Podcast Summary: "I Confess... Frenemy Sabotage"

Confessions of an Interior Designer
Host: Caroline Turner
Guest: Hema Persad (Founder, Sagrada Studio)
Date: February 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode peels back the velvet curtain on the not-so-glamorous, often tumultuous, and always entertaining side of luxury interior design. Host Caroline Turner is joined by designer (and former attorney/fashion stylist) Hema Persad of Sagrada Studio for a candid talk about career pivots, billing woes, and the drama of managing demanding clients—including tales of professional sabotage among so-called “frenemies.”

Together, they react to spicy listener confessions—one involving a backwards-installed wallpaper (and the blame game that followed), another the ultimate case of client rivalry chaos. The conversation dives deep into boundaries, business ethics, and the art of balancing empathy and assertiveness, while sharing a heavy dose of real industry wisdom for both insiders and design enthusiasts.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Hema Persad’s Career Journey (00:54–10:22)

• Origin Story: Hema’s Indian immigrant family pushed for “safe” careers; she became a successful attorney but found it unfulfilling (“This work sucks. It's like doing homework for a living.” – Hema, 01:32).
• Switch to Styling: Inspired by TV stylists like Rachel Zoe, she pursued a career in LA fashion styling, eventually working with the Kardashians and Andy Samberg.
• Pandemic Pivot: 2020/21 brought maternity leave, more legal contract work, and the birth of her design career when a client asked for apartment help—and referrals snowballed.

2. Design Business Real Talk: Billing Models That Work (10:22–16:40)

• Hema experimented with flat fees, hourly billing, and hybrid models. Key insights:
  • Flat fee alone results in lost income.
  • Hourly billing is lucrative but clients hate unpredictability; it’s also tedious (“I want to die every month when I have to do my hourly billing.” – Caroline, 13:31)
  • Settled on a three-phase/hybrid model:
    • Flat rate for design phase
    • Procurement as a % of materials
    • Hourly for unpredictable execution/admin
• On larger projects, she now uses a per-square-foot rate, breaking down billing for FF&E and furnishings separately.

3. Vice Segment: Potatoes Rule! (17:51–19:29)

• Hema and Caroline bond over an “addiction” to fried potatoes.

  “French fries, I think, are their own food group. They're a complete source of nutrition in my mind.” —Caroline (18:49)

4. Listener Confession 1: The Backwards Wallpaper Fiasco (19:43–43:03)

The Story (19:43–23:31)

• Designer sources luxe wallpaper; client’s contractor insists on his installer for budget/schedule reasons.
• Wallpaper gets installed inside out—installer blames designer for not specifying which side, leading to thousands lost and major delays.
• Ultimate resolution: installer, contractor, and designer split costs; designer’s preferred installer finally gets the job done right.

Discussion & Takeaways

• Site Visits Are Essential: Hema insists, “If it's not my guy...someone from my team needs to show up and go over the tile pattern, go over the wallpaper, all of that before they start.” (23:31)
• Written Communication is Not a Magic Fix: As a former attorney, Hema notes getting client “permission” in writing rarely protects you (“It doesn’t...they won’t care when shit gets fucked up, rubber hits the road.” – 25:22)
• Designer Role = Assertive Advocate:

  “People are paying me as a designer to literally boss them around and tell them what to do.” – Hema (26:11)

• Education and Boundaries: Honesty from the outset, set expectations from first intake; proactively explain why site visits and professional installers matter.
• Marketing Your Personality: Show up online and communicate your style, boundaries, and beliefs—attracts like-minded clients and filters out mismatches.

Notable Quotes

• “Our job is not to do what clients want; they don’t know what they want.” — Caroline (27:06)
• “There’s only one person...who is 100% on your side. Besides me.” — Hema (41:55)

5. Listener Confession 2: Frenemy Sabotage – Rival Clients Gone Wild (43:23–54:01)

The Story (43:23–48:00)

• Young designer lands two residential jobs for women in the same social circle.
• “Frenemy” clients become obsessed with one-upping each other (“Why didn’t you show me the limestone?”), interfere with subs, gossip, trespass onto each other’s sites, and create competitive drama to the point of public confrontations.
• Designer enforces strict confidentiality, restricts site access, and finishes both projects but blacklists the neighborhood.

Discussion & Takeaways

• Toxicity and Drama: “Crazy people are friends with crazy people, and both of them are crazy.” — Caroline (48:05)
• The Value of Calling Out Bad Behavior: Sometimes you have to directly address clients’ actions—“Karen, you know that’s weird, right?” (50:25)
• Setting Boundaries: Ethical “walls,” minimal info sharing, and team control are necessary under extreme circumstances.
• Self-care and Experience: Surviving situations like these deserves a vacation (“She deserves a massive vacation...maybe a little therapy.” – Caroline, 48:46)

6. Q&A: Career Lessons, Style, and Cultural Influence (54:22–61:42)

On Transferable Skills

• Fashion styling helped Hema conceptualize creative ideas and communicate them to clients—mood boarding and executing with clarity (54:22–55:46).

On Confidence Building

• Working on TV (“Property Brothers: Forever Home”) forced her to complete big projects under tight deadlines—massive confidence boost (56:46–58:36).

On Sagrada Studio’s Name & Cultural Philosophy

• “Sagrada” means “sacred” in Spanish; reflects a global, story-rich, culturally informed approach.
• Draws on clients’ backgrounds, world architecture, travel inspirations—not saving “vacation” beauty just for holidays.

On Marketing Yourself

• Show your personality and process online. “You teach people how to treat you...and that starts before you even meet them.” — Hema (38:37)
• Perfection is not the goal—honesty, boundaries, and advocacy are.

7. Standout Moments & Memorable Quotes

• On advocacy:
  “We are our clients' only advocate...I tell them that in the intake meeting.” – Hema (41:44)
• On confrontation:
  “I don't go on a job site to be friends with anyone. I don't care if you like me or not. You're going to respect me, though.” – Hema (41:05)
• On adopting new technology/process:
  “If you’re serious about streamlining your design business and actually reclaiming some time in your day, head to Programa.” — Caroline (16:40)
• On client sabotage:
  “Who has time to trespass a job site?” – Hema (49:24)
• On career change:
  “I’m 35, I’m in healthcare. I hate my life. Should I change? Is it too late? No, of course not. As long as you can walk on the job site, it's not too late.” — Caroline (56:31)

Important Timestamps

• 00:54 – Hema's career journey: law to fashion to interiors
• 10:22–16:40 – Billing models deep dive
• 19:43–43:03 – The ‘backwards wallpaper’ confession & lessons
• 43:23–54:01 – ‘Frenemy’ clients confession & fallout
• 54:22–58:36 – Q&A on fashion, TV design, and confidence
• 58:44–61:42 – Sagrada’s philosophy & the power of cultural storytelling

Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, funny, supportive, and occasionally salty—just like the industry itself. Both host and guest encourage blunt honesty, healthy boundaries, and self-advocacy for designers in the trenches.

Takeaways for Designers & Listeners

• Trust your expertise and be assertive, not combative.
• Billing models can make or break your business—don’t be afraid to iterate.
• Advocate for yourself and your process from the first client touchpoint.
• Use online presence to attract the right clients and preempt misunderstandings.
• Empathy, boundaries, and calling out unreasonable behavior are just as important as beautiful design.

Find Hema at:

• sagradastudio.com
• @hemapersad (personal Instagram)
• @sagradastudio (studio Instagram)

This summary covers the core stories, advice, and energy of this e­­pisode, skipping ads, intros/outros, and focusing on professional wisdom and the real-life drama that makes the luxury design world unforgettable.