EP 468 | Beyond Beautiful: Why Interior Design Now Carries Responsibility with Megan Reilly
From Business of Design® Podcast | Grow a Profitable Interior Design Business with Kimberley Seldon by Kimberley Seldon
February 17, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
This episode explores the evolving role of interior designers beyond aesthetics, focusing on responsibility and sustainability in design.
Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It responds to real life — and sometimes, real loss. In this thoughtful conversation, Kimberley Seldon sits down with Megan Reilly, co-founder of WestEdge Design Fair, to explore how the role of interior designers is evolving beyond aesthetics and into responsibility. They discuss how design shows up during disruption and rebuilding, why resilience and smarter material choices are becoming non-negotiable, and how industry platforms like WestEdge are adapting to support designers who want to do meaningful, relevant work without sacrificing business sustainability. This is not about burnout, martyrdom, or working for free — it’s about clarity, education, and community. If you’ve been feeling the pull toward more impact but aren’t sure how to balance that with running a healthy business, this episode offers a grounded, honest perspective on what it means to be a designer right now — and how to step into a bigger role with intention. What you’ll learn in this episode: - Why design has consequences far beyond aesthetics - How designers can contribute meaningfully during rebuilding and recovery - What resilience, sustainability, and smarter material…
People in this episode
Host: Kimberley Seldon
Guest: Megan Reilly
Topics covered
- interior design
- responsibility
- sustainability
- community
- resilience
- material choices
Keywords
- interior design
- responsibility
- sustainability
- resilience
- material choices
- community
- design impact
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WestEdge Design Fair
More episodes of Business of Design® Podcast | Grow a Profitable Interior Design Business with Kimberley Seldon
- EP 497 | 4 Hidden Business Leaks Costing Interior Designers Time, Profit, and Clients with Sheilah MacSporran · September 8, 2026 · 39 min
- EP 496 | Why Every Interior Designer Needs a Lighting Designer with Sarah Richter and Guest Host DuVäl Reynolds · September 1, 2026 · 43 min
- EP 495 | The Profit Killers Hiding in Your Interior Design Business with Erin Hackett Nordholt · August 25, 2026 · 42 min
- EP 494 | How to Build an Interior Design Team That Doesn't Depend on You with Shelli Warren · August 18, 2026 · 39 min
- EP 492 | How to Build a Scalable Interior Design Firm with Rebekah Zaveloff and Nick Nichols · August 4, 2026 · 38 min
- EP 493 | Why Your Interior Design Business Isn't Changing (And How to Fix It) with Cheryl Horne · August 4, 2026 · 25 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Business of Design® Podcast | Grow a Profitable Interior Design Business with Kimberley Seldon podcast page.