“Interior design’s not just about the cushion plumping. It’s about the cushion fill.” Lauren Mahoney says it with a laugh, but she means it, and in this episode, she opens the door on what really makes a home feel expensive, calm and actually you. In this episode of The Edit, Home Beautiful editor Elle Lovelock sits down with Lauren Mahoney, creative director of luxury interior design studio Studio Trio.

We trace Lauren's path from Western Sydney kid circling IKEA catalogues to buying her own studio at 28 and learning the hard truth: “There’s no point designing something people can’t afford. You both need to win - they get a beautiful home, and you make some money.” Lauren also spills fabric-world secrets, the reality of late-night scheme sessions, and why starting “at the bottom” is still the best design school there is.

Our host and editor of Home Beautiful, Elle Lovelock, goes inside Lauren's 1913 Federation home - its white walls, dark floors, and a Taubmans Double Grey “French blue-grey” kitchen. Lauren insists she’s “not a chopper,” declaring there are only two kinds of people: “cushion choppers, and not.” There’s incense burning after dinner, Byredo candles, eucalyptus spray around the bins, and a single framed wedding photo in a Ralph Lauren frame that quietly sums up her whole ethos: classic, sentimental, and never overdone.

For anyone paralysed by Pinterest boards and terrified of costly mistakes, Lauren’s advice is ruthlessly comforting: break it down to one room, one sofa, one palette. “Stick with the plan,” she says. “If it’s navy and white, don’t let a random terracotta cushion derail your life.” Whether you’re dreaming up your first apartment or finally tackling the ‘grown-up’ living room, this is your permission slip to design slowly, thoughtfully and on your own terms.

...plus inspiration for living room styling - where do you start? Our trend expert, Paula Cincotta from Oz Design, gives unique insights into the progression of interior design trends, sharing ways to style easily without getting overwhelmed. "Don't worry about chasing every trend, pick one or two details that feel like you and let them build on the look you already love," says Paula.

Thank you for listening ❤️

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🙏 Our special thanks for making 'The Edit' our new home:

Luxaflex - our beautiful 'studio home' curtains

Oz Design - furniture Australians love 

Studio Trio Lauren Mahoney

Credits:

Edited by Phil Calloway 

Production by Thomas Crnkovic 

Our wonderful Home Beautiful team 

Learn More: HOME BEAUTIFUL