
For more info see below
The Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.