Podcast Summary: Trade Tales – Lilse McKenna on Building Client Confidence

Podcast: Trade Tales
Host: Kaitlin Petersen, Business of Home
Guest: Lilse McKenna, Interior Designer
Date: December 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on interior designer Lilse McKenna’s journey from design-obsessed child to the head of her own firm, unpacking themes of entrepreneurship, creative process, building client trust, business systems, and what success looks like in the design industry. The discussion traces how McKenna nurtures both her own creativity and client confidence through transparency, communication, and hands-on design, while ensuring her firm’s operations remain both focused and flexible.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lilse McKenna’s Path into Interior Design

• Background and Early Interest:
  McKenna recounts her early fascination with interior design, inspired by her grandmother’s love for shelter magazines and her supportive mother. Despite initially preparing for law school, she decided to pursue her passion for design instead.

  “As I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I was taking the LSATs to go to law school. ...there's this whole industry. Why wouldn't I try to do that before I spend all this money to go to law school if that's what I'm doing for fun?”
  — Lilse McKenna [03:24]

• Entry into the Industry:
  She landed unpaid internships via cold-calling favorite designers, then built her experience as an assistant for Lindsay Coral Harper and Markham Roberts (04:25).

2. Launching Her Own Firm

• Taking the Leap:
  A fortuitous project from a family friend allowed her to start her firm in 2017, leveraging both her savings and Instagram’s reach to find projects (05:35, 06:28).
• Networking:
  While organic, her networking with other designers paid off by bringing in referrals and project opportunities.

  “I just have always been really enthusiastic about this job... I always was just voicing that to someone, which I think is sort of an underrated thing you can do for your career.”
  — Lilse McKenna [07:23]

3. Building and Growing the Business

• Early Momentum and Social Sharing:
  McKenna found sharing aesthetic details, inspirations, and even behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram vital to client attraction and expressing her unique design sensibility (09:30).
  • Personal stories and sentimental connections (like her grandmother’s Jean Dufy paintings) resonated, helping to differentiate her approach (10:36).
• Influence of Mentors:
  She acknowledges how much her time with Roberts shaped her attention to process, systems, and organization (12:27).

4. Team Structure & Client Communication

• Scaling with Care:
  McKenna explains her progression from running solo to hiring an assistant for vendor communications, then a project manager—balancing continued creative control with operational support (13:48).
• Transparent Client Onboarding:
  She stresses clear communication about her team’s structure and roles from project outset to avoid misunderstandings.

  “From the very beginning... I explain, this is how my team works. ...you’re going to be working with all of us, and you’re going to get emails from all of us... it doesn’t mean I’m not doing a ton of work on the back end for that creatively.”
  — Lilse McKenna [13:59]

5. The Designer-Client Relationship and Trust Building

• Managing Expectations:
  Much effort is put into aligning client dreams and timelines, ensuring client input before beginning design, and helping clients understand the necessity for organized decision-making (16:07, 17:56).
• Design Process:
  • Begins with a ‘big download’ of client inspiration and personal details (travel, style).
  • Hand-drawn floor plans and elevations are central, serving both her creative process and as a way to communicate the custom, human aspect of the work (18:00).

  “Hand drawings are a little closer almost to what it will ultimately look like... there’s maybe a little imperfection, which I think part of our job as designers is sort of constantly reminding our clients that everything in their house has been touched by so many hands...”
  — Lilse McKenna [21:48]

• Digital Tools:
  Drawings may be digitized for precision later, especially for cabinetry or technical details (23:21).

6. Presentations and Decision-Making

• Formats Tailored to the Client:
  Presentation method (physical vs. digital) depends on client preference. Regardless, she aims to reach a comprehensive sign-off after one big meeting (19:14, 27:32).

• Building Confidence Amid “Stutter Step” Moments:
  McKenna normalizes the moment of client anxiety before major purchases and relies on her conviction in the vision and thorough documentation to reassure.

  “I always have reasons behind what I’ve selected and how we landed where we are... I can calm them down with just the knowledge that this really has been thought through and it really was based on all of the information that you gave us from the outset.”
  — Lilse McKenna [28:48]

• Follow-Up and Approvals:
  Utilizes Loom video walkthroughs and Google Forms to keep decisions moving, especially for clients overwhelmed by email or scheduling Zooms (30:42, 33:16).

  “No one reads anymore. And it felt silly to schedule a whole zoom call to talk about one chair.”
  — Kaitlin Petersen [31:48]

7. Pricing, Proposals, and Budgeting

• Estimating Budgets:
  She prefers frankness about the real costs involved, even if it’s an uncomfortable conversation, using both square footage estimates and percentages for extras like shipping (35:32, 37:05).

  “It is all so crazy expensive. ...if I were on the other end of it, especially at my age right now, I would... like my jaw would be on the floor.”
  — Lilse McKenna [37:05]

• Fees vs. Hourly:
  Having tried both, her firm has settled on hourly billing due to the unpredictable scope and time needed for architectural and project management work (38:33).

8. Demonstrating Dedication and Quality

• Advocacy and Thoroughness:
  McKenna frames the designer’s role as the most invested participant in a project’s outcome, often more so than the contractor.

  “We are probably the people on the project who are most dedicated to the final version of their home... Even like the most organized and end game focused contractor doesn't have as much skin in that game as we do.”
  — Lilse McKenna [41:25], echoes intro [00:02]

9. Team Management and Firm Scale

• Delegation and Accountability:
  Empowers team members to own mistakes and champion detail management, while she retains final say on creative choices (43:34, 44:48).
• Boutique Model:
  The firm runs with a lean team—project manager, assistant, and head of special projects—seeking to cap projects at five at a time to maintain quality (45:41).

10. Looking Forward: Growth and Selectivity

• Vision for the Future:
  The preferred trajectory is toward fewer, larger projects for greater creative and portfolio value, with occasional smaller jobs to stay sharp (48:03).
• Portfolio as Core Asset:
  She takes on projects with a mind toward future photography and publishing, maintaining continuity with the same photographer (49:47).

11. Navigating Social Media and PR

• Adapting to New Norms:
  While social and print media remain important, she weighs what to share publicly and when, often holding back until official publication (51:14, 52:28).
• Evolving Practices:
  From holding scouting shots for books to actively photographing and sharing select content, she acknowledges today's fast-paced image culture requires a shift (53:18).

12. Sustaining Creativity & Avoiding Burnout

• Creative Recharge:
  New project phases inspire her most, supplemented by maintaining a Substack newsletter as a creative outlet (54:17).
• “The Expert” Consultations:
  Quick consultation calls on The Expert platform help shake off creative ruts and offer immediate problem-solving satisfaction (55:40).

13. Defining Success

• Meaningful Results:
  For McKenna, success is deeply tied to delivering a home that delights both the client and her team, with client happiness and heartfelt feedback being the ultimate reward.

  “Success for me is delivering a home that suits all of the clients needs that they gave us from the outset. And is that my whole team is excited about too.”
  — Lilse McKenna [57:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Interior designers are] probably the people on the project who are most dedicated to the final version of their home.” — Lilse McKenna [00:02 & 41:25]
• “If I don't know for sure, then nobody knows for sure.” — Lilse McKenna [24:11]
• “No one reads anymore.” — Kaitlin Petersen [31:48]
• “I always have reasons behind what I've selected and how we landed where we are.” — Lilse McKenna [28:48]
• “You really do have to have [the portfolio] in mind...your only real assets at the end of the day...” — Lilse McKenna [49:47]
• “It's a long game...from when you sign onto the project to when it gets published is often three years. And so it's a slower roll than most PR.” — Lilse McKenna [52:22]
• “Success for me is delivering a home that suits all of the clients needs that they gave us from the outset.” — Lilse McKenna [57:00]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:02: Lilse McKenna on designer commitment
• 03:24: Early passion & pivot from law career
• 04:25: Breaking into design with leading firms
• 05:35: Launching her eponymous firm
• 06:15: Early business-building and networking
• 09:30: Instagram as a growth tool; authentic sharing
• 13:59: Client communication and team workflow
• 16:07: Managing expectations; client vision vs. timelines
• 18:00: The creative process & value of hand-drawn plans
• 21:48: Why hand-drawing matters
• 23:21: When and why drawings are digitized
• 27:32: Structure and goals of client presentations
• 28:48: How to manage client anxiety (“stutter step”)
• 30:42: Using Loom videos for client updates
• 35:32: Budgeting, pricing, and honest money talks
• 37:05: The challenges of first-timer sticker shock
• 41:25: Explaining design commitment & care
• 43:34: Delegation, team accountability
• 45:41: Firm size, capacity, and selectivity
• 48:03: Future vision for the firm
• 49:47: Portfolio-first thinking, publication strategies
• 54:17: Substack Newsletter and creative outlets
• 55:40: The Expert consultations as creative refresh
• 57:00: What success looks like for Lilse and her team

Final Thoughts

Lilse McKenna’s story blends creative conviction and strategic business-building, showing that clarity, transparency, and strong processes are as essential to lasting client confidence as a beautiful, hand-drawn floor plan. Her ongoing growth is tied to continually learning, adapting to new tools, and centering personal inspiration—delivering homes that fulfill client dreams and satisfy her team’s creative ambitions.