A note from Laurie
This week’s scripts are about how a house feels to live in, not just how it photographs. Sound, ceilings, the bed you actually want to crawl into, and the strange letdown that shows up after a renovation finally ends. We also have three brand spotlights: Bella Notte Linens on bedding, Noir on furniture with some character to it, and Hudson Valley Lighting Group on fixtures. If you only have time to film two, I would start with Stop Designing for Resale and The House Hangover, because both say something your clients have been thinking and have not said out loud.
Ten fresh scripts below. Tap any title to open it. Everyone picks different ones, so your videos stay unique to you. Choose the two that best fit your voice and your clients, film them, and tag #idcvideo and @interiordesigncommunity when you post.
Filming tip: Resist the pinch to zoom. On a phone that just crops into the picture and makes it softer, so when you want a tighter shot, move the phone closer instead. Your face stays sharp and the video holds up better after Instagram compresses it.
1. What’s Your House’s Soundtrack?
Hook: We spend SO much time talking about what a room looks like but have you ever stopped and LISTENED to your house?
Because I promise every room has its own soundtrack.
And sometimes…it’s not a very good one.
You have the gorgeous kitchen with stone countertops, hardwood floors, big windows, and high ceilings but now every conversation sounds like it’s happening inside an echo-y gymnasium.
That’s because hard surfaces like glass, stone, tile, and drywall tend to REFLECT sound instead of absorbing it.
But if we start adding the soft stuff? Whole different story!
Rugs. Drapery. Upholstered furniture. Pillows. Even books and other objects throughout the room can help absorb or diffuse some of that sound.
But acoustics are about MORE than just echo.
I’m listening for the HVAC system humming in the background. Footsteps from the floor above. Plumbing running through a wall. Appliances. Doors closing. Sound traveling between rooms that need privacy.
And this becomes REALLY important in those big beautiful open concept houses because in that situation we have removed a whole bunch of walls that used to help contain sound.
You can create the most gorgeous room in the world but if nobody can have a conversation in it without their words reverberating through the house it’s not going to FEEL good.
Interior design isn’t only about what your eyes experience. It’s about the FEEL.
Your ears live there too so we have to take them into consideration!
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Your house has a SOUNDTRACK 👂 Do I sound crazy? Stick with me, hard surfaces reflect sound while softer materials can help absorb or diffuse it. And then we have a humming HVAC, running appliances, plumbing, noisy footsteps, creaky doors, and everything ELSE making noise behind the scenes. Sometimes the thing making a beautiful room feel uncomfortable isn’t something you can SEE at all. Go stand in your favorite room and LISTEN. What do you hear?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #acousticdesign #interiordesigntips #interiordesigner
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2. The Bed Should Look Undone · Bella Notte Linens
Hook: I’m going to say something controversial. Sometimes the bed looks BETTER when it’s not perfectly made.
I know, I know.
NO I am not giving you permission to leave your sheets in a giant pile and call it interior design.
There is a difference between MESSY and relaxed.
For a long time we were making beds with everything perfectly tucked, pillows lined up like little soldiers and perfectly CHOPPED, and not a wrinkle anywhere.
But when I’m designing a bed I want it to actually look like you want to GET IN IT.
That means thinking about layers.
Different textures. Different weights. How the fabrics drape. How the pillows hold their shape. And how all of those pieces work together instead of just stacking seventeen decorative pillows against the headboard.
This is one reason I love Bella Notte Linens. Their whole aesthetic really embraces that softer, layered, lived in luxury with super washable textiles and so many pieces designed to coordinate without everything having to PERFECTLY match.
And that’s the trick. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.
A relaxed bed is still DESIGNED.
The colors relate to each other. The textures are intentional. The proportions make sense. We just let the materials actually MOVE.
So fluff the duvet. Let the linen wrinkle A LITTLE. Toss the throw instead of measuring it with a ruler. Give it some LIFE!
Your bed is allowed to look like a human being sleeps there.
In fact I think that’s what makes it most inviting!
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There is MESSY and then there is beautifully UNDONE 😍 I love a bed with texture, movement, layers, and just enough imperfection that you actually want to crawl into it.
Bella Notte Linens creates washable luxury bedding designed to mix and layer which makes that relaxed collected look SO SO good.
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #bellanottelinens #beddingdesign #bedroomdesign #interiordesigner
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3. The Fake Drawer Mystery
Hook: Can we talk about the little FAKE drawer under your sink because that thing has been lying to people for YEARS.
You know exactly which one I mean.
It has a drawer front.
It has a handle sometimes.
You pull it and…NOTHING.
So what the heck is that all about? WHY do we have fake drawers?
Usually what you’re looking at is called a false drawer front. I know, super creative name! But there is actually a practical reason for it.
Under a sink the sink basin itself drops down into the cabinet and then we have plumbing taking up even more space behind it.
That means there often isn’t enough room for a traditional full depth drawer in that location.
But if we simply removed that drawer front from the design the cabinetry could look completely OFF compared with all of the surrounding doors and drawers.
So the false front keeps those horizontal lines consistent and finishes the face of the cabinet.
BUT sometimes we can make that little liar WORK for us.
Depending on the sink and cabinet configuration that panel can be fitted with a tilt out tray for little things like sponges or cleaning tools.
A detail I LOVE. No wasted space if I have anything to say about it!
And THIS is exactly why cabinetry design gets way more detailed than just deciding where we want doors and drawers.
We’re constantly working around sinks, plumbing, appliances, clearances, hardware, and all of the things hiding behind those pretty cabinet fronts.
So YES, your fake drawer IS FAKE.
But at least now you know WHY it has been lying to you.
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Let’s talk about that fake drawer. It’s usually there because the sink and plumbing don’t leave enough space for a normal drawer while the false front keeps the cabinetry looking visually consistent. And SOMETIMES we can even sneak a little tilt out storage behind it! Go check yours. Does it open or has it been LYING to you this whole time?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #cabinetrydesign #kitchendesign #interiordesigntips
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4. Stop Designing for Resale
Hook: I need you to stop letting some imaginary person who MIGHT buy your house ten years from now pick everything in it.
“But what about resale?” That’s something I hear SO often!
Listen. Resale absolutely matters.
If you know you’re selling in two years I’m going to have a VERY different conversation with you than if this is your forever home.
But let me be your design bestie for a minute because sometimes homeowners become SO afraid of making a choice that a future buyer might not like that they don’t design the house for the people actually LIVING THERE.
You love color but choose everything beige BECAUSE RESALE.
You want wallpaper but somebody tells you buyers hate wallpaper.
You would use a room every single day as an office but keep it functioning as a guest room for the three nights a year someone sleeps there.
There ARE changes that can materially affect value or make a house difficult to sell and those deserve a real conversation.
But paint? Wallpaper? Light fixtures? A lot of the personality we add to a home is CHANGEABLE.
And trends are going to change anyway. They always do.
The kitchen you choose today because you think it’s the safest possible option may not be what buyers want ten years from now either.
So yes, let’s be smart about your investment.
But your home is also where you wake up every morning. Where your kids grow up. Where you have people over. Where your actual LIFE happens.
I want to design for THOSE PEOPLE.
Especially because they’re already here!
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Your future buyer does NOT live there yet! Of course resale matters but so does actually enjoying the home YOU are paying for. The permanence of the decision, how long you plan to stay, and its real effect on value all matter. But please don’t be afraid to put some YOU in your own house. Have you ever skipped something you loved because you were worried about resale?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #homedesign #interiordesign #designadvice
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5. Why Noir Furniture Feels Different · Noir
Hook: Hot take: Sometimes perfect furniture can make a room feel weirdly… lifeless.
This actually isn’t just my opinion.
When every piece in a room is brand new, perfectly smooth, the same finish, and purchased at the same time sometimes the room can start to feel a little…FLAT.
Our eyes LIKE variation.
Even if you don’t realize it our brain notices the differences like: wood grain. Texture. Patina. Hand finishing. Uneven edges. Evidence that something was actually MADE instead of produced a thousand times exactly the same way.
And you don’t necessarily need actual antique furniture to create that feeling.
Noir is a great example because so much of their furniture has that collected quality through natural materials, handcrafted details, hand applied finishes, and forms inspired by different periods and places.
Some pieces feel old world. Some feel sculptural and modern. Some are just wonderfully WEIRD.
And I absolutely love that because the goal isn’t to fill an entire room with furniture that all screams for attention.
Sometimes ONE piece with character is enough.
Maybe it’s a table with an aged finish next to a clean modern sofa.
Maybe it’s a sculptural cabinet in an otherwise quiet room.
That contrast creates tension and THAT is often what makes a room interesting.
These things are a designer’s dream.
I don’t want every piece in your home looking like it was born on the exact same Tuesday.
Give me something that FEELS like it has a little history even if it was made yesterday!
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NEW doesn’t have to LOOK brand new 👀 A little patina, texture, variation, and imperfection can completely change the feeling of a room.
Noir creates furniture using natural materials, handcrafted details, unusual forms, and finishes that give pieces that collected quality I LOVE.
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #noirfurniture #furnituredesign #interiordesigner
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6. Your Ceiling Is Wasted Space
Hook: You have spent HOURS choosing everything in this room and then somebody looked at the ceiling and said…ehhh just paint it white.
WHY?!
Your ceiling is basically the fifth wall and it can be one of the largest uninterrupted surfaces in the entire room.
Now before everybody goes home and wallpapers every ceiling in the house I am NOT saying every ceiling needs to be the star of the show.
Sometimes white absolutely IS the right choice.
But I want it to be a CHOICE.
Because what we do up there can completely change how a room feels.
A darker color can visually bring a very tall ceiling down and make a room feel more intimate.
Continuing the wall color onto the ceiling can blur those boundaries and create a really enveloping effect.
Wallpaper can introduce pattern without competing with everything happening at eye level.
Wood brings warmth and texture.
Beams can add architectural rhythm and help define a large space.
Coffering, molding, plaster, paneling, even the SHEEN of the paint can turn that giant blank surface into part of the design.
And ceiling treatments can be especially powerful in smaller spaces like powder rooms where we can afford to have a little more FUN. Wallpaper it, lacquer it, add some molding, maybe even give it a little ceiling jewelry!
So next time you’re designing a room don’t stop at four walls.
LOOK UP.
There is a fifth one and you paid for that surface too. We might as well design it!
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The FIFTH WALL deserves some attention too 👀 Paint, wallpaper, wood, beams, molding, plaster, paneling…or YES, sometimes white! I just want the ceiling to be part of the design decision instead of the surface everybody automatically forgets. Are you brave enough to put something on your ceiling?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #ceilingdesign #interiordesigntips #interiordesigner
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7. The Hotel Bathroom Test
Hook: Want to know if a bathroom was REALLY designed well? Use one you’ve never used before.
Hotel bathrooms are actually one of my FAVORITE places to notice good and bad design.
Because you’re using the space for the first time.
You haven’t learned to work around anything yet. You haven’t moved things around to make them more convenient. You’re experiencing all of those design decisions exactly as they were intended.
So take a shower.
Can you turn the water on without getting blasted in the face with freezing cold water first?
Now you’re soaking wet. Can you actually reach the towel without slipping?
Stand at the vanity. Is there enough counter space for your makeup bag, toothbrush, and everything else you know you brought for a two night trip?
Speaking of the curling iron…WHERE IS THE OUTLET? I hope conveniently near you.
Can you see your face well enough to actually put makeup on or is there only one beautiful fixture and it’s casting a lovely shadow directly under both of your eyes?
Is there a hook anywhere for your robe?
Does the bathroom door hit another door when you’re going in and out?
Is there somewhere inside the shower to set all the bottles you brought?
None of these things are the glamorous part of bathroom design.
But THIS is exactly the stuff designers are thinking about. FUNCTION!
We mentally walk through how you will use a room before it even exists.
Where will you stand? What will you reach for? What happens NEXT?
A beautiful bathroom looks amazing in a photograph but that’s not enough.
A REALLY well designed bathroom makes all of those little things so easy you barely even notice them.
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Hotel bathrooms are actually a GREAT little design experiment 😂 You’re using that room for the first time so you notice REALLY quickly when something isn’t where you naturally need it. Towel placement, outlets, lighting, storage, shower controls, hooks, door swings…all of those boring little details are what make a bathroom actually WORK or NOT work. Next hotel stay pay attention to what feels effortless and what makes you say WHO DESIGNED THIS?! And take notes because those little annoyances can teach you A LOT about what you do and don’t want in your own bathroom.
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #bathroomdesign #interiordesigntips #hoteldesign
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8. Glass That Changes Its Mind
Hook: What if I told you GLASS could go from clear to private without closing a blind or curtain? Because this technology already exists and I’m loving it!
It’s called smart glass or switchable glass. The world around us is changing so quickly but this is some tech that I think is SO fascinating.
There are actually several different technologies that fall under the smart glass umbrella but one you may see in interiors is electrically controlled privacy glass.
Basically there is a special layer incorporated into the glass system that changes how light passes through it when electricity is applied.
So depending on the technology and product you can switch the glass between a transparent state and a diffused privacy state.
Think about what that can do for interior design.
A glass wall around a home office that feels open during the day but can become private when you need it.
A bathroom where you want natural light without permanently covering the glass.
Interior partitions. Conference rooms. Even certain doors.
BUT before everyone starts ordering magic windows there are things we need to understand.
Not every smart glass product works the same way.
Privacy levels vary. Some require continuous power in a particular state. Electrical planning matters. Cost matters. And diffused does NOT necessarily mean you can’t see silhouettes or light through it so we have to take that into account.
So just like any other material designers need to understand what we’re actually specifying.
But THIS is what I love about new technology.
We’re getting materials that can actually ADAPT to how we’re using the space.
They aren’t just part of the design anymore. They can CHANGE what they do for us.
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CLEAR one minute. PRIVATE the next. Smart glass technologies can change how glass transmits light 🤯 This opens up some REALLY interesting possibilities for bathrooms, offices, partitions, and other spaces. Different products have different privacy levels, power requirements, costs, and limitations so PLEASE don’t just specify it because you saw one cool video 😂 But tell me, would you choose this and where would you use it?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #smartglass #designtechnology #interiordesign
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9. Hudson Valley Lighting Group
Hook: A light fixture is really just furniture for your ceiling.
I absolutely LOVE a gorgeous light fixture.
But when designers are choosing lighting we’re thinking about TWO different things.
What is the FIXTURE doing for the room?
And what is the LIGHT doing for the room?
Those are not the same question.
The fixture itself has scale, shape, material, finish, and proportion. It can become a focal point or quietly support everything else happening in the space.
But then I need to know what happens when we actually turn the thing ON.
Where is the light dispersing? Up? Down? Out into the room?
Is it ambient light? Task light? Accent light?
Is the bulb exposed? Is there a shade or diffuser? How bright does this room actually need to be?
This is one reason I love looking through Hudson Valley Lighting Group because their family of brands gives designers SO many different ways to think about decorative lighting.
Hudson Valley Lighting, Mitzi, Troy Lighting, and Corbett Lighting each have their own personality, which means we aren’t trying to force the same lighting language into every project. We can choose the personality that actually fits the room.
Because the prettiest fixture in the world can still be the WRONG fixture for the job.
I want your lighting to look fantastic when it’s OFF.
But it better know what to do when we turn it ON too!
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A pretty fixture is only HALF the lighting conversation. We need to talk about scale, material, shape, style, AND where the actual light is going and what job it needs to do for you.
Hudson Valley Lighting Group gives designers a HUGE range of decorative lighting through Hudson Valley Lighting, Mitzi, Troy Lighting, and Corbett Lighting which means we have a whole lot of pretty options to obsess over 💡
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #hudsonvalleylightinggroup #lightingdesign #interiordesigner
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10. The House Hangover
Hook: Nobody really warns you that after a huge renovation is FINALLY over you might actually feel…kind of weird.
Hear me out.
You have spent MONTHS maybe even YEARS thinking about this house and these changes.
You researched. You planned. You saved. You made approximately seventeen BILLION decisions.
There were contractors coming and going.
Boxes everywhere.
Dust in places you didn’t even know dust could GO.
You spent money. Solved problems. Changed your mind and changed it again. Waited for things. Worried about things and worried some more.
And then one day…everybody leaves. The project is just DONE. Nothing left to do or think about.
You should be running through the house screaming with happiness, right?
Maybe!
But two things can be true. You can be SUPER excited but sometimes there is also this weird emotional crash afterward.
Because that project has been living RENT FREE in your brain for months and suddenly…it’s just gone.
Then you start noticing every tiny thing because everything is NEW and you haven’t developed your normal routines in the space yet.
I call this THE HOUSE HANGOVER.
And I think we need to normalize giving yourself a little time after a major project to actually settle IN and decompress.
Move through the rooms. Figure out where your stuff now lives. Have people over. Spill something. Make dinner. Really LIVE there.
Because the reveal is exciting but that’s not actually the finish line.
The best part comes when this beautiful project we worked so hard on stops feeling like a PROJECT.
And starts feeling like your HOME.
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Let me tell you about THE HOUSE HANGOVER 😂 You spend months or YEARS thinking about a renovation and then suddenly…it’s DONE. And sometimes you need to give yourself a minute to come down from the decisions, dust, money, contractors, and chaos and actually learn your new space. The reveal is just one single day but HOME is everything that happens afterward ❤️ Designers, have you ever watched a client go through this “hangover”?
@interiordesigncommunity #idcvideo #renovationlife #clientexperience #interiordesigner
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