Podcast
Design Anatomy
Hosted by Bree Banfield and Lauren Li · EN
Welcome to Design Anatomy, where we examine the world of interiors and design. With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled, and lived-in spaces, Bree Banfield and Lauren Li are excited to share their insights and inspiration with you.
YouTube channel launching soon.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Milan Design Week: From Viral Installations to Quiet Magic Moments
1w ago00:59:18Tap to summarizeMilan Design Week can look like a never-ending highlight reel, but the real story lives outside the frame. What you don’t get from Instagram is the atmosphere: the scent in a private apartment, the soundscape in an installation, the scale of a palazzo hiding behind an ordinary street door, and the way a space can hit your nervous system in an instant. We’re fresh back from Paris and Milan and ready to share the honest debrief, including the parts that are chaotic, emotional and properly joyful.We talk about why this year felt so positive, how hospitality in Paris completely challenges the “rude Parisian” myth, and why being treated like “entrepreneurs” at the Musée d'Orsay still makes us smile. Then we get nerdy about interiors and furniture design: what reads one way online but changes in person, how prototypes and production timelines make trend fatigue feel weirdly premature, and why context matters when you’re judging a piece you’ve only ever seen on a screen. If you love Salone del Mobile, Studio Pepe, Muuto, and the craft of creating a mood in a room, you’ll feel right at home.We also get practical about navigating Milan Design Week: queues, planning versus winging it, brand installations you might love (or happily skip), and how chasing a single “social media moment” can send you to the wrong side of town. To wrap it up, we share the unexpected highlights that actually linger, like an unplanned Aperol spritz after a huge fair day, a Brera dinner that turns into a singalong, and a chance encounter that opens doors you didn’t even know existed.If you’re dreaming about going one day, or you’ve been and you’re still processing it, listen along and tell us how you do Milan: tight itinerary or total spontaneity. Reachout to @design.anatomy.podcast, @bree.banfield or @sisalla_interior_design to join our waitlist for more information about The Design Anatomy Tour 2027.Subscribe, share the episode with a design friend, and leave us a quick review so more Australian interior design lovers can find the show.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Sacha Strebe on Storytelling & Crafting EyeSwoon’s Magic
Apr 301:00:21Tap to summarizeYou see the finished rooms, the polished captions and the big-name collaborations. What you don’t see is the work that holds it all together. We’re joined by Sacha Strebe, an Australian editor and storyteller who now works behind the scenes as executive director with Athena Calderone to help craft and execute the creative vision for EyeSwoon. Sacha takes us from her Gold Coast journalism days to building a career in the US, including the mindset shifts that come with backing yourself, building relationships online, and writing your way into opportunities.We get specific about what it takes to run a modern interior design and lifestyle brand with a small team: shaping brand voice, planning content calendars, creating newsletters, affiliate strategies, and supporting major partnerships from ideation through to contracts and production. If you’re a designer, creative, or business owner trying to grow an audience, this chat breaks down what still works across every platform: service, inspiration and entertainment, plus the discipline to stay true to your point of view.Then the conversation turns deeply personal. Sacha shares the devastating experience of losing her home in the LA fires, the “phantom” feeling of a place that’s gone but still present, and how rebuilding becomes both grief and gratitude at once. We finish on what’s next, how Sacha defines success, and her current design obsession: brutalism, concrete, stone and light. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves design and storytelling, and leave a review to help more listeners find us.Podcast Cover Photography Credit: Julie Guével Goldstone Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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The Home You Have vs. The Home You Need
Mar 2500:48:05Tap to summarizeThis week, Interior designers Lauren Li and Bree Banfield explore why homes that look beautiful can still feel uncomfortable or frustrating to live in. Many clients come to them not just for aesthetics, but because their spaces create stress, limit connection, or don’t reflect who they are—making the process feel more like “interior design therapy” than simple decorating.They highlight common issues, starting with the feeling of not enjoying your own home. This often stems from poor layout, awkward furniture placement, or a disconnect between styled interiors and real-life comfort. They emphasize how subtle design rules and spatial flow impact confidence and daily experience.The conversation then shifts to functionality—homes that don’t support modern life, like working from home or fostering family interaction. They also address decision paralysis caused by endless inspiration from platforms like Pinterest and AI tools, explaining how designers simplify choices by focusing on what truly fits a client’s lifestyle and needs.Finally, they discuss challenges in new builds and renovations, where visually impressive designs can overlook practical realities such as lighting, glare, window treatments, and furniture placement. The overall message: good design is about aligning your home with how you actually live, not just how it looks.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Spaces That Speak: What Great Design Books Teach Us
Mar 1800:38:03Tap to summarizeA single book can change the way you decorate a room, not by handing you a shopping list, but by sharpening how you see. We’re diving into the design books that have genuinely shaped our interior design practice, from the emotional impact of architecture to the surprisingly personal meaning of colour, art and everyday objects.We start with Alain de Botton’s The Architecture of Happiness and why the best design is never just “style”. It’s about how a space makes you feel, and why beauty can support wellbeing. That takes us to Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, the modernist icon that promised machine-like living yet struggled with very human problems like constant leaking. It’s a reminder that design theory, history and lived experience all belong in the same conversation.From there we move through books that celebrate real, layered homes: Robyn Lea’s A Room Of Her Own, Kassia St Clair’s The Secret Lives of Colour, and Amber Creswell Bell’s Australian Abstract. We talk about choosing colour with more confidence when you understand cultural symbolism, and using abstract art as a feeling-led anchor rather than something you have to “decode”. We also share why Nate Berkus’ The Things That Matter hits so hard, because the most beautiful homes are built over time through objects that carry memory. Finally, we shout out The Life Eclectic and a few favourite bookshops, plus a little teaser about upcoming Paris and Milan adventures.If you enjoyed this one, subscribe, share it with a design-loving friend, and leave a review so more Australians can find the show. What’s the one book that changed how you see your home?Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Leÿer Design Studio: Designing Spaces That Welcome Real Life
Mar 1100:51:57Tap to summarizeWhat if a home could feel calmer, look warmer, and bring you closer to your neighbours—all at once? We sit with interior designer Rebecca Leijer of Leÿer Design Studio to explore design with restraint that still feels generous, and the surprising community benefits of a street‑facing, glass‑fronted home in Torquay. From the first sketch to the final touch, Rebecca shares how simplicity, texture, and tactility can deliver spaces that welcome sandy feet, morning light, and real life without dating fast.We dig into the budget realities shaping residential design right now and why pairing building design with on‑site know‑how changes everything. Rebecca and her builder husband are combining forces to deliver a full‑service studio: think early cost clarity, fewer nasty surprises, and smarter paths like extending at ground level instead of paying for scaffolding on a small second storey. We compare laminate and stone with open eyes, defend the “big three” of tapware, tiles, and lighting, and map priorities so clients protect what truly changes how they live.Then we jump to hospitality, where deadlines are brutal and ceilings do the heavy lifting. Rebecca reveals the bamboo canopy that redirected the gaze in an Anglesea venue and the burgundy spray that unified a tricky Ocean Grove ceiling—proof that one bold, well‑placed move can transform a space fast. Along the way, we reframe trends and timelessness: cork can be cool or tired; stone is forever until your taste evolves. The goal isn’t to dodge fashion, but to choose materials you’ll love longer, and build confidence through a curated, step‑by‑step process.Check out Rebecca's socials: Insta @leyer_td & website Leÿer Design StudioIf you’re craving a calmer home, fighting scope creep, or curious how a single design gesture can carry a room, you’ll find practical ideas you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the one element—lighting, tiles, or tapware—you’ll never cut from your budget?Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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In Conversation with Cléophée Poli: The Art of Turning Everyday Spaces into Living Galleries
Mar 401:08:10Tap to summarizeWhat if your home could meet you where you are, every day? We sit down with Paris-based designer Cléophée Poli of Cléo Interior Design Studio to explore the psychology of home and why the best interiors are built around how people live, not what’s trending. Cléo’s path from luxury hospitality to interiors sharpened her instincts for service, diplomacy, and solving problems before they start, and she shares the scripts and strategies that keep projects humane and on track.We trace how culture and climate shape design choices, from Australia’s indoor–outdoor ease to Paris’s nimble apartment living and Scandinavia’s cocooning warmth. Cléo designs across borders for expats and international clients, translating codes and expectations while protecting a clear vision. You’ll hear how she adapts drawings across regions, keeps trades aligned, and uses communication as the true universal tool of design.Then we dive into a standout project at the famed Marché Paul Bert: a packing-and-shipping studio reimagined as a living gallery. With rotating vintage curated from market dealers, caramel and buttery tones, and a custom rug inspired by Eileen Gray and art deco geometry, the space proves even a practical brief can carry real theatre and soul. Along the way, we talk about sourcing vintage that gives rooms presence, building relationships with dealers for off‑market finds, and resisting trend fatigue by choosing objects with weight and memory.If you’re rethinking your space, this conversation is a roadmap: honour your rituals, design for your climate, and choose a few pieces that speak so loudly they quiet the rest. Check out Cléo's socials: @cleointeriordesign , www.cleointeriordesign.com & Paul Bert ProjectSubscribe, share with a friend who loves design, and leave a review to tell us what makes a space feel like home to you.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Unhinged Design Predictions For 2026
Feb 2500:28:25Tap to summarizePredictions are only fun when they’re a little risky, so we’re putting our names to a future that feels warmer, braver, and far more liveable. We share the moves we’re already testing with clients—laminate countertops that look sharp and wear hard, wide-blade Venetian blinds in fresh powder-coated colours, and coloured stained glass that solves privacy without killing natural light. The goal isn’t shock value; it’s designing homes that work for real life and still make your heart skip when the sun hits just right.We dig into how the shift to home hangouts is changing the brief: bigger, deeper sofas for sprawling chats, modular layouts that flex, and conversation pits for the bold. Comfort beats perfection, which flows straight into our stance on lighting—no more default downlight grids. Instead, we advocate layered ambience with wall washing, table and floor lamps, and targeted accents that flatter texture and art. If you’ve ever wondered why your room feels harsh at night, this is the fix.Texture and detail are back with a wink. Tassels, trims, and fringing add personality to drapes, cushions, and lampshades without tipping into fuss, while mirrored walls return when treated as architecture—full-height, neatly gridded, reflecting views and borrowing light in narrow halls or entries. We also unpack colour with a hot take on avocado green: pair it with warm timbers, mustard, brass, or even cobalt blue for a striking balance that dodges the 70s hangover.Threaded through it all is a mindset shift: design slow, source with intent, and let spaces evolve. We talk about resisting the fast before-and-after cycle, chasing the right vintage mirror for months, and staying open as a scheme grows. If you’re ready to host more, stress less, and build a home that feels collected instead of completed, this one’s for you.Love the conversation? Follow, share with a design-obsessed friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Studio Isaza: The Art of Elevating Style & Colour of a Queenslander
Feb 1800:56:22Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you lift a 100-year-old Queenslander, drench a kitchen in deep olive, and build a business around family, community and place? We invited Jana from Studio Isaza to share the gutsy choices behind her coastal move, flood-resilient renovation, and colour-rich design language that feels joyful, lived-in and deeply personal.We start with the sea change: swapping Melbourne’s buzz for a sleepy pocket north of Byron, where trees loom large, streets stay slow, and a raised timber home gathers light and breeze. Jana explains the surprisingly lo-fi mechanics of house lifting, why it transformed ventilation and under-house living, and how a modest extension became a Scandinavian-barn-meets-Queenslander blend. Then we step inside the now-iconic green kitchen—why ceiling-to-skirting colour calms lofty volumes, how tonal drenching draws the eye to a treetop outlook, and the moment of panic that vanished once the primer white disappeared.The conversation moves through client-led colour strategy, the art of selling bold ideas, and the power of dustier, desaturated tones to make primaries feel grown-up. We dig into playful details—scalloped edges, buttery yellow mosaics, burgundy ranges—that add wit without noise. Jana’s second-career path from psychology and film to interiors offers grounded advice on starting small, using Instagram to find peers, and leveraging self-employment for flexibility rather than fewer hours. Along the way, we trade rituals that actually help—ocean swims, quick walks, shameless dance breaks—and share unexpected inspiration sources from cinema sets to fashion palettes and local nature.Check out Studio Isaza here & her insta: @studioisaza If you’re craving a push toward braver colour, planning a heritage renovation, or wondering how to pivot into interiors with kids in tow, this one’s a warm, practical guide. Listen, share with a design-curious friend, and tell us: what colour would you dare to drench? And if you loved the chat, hit follow, leave a review, and join us next week for more design anatomy in real life.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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Spaces That Hold You: The Mood Shift Shaping 2026 Design
Feb 1100:54:25Tap to summarizeFeeling overstimulated by screens and underwhelmed by white-on-white rooms? We dive into the real interior shifts shaping 2026 and explain why homes are moving from performative to restorative—spaces built for calm, conversation, and everyday joy. Drawing on years inside the industry, we unpack how cultural mood, technology, and cost-of-living pressures are changing what good design looks and feels like.We start by reframing trends as signals of how we live, not flimsy fads. That lens reveals a decisive turn from digital gloss to tactile craft: honed stone with movement, handmade tiles with irregular glaze, timber with grain you can feel. Planning follows suit. Open plan fatigue makes way for thoughtful zones that support work, rest, parenting, and hosting without throwing everything into one echoing space. Kitchens become emotional centres with islands that meet dining, softer materials, and art on the walls—rooms that invite people to gather and stay.Warm colour palettes continue their rise. Think ochre, nettle green, duck-egg blue, tobacco, and clay—tones that ground timber and ease the eye. White still has a role, but as accent rather than default. Bathrooms evolve into living spaces with layered lighting, joinery that feels like furniture, and even home saunas as wellness settles into daily life. We also make the case for personality: eclectic, collected objects, family photos curated with care, and flea-market finds that carry stories. The outcome is a home that feels human—not a showroom or a shop-the-look grid, but a place that holds you.We also share a special invite: one final spot on our insider Paris and Milan design tour, with private access, line-skips, studio visits, and a guided morning at the legendary flea markets. For more info about the tour reach out to us on insta: @Design.anatomy.podcast, @sisalla_interior_design & @bree.banfieldWant your home to feel calmer, richer, and unmistakably you? Hit play, then tell us the first trend you’re retiring and the material you’re bringing in next. If you loved this conversation, subscribe, share it with a design-loving friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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When Good Design Still Fails: Kelly McCloskey on Real Feng Shui
Feb 400:54:45Tap to summarizeWhat if your home looks beautiful but still leaves you flat, restless, or strangely unlucky? We sit down with feng shui master Kelly McCloskey to unpack the practical side of energy at home—how doors, corridors, water, light, and small daily habits shape wellbeing, relationships, and money. Kelly cuts through the gimmicks and myths to explain what classical feng shui actually measures: precise facing degrees, twenty-four sectors, annual flying stars, and how personal astrology and timing interact with your floor plan.We dive into entryways and why the front door is the mouth of the house, explore why mirrors can bounce opportunities out, and show how to slow fast corridors so qi settles where you live. Kelly shares the big red flags, like toilets or fridges in the true centre, and the fast, realistic fixes that restore flow without gutting your plans. We talk yin bedrooms, supportive seating, and how a simple console behind a floating sofa can calm the body. You’ll also hear real stories of homes that quietly fought their owners—and the precise tweaks that turned around fertility journeys, teenage anxiety, career stalls, and money droughts.Along the way, we blend design sense with energy literacy: clutter as a universal drag, art behind the bed as intention, lighting as targeted activation, and curb appeal as a magnet for opportunity. Whether you’re renovating, buying, or just rearranging, you’ll learn how to make rooms that not only look right but feel right—spaces that welcome qi, hold it gently, and guide it to the moments that matter. If you’ve ever wondered why a house can be perfect on paper yet wrong in your bones, this conversation gives you the map.Check out Kelly on here on @kellymccloskey_fengshui & website hereEnjoyed the show? Follow, rate, and share with a friend who’s planning a reno—or snap a pic of your front door update and tag us. Your review helps more design lovers find energy that truly supports them.Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment. Bookings now open - Book nowJoin Lauren online for a workshop on Thursday May 21st to help break down pricing & fees for 2026! You'll learn: What has worked for Lauren over the past yearWhat hasn’t worked, and what she has changedThe exact fee structure Lauren now uses across all projectsFor more info see belowThe Pricing Shift: How I Structure My Fees in 2026.
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