A-List Interior Designers Summit
SEPTEMBER 5th & 6TH 2024
A two-day virtual summit for unapologetic interior designers ready to stake their claim in our noisy world.
What’s the difference between interior designers that thrive and those that simply get by?
If you guessed “confidence” you’d be wrong.
Confidence doesn’t come first.
It’s not even a requirement for being successful.
Building an enduring business starts by being completely and sincerely devoted to CURIOSITY.
What do I mean by curiosity?
Opening yourself up to limitless possibilities - even when you don’t know the outcome.
Putting your shoulders back and betting on yourself - from right where you are today rather than waiting to achieve some arbitrary milestone.
Knowing in your bones that the world needs your design POV - that special thing only you have.
This summit exists for 3 reasons…
To Cultivate Curiosity
Because we understand Curiosity creates its own perpetual momentum
To Encourage Connection
Because the need for connection is wired into our DNA
To Reframe Success
Because it’s time to ask ourselves, “Is the way I’m working really serving me?”
Kate Bendewald - Keynote
FOUNDER | DESIGNER’S OASIS
@designersoasis
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In a world where hustle culture reigns, building a business that stands the test of time requires more than hard work and determination. It calls for curiosity. Join me as we explore how to transform self-doubt into strength and burnout into breakthrough moments. In this keynote, you'll discover:
The strength of community: Understand how building genuine connections with fellow designers and business owners can support your growth and provide the encouragement and insights needed to thrive.
Core values as a compass: See how clarifying your core values can guide your decisions, align your actions with your purpose, and create a more meaningful business.
Metrics that matter: Shift your focus from revenue alone to a holistic approach that prioritizes joy, creative engagement, and client satisfaction.
Through personal stories, including the pivotal moment when I nearly left the design industry, you'll see how embracing curiosity led me to redefine success and create a thriving business that resonates with who I truly am.
Join me on this journey to build an enduring business that not only withstands the noise of the world but flourishes in it. Together, we'll cultivate the confidence to dream big and act boldly, making space for the curiosity that leads to lasting impact.
The power of curiosity: Learn how tapping into curiosity can silence self-doubt and unleash your most powerful and secure self.
Core values as a compass: See how clarifying your core values can guide your decisions, align your actions with your purpose, and create a more meaningful business.
Metrics that matter: Shift your focus from revenue alone to a holistic approach that prioritizes joy, creative engagement, and client satisfaction.
Through personal stories, including the pivotal moment when I nearly left the design industry, you'll see how embracing curiosity led me to redefine success and create a thriving business that resonates with who I truly am.
Join me on this journey to build an enduring business that not only withstands the noise of the world but flourishes in it. Together, we'll cultivate the confidence to dream big and act boldly, making space for the curiosity that leads to lasting impact.
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Kate Bendewald is an interior designer turned business mentor for designers at her company, Designer’s Oasis. She’s built a successful career launching two 6-figure design companies in two different states almost exclusively through word of mouth.
As the founder of the online program, The Interior Designer’s Business Blueprint, Kate’s helped 200+ designers build authentic, sustainable, and profitable businesses designed to support their lifestyle goals.
Kate has been featured in Domino, HGTV Magazine, 5280 Home, and more. You can find her sharing insights, stories, and interviews with guests on the 5-star rated Designer’s Oasis Podcast.
Kate lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two kiddos, and two snuggly pups, and a well-fed hamster named Stuart.
Sheilah MacSporran
FOUNDER | DESIGN FILES
@designfilesapp
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"I just can't visualize it." These 5 words coming out of your client's mouth can mean hours of unnecessary back and forth in the design stage.
It's no secret that clients are expecting more and more from designers when it comes to the final design presentation. They expect to see the entire space fully designed out with beautiful 3D renders and thanks to HGTV they assume designers can just whip these up in a few minutes.
But helping your clients understand how much time and effort goes into the design process can be challenging especially when when you communicate what those photo-realistic renders will cost them. In this session, you'll learn how to create realistic room mock-ups in minutes with easy-to-use tools that clearly share your vision and get your clients to YES a lot faster.
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Sheilah MacSporran is the CEO and co-founder of DesignFiles, an all-in-one interior design platform that provides interior designers with all the tools, training and teamwork they need to take their design businesses to the next level.
With over ten years of experience in building interior design software, Sheilah remains committed to helping designers find a faster and easier path to success through the use of technology.
Prior to building DesignFiles, Sheilah also co-founded Olioboard.com an online interior design platform that was listed by Mashable as one of the top ten tech start-ups changing the face of retail.
Sheilah and her businesses have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, The Today Show, KBB, The Nate Berkus Show and Apartment Therapy.
Katie Boyce
FOUNDER | KATIE BOYCE COPY
@katieboycewrites
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Hard truth? A gorgeous website and portfolio aren't enough to draw a steady stream of dream clients. You need to back up those beautiful images with strategic language that connects emotionally with your ideal client.
But if you're like most designers, writing the words for your website can feel daunting. It's hard to know what's too much or not enough. Copywriter and brand messaging strategist Katie Boyce breaks down the common website copy mistakes to avoid.
Plus, she'll share 3 key strategies to ensure your website words speak to the heart of your client’s deepest desires, calling you to stand out from the crowd and book more dream projects.
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Katie Boyce is a copywriter and messaging strategist for interior designers and creatives. After years of freelance copywriting for digital publications like Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, and Parents.com, Katie decided to put her design education and writing skills to work for other small business overs - honing their website language so they can stand out online and work with more clients they love.
Half a decade later, she's earned a reputation for crafting authentic marketing language that feels good and helps her clients draw in more perfect-fit projects. When she's not tapping away at the keyboard, you can likely find her on a walk in the woods, curled up with a good novel, or buying yet another houseplant.
Mike Peterson
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Science in Design teaches interior designers about the positive effects of beauty, nature, and fine design on people’s physical and emotional health. The goal is to help designers use beauty to promote healing, which the study of neuroaesthetics and medicine has proved. It is an evolutionary imperative that humans have a need for aesthetic experiences. The mission is to help the design industry see its role as an "alternative health resource"!
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Mike’s experience is rooted in years as a leading advertising executive at Hearst Magazines including House Beautiful and Country Living, working with leading national advertisers.
Mike’s experience in the home furnishings industry include President/CEO of LaBarge Furnishings and as Vice President of Corporate Marketing for such companies as Henredon, Lexington, Drexel Heritage, and more. As Publisher at LUXE Magazine for nearly a decade, the LUXE brand exploded both in popularity, brand recognition, and increased sales. In this capacity, Mike developed close relationships with luxury design firms, design centers and interior designers in helping them grow their businesses.
Today, Mike helps to educate designers on their ability to improve the health of their clients. Studies from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, the United Kingdom and more, are an integral part of Mike's effort to help designers realize their value proposition goes beyond aesthetics to include health at home.
Alex & Peter Spalding
FOUNDERS | DANIEL HOUSE CLUB
@danielhouse.club
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You only have so much time: beat the clock as we explore ways to maximize your income, like incorporating high margin furniture sales into your interior design business.
Peter & Alexander Spalding, founders of Daniel House Club, the digital showroom for interior designers, offer practical tips and real-world case studies to help you understand the value of your time and increase your revenue.
Join us for a session that combines creativity with profitability to elevate your design practice.
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Daniel House Club was created on a simple yet incredibly powerful idea: to transform design businesses by enabling designers to experience greater creative freedom and more financial success.
The concept behind Daniel House Club is both personal and professional to CEO Alexander Spalding and Chief Brand Officer Peter Spalding. As past owners of an interior design firm, they had experienced the many challenges and complexities of running a design business themselves. The Spalding brothers knew all too well that designers spend excessive amounts of time finding products, managing vendors, and handling logistics – and spend less time on being creative.
Daniel House Club is designed to bring all the products designers want to complete their projects in one spot. This innovative platform simplifies sourcing and logistics so designers can focus on what they do best: designing. All orders have the same flat shipping terms and are priced so small designers can build margin in their business.
Stacy Thorwart
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AI is shaping every industry and interior design is no exception. Learning how to confidently use AI will be a strategic differentiator for interior designers looking to grow a sustainable business and stand out from the competition.
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Stacy is the founder of The Intelligent Designer, an online education platform that has empowered over 1,000 interior designers worldwide to confidently integrate AI tools into their design processes.
With over a decade of experience in the contract furniture industry, Stacy has collaborated with global design firms to deliver innovative solutions. In addition to her commercial expertise, she has successfully operated her own residential design firm.
Stacy's extensive industry background and commitment to education have made her a leading advocate for the transformative potential of AI in interior design. Through her platform, she provides accessible, cutting-edge training and shares valuable insights with a global community via Instagram, industry podcasts, and webinars.
John McClain
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A successful consultation is the key to not only closing the deal, but equally important, establishing yourself as a design & business authority.
We tend to forget that an interior design professional is also a salesperson.
We will cut through the noise of general "sales gurus," and even client expectations, and develop a rock-solid design consultation plan catered directly to the interior design professional to secure and close every consult.
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John McClain is a multi-faceted leader in the interior design industry and proudly serves in his field as an interior designer, product designer, author, speaker, business coach, and podcast host.
As the CEO and Creative Director of his internationally acclaimed award-winning interior design firm, John McClain Design, his interior design and home furnishings creations have been featured by numerous shelter publications and television networks including Elle Décor, Traditional Home, HGTV, CBS, and NBC.
John’s coffee table book, The Designer Within: A Professional Guide to A Well-Styled Home, features homes designed in his signature “Comfortable Chic” aesthetic alongside helpful design tips and processes.
John has now taken his 15 years of design business experience and launched an online education & business coaching program, Design Success Academy, where he instructs and coaches interior designers on best business practices. He continues these lessons on his growing podcast, The Designer Within.
PLUS! Interior Designer Panel Discussion:
Building an Enduring Business…What does it take?
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Jess Harrell is an interior designer and founder of The Styled Domicile, based in Northern Virginia, where she designs homes that are fun, functional, and feel like you for women who like to color outside the lines.
Known for her eclectic, colorful, and personality-packed designs, Jess believes in crafting spaces that bring joy to everyday life. With features in Southern Living, The Spruce, WSJ, Huffpost, Living Cozy, and Apartment Therapy, she’s made her mark by doing things differently—because life’s too short to blend in.
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For over 17 years, Cerissa Tate has leveraged a passion for creativity and a desire to exceed client expectations to create a successful interior design business in San Antonio, Texas.
Cerissa recognizes the importance of balancing thoughtful, functional design with aesthetic beauty and unique perspectives. Her custom creations have been delighting clients and feeding her passion to create beautiful interiors ever since.
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Tina Guevara is the founder and principal designer of Juliette Sebastian Interiors. In 2008, Tina made a major career move from corporate project management to taking her passion for interior design and launched Juliette Sebastian Interiors.
For more than ten years, Juliette Sebastian Interiors has worked on a wide array of projects crafting stylish design solutions that combine color and texture with a modern sensibility and a love for things of the past. The results are spaces that are lively and comfortable.
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Kristen McGee is the CEO & Principal Designer of Kristen McGee Interiors, a boutique interior design & renovation firm in Birmingham, AL.
After a successful career in real estate, in 2023, Kristen decided it was time to leave the familiar and fully jump into her one true love and dream of running her own interior design business. Kristen combines her extensive background in real estate with her design skills to help homeowners make sound renovation decisions based on their long-term home investment goals.
Kristen McGee Interiors artfully marries client’s tastes, personal interests and personality with the architecture of their home to elevate their space to its ultimate potential.
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Kate Bendewald is an interior designer turned business mentor for designers at her company, Designer’s Oasis. She’s built a successful career launching two 6-figure design companies in two different states almost exclusively through word of mouth.
As the founder of the online program, The Interior Designer’s Business Blueprint, Kate’s helped 200+ designers build authentic, sustainable, and profitable businesses designed to support their lifestyle goals.
Kate has been featured in Domino, HGTV Magazine, 5280 Home, and more. You can find her sharing insights, stories, and interviews with guests on the 5-star rated Designer’s Oasis Podcast.
Kate lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two kiddos, and two snuggly pups, and a well-fed hamster named Stuart.