Meet Deborah DiMare

Deborah is a renowned interior design consultant, author, educator and pioneer of the ethical/wellness design movement. She has been executing beautiful living and sensory environments that contribute to the mental and physical health and well being of people and the protection of animals and the planet for nearly 20 years. Her company, DiMare Design, is the only 100% cruelty-free design consulting firm specializing in the creation of organic, optimal spaces, and sourcing vegan textiles and sustainable furniture that bear zero-to-low toxins

Deborah also heads VeganDesign org, where she educates consumers and designers about humane & healthy design through virtual courses, a blog and a full online shop of cruelty free, vegan and low toxin furniture, décor & curated spaces.

Deborah is showing the world that less toxic, healthier, durable and luxurious faux alternatives can easily replace wool, fur, leather & other animal derived materials. She believes in designing sensory environments free from tragedy and despair.

Only good, healthy, clean energy should be had in all spaces!

Her expertise has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, Better Homes & Garden, Real Simple, Dezeen, Live Kindly, Veg News and The Today Show to name a few. Deborah proudly serves on the board of Farm Sanctuary and is a PETA Approved Business.

Coupon code to course is LIZLEVINFIFTY for 50% off 

Hello friend. Today you’re in for a treat as I welcome my dear friend and design superstar, Lauren Liess. 

When I met Lauren 13 years ago while neighbors at the DC Design House, I loved her immediately. She radiates positivity, has endless energy (like, religiously writing her blog at 5am while her toddlers slept) and has that magical X factor you can’t quite put your finger on. 

As her design stardom grew, through her books, product lines, HGTV show and real estate endeavors, her authenticity and clear point of view in design stayed strong. She’s a beauty inside and out and a lovely friend and colleague that I feel lucky to have kept in touch with over the years as our careers evolved and sometimes overlapped in moments we could catch up and high-five each other.

Her design philosophy is not only about embracing imperfection but celebrating it. It's raw, rediscovered, handmade, and homegrown—she believes home is a place where your story is woven into every worn edge. It embodies her belief that meaning and contentment aren't bought or achieved but cultivated.

It’s a celebration of living each day intentionally, savoring the little things in life: a homemade meal, a bouquet of foraged flowers, a freshly made bed, or dancing in the kitchen. Home is a place that reminds her to slow down, let go, and be. 

So dear listeners, if you don’t already know and love Lauren Liess, get ready to be inspired. Similar to her 3, soon to be 4, beautifully written and insightful books we get into design, living, evolving in our careers and even seed oils. Yep. You are in for a treat. Without further ado- let’s jump into our next episode of Behind the Drapery with my guest Lauren Liess. 

• Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living - By Lauren Liess
• Lauren Liess | Interior Design

Hello friend. Today you’re in for a treat as I welcome my dear friend and design superstar, Lauren Liess. 

When I met Lauren 13 years ago while neighbors at the DC Design House, I loved her immediately. She radiates positivity, has endless energy (like, religiously writing her blog at 5am while her toddlers slept) and has that magical X factor you can’t quite put your finger on. 

As her design stardom grew, through her books, product lines, HGTV show and real estate endeavors, her authenticity and clear point of view in design stayed strong. She’s a beauty inside and out and a lovely friend and colleague that I feel lucky to have kept in touch with over the years as our careers evolved and sometimes overlapped in moments we could catch up and high-five each other.

Her design philosophy is not only about embracing imperfection but celebrating it. It's raw, rediscovered, handmade, and homegrown—she believes home is a place where your story is woven into every worn edge. It embodies her belief that meaning and contentment aren't bought or achieved but cultivated.

It’s a celebration of living each day intentionally, savoring the little things in life: a homemade meal, a bouquet of foraged flowers, a freshly made bed, or dancing in the kitchen. Home is a place that reminds her to slow down, let go, and be. 

So dear listeners, if you don’t already know and love Lauren Liess, get ready to be inspired. Similar to her 3, soon to be 4, beautifully written and insightful books we get into design, living, evolving in our careers and even seed oils. Yep. You are in for a treat. Without further ado- let’s jump into our next episode of Behind the Drapery with my guest Lauren Liess. 

• Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living - By Lauren Liess
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
• Lauren Liess | Interior Design

I love chatting with Tricia Huntley. From how she got started to highlights in her career and ultimately moving her DC-based interior design business halfway across the country to her home state of Minnesota mid-pandemic: we get into the delicious details together talking about life and growth as an interior designer.

Aspiring Designers, get ready for some real nuggets of goodness in the latest episode of my DC All-Star Designer Tour.

• About — HUNTLEY & Co
• Solís Betancourt & Sherrill

Calling all aspiring designers! In this week's episode, we talk about three things that will transform your interior design business.

1) Move it Online and Streamline

Digitize your routine activities with online tools. I'll share two easy ones to get you started.

2) Automate

Find ways to automate daily tasks like booking appointments.

3) Elevate your process

Upgrade all of your client-facing moments such as proposals and information packets with these tools.

Watch your productivity and profit soar in 2024 by investing the time in upgrading and streamlining your client experience process and procurement. Digital tools (many of them free!) not only project a professional appearance to your clients, but they save you time and increase your profitability so you can book clients on repeat and make your design business dream a reality.

Check out my favorites mentioned in the episode:

• Design Business Accelerator » Now ON SALE - Learn how to improve your overall design process and build your 6-figure interior design business. Whether you're starting from the beginning or a few years into your journey, I've got you covered. I'll show you how to grow the interior design business of your dreams. It's all inside the Design Business Accelerator.
• Canva - Create beautiful client information packets and more with Canva.
• Dubsado | Business Management Solution - Digitize your client agreements and more with Dubsado.
• Free Online Appointment Scheduling Software | Calendly - Automate your client booking process. It's like getting a digital assistant for free!

This week we continue in our series that I affectionately call The DC Designers All-Star Tour. Where you get to meet the most in-demand talent and hear their untold stories from behind the scenes with some of the best designers I know in our nation’s capital. 

Today we welcome interior designer, Erica Burns. 

Erica is uniquely positioned as a designer who rose from the ranks in commercial and residential construction. 

Originally from the Southeast, Erica graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction & Planning. She began her career in the construction industry, eventually finding her niche in residential design. Drawing on her strong understanding of the construction process, Erica is well-equipped to guide clients in selecting every detail, from plumbing fixtures and door hardware to furniture and window treatments. Her involvement throughout design and construction brings efficiency to the process and ensures that the interior elements are seamlessly integrated with the home's architecture.

We chatted about her personal career path that led to the founding of her eponymous design firm, Erica Burns Interiors. 

With over a decade of experience turning visions into reality, Erica Burns Interiors has quickly become one of Washington, DC’s leading residential design firms.

Through attention to detail and thoughtful editing, Erica and her team create homes that are timeless and classic, with a touch of the unexpected.

Today we dive into how her early experience in renovation and construction allowed for mutually beneficial partnerships and opportunities with DC’s top architectural firms. A dynamic relationship that exponentially benefits both the design team and the homeowner. 

We dish on lingering client projects, the beauty of learning by doing and how she built her 7 person (and growing!) design team.

I’m excited for you to meet Erica, and get inspired as we talk about launching and growing her firm and what she sees for business 5 years ahead.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Couture Drapery | Hardware | Furniture - Gretchen Everett
• Thomson & Cooke Architects – Custom Residential Architecture Firm in Washington DC
• Erica Burns Interiors

Welcome to another episode of Behind the Drapery.

A short and sweet solo episode with Liz Levin that highlights the importance of finding your niche and doubling down on your design aesthetic. The proof is in the pudding.

The "proof is in the pudding" is an expression that means the value, quality, or truth of something must be judged based on direct experience with it—or on its results. The expression is an alteration of an older saying that makes the meaning a bit clearer: the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

For interior designers, that means prioritizing the capturing of beautiful photos of our work. Photos are the product of an interior designer's work. The general public does not have access to our clients' homes. Investing in photography is critical, but can sometimes be out of reach for many of us designers starting out.

In this episode, I share a hot resource for leveraging your smartphone to capture those scroll-stopping photos yourself.

• Smartphone Photography for Interior Designers - Learn how to leverage your smartphone to take professional interior design photos for your portfolio and socials.

OR

• Become Your Own Professional Photographer
• Full ownership and instant access to your images
• Boost Your Brand Confidence!

It's created especially for iPhone and Android (Samsung and Google Pixel) users who have limited or no formal photography training.

Hope this episode and resource gives you the inspiration to continue following your bliss!

Happy New Year, everyone! 2024 has great things in store.

Mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Accelerator Toolkit

Grab your spot in our Design Business Accelerator course- launching Jan 22, 2024!

In today's episode, I catch up with my talented, inner circle designer friend, Julie Weber. We explore her career path from design school to working for a commercial interior architecture firm before ultimately joining forces with her high school friend, Joe Ireland. They are celebrating 20 successful years of their namesake firm, J.D. Ireland.

• Darryl Carter | Interiors, Furniture, Lighting
• JD Ireland Interior Architecture & Design

We dig into the benefits of a business partnership and the less sexy topic of business liability inherent to working as an interior designer. Tune in for an in-depth conversation with Julie on working with clients and advice for new business owners.

Mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Accelerator Toolkit

Grab your spot in our Design Business Accelerator course- launching Jan 22, 2024!

Jason Claire is an old friend and the man behind my first design gig. In this episode, we dive into his career path in design via the retail angle. He shares his personal journey following his passion in art to design and lifestyle travel.

We cover key advice from our dads and how the design industry has evolved since we met in 2003. We even touch on the racey topic of pricing goods for clients and how design firms make a profit.

Washingtonians will love a little DC design district history and the witty banter of one of my favorite people.

• VASTU - Project Photos & Reviews - Washington, DC US | HouzzVastu - The design shop that started it all

Mentioned in this episode:

Design Business Accelerator Toolkit

Grab your spot in our Design Business Accelerator course- launching Jan 22, 2024!

Meet my good friend, decorator, and entrepreneur of 24 years Sally Steponkus Roche as we chat about how she started her business, how she grew her team and the challenges we all face in the design trade.

We dig into sharing our first design assistant, the most rewarding client project ever and how Sally helped me get a foot in the door of the design industry.

• Sally Steponkus :: Interior Design, Washington, DC. - Dive into Sally's gorgeous interiors and meet her team.
• Design Business Accelerator Toolkit- Grab your spot soon! - If you're serious about starting your interior design business, The Design Business Accelerator Toolkit is the done-for-you roadmap you've been looking for. Launching soon- go grab your spot and turn your passion into a profitable profession.