Dear Alice | Interior Design

Episode: Unwrapping 2025 | What This Year Gave Us

Date: December 25, 2025
Hosts: Jessica Bennett (A), Suzanne Hall (B), Corey (C)

Overview

This special Christmas Day episode of Dear Alice is both a reflection on 2025 and a personal, candid conversation among the hosts. Jessica, Suzanne, and Corey chat about holiday traditions, the lessons and successes of their business over the past year, and the exciting ways their approach to design, product development, and storytelling have evolved. The tone is warm, humorous, and full of gratitude, inviting listeners into the close-knit, creative world of Alice Lane Interior Design.

Christmas Traditions & Family Reflections

[00:33–08:07]

• The episode opens with the hosts in cozy holiday mode, sharing long-standing family traditions.
• Jessica describes how her family honors her grandfather each Christmas Eve:

  “We continue to open a gift every Christmas Eve in honor of Grandpa.” (02:36, A)

• Matching pajamas, annual ski trips in Park City, and cramming all 22 grandkids into a small space are fondly remembered:

  “It really just sort of brings you all together, like you're all wearing the same jersey, if you will, because you're all wearing the same pajamas.” (03:08, A)

• Suzanne recalls sleepovers, opening gifts one at a time:

  “Pet peeve of mine is when everybody opens their gifts at the same time... just slow down. You have the whole day.” (05:09, B)

• Lively debate about Santa’s style (to wrap or not to wrap gifts) and signature family routines.

Year in Review: 2025 at Alice Lane

[08:07–17:30]

Product Launches & Storytelling

• Jessica reflects on the Jay Bennett line and the sheer volume of launches in 2025:

  “This is the most product we've ever launched in a year on the product development side of things.” (08:21, A)

• The key learning: Storytelling matters.

  “We had to tell all of that story... besides designing it, also being on the creative marketing department of telling the story of it.” (09:16, A)

• Moving away from seasonal names to collection-driven launches:

  “We were no longer going to be calling things by seasons but by collection names... our next launch was called House Candy.” (10:34, A)

  • 'House Candy' was a hit, reflecting rising trends like color-drenching and gloss in the home.
• Jessica shares her own bold design moves:

  “I became one of our clients... and so we decided to go bold, which was really fun, and to go glossy.” (11:40, A)

  • Living room: camel grasscloth painted glossy blue, peach ceiling; home office: icy Italian blue gloss.

Personal Growth & Looking Ahead

• Launching products in personal homes for upcoming shoots in January, making the process more intimate for fans.
• Corey likens House Candy to a musical debut:

  “I think of House Candy, that's like our first album... that's always going to be like one of the best because it's like the first.” (15:05, C)

• Practice of deep reflection leads to better products and creativity.

Behind the Brand: Small-Business Spirit & Industry Evolution

[18:37–22:56]

• Suzanne on the thrill and challenge of being a small brand in a big-box world:

  “You usually see like new product be introduced from large companies. ...We're still a small company... it's pretty monumental that we do this thing.” (18:37, B)

• Jessica on providing unique design objects directly to clients:

  “We really want to offer something original to the marketplace... Let's make it available to everybody.” (20:41, A)

• Corey emphasizes how their unique approach helps break homogenization:

  “I think we haven't even really done it consciously, but the stuff that we've been creating has kind of been zagging when people are zigging.” (21:37, C)

• The Odette Lucite footstool as an example of a slow-burn product that caught on after several years:

  “We've been making it for five years... and this, this year, it's fun to see things all of a sudden hockey stick up and yeah, everybody gets it now.” (23:19, A)

Major Design Projects & Evolution of Service

[24:23–29:40]

• Suzanne highlights a shift from small jobs to “the castle on the hill,” i.e., full-home projects, which allow for storytelling and creative fulfillment:

  “Just gotten to a point where we don't have the time to do all the little things. ...We just wanted to do a whole home because then we could dress it up like a doll and take pictures of it and celebrate it.” (25:08, B)

• The team has grown in skill and scope, able to take on very divergent projects, from historic Boston brownstones to Florida beach homes:

  “We celebrate the fact that we get to work with all these, like, individual people in different states with different types of builders...” (26:44, B)

• Look forward to a new behind-the-scenes series in 2026 documenting these installations, giving a rare glimpse into the process:

  “We've actually taken our social team on the road with us for all these installs and we film them. And so we are going to turn it into a series where you can watch each of these homes come to life.” (27:55, A)

Podcast Growth & Community

[30:23–32:03]

• Corey shares personal creative recharging from a music retreat in Mexico:

  “Just on a personal level, I think it, like, recharged me, like, creatively, this podcast.” (30:23, C)

• They’re now the #1 interior design podcast on Apple's charts—a surprise milestone:

  “We are the number one podcast... for interior design charts for Apple. ...That was not even on our radar as a goal when we were... starting this podcast.” (31:00, C)

• Deep gratitude for the community and commitment to authenticity:

  “Someone's home should be a reflection of them. ...And the fact that so many people love it, you guys love it, is awesome.” (31:20, C)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jessica on creating for individuality:

  “We want each of these to have their own individual sort of thumbprint. So if you guys have an Alice Lane piece, I feel like you're gonna have that feeling.” (22:56, A)

• Suzanne summing up their pride:

  “I just feel really proud of just like our teams and so grateful to be with the clients that we are and to do the styles of homes that we're able to do and just employ those same principles in each, regardless of style and regardless of human story.” (27:13, B)

• Corey on why their approach is special:

  “When I relate it to an album, it really is like putting it out there. ...People get to kind of use it in their home and tell their story with it as well.” (22:26, C)

• Jessica on the company’s evolution:

  “You don't know everything out of the gate. And there continues to be learnings for us. ...You change, the game changes, and then you change the game.” (16:20, A)

Closing Thoughts & Community Call

[32:03–end]

• The show closes on a note of optimism and togetherness. The hosts invite listeners to share the podcast, leave reviews, and continue to help grow the community in 2026.
• Jessica:

  “We decided that we wanted to become the biggest interior design podcast in the world, not just the U.S. So we're hoping that you'll help us this year. ...Thank you for listening. Thank you for being here and tuning in each week and even on Christmas Day.” (32:03, A)

This episode, while short and intimate, offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the evolving world of high-end interior design, blending heartfelt stories and professional insights with the hosts’ unfiltered personalities.