Interior design isn’t decoration—it’s coordination. 
 
Brian and Alex are joined by interior designer Emilie Diggs to break down what happens when interiors get brought in too late. From undersized rooms and impossible ceiling spaces to VE decisions that gut design intent, this episode explores how poor coordination early creates problems no one can fix later. 
 
If you’ve ever heard “we’re too far along to change it,” this one’s for you. 

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Show Notes 

Chapter 1 – Interiors as the Afterthought 

• Interiors brought in after layout and structure are already fixed 

• Rooms designed without accounting for real function or furniture 

• Coordination gaps between structure, architecture, and interiors 

• Overlap zones like ceilings and acoustics with unclear ownership 

Chapter 2 – FF&E Is Not “Figure It Out Later” 

• Furniture and equipment drive layout, not just finishes 

• Substitutions and “equivalents” that miss design intent 

• Value engineering that removes function, not just cost 

• Long lead items and procurement issues missed in scheduling 

Key Takeaways 

• Interiors directly impact function, flow, and user experience 

• Late involvement creates constraints that can’t be solved downstream 

• FF&E should be planned early—not forced in at the end 

• Clear communication prevents most coordination failures 

• Cutting design intent often leads to bigger problems later 

Next Episode 

Part 2 dives into field issues: existing conditions, missed coordination, and everything that “wasn’t in the drawings.”