Confessions of an Interior Designer

Episode: "I Confess... My Project Went Up In Flames"
Host: Caroline Turner
Guest: Corey Lohman
Date: February 4, 2026

Episode Overview

This candid, humorous, and sometimes jaw-dropping episode of “Confessions of an Interior Designer” explores the often-unseen realities of working in luxury interior design, from technical beginnings to emotional client challenges. Host Caroline Turner is joined by veteran designer Corey Lohman to discuss their career journeys, the chaos behind high-end projects, strange client requests, workplace lessons, and two jaw-dropping listener confessions—one involving a literal house fire and another centering on a client desperate to erase his ex’s influence.

1. Corey Lohman’s Design Journey

[00:44–14:16]

• Early Inspiration & Education

• Corey recalls her childhood passion for redesigning house plans from her mother’s spec home books.

  "No, there's got to be like, a better way. A man did this. I can do this better." – Corey [01:48]

• Studied at University of Missouri; entered the field post-9/11 when the job market was challenging.

• First Jobs, Technical Foundation

• Began in a technical architecture firm in southern Missouri—intense project management, construction, technical specs.
• Learned, “At the end of my time, I was like, I never want to deal with another contractor ever again. But...that’s your whole job now.” – Corey [03:29]
• Moved to Chicago for personal reasons; joined Getty’s Group, then Hyatt Hotels—gaining deep experience in hospitality and brand-focused creative work.

• Shifting to Residential

• Left Hyatt due to family and travel logistics; took a break when kids were young.
• Got her first residential project helping friends:

  "...I had, like, had a couple beers. We were at a Cubs game, and I was like, I could do it. I was like, oh, what did I...And then, like, the next day, I was like, I guess I just opened up my business." – Corey [10:51]

• Gradual move into owning her own residential-focused firm (formally launched around 2020).

• Business Philosophy & Growth

• Stresses the trickiness of scaling versus maintaining sanity and flexibility:

  "I have to be really honest with, like, my quality of life and what I want to do every day." – Corey [14:32]

• Emphasizes learning from established firms before launching solo:

  “It's easy to be successful for one year. It's not easy to be successful for 20, 40, 60, 100 years.” – Caroline [06:16]

2. Industry Real Talk: Balancing Career & Sanity

[15:34–18:46]

• Both discuss creative burnout, elusive work-life balance, and the cycle of feast-or-famine in design business.
• The temptation and dangers of taking on “bad fit” projects during slow periods.

  “The more successful you are, the less balance...which is sort of why we all wanted to do this.” – Caroline [16:36]

Notable Quote:

“I heard Kate McKinnon one time say, 'I prayed for times like these when I was bored.' And I have to tell myself that a lot.” – Caroline [16:50]

3. Confessions Segment

[20:00–34:19]

Confession 1: The Flames (Fire Disaster Project)

[20:00–25:56]

Story Recap:

• Designer completed a stunning second home for clients—days before the final shoot, fire broke out due to faulty electrical wiring.
• Arrived to “unrecognizable” destruction—smoke, water, melted fixtures, heartbroken clients:

  “The worst damage was in the kitchen...cabinets fully burned and fixtures melted. The smell is what I’ll never forget.” – Caroline [21:21]

• Insurance covered most costs; designer and clients “trauma bonded” through the rebuild.
• Caroline and Corey empathize, sharing similar horror stories and noting the privilege and complexity in recovery.

Penance Reflections:

• “If I were the client, I would have made my entire house as fireproof as possible!” – Corey [24:34]
• Both agree designer and clients deserve a vacation post-trauma; express gratitude no one was home or hurt.

Confession 2: Divorce Erasure Project

[26:44–34:19]

Story Recap:

• A newly divorced man hires a designer with the sole goal: erase all evidence of ex-wife’s design choices, regardless of value, quality, or practicality.
• Corey and Caroline critique the emotional baggage, wastefulness, and “dead energy.”
• Changes included selling nearly-new furniture, repainting, even changing perfect custom work, with the only criteria being: “If she picked it, it goes.”
• End result:

  “By the end, the house was unrecognizable, much quieter, and, in my opinion, lacking much personality at all. But he was thrilled.” – Confession [30:05]

• Reflections on how emotional (or unemotional) this project was, and how it would be a major red flag for most designers.

Penance Reflections:

• “This man needs to go to therapy—big time. Maybe inpatient.” – Caroline [31:45]
• Takeaway for designers: Trust your gut on taking on emotionally fraught projects.

4. Lessons, Advice, & Industry Wisdom

[36:05–54:33]

• Biggest Business Lessons

• “No good deed goes unpunished”—Doing favors or people-pleasing often backfires.

  “It sounds so harsh…Her point was mainly about, ‘Don’t do contractors favors. Every time we do, we get ourselves into hot water.’” – Corey [36:23]

• Trusting gut instincts about people and projects is key.
• Maintain authenticity in client relationships—don’t change leadership style to please others:

  “...There’s gonna be clients that want your style, and there’s gonna be clients that...want that. You gotta be honest with yourself and be you.” – Corey [37:50]

• Dealing with Contractors & Teams

• Importance of finding respectful, communicative contractors—bad ones will throw designers under the bus.
• Professional maturity means knowing when to hold boundaries and when to speak up.

• Design Philosophy & Trends

• Corey champions personal style and blending her taste with client’s needs.

  “I just feel, like, way more confident with it lately…whatever makes you happy.” – Corey [46:13]

• Historic vs. New-Build Projects

• Frustrations with clients buying expensive “white box” new builds and wanting character retrofitted afterward.

• Best Business Decision

• “When I hired an accountant, that was the best thing I ever did. I love him.” – Corey [50:16]

• Favorite Reward of the Career

• “I really, really like this relationship we've built [with great clients]…when they're, like, so happy about their houses…it’s so rewarding.” – Corey [51:31]

5. Highlight Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Photo shoot day is my favorite for that reason, because it's like, oh my God. I remember when this was just an idea...so rewarding and fulfilling.” – Caroline [53:32]
• “There is no perfect job...Any designer in it for the money, it's because, like, we couldn't do anything else.” – Caroline [54:03]

6. Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• Corey’s career beginnings: [01:05–05:42]
• Transition to residential design: [09:53–12:09]
• Scaling & quality of life: [14:28–15:06]
• Work/life/balance discussion: [15:28–18:46]
• Confession 1: The fire disaster: [20:00–25:56]
• Confession 2: Divorce design purge: [26:44–34:19]
• Biggest business lesson: [36:05–38:28]
• Working with contractors (war stories): [39:06–44:47]
• Design language & trends: [46:05–47:58]
• System that transformed business: [50:16–51:05]
• Rewards of designing & client relationships: [51:30–53:00]

7. Where to Find Corey Lohman

• Instagram: @coreylohmandesign
• Website: coreylohmandesign.com

8. Final Thoughts & Takeaways

This episode offers not only dramatic, behind-the-scenes gossip but also invaluable wisdom for both designers and fans of the field. Caroline and Corey remind us that even the most beautiful, seemingly glamorous projects can go up in smoke (literally!), that human emotion sometimes hijacks logic in luxury projects, and that a successful design career relies on authenticity, boundaries, a sense of humor, and a willingness to learn from every wild experience.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

End of Summary