Episode Overview

Title: I confess… I was suspected of an affair
Podcast: Confessions of an Interior Designer
Host: Caroline Turner
Guest: Audra Kavit Deonga, Founder of Art Artifact
Date: January 7, 2026

This episode dives into the personal and professional complexities of working with high-end residential design clients, especially as they intersect with art, relationships, and the occasional scandal. Host Caroline Turner and guest Audra Kavit Deonga, an art historian and designer, react to two listener confessions: one involving a designer being mistakenly embroiled in a client’s relationship drama, and the other about a design project centered on an allegedly stolen painting. Their conversation explores the importance of art in interiors, navigating client dynamics, and the beauty (and messiness) of creative careers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Audra Kavit Deonga (00:04–04:48)

• Audra’s path from studying art history and painting to blending art advising with interior design:
  • Sees a gap between traditional, institutional approaches to art and the opportunity to help people live with meaningful art at home.
  • Quote (Audra, 02:14): “There is a specialty, special area of expertise and knowledge that I think to really find quality works and identify great artists, you do need to know more than just aesthetics.”
• Caroline acknowledges her own lack of art expertise and the need for specialists like Audra in high-end projects.
• Audra’s work sits “in between” pure design and art advising, focusing on helping clients invest intentionally in meaningful collections.

2. Art Collecting for Living, Not Just for Investment (04:48–14:35)

• Most art is bought to be lived with, not stored in vaults; only a tiny percentage is held purely as investment.
• Caroline shares her preference for art enjoyed daily over art hoarded as wealth.
• Discussion of high-profile collectors (e.g., Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats) whose philanthropic collections are shared publicly.
  • Quote (Audra, 10:13): “Their intention...was that it would go out and meet the people...providing access, that they’ve built this fabulous collection where...all those pieces together make something much bigger and more valuable than just one work on its own.”
• Audra prefers intentional, accessible collecting over financial speculation.

3. Designer Confessions Segment

Confession 1: Suspected Affair Between Designer and Client (19:34–39:05)

Summary:
A designer gets tangled in a client couple’s toxic dynamic when the girlfriend wrongly accuses her of having an affair with her boyfriend, all during a stressful renovation install week.

Memorable Moments & Quotes:

• The boyfriend obsesses over minute design details (“spending 15 minutes debating two almost identical cabinet pulls...needed time to ‘sit with it spiritually’” (20:34)).
• The girlfriend is checked out, cold, and becomes convinced the designer is “the other woman” after misinterpreting messages.
• Caroline: “I felt like I was trying to calm down a tornado.” (22:10)
• Contractor explains girlfriend’s history of suspicion: after prior drama with a realtor, every woman became a threat.
• The designer learns to consider charging a “relationship instability surcharge.”
• Key question: How should designers handle client drama that goes far beyond design? (24:54)

Advice & Insights:

• Audra: “You just need to know your boundaries...you have to walk away. Sometimes you have to.” (25:57)
• Caroline adds that toxic clients end up costing time and money: “Often these projects are the ones I end up spending my own money to finish...You lose money on that job no matter what.” (26:36)
• Both suggest strong client agreements with “no asshole clauses” and clear exits.
• Importance of identifying warning signs in couples (disagreements, lack of trust) early—“You’re not a couple’s therapist.” (30:56)
• Audra on setting up written client roles and decision hierarchies to avoid conflict (31:30).
• On couples, Audra suggests: “I always coach them to let each other have wins...” (32:54)
• Caroline compares client conflict mediation to “splitting a cookie between children.”

Client Penance:
Both hosts laugh: therapy or a divorce for that couple!

• Caroline: “Maybe six months go to the desert and learn how to be together...or maybe a divorce.” (36:33)
• Audra: “The right decision is to not engage with somebody who puts you in that position.” (33:48)

Confession 2: The Stolen Heirloom Painting (39:13–55:18)

Summary:
A designer crafts a room around a family heirloom painting, only to be contacted by the artist’s granddaughter, claiming it was stolen decades ago. The piece is ultimately surrendered by the client’s parents after legal back and forth.

Reactions & Quotes:

• Audra: “A lot of artwork does...there's a lot of art out there that has been stolen.” (42:44)
• She shares that art theft, fakes, and provenance issues are more common at higher price points; designers can generally trust clients, but if something feels ‘off,’ that’s a red flag.
• On a solution: “The obvious answer...the family returns it, but they make a copy, and then they get to continue to, like, live with...a facsimile of the work.” (45:21)
• Both note the emotional complexities—art has its own layered provenance, families get attached over time, and returning a long-held piece can be difficult.
• The painting’s journey highlights the importance of due diligence with heirlooms and how layers of ownership can complicate design narratives.

Broader Reflections—On Beauty, Mess, and Creative Growth (48:46–55:18):

• Audra: “You wouldn’t know what was beauty if you didn’t know what wasn’t...It’s not a life if nothing happens.” (49:18, 51:32)
• They discuss the importance of failure, adversity, and the “messy middle” of creative work:
  • Audra, quoting George Clooney: “Success doesn’t interest me. I’m only interested in failure. You learn nothing from success.” (52:29)
  • Caroline: “That’s why I’m doing this podcast—there’s so much that’s like, here’s how I’m great...the messy middle is the piece that I find so interesting.” (53:03)

4. Audra’s Practice: Putting Art First in Interiors (55:32–62:19)

• Audra starts conversations about art immediately, even when clients lack a collection; she encourages budget earmarks for meaningful art purchases.
• On process: “Set aside a substantial part of the budget for a potential artwork...don’t let other stuff squeeze it out of the picture.” (56:45)
• Art that “matches” the design is often mediocre; real impact comes from standalone, meaningful pieces, sometimes in deliberate juxtaposition to their setting (58:49).
• On identifying meaningful pieces: deep, empathetic listening to client’s memories and connections; sometimes the most meaningful “art” is a child’s drawing (60:59).

5. Audra’s “Artist Eye” Collection (62:54–71:12)

• Inspiration drawn from late 18th-/19th-c. “lover’s eye” portrait jewelry; Audra collaborated with a UK painter to create contemporary pieces based on the eyes of historic female artists.
• The project was triggered by noticing obituaries for artist Françoise Gilot focused only on her as Picasso’s muse, not as an artist herself—fueling Audra’s drive to recenter women as both subject and object in art.
• “There’s this incredible intensity...when women look back, when women gaze, it’s an undesirable thing. It’s not demure, it’s aggressive. I want women to be seen as looking and engaging, but also that look...as something beautiful.” (67:43)
• The collection is both research-driven and deeply personal; Audra shares the story of creating a portrait-jewel of her husband’s eye as a surprise gift.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Art’s Place In Our Homes and Lives:

• “If there's soul in the art, it brings it to the space...it can impact the space in a very positive way in a way that it may be missing otherwise.” — Caroline (07:32)
• “You’re not a couple’s therapist—there’s nothing you could do to fix it.” — Caroline (30:56)
• “I always coach [couples] to let each other have wins...pick your win.” — Audra (32:54)
• “It’s the friction that makes a life. I hate to say it, but it’s true.” — Audra (54:04)
• “Success doesn’t interest me. I’m only interested in failure. You learn nothing from success.” — Audra, quoting George Clooney (52:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:04–04:48: Guest introduction & background, bridging art history with interiors
• 04:48–14:35: Living with art vs. collecting for investment; art in luxury homes
• 19:34–39:05: Confession #1 – The false affair accusation; handling client relationship drama
• 39:13–55:18: Confession #2 – The stolen painting; ethical dilemmas with heirlooms and provenance
• 55:32–62:19: Audra’s art-first design process & dealing with clients without collections
• 62:54–71:12: The “Artist Eye” collection—concept, inspiration, and the role of women in art
• 71:35–73:26: Quick-fire feel-good moments; where to find Audra online

Tone & Style

The episode is frank, witty, and unfiltered—balancing industry expertise with raw, sometimes hilarious honesty about the quirks and pitfalls of working with luxury clients. The conversation flows with warmth, camaraderie, and a shared appreciation for both the beauty and the chaos involved in interior design.

For designers and design lovers alike, the episode offers sage advice, a healthy dose of gossip, and a celebration of the artistry (and humanity) at the heart of every great space.