How Do Interior Designers Get Featured in Homes and Interiors Magazines?
By Jordan Baker, Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Interior designers have two very strong ways to become useful to journalists, and I think understanding the distinction between them makes PR considerably easier. The first is the route most designers initially imagine. The project itself becomes the story. A journalist sees a beautiful, distinctive or unusual home and wants to show it to readers. The second route is often more repeatable. The designer becomes the expert helping the journalist produce somebody else's story.
That can mean talking about kitchens, colours, room layouts, materials, lighting, storage, small spaces, design mistakes, front doors or whatever subject the publication happens to be exploring. In my experience, expert commentary is the easier of the two routes. That does not mean project coverage is unimportant. Far from it. A brilliant feature showing your work can be incredibly valuable.
But a designer who relies only on completing magazine-ready projects is unnecessarily limiting how often they can appear in the media.
What do homes journalists actually want?
The answer depends on the article they are producing. If somebody is looking for a complete interiors feature, they need visual material strong enough to carry it. Photography matters enormously. The property itself needs enough interest. There should usually be a story beneath the decoration. If the journalist is producing practical content, they may need something completely different. They may be writing about why a room feels smaller than it is. Perhaps they want advice about kitchen layouts.
Maybe they are exploring paint colours that are becoming popular. They might be writing about what makes a hallway look dated, how to add storage to a small bedroom or whether a current interior trend is actually practical. In those situations, the designer's portfolio is evidence of professional experience, but the real commodity is expertise.
What makes an interior project feature-worthy?
A room being attractive is a starting point, not always a story. There are enormous numbers of beautiful interiors, particularly now that publications, design studios and homeowners are constantly sharing imagery online. The projects I find more interesting for PR usually have another layer. A large transformation is useful because it gives the journalist a narrative. What was wrong before? What changed? Which problems had to be overcome? An unusual property helps because the building itself provides context.
There may be historical significance. Perhaps an older property needed to be modernised without losing its character. Maybe the home has unusual dimensions. The designer could have inherited a very awkward floor plan. A human story can also make a big difference. The client's circumstances might have created an unusual brief, although obviously the homeowner needs to be comfortable with whatever is being shared. Current design trends can add relevance too.
If a journalist is exploring a particular material, colour, kitchen style or wider design movement and your project illustrates it beautifully, the timing may make the feature much stronger.
Why transformation works so well
Transformations give readers something to compare. They allow the journalist to show not only what the designer produced but why the design decisions mattered. A beautiful finished kitchen is visually pleasing. A beautiful kitchen created from an awkward, badly functioning space gives the reader both inspiration and information. The designer can explain the original problem, the compromises, the decisions and what ultimately changed. That is much richer editorial material.
It also allows the article to become useful rather than simply aspirational. Readers can potentially apply some of the thinking to their own homes.
Does every luxury project make a good story?
No. Luxury alone is not an editorial angle. An extraordinarily expensive property may attract interest because of its scale, owner, location or design. But merely spending a lot of money does not automatically make the project useful to a particular publication. I think designers sometimes look at projects from inside the profession and naturally focus on craftsmanship or cost. The journalist is looking at the reader. What will the reader find surprising? What can they learn?
What visual element will stop them scrolling? What is different from everything else we have shown recently? That is the standard the project needs to meet.
Why professional photography is essential
For serious interiors project PR, I would generally want professionally shot photographs. This is one area where I would not try to cut corners. A journalist can forgive all sorts of imperfections in a quick expert quote because the imagery is not the centre of the article. A full homes feature is different. The room needs to be shown properly. The photographer needs to understand angles, lighting, composition and how to represent a space accurately.
Editors may need wide images. They may need details. They may want vertical and horizontal options depending on layout. The images should also be consistently strong across the project. One beautiful hero photograph is useful, but it may not be enough to support a substantial feature.
Image rights matter as much as image quality
Designers should know what they are actually allowed to distribute. The photographer may retain copyright. The client may have privacy concerns. Architects, stylists or other suppliers might need crediting. The homeowner may not want the property identified. This becomes particularly important when dealing with high-value homes, recognisable properties or people with a public profile. Do not wait until a journalist is interested to discover that the client never agreed to media use.
Permissions should form part of the planning.
How should you pitch a project?
Tell the journalist the story behind the design. Avoid generic descriptions. "Our award-winning interior design studio has created a stunning luxury kitchen" is not particularly useful because almost every designer would describe their own work positively. Instead, explain what makes this project different. Perhaps an awkward room had almost no practical storage. Maybe the designer had to preserve original architectural details while introducing a modern kitchen. Perhaps the client's lifestyle required a layout nobody would normally choose.
Maybe reclaimed materials were used in an unusual way. Those decisions create substance. The photographs demonstrate whether the project is beautiful. The pitch explains why it deserves editorial attention.
Is expert commentary really easier?
Usually, yes. Homes journalism has a huge appetite for practical expertise. Publications such as Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens and many other homes, lifestyle and shelter titles constantly publish advice-led articles. They need people who understand how homes actually work. Interior designers are very well positioned for this because they deal with real design problems every day.
Most interior designers who come to us are primarily looking for this kind of authority building rather than simply trying to get individual projects showcased. They want to be known for what they know. They want journalists to use them as sources. They want their names appearing around relevant topics. That can create a much steadier stream of opportunities than waiting for the perfect project feature.
What can interior designers talk about?
The range is enormous. Kitchens are particularly strong because readers are constantly renovating them and have a huge number of practical questions. Small spaces work well because so many people are trying to make limited square footage function better. Colour creates endless opportunities. We have dealt with topics as specific as front-door colours, as well as broader questions around room palettes and design choices.
There are also stories around storage, lighting, materials, flooring, layouts, seasonal decorating, common mistakes and what makes particular rooms feel dated. The point is not to create an enormous generic list and declare the designer an expert in everything. It is to map subjects to real professional experience. If somebody has designed hundreds of kitchens, they probably have an enormous amount to say about kitchens. Use that.
Why practical advice performs so well
Readers like things they can use. A designer explaining three mistakes homeowners make when planning a kitchen is instantly useful. A designer saying that their studio is passionate about timeless design is much harder for a journalist to turn into an article. The practical answer does not have to give away everything the designer knows. It simply needs enough substance to justify the reader's attention. The same applies to opinions.
If a designer thinks a popular trend is impractical, explain why. If they believe homeowners routinely spend too much money in one area and not enough in another, that can be interesting. A clear professional view gives the journalist something to work with.
Does an interior designer need controversial opinions?
No. Strong opinions are useful. Manufactured controversy is not. There is a big difference between saying, "I think this particular layout trend causes practical problems because..." and saying something outrageous purely because you hope people will argue about it. The first is expertise. The second can undermine credibility. The best media experts have opinions because experience has taught them something. They are not inventing them for attention.
Why a distinctive style helps
A clear design point of view makes somebody easier to remember. If a designer claims to love every style equally and can supposedly comment on every possible trend, the positioning becomes vague. Some designers are known for kitchens. Others may have particularly strong experience in small spaces. Some specialise in period properties. Others understand luxury contemporary interiors. A designer does not need to lock themselves into one aesthetic forever.
But a journalist should have some sense of what makes them particularly useful. Distinctiveness makes that much easier.
Which publications should a designer target?
It depends on what you have. A beautiful full-property story might suit a national interiors magazine. A particularly interesting kitchen might fit a specialist kitchen publication. A local transformation could be extremely relevant to regional media. Practical expert advice can work across large digital homes publications. International opportunities may exist for distinctive projects or expert topics with broader relevance.
Publications such as Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Ideal Home and Livingetc are examples of the kinds of editorial environments interior designers may naturally aspire to, but there is no sensible strategy where every project is automatically pitched to every major title. We need to look at the story and then find its natural home.
How do trends create media opportunities?
Trends give journalists constant reasons to revisit interior design. Colours move in and out of favour. Materials become fashionable. Room layouts change. Consumer priorities shift. People reconsider how they use kitchens, living rooms and home offices. A designer who works actively in the market can help explain those changes. I actually think one of the more interesting roles for an expert is not simply announcing that a trend exists, but assessing it. Is the trend practical?
Does it work in small homes? Is it expensive? Will it date quickly? What alternatives exist? How can somebody incorporate it without redesigning the whole property? That judgement is where experience becomes valuable.
What makes an interior designer particularly strong for PR?
Practical experience is the foundation. The more real projects somebody has worked on, the more likely they are to have useful things to say. Strong opinions make that experience easier to translate into articles. Lots of high-quality project imagery gives us additional options. A distinctive style helps with positioning. Speed matters too. Homes journalists can work quickly, particularly on digital articles. If they need comments today, we need a client who can contribute today.
A brilliant answer that arrives a week after publication is not very useful. This is where being easy to work with becomes part of media credibility.
Project PR and expert PR can strengthen each other
I do not see these as competing strategies. A strong project feature demonstrates the designer's work. Expert commentary explains the thinking and professional knowledge behind it. One builds visual proof. The other builds intellectual authority. A designer with both becomes a much richer media source. A journalist researching the designer may see previous project coverage and immediately understand the quality of their work.
Another journalist may see repeated expert quotations and recognise that the person has useful professional knowledge. Over time, these things can support one another.
Fair PR's interiors experience
Our documented interiors campaigns demonstrate the potential of expert-led activity. The Rudolph Diesel case study records 84 published articles during a 24-month period, with coverage including The Times, Forbes, House Beautiful, Ideal Home and Homes & Gardens.
Classic Interiors generated 65 published articles across approximately 25 months, positioning Design Director Gareth Davies around kitchens, practical design decisions and wider interiors expertise. Documented coverage included The Telegraph, The Times, Homes & Gardens, Ideal Home, Woman & Home and Real Simple.
Those examples are useful because they demonstrate how much editorial potential can exist around expertise. They do not mean every designer will receive 65 or 84 articles. They also should not be confused with dedicated project features. Expert quotations and full home showcases are different editorial results.
Can interiors PR generate clients?
Potentially. Media coverage can introduce a designer to people who did not know them. A prospective client may search the designer and see that publications have repeatedly asked for their expertise. Coverage can be referenced on the designer's website, social media or sales material. There may be referrals. But I would never promise that a particular article will generate a certain number of clients.
The real value is building a stronger body of public credibility around the designer and their work. Commercial outcomes sit on top of that.
When should a designer consider professional PR?
When there is enough material to work with and enough willingness to participate. You might have an outstanding portfolio. You may have deep experience even if the portfolio is not enormous. Perhaps you have clear opinions about the way homes are changing. You might have particularly strong knowledge of a subject journalists frequently cover. Ideally, there is some combination of these things. You also need realistic expectations. Not every project is a magazine feature.
Not every quote is published. And PR takes participation. When journalists need answers, somebody needs to provide them.
So, how do interior designers get featured?
Give journalists either a strong project or useful expertise. For project-led coverage, look for the story beyond "this room is attractive". Think transformation, unusual architecture, human interest, historical context, strong design decisions, materials and visual impact. Invest in professional photography. Secure the right permissions. For expert commentary, identify where the designer's knowledge is deepest. Develop real opinions. Explain practical subjects clearly. Respond quickly when opportunities arise. The most powerful interiors PR often combines both.
Your work shows what you can create. Your commentary shows why you know what you are doing.
FAQs
Do I need a celebrity client to get interiors coverage?
No. An interesting project or genuinely useful expertise can be enough. Celebrity involvement can create additional interest, but it is not a requirement.
Does every project need professional photography?
For a serious full-project feature, I strongly recommend it. Interiors journalism is highly visual.
Is expert commentary easier than getting a home featured?
In our experience, yes. There are many more regular opportunities for designers to provide advice and professional insight.
Can kitchen designers get national press?
Absolutely. Kitchens generate a huge amount of consumer and homes journalism, and experienced kitchen designers can make very useful media experts.
Does a designer need a distinctive style?
It helps because it makes positioning easier, but practical expertise can also be extremely valuable even when a studio works across several aesthetics.
Can smaller design studios compete with big names?
Yes. Journalists care about the usefulness of the project or expertise, not just the size of the company.
Should I pitch the biggest interiors magazines first?
Not automatically. The strongest target is the publication where the specific project or expertise is genuinely relevant.
Can coverage guarantee new clients?
No. It can build visibility and credibility, but commercial outcomes depend on many other factors.
Could Your Interior Design Expertise Interest Journalists?
Fair Public Relations works with suitable interior designers, studios, kitchen specialists and related businesses on project-led and expert-led media opportunities.
Written by Jordan Baker
Founder of Fair Public Relations and former UK national journalist
Jordan Baker is the founder of Fair Public Relations and a former UK national journalist with more than a decade of PR experience. He writes about interiors PR, expert commentary, journalist outreach and earned media.
View Jordan Baker's media expert profile
