🎁 The Holiday Hustle Survival Guide, Vol. II

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How Smart Interior Design Studios Get Ahead Before Year-End

The end of the year arrives fast for interior designers.

One moment it’s fall, and the next it’s installation season, client deadlines, holiday travel, and overflowing to-do lists. For interior design studios, the difference between surviving the holiday rush and thriving during it often comes down to one thing:

Strategic preparation — not working longer hours.

The most successful interior designers don’t wait until they’re overwhelmed. They streamline systems, outsource intentionally, and create space before the busiest weeks hit. Here’s how smart studios get ahead — and how you can too.

1. They Plan for Capacity, Not Just Projects

Many interior designers plan around project timelines but forget to plan around studio capacity.

Smart studios ask:

  • How many installs can we realistically manage at once?

  • What administrative or drafting tasks spike during November and December?

  • Where do delays typically happen?

By planning capacity early, interior designers protect their creativity, reduce stress, and deliver better results for clients.

2. They Outsource Before Burnout Hits

One of the biggest mistakes designers make during the holiday season is waiting too long to ask for help.

High-performing interior design studios outsource tasks such as:

Working with a Virtual Design Assistant (VDA) allows designers to stay focused on design leadership while operational tasks are handled efficiently.

👉 Learn more about available support on our Services Page

3. They Strengthen Systems Before the New Year

November and December are ideal months to refine internal systems — not just rush through deadlines.

Smart interior designers use this time to:

  • Clean up design files and shared drives

  • Update email, proposal, and presentation templates

  • Review procurement workflows and order tracking

  • Improve project management systems

These small improvements lead to smoother operations and a stronger start to Q1.

4. They Build Flexible Support, Not Fixed Overhead

Instead of hiring full-time staff they may not need year-round, many studios rely on flexible virtual design support.

Virtual Design Assistants help interior designers:

  • Scale support up or down as projects change

  • Access specialized skills (drafting, admin, marketing, sourcing)

  • Reduce overhead while maintaining high standards

👉 Meet the professionals who make this possible on our

5. They Prepare for Q1 While Others Are Catching Up

While many designers are just trying to finish the year, smart studios are already planning ahead.

They’re thinking about:

  • January project launches

  • Updated systems and workflows

  • Delegating recurring tasks before they pile up

That forward thinking allows them to enter the new year organized, confident, and ready to grow — instead of playing catch-up.

The holiday hustle doesn’t have to feel chaotic.

With intentional planning, streamlined systems, and the right support, the busiest season of the year can also be one of the most productive and profitable.

You don’t need to do everything yourself — you just need the right team around you.

Your Legal Checklist for Running an Interior Design Business

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Your Legal Checklist for Running an Interior Design Business

You can have a gorgeous brand, a waitlist of dream clients, and a killer eye for detail… but if your business isn’t legally protected behind the scenes, one small mistake can become a big, expensive mess.

We’re not talking about the basics like “get a business license” or “write a contract” (you’ve probably already done that, we hope). This checklist is for the things that aren’t always discussed in design school or on Instagram but can make or break your business.

Think of it as the savvy designer’s legal gut check: part prevention, part peace of mind.

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The Psychology of Interior Design: How Color, Layout, Scent, and More Shape the Way We Feel

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The Psychology of Interior Design: How Color, Layout, Scent, and More Shape the Way We Feel

Interior design is so much more than arranging furniture or picking pretty colors. It’s a subtle science of shaping emotions, behaviors, and energy through the spaces we inhabit. Every design decision (from color palettes to furniture placement) communicates with our subconscious, influencing how we feel, think, and interact. For interior designers, understanding these psychological effects can elevate their work from merely beautiful to truly transformative.

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The Elite Edit: Updates & Happenings at Elite Design Assistants

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The Elite Edit: Updates & Happenings at Elite Design Assistants

We have some exciting news and updates happening here at Elite Design Assistants! Instead of sending multiple newsletters, I wanted to send you ONE called “The Elite Edit”! This newsletter will have a handful of exciting happenings going on in the industry and with Elite Design Assistants.

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Top 20 Interior Design Trade Sources

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Top 20 Interior Design Trade Sources

Are you looking to elevate your interior design game and gain access to exclusive products and resources? Joining trade programs can open doors to a world of advantages that extend far beyond what's available to the average retail customer. Among these advantages, the most enticing feature is the potential for significant discounts, a substantial part of designers' profits. But the perks don't end there—trade members often enjoy expedited customer service, sales tax exemptions, exclusive product previews, and in many cases, custom design options and expedited shipping services.

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Tools Interior Designers Didn’t Know They Needed (And Shouldn’t Live Without)

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Tools Interior Designers Didn’t Know They Needed (And Shouldn’t Live Without)

Running an interior design business isn’t just about picking fabrics and selecting paint colors — it’s about juggling client expectations, project deadlines, vendors, budgets, installs, and about a thousand moving parts at once.

Sure, you already know the "big name" tools like Pinterest, AutoCAD, and SketchUp.

But today, we’re diving into the tools that make a real difference behind the scenes — the ones that help you design faster, manage projects better, create a smoother client experience, and ultimately grow a stronger business.

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The Rise of Biophilic Design and How to Incorporate it Into Your Home — An Azure Road Article Written by Danae Branson, Founder and CEO of Elite Design Assistants

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The Rise of Biophilic Design and How to Incorporate it Into Your Home — An Azure Road Article Written by Danae Branson, Founder and CEO of Elite Design Assistants

As the science and medical communities continue to confirm that our environment has a direct correlation with our health, the trend of biophilic design is on the rise. Biophilic design refers to interior design and architecture that centers around nature and bringing those elements inside as much as possible. It may include increased natural light, living walls, eco-friendly materials and feature patterns, textiles, and architecture that mimic elements found in nature.

Biophilic design is a newer concept that arose out of interior designers and architects recognizing their client’s needs, as well as their own, to disconnect from a digital world and reconnect with the calming effects of nature.

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Finding Your Perfect Fit: Exploring Interior Design Niches

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Finding Your Perfect Fit: Exploring Interior Design Niches

In interior design, a niche is a specific area of expertise—something you specialize in that helps your business stand out. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all services, choosing a niche allows you to speak directly to a certain type of client and project. It’s about being known for something—whether that’s stylish urban apartments, holistic wellness spaces, or high-end kitchen renovations.

Your niche reflects your strengths, personal style, and the kind of work that lights you up. It’s not just about what you can do—it’s about what you want to be known for.

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Why Intellectual Property Law Matters for Interior Designers

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Why Intellectual Property Law Matters for Interior Designers

In an effort to better understand the biggest challenges interior designers face, I spend time in several interior design Facebook groups, and one issue that keeps coming up is intellectual property (IP) violations. So, let’s break down what IP law actually is and why it matters to interior designers.

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Did Covid Really Change the Design Industry? A Business of Home Article Featuring Elite Design Assistants

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Did Covid Really Change the Design Industry? A Business of Home Article Featuring Elite Design Assistants

Let’s spare ourselves the lengthy trip down memory lane—the stomach-churning headlines, the cloth masks, the bleach-sprayed groceries. It started five years ago, to the month. We were all there, and we all remember what those early days of Covid were like.

Those of us in the industry also have a set of—let’s face it—complicated associations with the pandemic. While the world was falling apart, the world was buying furniture. Covid was a boom time, unleashing a fountain of opportunity for designers, retailers, manufacturers, and anyone else who could even tangentially claim to be in the business of home.

That boom is over. Some analysts predicted we’d forever be wearing masks and bumping elbows—that’s over too. Save for scuffed-up social distancing stickers clinging stubbornly to linoleum floors, there’s not a ton of physical evidence that we recently went through a global pandemic.

But we’re all still operating in a world that has been shaped by Covid. And five years later, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on all the ways the pandemic did (and didn’t) leave a lasting impact on the design industry.

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