In this week’s episode of Design Dialogues, I’m joined by Washington, DC–based interior designer Laura Hur, founder of Lorla Studio. Laura’s journey into design is anything but conventional — from growing up in Key West surrounded by stacks of shelter magazines, to earning her master’s at Pratt Institute, working for Gensler, and eventually building her own thriving luxury residential practice. Laura shares the realities of working at the high end of the market — why she spends 80% of her time on client management and only 20% on design — and the pivotal lessons she’s learned through years of trial and error. We also talk about navigating a changing economy, creating smaller service offerings like “Design Days,” and how outsourcing has allowed her studio to operate like a much larger firm without the heavy overhead. Whether you’re refining your own market positioning, trying to streamline your client communications, or thinking about how to grow your studio sustainably, Laura’s story is full of practical insights you can apply straight away. I hope you enjoy the episode Beth xx