As a kid, Jeffrey Bilhuber moved around a lot. His father’s job took the family to six states when he was growing up, but the one constant was the solace he found in making each of his bedrooms his own. “There were four boys, a family of six, and every time we moved, we had to establish our sense of self in whatever house we landed in,” he tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. “It reinforced, on the subliminal side, how powerful it is to have a sense of self as defined by the space you occupy.”

This idea of space traveled with Bilhuber to college and beyond. After a year of studying telecommunications and media at University of Southern California, he went on to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration and eventually landed at The Carlyle, where his path became clear after watching Mark Hampton redesign each suite of the iconic Manhattan hotel. “The only thing I could do was be a decorator immediately. I had studied human resources, media management, financial management, and I was creative and proud of my creative talent,” he says. “I just had to put it all together.” Over the course of his career, the New York designer has been named to Elle Decor’s A-List and the AD100 and has published five books (a sixth is on the way). His high-profile Rolodex of clients has included Michael Douglas, David Bowie and Anna Wintour.

For young designers looking to follow in his footsteps, Bilhuber recommends a hands-on education. “I tell everyone coming out of school, the best job they can get is to work for a fabric house in the library, and stand at the window when a decorator comes and says, ‘I’m looking for a claret-colored mohair.’ And you have to know what claret is and mohair, and how mohair is different from velvet, and how velvet is different from sueded cotton,” he says. “And if you don't know, you’re going to learn right there.” The operational aspect is just as essential. “I went to business school, and that’s something I cannot undervalue. For everyone at New York School of Interior Design or any other design school, pay attention to the business of beauty. Pay attention to the structure of how we build a company,” he says. “If you are blessed with great creative talent and motivated to work within that energy and believe you have a real message that people will want to hear and see, don’t ever doubt yourself. But do doubt your ability to deliver on those promises, both to you and to your clients—and learn how to do business better.”

Crucial insight: One career move that Bilhuber doesn’t regret? Not working for another firm. “It was very fortunate that I was strong-willed and strong-headed enough to believe that I could do what I set out to do on my own, and I didn’t intern at John Saladino’s office, or at Mark Hampton’s office, or Parish Hadley. … I think I would have pulled their interpretations and their direction into mine and absorbed it, and I would have been a different version of them,” he says. “I think that my work has great confidence and great clarity, but it reinforced that we are individuals, and we have to embrace that. We can’t be anyone other than who we are.”

Key quote: “It takes great courage to do what we do. Anyone can buy a lampshade. Anyone can buy a pillow. Anyone can buy a carpet. But [they] put it all together, and they’re still not happy. Anyone can buy anything they want, but they’ll sit in the room and say, ‘I don’t understand why I’m not happy in these rooms.’ It’s decorator’s math—one plus one equals three. The objects are better when combined than when taken individually. And that’s what we do, and no one else does it better. One plus one equals three.”

This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and Resource Furniture. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The Thursday Show

Host Dennis Scully and BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus discuss the biggest news in the design world, including the latest earnings from Arhaus and 1stDibs, a deep dive into the AD100, and whether or not good taste can be taught. Later, Luxe editor in chief Jill Cohen joins the show to talk about her ultra-exclusive new design book project.

This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Newport Brass. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.