The Interior Design Business

From bold concepts and standout schemes to the latest collections making their international debut, WOW!house has firmly established itself as an exciting and pivotal stage in the interior design calendar. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of WOW!house 2026, talking with designers, brands and sponsors about what we can expect to see at this year’s event. We discuss the creative energy that fuels WOW!house, the role it plays in setting trends, and what we can learn from its ever-evolving approach to storytelling and collaboration.

Jeff and Susie are joined by Darren Price of ADAM Architecture, Martin Kemp and Henri Fitzwilliam Lay to find out what's in store for WOW!house 2026. Recorded in the THG Paris Showroom at Chelsea Harbour. 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome to Wowhouse 2026
(00:01:18) - Interviews with Sir Martin Kemp
(00:02:59) - Adam Architecture's involvement in The Warehouse
(00:08:52) - In the Elevator: Traditional Architecture
(00:10:09) - The Making of 'The House'
(00:11:13) - The Design Center's Front facade
(00:12:44) - The Pop-Up Office
(00:13:50) - The Designer Behind a Warehouse Bedroom
(00:16:59) - Lighthouse Design: Self-Sponsor
(00:18:24) - The inspiration behind Art Deco bedroom
(00:22:52) - In the Elevator With Darren Ward
(00:24:19) - What's been the most challenging aspect of pulling your space together
(00:28:23) - Victoria and the Design Center
(00:29:56) - Do Designers Follow The Latest Trends?
(00:33:22) - What's Exciting About Wowhouse 2018?
(00:35:46) - Wormhouse: The 100th Episode

WOW!house is renowned as an international showcase for acclaimed designers, bold, emerging voices and stellar brands with creative collaborations transforming ideas into fully realised, inspirational spaces. In this episode, we explore the true impact and potential of WOW!house through the voices of those shaping it from the inside. We’re joined by Natalia Miyar, who designed the Bedroom within WOW!house back in 2023, Sara Cosgrove of Sara Cosgrove Studio, who will be designing the Drawing Room for WOW!house 2026, and Alexandra Singer from luxury sponsor THG Paris. Together, they discuss what makes WOW!house such a catalyst for creativity, collaboration and commercial opportunity and why it has become a launchpad for new ideas, partnerships and design careers.

Recorded in the THG Paris showroom at Chelsea Harbour.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome to the Interior Design Business
(00:01:29) - The Design Team at Warehouse
(00:05:25) - What is it about the exhibition?
(00:08:04) - The interior of Wowhouse
(00:11:02) - The Making of a Chelsea Harbor Hotel
(00:17:01) - The London Design Studio's commitment to sustainability
(00:18:54) - The Making of Your Room
(00:19:25) - The St Leonard's Hotel
(00:23:18) - The Making of Whitehouse
(00:27:03) - Philip Jeffries: The Wowhouse Experience
(00:32:01) - The Stabilo Warehouse Build
(00:37:42) - A Last Minute View
(00:38:16) - Has The Warehouse Room Led to Other Projects?
(00:40:21) - The Creators of Wowhouse

Traditionally, interior designers in the UK were well-heeled, well-connected lady decorators with good posture and expensive handbags, creating interiors for people just like them.  One could even go so far as to say ‘Pale, Stale and Female’. It felt like this would never change, but then, in 2020, seemingly out of nowhere, a charity called United in Design appeared with a mission to shine a light on the issue and do something about it! Jeff and Susie welcome Alex Dauley and Eman Akbar from United in Design to talk about the charity, explain what exactly did they set out to do and find out how are they doing it?

This episode was recorded at the wonderful showroom of The Rug Company in Chelsea Harbour, London.

We are a Wildwood Plus production.  

Chapters

(00:00:00) - The fight for diversity in interior design
(00:01:28) - United in Design: The Charity's Journey
(00:08:48) - Getting It: The Future of Interior Education
(00:10:20) - United Design: What do you do?
(00:13:07) - United in Design's journey since its inception
(00:15:23) - How many students have been placed in internships?
(00:16:38) - The Residential and Hospitality Internships
(00:21:05) - The Centre for Career Change Through Mentoring
(00:24:23) - The United in Design Alumni
(00:25:41) - United in Design: Interiors Media
(00:28:00) - Wonders House
(00:29:30) - Wonders House Gets the Makeover
(00:31:27) - The WowHouse Partnership
(00:32:53) - The Rug Company Warehouse Partnership
(00:34:08) - The interiors industry's three pillars
(00:35:53) - Immigrant internship and mentoring
(00:36:56) - UK Interior Designers: The barriers to diverse interests
(00:44:09) - Interior Design Business

We are all eagerly anticipating WOW!house 2026 which will run from 2nd June until the 2nd July so what better time to take a look at the phenomenon that is WOW!house. From a standing start in 2022, WOW!house has, in 5 short years, grown to become the UK’s premier showcase for luxury interior design talent and style. Going way beyond the mere setting of trends, WOW!house has come to embody the aspirational direction of travel for the whole UK prime residential market. But how did it all begin? Where did the original inspiration for the event come from? And, how has it developed year on year to become the most hotly anticipated event in the London Interior Design Calendar?

For this show, recorded in front of a live audience of designers in the Design Club at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, Susie and Jeff are joined by Durgesh Sinh from returning WOW!house sponsor, Nucleus AV, acclaimed interior designer and WOWzer, Benedict Foley, and the woman who launched WOW!house, CEO of the Design Centre, Claire German.

We are a Wildwood Plus production. 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome to Wowhouse
(00:01:36) - Interior Decorator at the Tate Modern
(00:02:30) - The creative team at Nucleus
(00:04:25) - The Wonders House
(00:07:07) - The design centre at Zandon House
(00:10:29) - Kips Bay and the Other Events
(00:10:52) - The Warehouse's first show home
(00:13:05) - The First Whale House
(00:17:12) - Project Runway: Success
(00:18:00) - The World's First Design Event
(00:18:49) - Wond House: The Exhibition at 150
(00:23:23) - The Warehouse Alumni's 2nd year
(00:26:26) - Wilson: I'm a Wozza and a Wowza
(00:27:59) - How do you pick the designers for Warehouse?
(00:30:05) - The Warehouse's media room
(00:31:47) - What's the Value of Being a Sponsor in Warehouse
(00:32:28) - Inside the Science Exhibition 2017
(00:34:23) - Benedict at United in Design
(00:36:22) - A Round of Paul Watson

We live in a mostly mass-produced, machine-made world of globalised banality. Interior spaces from north to south look and feel the same. Yet, as human beings, we revel in our individuality and crave the means to add a personal stamp to the way we live and the places we inhabit. We yearn to possess things that are unique to us and that no one else can have. Artisan-made items created by skilled and loving hands will deliver those special touches that make a room memorable and distinctive, but where should designers go to find these precious pieces? How can craft makers find an appreciative audience for their work? And how can designers best explore and source from the vast range of crafts in existence? To discuss this topic, we're joined by makers, Natasha Mann and Claire Coles, Louisa Pacifico from Future Icons, Sam Fisher from Decorex and internationally renowned interior designer, Katharine Pooley. Recorded in Katharine Pooley Studio in London. A big thank you to our series partner, Decorex

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome to the Interior Design Business
(00:01:21) - Three of London's best-known artists and their business
(00:02:43) - What is craft in France?
(00:04:03) - In the Elevator With Craftspeople
(00:05:22) - How to Train to Become a Painter
(00:11:57) - How Do You Find an Interior Designer?
(00:13:00) - Are Artisan Made Materials Naturally More Expensive?
(00:15:12) - Making Spaces at Decorx
(00:16:41) - Making Spaces
(00:20:40) - Interior Designers Work With Makers
(00:23:08) - How to decorate a large house with an online gallery
(00:24:52) - Claire's Small Business
(00:26:21) - Storytelling in the Art World
(00:27:02) - When You're On Your Own
(00:27:50) - The Story of Interiors
(00:31:39) - Will Your Objects Go to an Art Gallery?
(00:32:20) - Bespoke Design: Managing Client Expectations
(00:37:26) - The Color of Light
(00:37:40) - Where should designers go to find the makers of tomorrow?
(00:41:34) - Crafts in the Interior: Future Icon Selects