Turnkey Design Talk
Hosted by interior designer Adam Scougall, Turnkey Design Talk is a podcast for solo interior designers and decorators who want to run calmer, more controlled businesses — and finish projects properly.
The show focuses on what actually makes the difference in a design career:
how projects are led, how boundaries are set, how decisions are made, and how work is brought to a confident, photo-worthy close.
This isn’t about trends or overnight success.
It’s about taking responsibility for the outcome — from the first client yes through to the final reveal.
If you care about delivering beautifully finished homes, creating genuine wow moments for your clients, and building a business that works on your terms, you’re in the right place.
https://www.instagram.com/adamscougall
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Episodes
57 episodes
Markup vs Trade Pricing: How Should Interior Designers Price Products?
Turnkey Design Talk is back for Season 6!After a short break, I’m kicking off the new season with one of the pricing questions I hear constantly from solo interior designers and decorators: how much should you mark up the produ...
Beyond Instagram: Finding Better Design Clients
Instagram can be a useful part of your marketing, but it shouldn’t be the only place you’re looking for your next interior design client.In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I’m looking at how solo interior designers and decora...
From Imposter Syndrome to More Clients — with Christine Corcoran
In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I’m joined by high-ticket sales strategist and business mindset master coach Christine Corcoran, bestselling author of Turn Imposter Syndrome Into Your Superpower and founder of the...
The Legal Side of Coordinating Trades: 5 Must-Haves for Interior Designers
If you’re an interior designer or decorator coordinating painters, electricians, cabinetmakers or other trades, do you know what you’re actually taking responsibility for legally — and are you charging properly for it?After gettin...
What Is Turnkey Interior Design — And Why Should You Offer It?
What does it actually mean to offer a turnkey interior design service — and what separates it from simply designing a room and ordering the furniture?In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, Adam breaks down the difference between ...
The Discovery Call: 5 Things You MUST Know Before Booking the Consultation
Your discovery call should do a lot more than establish whether you and a potential client “click.”By the end of that call, you should know whether there’s actually a viable project worth pursuing.Are they a DIY client who ...
Are You Offering Too Many Design Services?
When your services menu starts looking like a ten-page Italian restaurant menu, you might have a problem.Design consultations, Design SOS, e-design, room refreshes, furniture packages, finishes packages, colour consultations… offering mo...
From Undercharging to Full-Service: How Mary Holmes Changed Her Design Business
What happens when you realise you're doing all the work — but your pricing isn't actually allowing you to make money?In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I'm joined by Melbourne interior designer Mary Holmes of Proud Mary St...
5 Ways Interior Designers Are Actually Making Money in 2026
Episode OverviewWhat do you do when the projects slow down—and the income feels uncertain?In this episode, I’m breaking down five practical, real-world ways interior designers are making money right now in 2026. These aren’...
6 Realities of Being a Solo Interior Designer (No One Talks About)
What does it really look like to build a career as a solo interior designer?Because it’s probably not what you expected.In this episode, I’m breaking down six realities that don’t get talked about enough—especially if you...
Why I Don’t Give Repeat Clients Old Pricing
In this episode, Adam unpacks why repeat clients should not automatically expect “old pricing” — and why loyal clients are often the exact people most willing to invest in your current level of service. Drawing on a real long-term client relati...
The Trade Was Talented… But I’d Never Hire Him Again
In this episode, Adam shares a real behind-the-scenes story about working with one of the most technically talented painters he’s ever hired — and why he ultimately decided he would never work with him again.This honest conversation expl...
The Hidden Cost Of Free Design Work
In this episode, I’m sharing one of the biggest business mistakes I made as an interior designer… working on part of a project for free.At the time, it felt generous.Helpful.Loyal.But looking back?It completely chan...
Renderings: Are They Worth It?
Interior design renderings are everywhere.From SketchUp models and photorealistic visuals to AI-generated concepts, many designers feel pressure to create increasingly polished presentations for their clients.But are renderings al...
How to Discover Your Authentic Hourly Rate
How do you know if your hourly rate is actually working?In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, Adam Scougall explores a simple but often overlooked way to determine whether your current design fees are delivering the profit your busines...
How To Get Paid For Project Coordination As A Designer
One of the most overlooked areas of pricing for interior designers and decorators is project coordination.I'm not talking about construction project management.I'm talking about the coordination of the people, products and service...
What I Learned From 50 Conversations With Interior Designers
fter speaking with more than 50 interior designers and decorators across Australia, the United States, Canada and the UK, I expected to hear the usual challenges."I need more clients.""I need more marketing.""I need to char...
Confessions of a Part-Time Interior Designer
For years, I [kind of] kept a secret.While building my interior design business, publishing projects and creating beautiful homes for clients, I never actually quit my day job.In this honest episode, I share why keeping another so...
Episode Zero: You're Not Behind-You're Building
Welcome to Turnkey Design Talk.In this episode, Adam explains why the podcast has evolved — and why this season is focused on designers and decorators who are already working but feel stuck with unfinished projects, unclear bounda...
Do You Really Need a Design Degree? A Real-World Perspective
In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I address one of the most common doubts I hear from interior designers and decorators — the belief that not having a design degree is the reason confidence feels shaky or clients question your ex...
How to Start (or Restart) an Interior Design Business That Makes Money
In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I speak directly to interior designers and decorators who are already in the game — already working, already busy — but quietly wondering why the numbers still don’t stack up.This isn...
How I Run a Successful Interior Design Business (as a Solopreneur)
Episode Overview – Turnkey Design TalkIn this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I speak directly to interior designers and decorators who are already in the game — busy running projects, managing clients, and delivering on ...
The IKEA Problem: Why Design-Only Services Undermine Your Authority
In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I unpack what I call “The IKEA Problem” in interior design — the dangerous gap between delivering a concept and delivering a completed space.Many designers operate in a design-only ...
The White Kitchen That Didn’t Belong
In 2015, I was invited into a home because something didn’t feel right.The renovation had already been completed. The kitchen was brand new. Modern. Crisp. Completely aligned with what the industry was promoting at the time.But th...
Why Interior Design Is NOT My Full-Time Career — And That’s Intentional
For years, I believed something many designers are told early in their careers: that the ultimate goal is to quit your job, go “all in,” and make interior design your full-time profession.So at one point, I did exactly that.In thi...