• Interior Design
Reading: Worst Case Best Fix: Programa x Dezeen, London Design Festival Panel featuring: CAKE Architecture, Cúpla Studio, Dezeen
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What’s really going on inside today’s design studios?


At London Design Festival, we partnered with Dezeen to host Worst Case, Best Fix — a live panel unpacking the real pressures of practice with CAKE Architecture and Cúpla Studio. Instead of portfolio polish, the panel focused on the systems and failures behind the scenes: what breaks, what gets fixed, and how designers are building better ways to work.


The conversation was honest, specific, and deeply rooted in day-to-day reality. From spreadsheets crashing before client handover, to early projects running over budget, to the overwhelming admin that piles up behind creative work — the stories were as familiar as they were revealing.


Both CAKE and Cúpla spoke to how crucial structure has become — especially as small teams grow and projects scale. They shared how platforms like Programa are helping reduce version chaos, centralise decision-making, and give clients a clearer sense of progress. Instead of juggling email threads, product specs, and last-minute changes, they’re building systems that surface what matters and filter out noise.


The takeaway wasn’t “tech fixes everything.” It was more considered: technology should remove the friction — not replace the craft. What studios want isn’t automation of design thinking, but relief from formatting documents, tracking invoices, or redoing spec sheets when clients change their minds.


The session also touched on mindset. Oliver Wit of CAKE shared that being young and uncertain when they launched the studio was actually a strength. Not knowing the “right way” gave them freedom to build something new. Gemma McCloskey of Cúpla highlighted that recruiting is about alignment, not just skill — team culture matters more than credentials on paper.


As part of the evening, studios also explored what clients often don’t see: how much clarity, peace of mind, and creative energy can come from well-designed internal systems. The mental overhead of managing projects was just as important to address as deadlines or deliverables.


For studios navigating similar challenges — managing team bandwidth, communicating clearly with clients, juggling dozens of decisions across stages — this conversation offers both reassurance and practical insight.


Whether you’re building your first workflow or rethinking an old one, these lessons from the field are worth a listen.