I've RUN the business you're running
Hello — I’m Lisa.
I ran my own interior design studio for 14 years, both residential and commercial. Since 2018 I’ve mentored and coached designers through every aspect of running their own – which means I’ve seen inside a lot of interior design businesses.
So when you tell me about a fee you’re second-guessing, or that the work’s gone quiet and you can’t see where the next project’s coming from, I understand.
This isn’t theory for me. I know the day-to-day of running a design studio.
I now provide calm business guidance for established interior designers, so they can build a profitable business without all the overwhelm.
My background and experience.
Before design, I spent ten years at Microsoft — where I gained the project management, analytical thinking and leadership skills I still lean on every day. Then I retrained as an interior designer at KLC in London.
I worked for two design studios across residential and commercial projects, then set up my own practice working on everything from family homes to schools and workplaces.
Alongside that, I delivered colour training for AkzoNobel through the Dulux Academy — combining creativity with communication, two things I love. Later, I trained as a coach through an ICF-accredited programme.
The business years, the studio experience, the coaching training — all of it led me to build the CALM method, the framework behind everything I do now.
Why I do this
I started this work because I kept seeing the same thing: talented designers, brilliant at their craft, burning out on businesses that weren’t working. And nobody was talking about why. I got frustrated watching designers go unpaid for work that’s genuinely skilled and complex. Good design isn’t a nice-to-have on a project. It’s essential, and it should be paid like it.
I want to drop the idea that being constantly busy is the same as being successful. Busy-ness isn’t a badge of honour — more often it’s a sign that something structural needs to change.
I believe you have to centre the person running the business, not just the business itself. You can’t fix the strategy without the confidence, energy and mindset underneath it. I’ve tried it the other way, and it doesn’t stick. I’m tired of designers having to work it all out alone. The industry needs to do better by the people in it.
I do this work because I want a world where designers run profitable businesses doing work they love — without sacrificing their health, their family or their creative edge to get there.
That world is possible. CALM is how we build it.
what it's like to work with me
My business background, industry experience and coaching skills mean I can offer real guidance across the whole of your business.
The mentoring is where I’ll tell you what’s worked; the coaching is where we dig a bit deeper – what’s holding you back, the patterns worth noticing. Both have their place, but what I really love is getting into the weeds with you, working in partnership to figure out your next best step.
Whilst I’m straight-talking and good with the numbers, it’s never at the expense of the person running the business. I’ll never tell you to work harder or hustle more, and I won’t hand you a one-size-fits-all fix for a business that’s entirely your own.
I’ll be a trustworthy, calm and kind influence in your business. I value health as much as wealth – and I bring joy, fun and a little bit of magic to the work!
my commitment to our industry
Two commitments sit at the heart of how I run this business.
10% of my profits go to Furnishing Futures. I am a proud supporter of Furnishing Futures, a charity creating healing homes that bring hope and dignity to women and children who have escaped domestic abuse and been placed in empty social housing.
I’ve taken the Design for Diversity Pledge. As a business and a designer, I’ve committed to including people of every colour, gender and sexuality across everything I do — from how I show up and market, to who I work with, contract and share a platform with.
This is the business I want to run, and the industry I want to help build.
Let's build your business
It often starts with a chat.
Get the kettle on and let’s talk about how to build a calmer, more profitable business. Twenty minutes, no pitch. If I’m not the right person for what you need, I’ll tell you.
