Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today, we’re diving into the art of bringing a new construction project to life.

Our guest is Stephanie Mahaney, founder of Stephanie Rae Interiors, most-known for designing functional, custom residential projects and elevated commercial spaces. With a background at Kemble Interiors and a deep understanding of the building process from her collaboration with Keating Moore Construction, Stephanie brings a unique perspective on integrating design and construction seamlessly.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• How to collaborate effectively with architects, builders, and contractors
• Project management strategies to keep designs on track
• The communication skills every designer needs to navigate challenges and ensure a smooth process
• Balancing aesthetics and function to create homes that are both beautiful and livable

For many designers, custom new construction projects are the dream project, and Stephanie is breaking down just how to ensure they run smoothly. Let’s get started—here’s my conversation with Stephanie Rae.

Season 6 of The Interior Collective is brought to you by Materio.

An operating system built specifically for design projects—from start to finish. That’s what Materio is.
From concept to handoff, client billing to procurement—it’s one connected workflow. Try it for free.
It’s intuitive. It’s fast. The Interior Collective listeners get 50% off their first month. Just head to getmaterio.com to claim the offer.

Welcome back to The Interior Collective Podcast, where we dive deep into the business of interior design. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today, we’re exploring one of the most critical aspects of a successful design project: client touchpoints. From the initial consultation to the final styling, how do you structure your process to keep clients informed, engaged, and—most importantly—confident in your vision?

To help us break it all down, I’m joined by the incredibly talented Susannah Holmberg. With over 13 years of experience, Susannah has built a design practice rooted in both fine art and interior design, crafting spaces that are highly customized, deeply intentional, and timelessly beautiful. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Domino, and more, and today, she’s here to share her insights on sequencing a design into clear phases—what those client touchpoints should look like, and what to cover in each.

After 10 years of running my own creative studio, client touchpoints continue to be something we work on refining, implementing, and increasing in order to improve our client experience. If you’ve ever struggled with keeping interior design clients aligned, setting expectations, or simply creating a seamless design process, this episode is for you. Let’s get started.

Season 6 of The Interior Collective is brought to you by Materio.

An operating system built specifically for design projects—from start to finish. That’s what Materio is.
From concept to handoff, client billing to procurement—it’s one connected workflow. Try it for free.
It’s intuitive. It’s fast. The Interior Collective listeners get 50% off their first month. Just head to getmaterio.com to claim the offer.

Mastering the art of working with trade vendors is one of the biggest challenges interior designers face. From wholesale vendors to custom furniture workrooms, strong vendor relationships are key to a seamless design process. But how do you find the right vendors, create lasting partnerships, and ensure every project runs smoothly while maximizing profitability?

Today, we’re joined by Melissa Oholendt, founder of Oho Interiors, whose path to design was anything but traditional. After beginning her interior design studies in 2001, Melissa spent over 15 years in the fast-paced world of distressed debt hedge funds before launching a decade-long career in photography. In 2019, she returned to her first love—interior design—building a business that has since been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Domino, Homes & Gardens, and more. In 2024, she launched a shop with luxury retailer Perigold, was named a Top 40 Expert on The Expert, and took the stage as a keynote speaker at The Haven Workshop.

Melissa brings a wealth of experience in managing high-level vendor relationships, and today, she’s sharing her best strategies for sourcing, organizing, and collaborating with trade partners. Whether you're looking to refine your process, build stronger industry connections, or avoid costly vendor mistakes, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss. Let’s dive in!