196: Guardian of the Design: Julia Miller - Yond Interiors

What does it look like to build an interior design business where creativity—not just revenue—is the driving force? Shaun and Rebecca sit down with Julia Miller, founder and creative director of Yond Interiors, to talk about protecting the creative vision of a project from the first client inquiry all the way through installation, styling, and photography.

Julia shares how Yond has built a process that allows the team to execute large-scale interior design projects across the country while delivering a high-touch client experience. They get into choosing aligned clients, setting expectations with contractors, preserving design intent, taking on private and NDA projects, and why Julia would rather turn down a lucrative project than sacrifice creative freedom. Plus, Julia explains how she has shaped her role as creative director, why she took styling back in-house, and how The Studio Table is helping other interior designers learn the systems behind Yond’s work.

In this episode they discuss:

How Julia built Yond Interiors around creativity, strong processes, and doing their best work on every projectWhy Julia sees Yond as the “guardian of the design” and how the team protects design intent through construction and installationCreating a high-touch luxury interior design experience by solving problems behind the scenes instead of handing them back to the clientHow Yond evaluates potential clients, projects, contractors, timelines, and creative opportunities before saying yesThe complicated business and marketing decisions behind NDA projects, private clients, and projects that can’t be photographed or publishedWhy creative freedom is a bigger motivator for Julia than money—and why not every well-paying project is the right projectHow Julia defines her role as creative director, collaborates with her design team, and stays involved without needing to control every decisionWhy Julia brought interior styling in-house and how styling and photography have become an essential part of Yond’s creative process and brand

Mentioned:

Yond Interiors - https://www.yondinteriors.com/The Studio Table - https://www.thestudiotable.co/Brunel - https://shopbrunel.com/Yond Cottage - https://www.yondinteriors.com/projects/yondcottageBrunel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shopbrunel/

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