Confessions of an Interior Designer

Episode: I Confess... Why Designers (& Divorces) Exist

Host: Caroline Turner

Guest: Sarah Annand, Founder of Oat Studio

Date: February 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a candid, funny, and insightful look at the realities of the luxury interior design world through the lens of personal stories and confessions. Host Caroline Turner is joined by artist and textile designer Sarah Annand of Oat Studio. Together, they explore Sarah’s artistic journey, discuss the intersection of art, business, and motherhood, and react to jaw-dropping anonymous confessions from listeners—including a colorblind husband’s design mishap and a surprise kitchen remodel gone wrong. Bursting with industry camaraderie, unexpected confessions, and genuine moments, this episode peels back the polished layers of the design world to reveal what really happens behind the scenes.

Sarah Annand's Journey: From Art History to Oat Studio

(00:57 – 13:21)

• Sarah's Organic Entry into Textiles:

  • Studied art history & photography; didn’t plan for textiles but fell into it through fortuitous networking (01:13).
  • Early career: jobs in art and textiles, moving from Sydney to Melbourne (“My love of linen really formed here, couldn’t leave after that.” – Sarah, 02:53).
  • Followed her husband’s Defense Force career to Canberra, which became a creative inspiration.

• Community & Starting Oat Studio:

  • Finds design community essential: “Our communities are much smaller than we think… it is a major asset in business.” – Caroline (07:02).
  • Canberra’s architecture and landscape influenced her photography and painting, which evolved into fabric design.
  • Female mentors in the industry played a key role sharing “shipping to the States, how it all worked… all these little things of business.” – Sarah (06:00).
  • Oat Studio began as a side project while managing a window finishings business and raising young kids.

• From Side Hustle to Full-Time:

  • Took four years to go full-time: “To do what you love every day… there’s so many jobs you might not be as happy in.” – Sarah (08:14).
  • Produces art and digital work in Canberra, with fabrics printed in Australia and New Zealand.

Oat Studio Operations: Local, Artistic, and Collaborative

(13:21 – 18:15)

• Manufacturing Choices:

  • Keeps production local for shorter lead times and quality control: “Everything is designed and printed in Australia and New Zealand […] shipped from my printer to you, or wherever you need it.” – Sarah (09:54).

• Artistic, Not Corporate:

  • Collection releases happen organically—Sarah follows inspiration more than a rigid schedule: “I’m a bit of a random in that way in my process […] that color looks great, go with my gut.” – Sarah (12:42).

• Product Range:

  • Four main collections, plus foundational designs (stripes, checks, small prints).
  • Designs are united by geometric forms but span different styles to appeal to a broad client base.

Community, Mentorship, and Business Lessons

(18:15 – 22:16)

• Importance of Sharing Knowledge:
  • Sarah emphasizes mentoring others: “If there’s new women starting up in textiles, I would so love to assist, cause I know how much it helped me.” (11:25)
• Business Realities:
  • From side hustle finances to full-time entrepreneur realities—struggles with adjusting the “bonus money” mindset (19:45).

“It’s hard to work in an industry where everything is a trillion dollars and you have good taste. It’s a curse.”
— Caroline (21:08)

Confessional Segment: Hilarious & Jaw-Dropping Listener Stories

Confession #1: The Colorblind Husband’s Man Cave

(24:25 – 29:36)

• Story:
  • Listener lets design-enthusiast husband design a “man cave” alone; room ends up off-hue, leading to the discovery he’s colorblind.
• Notable Reactions:
  • Caroline: “This is my ideal scenario... and clearly you’re not equipped for this, I’ll handle it forevermore.” (25:37)
  • Sarah: “I am the design decision!” (25:51)
  • Discussion of how colorblindness is more common in men, which often goes undetected.
• Penance:
  • “He hands over his credit card and she fixes it… and maybe goes through his closet.” – Caroline (28:04)
  • Sarah: “She can redo his wardrobe and make every design decision from now on.” (28:21)

Confession #2: Surprise Kitchen Remodel Disaster

(29:36 – 41:41)

• Story:
  • Husband hires trades to redo the kitchen as a “surprise” while his wife is abroad; she’s furious at being cut out of the process.
• Analysis:
  • Caroline: “It’s like when you get an engagement ring that isn’t remotely you… it’s not about the ring, it’s about the fact that he doesn’t know you.” (34:25)
  • Sarah: “Did he not know his wife wanted to be involved? You’d think he would know!” (34:53)
  • Symptom of bigger problems: “It speaks of bigger problems… do you not listen?” (41:07)
• Penance:
  • Caroline: “She gets to redo the kitchen with his credit card… and send him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for two weeks so she gets some peace.” (39:02)
  • Ultimate escalation: “Her other penance is divorce and a new house with her alimony.” (41:21)

Deep Dive: Artistry, Inspiration, and Custom Work

Brutalism, Light, and Place: Design Inspiration

(41:54 – 48:29)

• Sarah on Canberra’s architectural influence: Brutalism, modernist forms, interplay of light and shadow:

  “There’s a beauty to it… the light’s hitting these buildings, casting all these big, beautiful shadows. As you walk around, it’s always changing.” (43:01)

• Inspiration from her environments, whether Canberra’s stark modernity or the historic charm of the UK and New Zealand.
• Her process: Photography, abstract painting, digital transformation, colorways drawn from nature and architecture.

Appreciating All Styles

• Both host and guest stress the value in learning from varied styles—even if you have a strong personal preference.

“You don’t have to love them all equally, but you can still use what you learn.” — Sarah (47:48)

Product Development: Fabrics & Customization

(48:29 – 54:43)

• Oat Studio offers designs on multiple fabric weights for application flexibility (drapery, upholstery):

  “You need different weights, different rub rates... to make the collection more versatile.” — Sarah (48:43)

• Sarah loves working with designers on custom projects, keeping it fluid and collaborative.
  • “Sometimes you gotta trust in the process… some of the best things come from happy accidents.” (54:07)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “The best feeling ever when you realize, ‘This thing I’m doing and love doing can be something’... It’s a feeling unlike anything else.” — Caroline (08:04)
• “If you love what you do, you just gotta keep pedaling.” — Sarah (08:45)
• “I’m full of vices… I’m made up of vices.” — Caroline & Sarah, after swapping confessions (21:43)
• On letting go of design control for a partner:

  “I think I’d still want to see during the process. I don’t know if I could wait till the end.” — Sarah (29:13)

• “Some of my designs are happy accidents.” — Sarah (54:10)
• “It never gets old to see someone use your work.” — Sarah (55:21)
• “Australia has some of the best designs coming out right now.” — Caroline (56:25)

Heartfelt & Hilarious Final Moments

• Sarah shares that her son has started designing dresses out of fabric scraps:

  “He told me he wanted to be a fashion designer, started drawing dresses. It was so sweet… maybe if I didn’t have them all here, he wouldn’t have done that.” (57:32)

• An affectionate exchange about nurturing creativity in children—Sarah stapling together a dress her child designed (58:51)

• Closing: Where to find Sarah (Instagram: @oat_studio, website oatstudio.com), with invitations for listeners to reach out with questions or collaboration ideas (59:34)

Key Timestamps

• 00:57 – Sarah Annand’s background and early career in textiles
• 03:44 – Moving to Canberra and discovering inspiration in modernist architecture
• 08:04 – Oat Studio’s transition to a full-time business
• 17:24 – Product design ethos and colorways
• 24:25 – Listener Confession #1: Colorblind husband’s man cave
• 29:36 – Listener Confession #2: Surprise kitchen remodel disaster
• 41:54 – How architecture influences Sarah’s textile designs
• 48:29 – The technical and artistic reasoning behind multiple fabric weights
• 52:50 – Insights on custom textile projects
• 57:23 – Nurturing creativity in family and children

Conclusion

This episode blends insider wisdom, humor, and straight talk about the design life. Sarah’s journey demonstrates the value of following your gut creatively, leaning into community, and embracing the inevitable messiness of both artistry and business. Caroline and Sarah remind us that behind every gorgeous space is a web of funny, messy, and utterly human stories. Whether you’re in the industry or just love design, you’ll come away feeling connected—and perhaps a little relieved that you’re not alone in your vices.