In this episode, Rebecca sits down with HGTV Flea Market Flip winner and award-winning designer Sarah Trop for a wide-ranging conversation about risk, creativity, and what it really means to own your niche.

Sarah shares her unconventional path into the design world, starting with repurposing furniture so she could stay home with her young children, to taking a leap and applying for an HGTV show she never thought she’d get on, to ultimately building a luxury design firm rooted in sustainability, storytelling, and biophilic design.

This episode is a powerful reminder that success doesn’t come from following the crowd. It comes from leaning into what makes you different and trusting that the right clients will value it.

Sarah shares practical insight on working with clients who have different budgets, values, and decision-making styles, and how she positions bespoke, repurposed pieces alongside more traditional options without feeling salesy.

If you’ve ever worried that your niche is “too specific,” that your background doesn’t look like everyone else’s, or that your approach doesn’t fit the traditional design mold, this episode will challenge that thinking in the best way. This conversation is about confidence, clarity, and creating work that feels as good as it looks.

Episode Highlights

1. Why risk and reward are inseparable in business

2. How storytelling transforms old pieces into meaningful design

3. What biophilic design really is and why people are craving calmer homes

4. How understanding personality types helps designers build trust with clients

5. Why “upcycling” and “flea market finds” can absolutely belong in luxury spaces

6. Letting go of cookie-cutter design and creating homes that feel personal and lived-in

7. Building community, both in business and through the spaces we design

 

Episode REsource

• Looking for a place to start the podcast? Download the most-listened Resilient by Design episodes at rebeccahay.com/listen.