Counting Down Our Most Listened-To Episodes of 2025: Brittny Button

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The DesignDash Podcast was created for designers who care about the work and the life they build around it. Each episode is a long-form conversation with someone building a design career in real time, often while juggling family, financial pressure, growth decisions, and the day-to-day realities of running a firm. None of these are surface-level interviews. They’re discussions about how firm owners actually got started, what surprised them along the way, to what (and whom) they attribute their success, and what they would do differently if they had to do it again.

This series highlights our most listened-to episodes of 2025. These episodes struck a chord with firm owners and freelancers who are making decisions about projects, partnerships, expansion, and visibility. In the articles that follow, we look closely at what made each conversation resonate and what practical lessons can be pulled from designers who are actively shaping their businesses, not reflecting on them from a distance.

Episode 73: How Brittny Button Built a Thriving Design Studio In Just 5 Years

Brittny Button has truly made an impressive career in the design industry, but she didn’t start there. She says modeling supported her life, but she didn’t enjoy it and she felt judged constantly. With two young kids and no realistic way to go back to school full-time, she took the most direct route available: buy a project and learn by doing.

Palm Springs was her testing ground. She found a 1930s Spanish home through a Facebook group before it was even listed, then acted as both client and designer while figuring out construction, permits, and the hundreds of small decisions nobody warns you about. She describes it as overwhelming and also addictive. When Architectural Digest featured the finished home online, she treated it as proof she could launch herself into this industry without waiting for permission.

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Partnership as a bridge (and a life lesson)

A big part of her growth came from a partnership that didn’t last. Brittny talks about it with a mix of gratitude and frustration. She learned a lot and she also admits she used the partnership as a buffer because she didn’t fully believe in herself yet. Then the breakup became a bit too sloppy: the website disappeared, photos were folded into the other partner’s site, and credit wasn’t handled with a basic heads-up conversation.

If you run a firm, that’s the cautionary tale here. Decide in writing who owns what, how portfolio use works, and what happens if you separate, even if everyone is friendly right now. Brittny eventually went out on her own anyway, right at the start of COVID, when demand (fatefully) happened to spike.

Choosing collaboration over control

Her furniture collection is another example of choosing the smart version of a dream. A wholesaler, Co-House Designs, approached her about a line, and her first thought was how she would ever manage manufacturing, shipping, returns, samples, and all the logistics. She says she has enough room in her brain already, so the appeal was obvious. They handle the operational machinery and her studio does the design work.

She even recommends collaborating with a wholesaler for a first collection because it removes a lot of pain you’d otherwise pay for in mistakes. The designs pull from no-name vintage pieces she’s collected over the years, aiming for a luxury feel without extreme price points and releasing in phases. Underneath all of that is an important marketing lesson. She posted about furniture and antiques, someone noticed, and an incredible opportunity arose. Put your interests where people can see them, be true to yourself, and then be ready to jump on a golden opportunity when it lands in your inbox.

Takeaways for firm owners and freelancers

• A real project can do more for your credibility than waiting for perfect qualifications. Brittny used a personal renovation to learn construction, sourcing, and decision-making at full scale, then let the work speak for itself.
• Acting as both client and designer early on builds judgment fast. Managing budgets, permits, and contractors firsthand gave her practical authority she didn’t need to explain away later.
• Partnerships can function as a temporary bridge, but they are not a substitute for self-belief. If you collaborate, be clear from the start about credit, ownership, and portfolio rights, especially if the relationship ends.
• Written agreements matter even when everyone is friendly. The messiest part of Brittny’s partnership wasn’t creative disagreement but how assets and visibility were handled afterward.
• Hearing “no” is part of operating a business, not a verdict on your ability. Brittny’s willingness to keep pitching and posting despite rejection kept opportunities circulating.
• Product expansion doesn’t require owning the entire supply chain. Partnering with a wholesaler allowed her to design without absorbing manufacturing, shipping, and returns into her studio workload.
• Collaboration can be a strategic choice, not a compromise. Letting experts handle logistics preserved her time and energy for creative work that actually drives her brand.
• Visibility matters when it’s specific. Posting consistently about furniture, antiques, and sourcing made her interests legible to the right people and led directly to a product opportunity.

Explore Other Episodes That Made Our “Most Listened-To” List!

Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.