Phoebe Kut has built a unique brand at the intersection of illustration, content creation, and interior design. Through her popular drawing series and collaborations with major brands like Ugg, Aritzia, and Design Within Reach, she's created a distinctive approach to marketing her creative services. In this exclusive Q&A, Phoebe shares her insights on building an audience, creating consistent content, and balancing creative work with business growth.
BlogBusiness
A Conversation with Phoebe Kut
Marketing for Interior Designers
Phoebe Kut, Interior Designer & Illustrator
Updated: 10 April 2025
What inspires your work, and how do you stay creatively motivated?
It's going to sound cliche but travelling and social media. Vibrant cities like New York, Cabo San Lucas, Shanghai and London are always inspiring. Being immersed in different environments, architecture, and design sensibilities gives me fresh perspectives that I bring back to both my illustration work and interior design projects.
What have been some of your favorite collaborations with big brands, and how did those partnerships come about?
I've honestly been very lucky to work with a lot of big brands. My favourite would be ones where I can authentically be myself and tell a story while drawing. Ugg, Aritzia and Design Within Reach are just a few of my favorites. These collaborations allow me to blend my illustration style with their brand identity in ways that feel natural and engaging.
How did you land these partnerships - was it outreach, or did they come to you?
In the beginning I would do targeted outreach, or even produce content for dream brands I'd want to collaborate with. I'd create pieces featuring their products or spaces, essentially showing them what was possible. But as time went on and I put more of my work online, clients started reaching out to me. Building that portfolio of visible work was essential to shifting from seeking opportunities to having them find me.
As someone who is active on Instagram, how do you balance showcasing your work with building authentic connections with your audience?
My core series is the drawing series - I kind of call it "edutainment" and then to build connections with my audience I'll sprinkle in some projects I'm working on, interesting interiors I see while traveling and other snippets of my life. I think this mix keeps followers engaged on multiple levels - they learn something from the drawing content, but also get to know me as a designer and person through the more casual content.
What has been the biggest challenge in marketing yourself, and how did you overcome it?
Building an engaged audience with the frequency I post. Since my drawing videos usually take days to create, most of the time I'm just in my studio. So it's a bit hard to create other types of content, and sometimes content just doesn't perform well. A lot of the time it's the videos I make quickly that do well - so just persevering, analyzing the metrics then moving on is important. There's no perfect formula, which can be frustrating but also liberating once you accept it.
The key is finding a format that doesn't disrupt your workflow but still showcases your expertise and personality.
Phoebe KutInterior Designer, Illustrator & Content Creator
You mentioned making content that's easy to produce - could you give an example of what that looks like in practice?
Frictionless content would be something that's happening throughout your day, maybe that's going to client meetings, visiting showrooms, sketching out new designs or maybe even just getting ready in the morning. It's about capturing what you're already doing rather than creating special setups just for content.
Perhaps you don't like being on camera that much, you could just take beautiful B-roll of places you visit as a designer throughout the day (it doesn't always have to be glamorous) and just do a voiceover instead.
If you had to name one type of content that's been easiest to stay consistent with, what would that be?
That would be my drawing content - I don't always feel like being on camera and I think that is what the core of my audience enjoys is the educational ASMR-design related content. It aligns perfectly with my natural skills and interests, which makes it sustainable long-term. I think every designer needs to find that sweet spot where their talents meet audience interest.
What advice would you give to interior designers who are just starting out in marketing their businesses?
Make the content authentic to you, and seamless to produce. In the beginning when building an audience you really do have to post consistently. Find that balance between quality and quantity - it doesn't all have to be perfectly polished, but it should always reflect your design philosophy and aesthetic.
Now that I have a steady roster of clients I'm working on refining my work, brand and streamlining processes to get to the next level. As your business evolves, your marketing approach should too. Don't be afraid to pivot as you learn what works for you and your audience.
What's next for your business? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations on the horizon?
I'm in the beginning stages of creating a book which is really exciting! And planning my next big move… perhaps London or New York - so there will be lots of interior and home decor content coming. Stay tuned! I'm looking forward to exploring new design cultures and bringing those influences into both my client work and content creation.
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