Podcast Summary: "I Confess... Someone Was Watching"

Podcast: Confessions of an Interior Designer
Host: Caroline Turner
Guest: Lauren Lothrop Karen (Studio Laloc)
Date: December 17, 2025

Overview

This episode of "Confessions of an Interior Designer" pulls back the curtain on the emotional and ethical complexities lurking behind luxury interior design projects. Host Caroline Turner and guest Lauren Lothrop Karen (of Studio Laloc) dive into wild, true listener confessions, discuss navigating nightmare clients, and share candid stories of mistakes, lessons, and the unique "vices" that come with life in high-end design. The tone is candid, irreverent, and deeply empathetic—aimed at industry insiders and those fascinated by the human drama under the surface of beautiful homes.

Guest Introduction & Career Journey

(:04–11:05)

Lauren’s Path to Design

• Art and Museum Background: Lauren studied art, visual presentation, exhibition design, and museum management. Her early work included visual merchandising for major retailers like Tiffany & Co. and Bergdorf Goodman, where she managed decorative home, jewelry, and beauty displays.
• Entry into Residential Design:
  • Ran her own design blog, which helped her land jobs.
  • At Bergdorf’s, handled complex installs and worked closely with buyers—skills she still uses.
  • Her first big residential clients came through Bergdorf’s connections and "home polish" (a startup design platform).
• Learning on the Job:
  • “At one point I had like 15 clients at once. ...Nightmare. Absolutely cannot recommend that to anybody.” (Lauren, 07:11)
  • Both Caroline and Lauren bemoan taking on too many small jobs early on and the burnout that comes from it.
  • “I Marie Kondoed my clients ...I thought of, like, who are the ones...bringing me joy? ...and I really narrowed down.” (Lauren, 08:10)

Reflections on Client Management

• The challenge of transitioning from many small “entry-level” projects to a handful of high-value, trusting clients.
• “On a 13,000 square foot home, there are so many decisions...they can’t nitpick about any one individual thing.” (Caroline, 09:16)
• Micro-managing clients and the difference between design trust on large vs. small jobs.

Segment: Designer “Vices”

(12:28–20:30)

Admitting the Shopping Vice

• Lauren’s Vice: “Spending ...I'll be like, oh, if the money is in the account, like, I’ll spend it. ...So I have to hide money from myself.” (Lauren, 13:27)
• Designer Spending Habits:
  • The hosts and Lauren joke about thrifting, vintage hunting, and buying “props” as work expenses (and personal joy).
  • “I can help people buy stuff ...but for me, I walk in, I walk out with a bag. Like, I can't—no matter what.” (Lauren, 15:32)
• Financial Tactics:
  • Both use separate accounts, apps like Rocket Money, and even family accounts to keep from overspending (14:10–15:16).
  • Rationalizing purchases as “inventory for future styling” or “props for clients.”
• Memorable Quote:
  • “I bought a brass tub in Morocco...a client just bought it like three years later. See, I should have bought it!” (Caroline, 18:37)

Listener Confessions & Deep Dives

Confession #1: The Surveillance Cameras

(20:30–31:36)

Summary

• Designer works with a meticulous wife on a Bay Area home, never meeting the absentee husband.
• During renovation, hidden cameras (modern, hardwired) are found in multiple locations: bedroom wall, kitchen, bathroom vent.
• Wife appears outwardly unfazed, asks to see all locations, but “you could tell something was very, very wrong.” (Caroline, 22:17)
• Nearly a year later, after project completion, the wife reveals: she had no knowledge of the cameras, kept silent for a year to plan, and upon completion, told her husband she knew and was filing for divorce. She won the house.
• “She laid in wait for almost a year.” (Co-host, 24:32)
• “She is stronger than the Marines.” (Caroline, 23:55)

Hosts’ Reactions & Analysis

• Feelings of violation, discussions on what they’d do if they found hidden cameras.
• “I would have lost my mind on him. Baseball bat-smash.” (Caroline, 26:45)
• Speculation about the husband’s motives—trust issues, controlling behavior, possible perversion.
• Empathy and awe for the wife’s patience and self-control: “Talk about biding your time ...I’m not patient or calculated enough for that level of revenge.” (Caroline, 30:59)

Memorable Moment (24:31):
Lauren: “I got chills.”
Co-host: “This woman is an icon.”

Hosts' “Penance” Prescribed:

• The husband should have his jail experience livestreamed: “Put a camera on him. You want a camera, motherfucker? You got one.” (Caroline/Lauren, 30:25)

Confession #2: Pinterest-Board Clients & Designer Exploitation

(32:08–54:38)

Summary

• Client provides exhaustive mood boards and design docs, then expects the designer to simply order items at a discount, bypassing creative input.
• Quotes architect’s chat: “Designers are basically overpriced personal shoppers. I can do 90% of this with Pinterest.” (Client via text, 35:07)
• Wife insists “we should just fire everyone and design it ourselves; I already have half the house figured out.”
• The “accidental” text sent to the designer reveals the true disregard.
• Lauren shares a similar story—client opens an LLC under their own name to impersonate a design studio for trade discounts.
  • “It says ‘designs’! There’s no way that’s for your nanny!” (Lauren, 38:41)
• Contracts are updated to prohibit such conflicts. The group laments the “de-skilling” and devaluation of the design profession.

Industry Reflection

• “People are hiring a designer for ideas, not for execution, and trying to game the system.” (Caroline, 40:43)
• Discussing how “making interior design more accessible” via platforms like HomePolish introduced entitlement, DIY attitudes, and expectations of luxury for less.
  • “Private chefs: Everyone deserves good food, not everyone is entitled to a private chef.” (Lauren, 45:57)
  • “Most designers can’t afford to hire themselves.” (Co-host, 47:15)

Notable Quotes

• “Clients are trying to get the best deal...steal our work, and then cut us out...That’s not how this works.” (Caroline, 41:39)
• “If you think you can do it, do it. Please do it...Guaranteed you’re gonna be really upset with that decision.” (Caroline/Lauren, 53:54)

Navigating Red Flags & Professional Lessons

(48:22–54:38)

• The group discusses: The red flags designers should look for: overly prescriptive, Pinterest-obsessed clients; clients who want only discounts, not design; constantly moving scope.
• Gut instinct is key: “You have to really read between the lines...is this person going to let me be in control?”
• The moral struggle of sticking with a problematic job for reputation or portfolio reasons versus walking away.

Professional Q&A with Lauren Lothrop Karen

(54:47–66:18)

Creating “History” in New Spaces

• Millwork is key: “I like to look at the architecture of a home, even a ‘90s build...then bring in the good that fits this vernacular.” (Lauren, 55:57)
• The group discusses the challenges of refusing furniture-only jobs where the base architecture is poor and the client resists change.

Project Selection & Professional Self-Respect

• “Now I’m like, I want to be really excited about this project—or I don’t want it.” (Caroline, 59:52)
• Both admit to “leaving money on the table” for the sake of personal fulfillment, client fit, and project integrity.

Design Trends: Rethinking “English Cottagecore”

• Lauren on the English interiors/American "Nancy Meyers" trend: “Not every project needs to be that. It’s going to feel like a trend...It feels like Disney World to me.” (Lauren, 63:38)
• Caroline agrees, noting TikTok’s role in spread and mismatch of style-to-home (“We can’t be doing English in a white box.”)

On Emotion and Place: Spaces That Make You Feel

• Lauren recounts crying at Villa Necchi Campiglio (Milan), a “house museum that made me cry,” and the beauty of projects where the designer is truly trusted.
• “...it was the feeling that the architect was given full control and trust… the details and materials that come from that.” (Lauren, 67:28)
• Spaces that evoke emotion: when the full vision is trusted, budgeted, and meticulously executed.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with timestamps)

• “I Marie Kondoed my clients… I thought of, like, who are the ones that are bringing me joy?”
  – Lauren (08:10)
• “At one point I had like 15 clients at once. ...Nightmare. Absolutely cannot recommend that to anybody.”
  – Lauren (07:11)
• “She laid in wait for almost a year.”
  – Co-host (24:32)
• “She is stronger than the Marines.”
  – Caroline (23:55)
• “Put a camera on him. You want a camera, motherfucker? You got one.”
  – Caroline (30:25)
• “Designers are basically overpriced personal shoppers. I can do 90% of this with Pinterest.”
  – Client group chat screenshot (35:07)
• “Most designers cannot afford to hire themselves.”
  – Co-host (47:15)
• “Now I’m like, I want to be really excited about this project—or I don’t want it.”
  – Caroline (59:52)
• “Not every project needs to be English-ified. It’s going to feel like a trend ... Disney World to me.”
  – Lauren (63:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:04] – Lauren’s career path and intro
• [07:11] – Early burnout, too many clients
• [08:10] – "Marie Kondo-ing" client lists
• [12:28] – Designer “vices” segment
• [15:32] – Designer shopping habits
• [20:30] – Confession: Hidden camera story
• [23:55] – “Stronger than the Marines” quote
• [30:25] – “Put a camera on him” moment
• [32:08] – Confession: Pinterest-board exploitation
• [35:07] – Client group chat insult
• [41:39] – “Clients trying to steal our work”
• [45:57] – “Private chef” analogy
• [47:15] – Most designers can’t hire themselves
• [55:57] – Creating “history” in design
• [63:38] – Critique of trendy English interiors
• [67:28] – Spaces that evoke real emotion (“house museum that made me cry”)

Final Thoughts

This episode underscores the hidden labor, emotional intelligence, and boundaries required to thrive in high-end design. It is both cautionary and hilarious, celebrating the resilience of designers while warning against exploitation, entitlement, and the temptation to undersell expertise in the name of accessibility. Lauren’s experience, from Bergdorf’s to Studio Laloc, testifies to the power of integrity, taste, and sometimes, simply walking away.

Where to find Lauren:

• Instagram: @studioLaloc
• Website: studiolaloc.com

Host:
Caroline Turner — Confessions of an Interior Designer Instagram

For listeners: Whether you’re in the trenches of the design world or just love a juicy, unfiltered industry story, this episode guarantees laughs, gasps, and maybe a note of warning for your next remodel—always check above the kitchen cabinets.