Designer Society Spotlight

For many Interior Designers, insurance falls into the category of business tasks they know they need to handle, but would rather not spend much time thinking about. Leah Check of DSAinsure understands why.  

What if the spaces we create reveal more about who we are than we realize? In this Designer Spotlight, we sit down with Marie Cloud, founder and principal designer of Indigo Pruitt, to explore how intentional design, identity, and wellness intersect.From the philosophy behind her nationally recognized studio to the launch of blHUEprint, Marie shares how thoughtful interiors can shape the way we live, feel, and connect with our homes. Whether you're an interior designer, design enthusiast, or simply passionate about creating spaces with purpose, this conversation is filled with thoughtful insights and inspiration.

In this episode of DSA's Designer Spotlight Series, we sit down with award-winning interior designer and writer Nina Lichtenstein to explore the power of thoughtful, wellness-centered design. Nina shares her journey into the design industry, the inspiration behind her work, and how biophilic principles, neuroaesthetics, and a deep connection to nature influence the spaces she creates. We also discuss her experience pursuing professional education and certification through NYIAD, RIDQC, and DSA, along with advice for aspiring designers looking to build confidence and credibility in their careers. Whether you're an established designer or just beginning your professional journey, this conversation is filled with insight, inspiration, and practical wisdom.

From sewing his own curtains in a San Francisco apartment to leading an internationally recognized design firm, Jay Jeffers' journey is anything but ordinary. As the 2026 recipient of the DSA Design 360° Award, his career reflects a rare balance of creativity, business acumen, and industry influence. Step inside his story—and hear directly from Jeffers in our exclusive video feature

"Creative people have to believe in the value of their work. If you don't have any belief, then you can't give anything. Designing is an act of giving, and a belief in the value of the work fuels the desire to express something." – Peter Saville, Renowned British Art Decorator and Graphic Designer   Being an interior designer and running your own business can be difficult. There are a multitude of responsibilities within the business that can overwhelm you at any given time. But throw in your personal responsibilities, too, and it can simply wear you out. You may find yourself trying to prioritize from a place of chaos, rather than a place of calm and purpose. This is where someone like Andrea Liebross can come in to help guide you through the processes and strategies to literally coach you back out of the chaos and back into believing in not only yourself, but your business. "I'm really big about helping people see that belief is just as important as budget, marketing and metrics," says Liebross, a business coach, keynote speaker, author and founder of She Thinks Big. "And they have to believe that things are going to work and going to happen." Liebross, who started her business coaching firm in 2018 works with a number of professionals, including interior designers. "I help them shift from being reactive to being strategic, or from being exhausted to being energized, or from being more of an owner/operator to being a leader," she shares. "And when they make those shifts, their margins improve, their timelines kind of calm down, their teams function, and then that designer feels more herself in her business than ever, and I think that sort of belief in action." We had the pleasure of hearing Liebross speak during the 2025 Fall High Point Market event, so we invited her to share some insight into how she founded her business, her background that led to starting the business and advice she may have for you—our members who have a passion for interior design. Scroll down to learn more.  

"A designer must strive to create timeless design. Design that is not subject to trends." – Alberto Alessi, World-Famous Designer and Owner of ALESSI Imagine walking into a space and not just seeing the incredible care taken to create a home, office, living room or lobby, but also feeling the incredible care taken to design a space. Interior designers have seen several trends come and go throughout the years (and decades) when it comes to our industry, but Aimee Lopez, founder of the Holistic Interiors Design Community, believes her desire to create holistically designed spaces is a "trend" that's here to stay. The mission of the Holistic Interiors Design Community is to raise awareness of the influence and role of interior spaces in enhancing our well-being. Lopez says places where clients live, work and learn should be designed with more focus on a healthy lifestyle, meaningful experiences and a personal-centric view. "If we are connected with ourselves and with the environment, then we can become more conscious about it," she says. "The more we have all of this research available to us, then we can design homes or workspaces where people will people are happier. We had the pleasure of interviewing Lopez recently, learning more about her 20-year career in the interior design business, as well as her passion to educate others about holistic interior design and it's benefits for clients and designers themselves.   

While Benjamin Johnston's main focuses may be interior design and his firm, Benjamin Johnston Design in Houston, he's also an artist, teacher and tastemaker. And, mostly recently, he added author to the list with the release of his first book, "Refined Interiors: Timeless Homes for Modern Living" by Rizzoli. "It was fun writing the book and putting into words what hadn't really existed in conversation, thought or in process in the office," he says, "and be able to crystalize and articulate what we did. It was a worthwhile experience." In this debut book with Rizzoli, Johnston unveils eight recently completed residences that embody his distinctive aesthetic and design philosophies. "Our entire industry thrives on collaboration, and I'm really excited to be able to have this book that is really a reflection of the incredible contractors, artisans, craftsman and vendors that we had the privilege to work with throughout this process and be able to have something tangible to really show for all that wonderful experience and collaboration together," he adds. We had the pleasure of interviewing Johnston recently to learn more about his design background and his passion for creativity.  

  "Give me a museum and I'll fill it." – Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter, Sculptor and Printmaker World-renowned artist Pablo Picasso, whose works of art have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars, often made this comment when talking about his prolific ability to create.   Museums, which are where so many of us have seen some of the most delicate, intricate and studied art pieces in the world, are time capsules for history. They preserve some of the most beautiful things on this planet, and Picasso's pieces are absolutely some of the best.   So imagine, if you will, if you had a chance to not only see one of his pieces in person, but to also handle it—albeit delicately—and be tasked with moving it ever so carefully into someone's home and helping hang it in this new space.   Well, that's what Operations Manager Mark Paratore and his team at Colwright Designer Delivery—a McCorquodale Transfer company—are fortunate to do day in and day out.   Described as a white glove moving service, Colwright works with a host of designers, private clients, real estate agents and contractors, delivering top-notch services for everything from a whole-home move to the rearrangement of a single room.   "'White glove' at Colwright is about going into a space with a good presence—smile on your face, good rapport—and our expectation is to take our time," Paratore says. "We aren't trying to rush into a home and deliver their items. We want to make it an experience … taking our time to make sure everything is delivered the right way and nothing is damaged."   We had the pleasure of interviewing Paratore recently, learning more about the company and how they provide excellent services to clients, especially those in the interior design industry. 

In January, Caren Rideau experienced the unimaginable. Her interior design firm of 30-plus years, Kitchen Design Group, burned to the ground in the devastating wildfire that swept through Los Angeles.   "Within the first week after the fire, I had about 10 clients tell me that I better not get out of this business," Rideau recalls. "They were depending on me to rebuild. I knew I mattered."   About two weeks later, she decided she was—in fact—coming back, although she wasn't quite sure what that was going to look like.   In September, Rideau and her team reopened their showroom in Santa Monica, about 5 miles from her previous location in Pacific Palisades.   "It's smaller, but that was intentional," she says. "I wanted to be more practical [with the new location], so it's a smaller space. There is one showroom in this location, and it's an operational kitchen. I want this new showroom and 'Chapter 2.0' to reflect more of the things I love, and it kind of encompasses my last book, entertaining, kitchen design and wine."   We had the pleasure of interviewing Rideau recently, learning about why she chose interior design and why she chose kitchen design, as well as her book and her collaboration with Gorky Pottery.    Full article and video here: https://designviewpoint.dsasociety.org/accidentally-on-purpose-caren-rideau/  

By Lindsay Field Penticuff Carl Dellatore's fifth book for Rizzoli New York, "100 Rooms: Lessons from the Finest Designers on the Art of Home," was released earlier this month. "I wanted to make a book about practical application," Dellatore says. "You have a subject, but within that subject, I'm giving you some suggestions, advice and information that will concretely inform me and the readers." Dellatore, who is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in the arts, has a background in printmaking and textiles. He released his first book, "Interior Design Master Class: 100 Lessons from America's Finest Designers on Art of Decoration," in 2016, and is also a content consultant for the interior and garden design communities. In his new book, Dellatore features 100 individual designers' remarkable spaces that are broken down by type of room, including Gathering (media and family rooms), Transitional (porches and entryways), Respite (bedrooms and sitting rooms), Entertaining (dining rooms and bars) and Utility (kitchens, baths and mudrooms). The writing process began nearly two years ago and with between 1,200 and 1,500 rooms that Dellatore hand-selected to consider featuring in the book. "I wanted to represent as many aesthetic visions as possible—minimalist, maximalist, traditionalist, contemporary—because that's the landscape of design," he says. "But thinking in terms of how do I get to 100 rooms from 1,200 to 1,500, the process at Rizzoli is a bit intense. "I have an editor, there's a book designer, then there's a marketing team. I bring all the rooms to the table first, then we have preliminary photo editing, so I may in any given meeting bring 250 rooms, and what we're actually looking to get from that is 25. "The rooms are all different; there's a laundry room, a lacquered bedroom, there are three to four different kinds of kitchens, and each designer has one very specific subject to write about." Criteria to decide which rooms were included in the book then came down to having a good balance of legendary designers, those who are really well-established in their careers, and then people who are mid-career, and then finally five spots were open to designers Dellatore had maybe never heard of before. "What I'm looking to do is capture a snapshot in decorative arts history in America at this moment—here we are, a quarter-century in—so, having looked at all these rooms, seeing the prevalent voices and what their aesthetic is I asked, 'How can I come up with 100 rooms that sort of represent where we are right now?' That's what I was looking for! Those decisions are all subjective on some level, but being so entrenched in the community, I sort of have some sense of that." But Dellatore reminds us that the book isn't just for design professionals. "One of the things we ask is, 'Is the person in Illinois going to read this and be empowered to make decisions about what they are doing in their own home?'" he adds. "And that brings us back to editing. I wanted [the featured designers] to be expressive, and I wanted people to really say what they meant so they have an organic voice, but I needed to direct that in a way such that someone in Illinois, who doesn't have a design professional in their life, feels empowered by the book. I think that's what makes these kinds of books successful, when there's a takeaway from the audience." Earlier this month, Dellatore also began working on his sixth book, which he plans to release in spring 2027. "I've noticed how the modernist designers from the last century continue to influence contemporary design, which inspired my new book 'Contemporary Modernism,'" he shares. "The book explores my observation that many designers today have adopted the idea of creating pared-down spaces—perhaps not strictly minimalist but serving as respites from our frenetic world. "I've identified about 40 firms so far, but I'm always open to discovering more. If anyone has suggestions for designers or firms I should examine, I'd welcome the recommendations." After that? Well, Dellatore is already planning to start another garden book, which he hopes to release in spring of 2028. "When I set out in this career as an author, I said I wanted to produce 10 books," he concludes. To learn more about Dellatore, you're also invited to follow him on Instagram @carldellatore or visit his website, carldellatore.com. Also, be sure to dive back into his series with DSA, Some Thoughts On…