How to Decorate

We kick off this week talking about some possums and raccoons, flower power, and getting our storage until control. Then, we are joined with fabulous previous guest and design expert, speaker, consultant, and former editor of House Beautiful, Sophie Donelson. Sophie talks with us about her latest essay in the New York Times about why we don’t need our house to be perfect for Instagram, recommendations for picking out a paint color, and what life is like for Sophie in Montreal during this stay at home time.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about good ole neighbor Jim and his possums, labeling and storage containers, cottage cheese, and sentimental yard maintenance.
• More about the English and French decorating in Montreal, and the amazing views Sophie sees in her community.
• What are homes can do for us, and how we can have a loving and less combative conversation between ourselves and our homes.
• What lead Sophie and her husband to Montreal, and the pros and cons of living in a big city.
• The inspiration behind Sophie’s essay in The New York Times, “Self-Quarantine is No Time For An Instagram-ready Kitchen.”
• We have more flexibility and bandwidth to make our home comfy for our own needs, and not so much for the sake of it being pleasing or impressive to others.
• Sophie recommends experimenting with the design and flow of a room and reminds us we are not locked into one way of design in our homes.
• Get your one little perfect corner and you can branch out from there. It’s never all going to be perfect.
• The decision making behind her beautiful lavender walls.
• Why having a designated playroom and sleep room has been a life and sanity saver.

Mentioned In This Episode:

House Beautiful

House & Home

@sophiedow

Sophie Donelson

Self-Quarantine is No Time For An Instagram-ready Kitchen

Big Books Small Talk

Justina Blakeney

Ikea Bunk Bed

Decorating Dilemma:

1. Caroline’s painter used oil because it’s harder and more durable than latex. You can get a beautiful finish with brushing, it is just labor-intensive. A semi-gloss will be easier to clean, and if you are getting it professionally done have them spray it and use oil. If you are capable, patient, and thorough enough to do it yourself - good for you!
2. Luckily this plan is easy to put into action! Sophie would recommend going to the hardware store to find some aluminum pails with some pebbles on the bottom. The rug is so important to make it feel homey and to collect the space together to make it feel one vibe. We love the natural charm of the ceiling and we wouldn’t change it! Sophie’s favorite trick for a bedside table is to use a bracket because it can fit your phone and a glass of water. Plants could help up the comfort level, and vintage rugs that don’t necessarily match could look great and also elevate the room.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off this week with some Trials and Triumphs about architects, puzzles, and house plans. Then, our beloved partner and award-winning interior designer Suzanne Kasler joins the show. Suzanne updates us on how she is personally dealing with way more time at home than usual, and the cool products and pieces we can expect from her new line with Ballard in terms of colors, textures, and accessories.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Some trials and triumphs on a new architecture endeavor, fancy house plans, puzzles, hoses, and a cool wardrobe idea for men.
• Suzanne collects what she likes as she travels and visits new places. We can pull our design from what inspires us and makes us feel the most connected to our home instead of having strict boundaries or rules.
• Suzanne explains why people are gravitating towards woven texture, and how to incorporate woven texture with other patterns and textiles in an elevated and timeless way.
• Our new summer collection with Suzanne features the classic and tried and true pieces, but also new fabrics, bright patterns, and items that will create a splash of fun and liveliness.
• Fashion and interior design can be very much interwoven, and some of Suzanne’s plaid pieces are inspired by the shirts from Christmas.
• Of course, Suzanne is making the most of her stay at home time, and she gives us ideas on easy ways to make big changes while our resources may be limited.
• Ideas on how we would use a divider screen in our house.
• How we can mix brown furniture in a light and bright room without making it feel heavy.
• Suzanne’s two favorite white paint colors, and how to know which one to choose for the specific function.
• A few of the new colors in the collection such as mandarin orange, and more about the cyclical timeless colors like blush.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard - Suzanne Kasler Collection

Link to Sweepstakes for $10k at Ballard and tour of Suzanne Kasler’s house 

Overstock.com

Martha Stewart

Charlotte Moss

John Derian

Hermes

Benjamin Moore White Dove

Benjamin Moore Simply White

Decorating Dilemma:

1. You have so much space and natural light already, so congrats on that! A few suggestions of ours would be to paint the brick white and buy a fireplace screen. If you don’t use the fireplace then adding some white birch logs could look great. If you wanted to add a divider screen that matches the linen on the bed, that could be a solution to your window/bed issue. The room could be a great place to relax and watch TV, so making it comfortable and functional would give you options for a retreat or just a temporary escape! In the fall, Suzanne will be expanding her Mathes collection, so check back in for some chaise options that would look great. Also, we love your wood floors!

1. Suzanne recommends a neutral linen sofa, and you can add your color in through beautiful throws and pillows. That way you have a timeless couch, and you can change up your color scheme as you desire. The neutral linen sofa would also look great with the textures and tones in your room. We recommend moving the sofa so it is centered, and getting a bigger rug. Put the two end tables at each end of the sofa, and two lamps on them would bring an anchored feel to the room.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Designer Barrie Benson joins the show to talk about how she creates spaces that are both super sophisticated and also lively and fun. She talks with us about how to start an art collection, why she thinks more Southern homes are embracing contemporary styles, and how to update that traditional chair with a modern fabric.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• How Barrie mixes fun and colorful with sophisticated and well thought out design.
• Why it’s important to really know your taste when working with a designer, and it’s okay to embrace if your taste is different or eclectic!
• Ways we can reinvent old family heirlooms or furniture and how just a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference.
• It’s great to call a friend (or designer of course) to get a perspective and outside look at what you have going on in terms of your design.
• Barrie has seen more Southerners mixing traditional and stately with new and lively lately.
• Ways you can get involved in your local art community and get to really know your taste and palette for art.
• The more you are passionate about your house, the more you are proud and connected to it.
• How Barrie uses the 80/20 rule to plan out her rooms, but leave space for new and organic pieces.
• What toile wallpaper is, and how we can use it in a fun way.
• Barrie’s choice of performance fabric rugs that look great and also are durable and forgiving on wear and tear.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Barrie Benson

@barriebenson

Soco Gallery

Sheila Bridges

SONY

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Chicago designer Alexandra Kaehler chats with us about editing, when to know a room is finished, and how to make a meaningful antique feel chic. Alexandra also talks about her love of sourcing art, and how we can use art and wallpaper together in a way that works with the scale and intention of a room.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs including the obvious of working at home with young children, painting projects, outdoor lighting, and some moss-some yardwork.
• Alexandra talks about her own home being featured in Luxe Magazine, and how she went into it knowing that she had to take on her own space with the same detail oriented nature in which she works with her clients.
• Ways in which we can use traditional pieces mixed with the modern and chic to create a beautifully edited space.
• How Alexandra knows when the space she is working on is ready to be done, and why we can always go in and add more or change things around as time goes on.
• Alexandra sees less edited collections when working with her younger clients, however, creating a tradition of collecting a certain thing over a long period of time can be fun and add to the meaning of the decor.
• Ideas for taking an heirloom or antique and repurposing it make it feel chic and contemporary.
• Tips for working with brown furniture to make it feel chic and not outdated, and incorporating multiple wood finishes in one room.
• What to know when working with wallpaper according to the scale of the room.
• Alexandra loves the “grandma look” but mixes it with contemporary to make it feel fresh and clean.
• How Alexandra shops for her art and mixes it together in a room, and some suggestions on where to find great art that won’t break the bank.
• Using pillows for color and pattern in a room is an inexpensive way to add fun and experiment with different looks.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Alexandra Kaehler

@alexkaehlerdesign

Decorating Dilemma:

By moving the sofa to a different area in the room you can open things up a lot. Alexandra envisions putting the sofa on the right side of the room up against the window and a pair of chairs on the other side with a bench for more seating. If you put your TV across from the couch, it will be off-center but will create a nice flow in the space. Adding some nice drapes could bring in more warmth and texture, and if you don’t use the blinds we suggest getting rid of them! It looks like your vibe is modern and simple so it could be an opportunity to add some color or black and white photography, but not pack the walls and overwhelm the already beautiful light space.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve been waiting to get her on for a while, and this week we sit down with Skye Kirby Westcott, Ballard’s Senior VP of Merchandising and Design. She talks with us about her impressive tenure in design industry and how she seamlessly blends different styles. Skye also shares where she finds inspiration for new products and what trends she is excited to see come (and go) in the future and at Ballard.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

• Skye is responsible for much of the vision of Ballard, and she pulls her inspiration from many things including her travels around the world. She has an extensive background in design and merchandising and a love of interior design.
• Yes, it is possible to blend the eclectic and colorful with the modern and contemporary. Skye talks about the different styles within her homes in Atlanta, Connecticut, and even her “tree house” in LA.
• Skye’s time as an exchange student in Sweden introduced her to how the culture took time and thought to decorate their home, and she soon fell in love with their design style and IKEA. She talks about working for IKEA and how it still inspires her today.
• Skye gained a ton of experience from working on the team that developed the first Anthropologie store, and developed more skills while at Lillian August in New York.
• We can learn a lot from asking customers about what they don’t like.
• Tips for creating a card catalog of inspiration while traveling, and to have an eye out for art and design elements that you will forever appreciate from your travels.
• What product design trends Skye is looking forward to going away.
• Why Skye believes we should finish one room at a time to build our confidence and sense of accomplishment.
• Skye discusses where Ballard is headed visually, including the influence of Scandavidian design.
• Get excited for some color in upcoming Ballard bedding collections!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Skye Kirby Westcott

Vern Episode

@skykirbywestcott

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia and Jessica, who own the boutique design firm Toledo Geller, join the show this week. This design duo who were just named House Beautiful’s “New Wave Designers” talk about the interesting way they met, how their styles compliment one another, and a home should be designed to fit your lifestyle.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

• The intention behind the way they design spaces
• Yes, it is possible to meet your next business partner on Craigslist. Virginia and Jessica are perfect examples.
• How their different styles compliment each other
• Each of their signature design go-to’s when working on a project
• Why both women believe we can work around anything, and examples of how they found solutions in challenging times.
• Projects where they worked holistically and made sure the decor was perfectly trimmed and tailored to the space.
• Ways that we can work with the architecture and blueprint of the home to decorate it in a way that really brings out how it was meant to be presented.
• Why we shouldn’t be scared of everyday wear and tear because they are memories and part of experiencing life.
• More about Jessica’s New Jersey Home and the inspiration behind all the beautiful patterns and textures.
• How we make a room feel happy and joyous using colors and a play on patterns.
• Why Virginia and Jessica ask their clients what they wear when they entertain, and what the answer tells them about their clients.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Toledo Geller

House Beautiful

Casa Bohemia

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luxury home organizing expert Clara Schoen joins the show, to talk about what it takes to be a professional organizing expert, and gives her advice on how we can best use this time to get our home tidy and streamlined. Clara also talks about how we can get our family excited and onboard for organizing, how to get through the sentimental part of throwing things away, and what products she finds the most helpful as an organization investment.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

• How one gets into the organizing space in the first place, and how it’s different than organizing for yourself.
• Why labeling things really does help you save time, and how to get your family onboard (and maybe even excited?!) about labeling.
• What organization products Clara feels is worth the investment, and where we can save money.
• Clara’s advice on organizing things that can create clutter such as junk drawer items, extra pens, and chords.
• Organizing can be an emotional or sentimental practice, so how to feel better about ditching things you really won’t use.
• How to get things looking clean and uniform, and where we spend small amounts of money to have everything looking streamlined.
• How Clara folds clothes, and tips for getting our closets under control and storing handbags.
• Great ways to organize sentimental items that the kids create, and why it’s okay to not keep everything they bring home from school.
• How we store and file away our important papers, so that they are easy to find and clearly labeled.
• Great tip: stores will load paint for you in your car, so you don’t even have to go in the store!

Mentioned In This Episode:

The Home Organized

@thehomeorganized_

Ballard Desk Organizers

Decorating Dilemma:

It’s all about thinking big! A 36 inch round skirted table that fits your own vibe with a big round ceramic lamp would look great. Feel free to buy larger things, like big artwork, as you have a good amount of space to fill. This will add height and presence to the room. We also bet your friend Taryn may paint something for you, if you ask nicely! Some modular seating that flow around the room could work to add more seating, and you do have the space for it.

The color of the headboard depends on how much light comes in the room, and how much you want to create a little cocoon feeling in the room. We like a color called Urbane Bronze, so check it out and see if it would work for you. Also, deep purple or green would go great. Think about getting bigger lamps, with something big and exaggerated with drama and pizazz.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are back with a bonus episode, filling you in on exactly what we’ve been up to at home, and sharing our successes and challenges during this time. Whether it’s family cocktail hour or more time with the family, we are definitely finding a silver lining in this time. We also share what we’ve been ordering online, how to decorate using things already inside your home, and which of us is wearing high heels with our athleisure.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• The ways we are passing the time - planting flowers, creating yummy meals, online shopping, tackling long term projects, and a lot of home decorating!
• How we are all keeping our sanity by creating a functional home office and sacred space to have some alone time in.
• Even just cleaning a nook once a day will give you a good sense of control and accomplishment.
• What parts of our home we are just upgrading, and which ones we are completely reorganizing.
• How we are staying sane with our partners and family being around 24/7.
• Cute ways to make arrangements or centerpieces on the dining room table using what you already have in the house.
• How this time is making us appreciate our homes even more and the effort we put in to making the little details nice and enjoyable.
• The plans we have coming up to make our homes and outside spaces even better.
• What are are ordering online, tackling our to do list one by one.
• Yes, yoga pants really are that comfortable during this time, but it also feels good to slap on some mascara and brush the hair every now and then.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Gallery Easel

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interior Designer Rachel Cannon is a self described Loudmouth Introvert, hence why this is the title of her new podcast. She returns to the show to discuss exactly what a loudmouth introvert is, the importance of having a quiet room or space in the house, and why introverts need a space like this for their rest and rejuvenation. Rachel gives some tips on setting up a quiet space and how we can begin right away with our schedules now being pointed more towards home.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

• What a “Loudmouth Introvert” means to Rachel, and why our assumptions about introvert and extrovert aren’t always right.
• How the Loudmouth Introvert podcast was born, and the epiphany she had that the more she designed her show for introverts like herself, the more traction the episodes got.
• The importance of introverts being able to have a quiet room and space to recharge themselves and take care of their mental health.
• There are no design rules when it comes to a quiet room, just a separate space that is soothing and comforting.
• What features Rachel designed in her quiet room that serve to provide relaxation and deep focus.
• Tips for setting up a successful work from home space, which we all need as we stay home for the next several months.
• Yes, we do have a “Zen Den” at Ballard where employees can go in and have a quiet moment themselves.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Rachel Cannon

Loudmouth Introvert

@rclinteriors

Saturday Style with Karen Profita

Myers Carpet

Decorating Dilemma:

What a beautiful room! It’s really about filling it up with texture and getting the right proportion down. We feel as though getting some decorative Birch logs in there would look beautiful and add some raw texture to fill up the room. Since the room is so large, you could probably keep the rug and get a big natural fiber rug underneath it, and when you are ready, get a larger couch. Some drapes and a bigger rug would also help fill up the room. Thank you and be sure to send us the after photos!  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we are inside and schools are closed for the time being, we thought an episode on homeschooling could be helpful. This week, we welcome Erika Ward, owner of Erika Ward Interiors, based in Atlanta, Georgia. As a mother of 5 who homeschooled her children through their education, this supermom has great advice for us on how to create a space that welcomes both fun and learning, what sort of things we can do to transform our home into a homeschooling space, and ways we can keep our home beautiful with our kids running around full time inside of them.

What You’ll Hear On this Episode

• Why Erika decided to homeschool her kids, and how it helped her raise them in a way that was aligned with her values.
• How to schedule better so that you allow for learning, play, and fun.
• Ways to create spaces so that kids don’t feel trapped, but they also don’t feel too comfortable.
• How Erika transformed her home using tables and chairs to set exact spaces for learning, but also provided an area for her kids to get up, move around, and do the work they need to.
• Lunch and snack time can be a challenging area for homeschooling parents, and Erika explains her winning strategy.
• Hot tip for keeping the house looking great with little ones around full time - put all the beautiful things in spaces and crevices they can’t reach.
• Ways that we can get our kids to be accountable and tidy up in their playroom.
• Tips for designing a space that can stay functional and is worth the investment.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Erika Ward

#5: Erika Ward

#89: Traci Zeller

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The planning and event duo Laura Maddox and Sara Parker, who started and run Magnolia Celebrates, join the show to talk about their vast experience in events. Laura and Sara share how event planning mixes with design, the home decor they are seeing used in events, and all you need to know about registries.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Laura and Sara’s combined experience of working both as an Executive Assistant to a CEO and planning over 2,000 events.
• How we can plan smaller events such as a baby shower and have it be just as beautiful and memorable as a huge one.
• How to curate a theme and weave in personalized decor and keep it elegant instead of cheesy.
• What things we can think about to combine both beautiful decor and a comfortable guest experience.
• If there is an alternative to flowers, and what other home decor items Laura and Sara see currently at events.
• Registries — what you should pick and how, what you shouldn’t pick, and how we all feel about going off the registry to purchase your gift.
• Who puts their China in the dishwasher, and why.
• How to set the lighting and mood at an event, why this can make or break the night, and why it’s crucial to use a dimmer.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Magnolia Celebrates
• BallardDesignsRegistry

Decorating Dilemma:

We suggest making things a tad less busy by taking the dark green from the wall paper and implementing it also on the vanity, molding and crown. Add a more modern light fixture, along with some cool abstract art and acrylic frames. If you could install a toilet paper holder on the side of your vanity, that will help declutter. Update your faucet and hardware, and take it from Taryn — you can get a pretty sweet one for$40!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve had so many of your wonderful Decorating Dilemma’s come in that we wanted to do a special episode focused just on them. To join us, we welcome Tanya from the Designs Solutions team to answer your questions including topics on how to emphasize existing cool architecture, what the cantaloupe rule is and why you may want to follow it, what paint colors Tanya recommends for certain looks, and her advice on how to decorate for young active kids when you know they will want a fresh start in a short time.

Decorating Dilemma:

1. We think a huge full bodied floor mirror would look great on the wall, and you can even get the kind that has a shelf down the middle for extra display options for a tiny entry such as this one. For inspiration, check out our Hollen Entryway Mirror. Add some bright pieces of art. A demi-lune can also be a great solution in a tight space, so you can display items but not have the corners clipping your hips as you walk by. You can add 3 or 4 sconces, and grouping of long pendants with lights on dimmers could look beautiful as you are going down the stairs. Get something that is glass, instead of full metal.
2. Caroline painted it gray using a Benjamin Moore Metropolitan Gray high gloss enamel, which was actually the color of 2019! Make sure your painter does the ceiling before the grass cloth, so you have a tidier finish.
3. In terms of storage, smaller modular pieces that are seperated would be a great solution for you. Check out these acrylic frame ideas that you can attach artwork to and easily change out. A nice plaid with the navy walls could look great, and check out our friend Brian Patrick Flynn for inspiration on how to use bold patterns and colors, and big geometrical shapes to give a clean but masculine feel. Since they will be playing a ton in the rooms, it really all comes down to concealed storage.
4. This is already a beautiful room, and we love your style, so great job! You know how much we love dimmers, so this could add even more lighting options. As you walk into the room, something open and not heavy will break up and help visually. Don’t feel bad about poking a hole in the rug to run your wires, and we love that you layered these rugs too. A new sofa, and a little round table with some cool ottoman stools could be beautiful. Check out our Banquettes for some fun options, which will also serve to warm up your room too.
5. Paint the brick white to create a uniform look, so at least visually it appears more cohesive. You can paint it the same tone and do it in a higher gloss finish with an eggshell that is the same tone, but get that area evened out. Center the mirror over the firebox, and you may want to employ the “cantaloupe rule”, where you edit down items to have fewer but bigger accessories. We have styling guides for shelves and this can help you minimize and pull off a fresh look.  

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Designs Design Solutions

Miles Redd

Bunny Williams's gray ceiling trick

Hollen Entry Mirror

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Lowe of Lauren Elaine Interiors in Atlanta joins the show to talk about her unique perspective from moving from the world of commercial design to residential. Lauren discusses her style which highlights the classic and adds a timeless Southern twist. She also talks with us about her new home, rules of thumb for creating seating a room with a limited layout, and her use of both masculine and feminine textiles.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• More about Lauren’s new home including a sneak peek of some of her personal favorite choices for decor.
• Why she sold an open concept home for a major fixer upper that was half the square footage.
• What didn’t make the cut including gaudy and the quirky, and how we can know what looks good as old and antique, and what we may want to part with.
• What she liked about the house structurally, and what things she changed.
• How the right paint color can make a big difference, and why you want to pay attention to painting the crown, door and ceiling.
• What the learning curve was like for Lauren to go from commercial to residential, and ways her commercial background has helped her residential projects.
• How to get seating in a room that has a limited layout.
• Why the silhouette and style of a sofa can make a big impact.
• Yes, it’s possible to have a beautiful home even with active kids and a playroom filled with toys, and in fact it’s even more important to have a beautiful house when you have children.
• Lauren walks through how she picks textiles and explains how we can make different patterns work together seamlessly.
• How to have success using prints that are both masculine and feminine.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Atlanta Home and Lifestyles

@laurenelaineinteriors

Lauren Elaine Interiors

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Design duo Lathem Gordon and Cate Dunning from GordonDunning join the show this week to talk about their Atlanta based boutique interior design firm. GordonDunning was recently named House Beautiful’s Next Wave Designers, and we totally understand why. Lathem and Cate works with their clients to honor the story of the house, and this team has a knack for creating beauty in working both with the new and old. Lathem and Cate also chat with us about not worrying if you’ll get tired of a decision, how to use sectionals properly, and why things need to actually be comfortable instead of just looking that way.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Lathem and Cate are very simpatico, but they do share what they disagree on including lights, and toilet paper display!
• What each of their go to’s are in terms of design and decor, and the inspiration behind them.
• What it was like to be named as House Beautiful’s Next Wave Designers.
• What things we should be hanging on to for antique purposes, and what relics we may be better off parting with.
• How their company GordingDunning works with clients to tell the story of the home, and weave it in with how they want their present and future to look.
• Ways that we can bring the spirit of an old home into a new house.
• A few examples of projects in their portfolio where the style ranged from playful and cheerful, mature and refined, to classic and southern.
• Let’s not make decisions based on fear that we will get sick of it! We are more likely to like our choices for a longer term when we finish it completely instead of stopping midway.
• What frames can make a house look more textured and charming, and how to bring proportion and scale into your frame choices.
• Things don’t need to look comfortable, they need to be comfortable.

Mentioned In This Episode:

House Beautiful

Lux Magazine

Gordon Dunning

@gordondunning

Decorating Dilemma

Good for you for taking a risk, first of all! Your plan sounds like a good one, but it’s not the only option. There are multiple ways to tackle, and it really comes down to your budget and which one works best for you. We like the French Door idea towards the living room, and love your idea of closing the off arch to close off your office. You could do built in bookcases on the wall, and do something with the mill work to make the offset french door make sense. Since there is a lot of height, there’s an opportunity.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Shepherd has worked in the floral industry for 27 years, and as the host of the very popular podcast The Flower Podcast, he is the go to guy on all things floral. He shares his expertise to talk with us about how we can tell if a flower is fresh, what goes behind the cost of flowers, how we can utilize our local farmer’s markets, and tricks and tips to keep our flowers fresher and more beautiful for even longer!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs on a romantic rosemary hedge, Ninja air fryers and crispers, important dermatologist news, growing plants from seeds, and some drapery workarounds.
• More about Scott’s podcast The Flower Podcast, and some of the super cool takeaways he has from interviewing people all over the world in the flower industry.
• How social media has affected the flower industry, and what we now expect from our florals.
• What it’s really like to work in a flower shop when you have high volume clients mixed with individual personalized orders.
• How Scott and his team find flowers, and how he finds brokers and importers for rare yet important flowers such as autumn eucalyptus.
• The most popular flowers and greenery for both high end and affordable weddings.
• What really goes behind the cost of purchasing flowers from a florist, including transportation, inspection, and details you may not have thought of that adds to the expense.
• A step by step method of what to do should we buy flowers from our local grocery store to keep them fresh and beautiful for as long as possible.
• Why hydrangeas are Scott’s favorite flower, and the lowdown on how we should actually cut them.
• Why we use floral film, and how to use it properly.
• How we know what type of vase to use with our flowers.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ninja Air Fryer

Floret

The Flower Podcast

Faith Flowers

Reeves

Syndicate Sales

Decorating Dilemma

If you are open to moving the tables, flanking them with matching lamps and botanicals with a large print on either side would add both symmetry and drama. If you paint the banister black, that could look fresh and modern!

______________________________________

You may want to move the console to where the TV is, and put the little leggy chair under the TV, push it all closer together and that way it opens it up for comfortable seating and opens up the options to make the room appear even bigger. Buy yourself those great chairs that you love, or at least start making a plan using our room planner tool!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we switched it up to take a deep dive into lighting with Ballard lighting experts Valerie and Roger. They answer all our lighting questions including, how many light sources we actually need, the rules for wattage and color that can help us get the best brightness and not waste money, and why light fixtures are like the jewelry of a home. They also give their personal picks for the type of lighting that works best in a space, share rules for using shades and finding the right lamp height, and common mistakes we make that can make a huge difference in creating a simple yet beautiful mood in a room.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Valerie handles the “pretty” part of lighting at Ballard, and Roger hands the technical.
• How Valerie and Roger work together to make things both as functional and aesthetically pleasing as possible, and what a day in their work life looks like.
• How we know if a room is under lit, and if there is a thing as too much lighting in a room.
• The rules of thumb for hanging lights at different levels, and the most important rules of can lights.
• Why we shouldn’t rely on one fixture such as a chandelier to be our main source of light.
• The many different ways light bulbs can make or break a room, what exactly wattage is and how we are paying for it, and how to know which LED colors to pick.
• Why Roger loves incandescent lighting, and how we can use the Kelvin temperature scale on the Ballard website to better understand which type of bulb to pick.
• What a humming sound inside our bulbs means, and what we can do about it.
• How to check to see if a light meets your “CBD” needs - Color, Brightness, and Dimmable.
• Pleated, paper, and printed textures are in, so bring those shades on!
• How to best match the lamp with the appropriate piece of furniture, and how to know what height and width works best for picking lamps.
• What makes some lamps more expensive than others, and how to get the right deal when paying for a lamp.
• If we should or should not put shades and chandeliers, and the rules surrounding it regarding functionality.
• The true confessions of how often we really clean our ceiling fans.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Designs Lighting

YouTube.Com/BallardDesigns

Ep 122: Tom Scheerer

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Design blogger Kevin O’Gara joins the show this week to discuss the inspiration and background behind his traditional yet youthful style. Kevin is a rising superstar in the world of design, and talks about his blog Thou Swell, the inspiration behind his new maze inspired rug collection, and what trends he is most excited. Kevin also talks with us about using contrast and color in both traditional and modern, how he took his design skill to his very own dorm room, and what it was like working with Suzanne Kasler.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs including water leaks (yes, a new one!), garbage disposals, and why you should leave it to the professionals to do the fixing. Also, a search for the perfect lamp, the Margot Slubby Velvet Quilt, and finding the right box that is both beautiful and functional.
• Kevin has always found ways to turn things he is interested in into a business or entrepreneurial venture. He started his blog, Thou Swell, in high school, and mixed his interest in design, photography, and graphics.
• Kevin’s design style is rooted in classics with a playful twist. He grew up with traditional design, but found balance between that and modern while spending time on Pinterest and blogs,
• What it was like for Kevin to work in Suzanne Kasler’s office, and the biggest things he learned throughout his experience.
• Some do’s and don’t of wallpaper that Kevin has learned, including accent walls and how to get over the feeling of intimidation when starting with a blank slate.
• Kevin’s rug collection, and how the color choice was inspired by nature.
• The Invitation Homes show house that has been one of Kevin’s favorite projects, where he got to be playful and step out of his comfort zone.
• Why working on tiny spaces such as a dorm room has been one of Kevin’s most fun challenges and how they are a great creative experience.
• Kevin’s biggest tip: focus on textiles and invest in comfortable bed linens and lots of throw pillows and blankets.
• How Kevin’s blog name “Thou Swell” mirrors the traditional and modern aspects of his design.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Kevin O’Gara | @kevinfrancisdesign

Kevin Francis Design

Thou Swell

Double Gourd Lamp

Margot Slubby Quilt

Suzanne Kasler

Ep #115 with Tammy Connor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia, Emmy winning style makers, designers, and stars of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy join the show this week. These super fun and successful men answer some of our burning questions including who their design idols are, what has been the bargain of a lifetime, and the last time they got starstruck. Thom and Carson both give an update on what’s next for them professionally, and we chat about design and lifestyle at any budget!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about Staghorn ferns, old doors, a tricky IKEA bookcase and some heavy duty man cave organization
• Thom Filicia Inc. is one of today’s most influential and respected interior design firms. Hear more about their projects including residential, hospitality, and commercial
• Carson’s upcoming appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Couched on The Design Network
• How we can let our interior design reflect our authentic story, and create a home that feels both personal and chic
• Thom and Carson’s design idols, and the last book they each read
• More about Thom’s Home Collection, featuring wall covering, furniture, drapery and much more
• The story of how Thom modernized a family heirloom painting in his New York place
• The best bargains of their lifetime, from cars to accessories and just how dedicated they are about getting that great deal

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Athens based designer Jade Joyner joins the show this week to talk about Metal + Petal, the full service interior design firm that she and her husband own and operate. We hear the inspiration behind Jade’s use of bold yet tasteful patterns and textures, and why she believes sometimes less is more. Jade also gives her advice on where to splurge and where to save, why she loves a good console table, and designing living rooms and kitchens for big families.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Where Jade developed an eye for the bold and sculptural pieces we see on her blog and social media
• Jade’s use of unique silhouettes to create interest in a room
• Jade’s work with the Alpha Phi sorority to renovate a historic home into a residence for the group of young women
• Why Jade suggests carrying some aspect of a room’s color all throughout the house, whether it is in an accent piece, paint color, or accessory
• Don’t be afraid to edit. Jade reminds us that often, less is more.
• Some of Jade’s tips for using custom tables and sofas in living rooms, and why a great sofa that stands the test of time is one of her top items to splurge on.
• Hear why Jade loves a beautiful console table, and quite frankly — we agree!
• Our realization that ranches may be the next big dream home. They are spacious, more affordable, and offer things traditional houses may not.
• What projects Jade has now, including the Golden Pantry Market where she works with local artisans based in Athens.
• Behind the scenes of what really goes through a designer’s mind when their home is part of a photoshoot or magazine spread.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Brian Patrick Flynn joins us to talk about his career path as a TV producer turned designer, now working on HGTV Dream Home and Urban Oasis. Brian combines his talents as a producer, writer, personality, and designer to create content, change lives, and bring a “it’s okay to not be perfect” vibe to design. Brian also talks with us about the TBS hit series Movie & a Makeover, his Icelandic getaway home, his own production company, Flynnside Out Productions, and his bucket list wedding in Antarctica.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Brian’s first dream may have been to be an Art Director on MTV’s The Real World, but life had even bigger and better plans.
• More about how Brian worked his way to HGTV Dream Home and Urban Oasis.
• Brian’s Instagram is one of our favorites because of his beautiful production quality and storytelling on the photos and stories.
• Brian shares the amazing story of getting married in Antarctica, including seals, glaciers, and almost an avalanche.
• How Brian fell in love with Iceland so much that he decided to purchase space in a Historic Row Flat there, and why he loves the country so much.
• Tips for making a room comfortable for both men and women, and embracing what Brian refers to as the “soft masculine” of design.
• The first step to being perfect is deciding it’s perfectly okay to not be. When we embrace our uniqueness and flaws, we realize the character that makes our space beautiful.
• Brian’s dream celebrity to work with - and we all agree.
• Where Brian would splurge and be bold such as art and window treatments, and why he tends to stay classic when it comes to sofas.
• Brian’s home in Georgia, and what it’s like to own a home in the mountains.
• Why Brian loves a good piece of furniture used out of context, to keep things fresh and playful.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@bpatrickflynn

HGTV Dream Home | Urban Oasis

Flynnside Out Productions

Melanie Turner

Kacey Musgraves

Amy Osaba

House Hunters International

Tina Fey

Sally King Benedict

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, New York based designer Tom Scheerer joins the show to talk about his background practicing architectural and interior design since 1985. Tom talks about his new book, More Decorating, and the inspiration behind the projects that display his sophisticated yet relaxed style. We also discuss incorporating more light and air into design, areas that we are okay to splurge and save, and why showering with your plants may not be the worst idea yet.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• More about Tom’s books, More Decorating, which came out in September of 2019, and Tom Scheerer Decorates, 2013.
• More about each of Tom’s six properties, and why each of them are special to him in their different ways.
• How Tom gets a strong picture in his mind early on when taking on a new project.
• Situations where Tom used found objects and works of art already existing inside the clients home.
• We pick Tom’s brain on using big sconces, communal headboards, and matching dressers to the wall art.
• Tom explains his own stylistic choices for his first New York apartment, and how it has differed from his other homes.
• How Tom picks inexpensive items, including IKEA chairs, and where he prefers to work with objects that are fine and stand the test of time.
• What Tom means when he says that he can sometimes like artists more than he likes work of art.
• Why Tom loves using tulip tables, and some ways they can elevate a space to give it a sturdy softness.
• The use of bold color in Tom’s Paris apartment, and ways that we can both use bold colors and have neutrals and beige work for us.
• Tom’s getaway Bahamian home that was featured in such publications as Architectural Digest.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@tomscheerer

More Decorating

Tom Scheerer

Ballard Designs Wembley Chair

Ikea 365 glass

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our special holiday bonus episode, to wrap up the year and answer all your remaining questions! Thank you so much for all the letters, inquiries, and fun over the past year and we look forward to answering even more questions in the New Year. We are joined by designer Maggie Griffin to help answer your questions, you may remember Maggie from a previous episode, and winning our special “Best Instagram To Follow” award. We answer questions from all types of dilemmas in this episode, including creating rooms that feel modern yet established, using upholstery to get more texture, how to spruce up a guest room, and tips to win when mixing contemporary with classic.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Designs

Maggie Griffin Design

@maggiegriffindesign

Tammy Connor

The Shade Room

Decorating Dilemma

Lisa.

Hi Lisa! It depends more on the feel you want to create for the room, but a leather ottoman is always a great place to start. It looks great and is easy to clean. You don’t want all bold patterns in the room, so make sure you balance out all the patterns and use different colors, shapes, and designs. There is nothing better than a velvet sofa, but a silk velvet sofa is hard to take care of and prevent stains!

Kerry.

Kerry, you may be able to tell how excited we are about your space due to our photoshopped plan for you that was already sent back! Next, a giant piece of art over the sofa would look great, and moving the secretary hutch will help fill the room and counterbalance the built-in and the fireplace with the TV on it. We think splitting the silhouette of your four children to flank the window will add some symmetry. A beautiful gray rug would cover the carpet and make it cozier. Maggie suggests adding a chandelier, maybe something modern or funky!

Becky.

Thank you Becky, and wow, what a nice space! So, an 8 foot wide sofa would give you plenty of room to walk around, and a console table with some lamps behind the sofa would be lovely. A chair in the corner to the right of the fireplace would give another nook to sit and read, or just enjoy a cup of coffee.

Lauren.

Maggie loves wallpaper, but thinks it could be so fun to paint the room one color. It would give you a soothing look that would match your table and chairs. She would put a cushion and some pillows in the window, and a big area rug to give the room some texture. We also suggest a bigger and more modern chandelier hung 32-34 inches from the table top for more romantic light. Three chairs on each side would give great seating options but also give you ample room on the sides. Check out Ballard’s acrylic shelves, and if you want plate inspiration check out Maggie’s Instagram.

Shawn.

A sofa with a taller back and large side table with floor to ceiling drapery would give this beautiful historical home what it needs! We recommend a new rug and even going a little riskier with the accessories and colors you use! The name of the game here is chunky lamps and big side tables. Painting your built in is not a deal breaker, but can be really fun. Check out the Kenneth Pleated Drum Shade Chandelier!

Julie.

We first wanted to give some suggestions about your drapery! The rod pocket is dating it a bit, and a ring would be easier to move back and forth. Maddie mentions that adding a bamboo shade behind the bed would be easy to open and close. To find a seamstress that you love, try fabric stores, a dry cleaner, or just good old word of mouth. We do feel as though the lamps are a bit small, and a rectangular shade can look great. A mirror on either side of the window would be beautiful and reflect light. In terms of color, off white or cream would give it a clean and cozy look.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Designer Vern Yip returns to the show to tell us about his new book, Vacation at Home and gives us insight into 18 special steps to create your everyday getaway inside your home. He talks about why we feel so relaxed on vacation and in luxury environments, and how we can start to foster that in our homes with a foundation that helps us live the way we want, and takes things off our “to do” list permanently. Vern also shares how he keeps his personal home so beautiful with kids and over 500 lbs of dogs, why fewer but bigger may be better, and a few suggestions for picking out a color scheme that will work best for your home.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Vern Yip is back to talk about his new book Vacation at Home, but first, we must give a special nod to his book Design Wise that won the podcast’s award for “Best Design Book”.
• A special quick mindfulness practice to gain clarity on how to visualize a space that gives you that feeling of rest and regeneration.
• Some great ideas on decluttering, storing mail, and deciding what things should stay or go.
• A few of Vern’s 18 primary rules to creating a home that feels as though you are on vacation.
• Why we breakdown things in terms of things we love, things we need, and where exactly that thing will go.
• The beauty of refreshing your environment and rotating things out, even including bedroom art.
• What Vern means when he says “designing for a focal point” to create a view and give the eyes a rest.
• Yes, it’s possible to take things permanently off your to-do list. Vern explains how organic components and great planning can assist in this mission.
• Symmetry is your friend, and Vern shares some things you can do to implement a sense of organization and balance.
• Why we will never go longer than a week before washing our hand towels!!
• How Vern set a few easy rules and guidelines for his children to follow to keep the home neat and free of toys scattered about.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Vern Yip

@vernyip

Vacation at Home

Marie Kondo

Decorating Dilemma

First off, wow. What a beautiful home with an amazing view. We suggest working with spacing first. You can use our Room Planning Tool to put in the dimensions of your room (and even your furniture!) and figure all of it out before you start purchasing things. After that, Vern agrees that the walls should be a lighter color than the ceiling. To create a feeling of expansion and openness.

______________________________________________________________________

Vern thinks this is a great room in terms of windows. We do think, however, that the cut out is making it less symmetrical, so just something to consider. Vern mentions that you can possibly edit your furniture and take off some of the open shelving. Second, when you decide to put window treatments, take the curtain rod all the way up and have your treatments go under the crown to the floor. This will increase the perception of volume in the room. Don’t be afraid of a contrast color, and when it comes time to choose your wall color, Vern suggests having a couple ideas up on the wall, and take down the ones you don’t like until you are left with two or three. Then, you can get sample pots and see how they perform before you make a single choice.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Textile designer Lisa Fine joins the show this week to talk about how she got into textile design, the path that unfolded after a trip to India, and the top things we should know when working with textiles. Lisa also shares the inspiration behind her new book, Near & Far, and wisdom she has inherited from starting and running her own business. This episode will also support that there is beauty in imperfection, and if you love something you can find a place for it in your home.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Lisa got into textile design, and why she feels it is such a crucial piece to having a home that is both stylish and comfortable.
• The travels to India that got Lisa even more passionate about textiles, and also what she loves so much about Persian textiles.
• A few twists and turns that occurred while Lisa was growing her own business, and how she took them as learning lessons to get even better.
• Why Lisa loves a hand-printed linen so much, and how it creates a natural yet custom made look.
• Beauty is in imperfection, so embrace the flaws and know it’s okay to not have things perfectly perfect!
• Lisa works in homes that range from grand and opulent to refined and simple. Hear how she makes things work for each particular space.
• Lisa believes if you love something, you can find a place for it in your home.
• Why we are here for the trend of using one particular pattern to the point where it becomes a neutral.
• Slipcovers can be a great way to give your couch shape and a streamlined look, but there are certain things you need to know when using them.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Lisa Fine Textiles

Near & Far

@lisafinetextiles

Richard Keith Langham

Wine Away

The Frame TV

Decorating Dilemma

First, Lisa loves that you want a lot of seating areas, and this space is great for entertaining already! It also seems like putting the dining room near the kitchen would work well, and we either vote for a round table to welcome a break from the square, or put the dining room table in front of the fireplace where the sofa is. Maybe the length of the sofa goes perpendicular to the fireplace, and put the two chairs across from it. A slip to cover the chairs would be a great way to match the sofa and have a theme carry across the room. We would love to sit in front of the fireplace too, so feel free to get creative with your seating in front of it!

_________________________________________

We think it’s brilliant the way you have used tape to outline where everything will go, so good use of understanding proportion already! We are okay with the TV in front of the fireplace, and just suggest bringing in more round shapes in your bookshelf accessories to add some softness to the room.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interior Designer Lisa Furey joins the show to talk about keeping neutrals chic yet interesting, her award-winning luxury boutique firm, Lisa Furey Interiors in Philadelphia, and how she fell in love with her Palmetto Bluff vacation home. Lisa shares how she went from a career as a divorce lawyer, her passion for the “bricks and sticks” aspect of design and building, and her approach to creating beautiful and practical homes that are just as livable as they are beautiful.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials and Triumphs featuring misbehaving bats, ruthless bin cleaning, leaf blowers, and delegating out Christmas light tasks.
• Tips on ribbons and accessories that are both kid-proof and beautiful for the holidays.
• Real talk on where everyone stands on ornaments as Christmas gifts.
• How Lisa’s core business is Lisa Furey Interiors in Philadelphia on the mainline, but she also does work in Georgia and South Carolina.
• More about Lisa’s projects including the Beach Cottage in South Carolina, the main house in Palmetto Bluff, and her own personal home featuring an upside-down design of the living room upstairs with floating stairs.
• How Lisa fell in love so much with Palmetto Bluff that she came home and purchased a loft for her personal use.
• More about the original cottage that people loved so much that it led her to a carriage house, and then a main house.
• Fun fact: Lisa was a divorce lawyer before a designer and actually attended two colleges at once.
• Lisa describes her style as minimal with an emphasis and natural and simple. She enjoys using clean lines and nice materials that create a relaxed and welcoming feel.
• Why Lisa loves using woven pieces to give spaces an organic look.
• A glimpse into the process from when Lisa decides to work with a client to working with them on a large renovation, remodel, or building from the ground up.
• Some risks Lisa has taken recently in her own home and work, including some fun blue cabinets and an upside down home.
• What similarities and differences Lisa sees between working in Philadelphia and the South.
• While we do love some photos of your cute pets, we are all for editing and trimming out the unnecessary parts within a room.
• Tips for matching appliances, and how to use different shades of the same color with it still looking clean and cohesive.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Designs Ornaments

Lisa Furey

@lisafureyinteriors

Beautiful Kitchen and Baths

Palmetto Bluff

Marie Kondo

Sunset

Villanova

Harcum College

GE Cafe

Hartwell Sofa

Decorating Dilemma

Congrats on your place! Lisa would cover up the gray tile with as much rug as she could using natural fiber rugs. She recommends two, maybe an indoor / outdoor version to kid proof them, and if you are looking for more color you can put a prettier rug on top. A pendant light would bring the ceiling down, and make it feel a bit more comfortable and welcoming.

If you do the bar stools, one option would be to get the saddle ones without backs, so that you can tuck the stools under the table for easy storage.

Instead of a mirror above the fireplace, Lisa suggests a wreath or tobacco baskets with two candle sconces on either side. She would also have the layout of the space be: kitchen on one side, fireplace in the middle, and built in on the other side to elevate and bring in a sense of balance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrated Los Angeles Designer Madeline Stuart joins the show today. Madeline talks about her new book, No Place Like Home and a more inside look at some of the articles and photographs featured in the book. She also talks with us about the research that goes into a new project, her passion for both design and architecture, reinventing the wheel with each home, her love of vintage lighting, and the design elements she goes back to time and time again.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• The design process behind her Madeline’s new book, No Place Like Home, and why it’s a great read along with the beautiful photos.
• Madeline’s passion for incorporating difference influences to create a cohesive story in each home.
• Madeline’s collaborative process (sometimes!) when working with a client, in order to get them to feel that they have the space to really express their design desires.
• Why Madeline loves some good vintage lighting, and some impressive lighting stats on a few of the larger homes she has worked with.
• How Madeline also draws much of her design inspiration from the architecture and general form of the house to create a space that fits together.
• Even in the fanciest homes, furniture should be something that guests can sit, relax, and feel comfortable in.
• Examples of moments where Madeline scaled back the accessories and objects for a photoshoot, rather than try to stuff it with decor.
• What Madeline refers to as the “mosh pit approach” to decorating.
• What to do when your house style doesn’t match your decorating style.
• The wide range of Madeline’s projects including Hispano Moresque in La Jolla, Streamline Moderne in Los Angeles, and Spanish Revival in Santa Monica.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Madeline Stuart

Interiors

@madelinedstuart

No Place Like Home

Georgia O’Keefe

Elle Decor

Mabel Dodge Luhan

Decorating Dilemma

Madeline recommends hiring a professional, who you can work with on layout, proportion, scale and much more. Also, find examples of spaces that have a neutral background, and you can begin to get ideas on using items such as textured rugs and vintage finds to add value to a bland space. Just because you may not like the outside doesn’t mean you can’t create an inside that totally fits your style!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janie Molster, Interior Designer in the Richmond, Virginia area, is known for her fun and light-hearted designs, mixing the beautiful with the well-choreographed messy. She joins the show this week to talk about her love of pink, decorating for the holidays, and why we don’t always have to go with the traditional red and green. We also all talk about decorating with comfort in mind first, when twin beds may be the way to go and creating symmetry that is pleasing to the eye.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• More about Janie’s style, recently described as “pretty, happy, and layered.” To some, it may look like it’s done with abandon, but really it is choreographed with a ton of thought.
• The juxtaposition between the old and new in a home, and Janie’s suggestion that people mix and match objects they most love together even if it’s different style-wise.
• Janie’s top tree decorating tips including ribbon, colors, and not worrying about blending homemade with fancy.
• Janie’s love of pink since she was little, and ways we can create a Christmas-y feel without having to be tied to the traditional red and green.
• What a story about Disney cartoons with hairy arms has to do with design!
• New idea: Christmas trees that come with a remote?
• When twin beds and be engaging and pleasing, especially for people like Janie who do a lot of hosting.
• Why she loves pairs to create symmetry that is pleasing to the eye, and constantly recycling and swapping items from room to room.
• Janie explains her love of an upholstered headboard and gives some unique design thoughts on using them to spruce and liven up a room.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Janie Molster Designs

@JanieMolsterDesigns

House Beautiful

“In Defense of Twins”

Decorating Dilemma

If your budget allows, Janie loves your idea of wallpaper. She would not only wallpaper the walls, but the ceilings as well, wrapping front to back. A stripe or vertical pattern can be really fun, and you can run it up the eaves vertically and across on top to create a cabana tent effect. The funky trimmed doors are so fun and filled with personality, and they could be so fun to accent as well. Great job and we are very impressed by you! One final note: Janie also thought having a custom headboard made could be really cool to get the feel of an arched headboard.

__________________________________________________________________

If there is room on the other end of the sofa, a chair could go nicely there. Janie recommends creating two seating arrangements: one that is oriented to the TV and the other one under the windows. If you layered a room size rug and your current rug on top, it could hide a little of the asymmetry. If you are looking to fill up some wall space, more artwork or mirrors can look great — and only get a bookshelf if you are really needing space for more books! Our final thought is that adding some drapery could be great for adding some softness to the room.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start off by talking about holiday decorating with some tree talk and gift wrapping strategy. Then, we welcome the great Timothy Corrigan to talk about his chateau addiction, his signature style described as “comfortably elegant”, and his new book The New Elegance. Timothy believes our home is the place to bring out our best selves, elegance doesn’t always have to take a lot of effort to achieve, and there is nothing better than mixing styles and quality.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials on a broken Sunbrella storage ottoman, and triumphs on appreciating a beautiful fall day in a great home, toy organization, and a valance using Ballard hardware.
• What Timothy means when he says elegance is misunderstood, and how it can transcend any style.
• More about Timothy’s new book The New Elegance - a great read that shares the stories of homes in which he has defined a new contemporary elegance.
• Ways we can include classic design principles in our busy life.
• If you are comfortable in your home, everyone has a better experience. Research shows that when you like your environment, you are healthier.
• Why Timothy believes we don’t have to always trade-off beauty for comfort, and the liveability aspect of our design is so important to the overall experience.
• Timothy was working in advertising in New York then moved to Europe at the age of 30, and it opened up his eyes to the world of beauty and design.
• When Timothy became an auction addict, and why he views it as a great opportunity to learn and gain information on the history of pieces.
• Timothy’s love of chateaus and his detailing of how people live in them and update them to meet their modern needs in his book An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Luce.
• Design is about learning, exploring and then figuring out how to do it yourself to meet your scale and proportion.
• Tim explains why color very much shapes the way you experience a room.
• How to know what to respect the integrity of the home, yet also update the architecture to reflect the function and style of what you may need today.
• Surround yourself with things you love, and feel free to mix and match from colors, accessories, and furniture that speak to you.
• The primary types of symmetry, and how understanding them can help us design in a way that compliments and highlight proportion and space.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Timothy Corrigan Books

@timothycorrigan

Decorating Dilemma

Hello Denmark! The views outside your windows are so dreamy. To Tim, the biggest issue is starting to create some separation between the living and dining area. He would recommend a rug under the sofa and chairs in the living area, to ground it and make it feel more cozy and comfortable. Next, if you put a sofa table behind it with objects (or table lamps) to subtly divide space and open it up in an interesting way to make it feel even bigger. Also, some softening to the space will make it feel more inviting. As far as your dining space, a longer oval or rectangle table anchored horizontally could work very well.

-----------------------------------------------------

You can move the banquette back a foot up against one day, which would tremendously open the space up. This is a perfect example that we don’t have to be a slave to our home. We like the chairs you have, and think the combination as it is looks sweet and pretty. Window treatments are important to make you feel safe and protect your privacy, so go ahead and put some curtains in.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interior Designer Tammy Connor’s goal is to make hard work look easy and to focus on implementing more about what her clients really love vs. what’s in trend for the moment. Tammy joins the show this week to talk about her signature style of real, livable homes, how she ended up going from working in Alabama to Atlanta, and why rules really are meant to be broken when it comes to design. Tammy also talks about her projects including The Sword Gate House in Charleston, her Seaside Cottage, and Sewanee Cabin. You’ll also hear Tammy’s tricks of the trade to creating the perfect “man room”, and yes - it involves leather.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Tammy’s goal is to help her clients make their home look less perfect, and more like they just have great taste and have collected beloved pieces over time.
• Trends may come and go, but a believable color scheme and authentic use of a home will always stay in vogue.
• Tammy feels we must know the rules before we break them, and you can follow what you love rather than jumping on every latest trend.
• The advice Tammy would give to young entrepreneurs from opening up her own business at 25, and what she may do differently if she had a second chance.
• Tammy loves working with people on their first home, but by the time they get to their second or third, the wheels are already set in motion and they trust her vision much more.
• More about her first client, The Sword Gate House in Charleston, and how she landed the chance to work on this historically significant home.
• The differing approach Tammy had for projects such as a Central Park Apartment, her Showhouses, and the Historic Hunting Pavilion.
• Why it’s important to have a thread throughout rooms that both ties them together and gives our eyes a place to rest.
• Ways Tammy uses proportion and 3d to work with small and large spaces that can have challenging spacial issues.
• Neutral upholstery can serve to highlight other objects and put the focus on other things in the room.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Tammy Connor Interior Design

Historic Hunting Plantation

@tammyconnor

Sewanee Cabin

Decorating Dilemma

Two things you can do. You can keep the red brick and paint the rest of the trim to match the windows and doors. Or, if you wanted to do a whitewash on the brick and paint the trim green instead of blue. A good green is...wait for it... Charleston Green! We love what you have done so far, and you are really stepping up that ranch!  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we welcome Jennifer Nanni, owner of Rittenhouse Home in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Jennifer talks about how her hobby in design and a naturally great eye for spaces turned into a sought after business with critical acclaim in Luxury Interior Design. Jennifer talks about the kitchen being the hub and heart of a home, what trends she is seeing in kitchens and living rooms currently, and designing for aesthetic meeting the needs of form and function. Jennifer shares her personal design loves, what finishes and materials she is using heavily now, and how she manages to have a white living room sofa with five children.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials regarding some expensive drawer upgrades, and squirrels vs. a cutting garden.
• Triumphs of gaining a whole new wardrobe when you Marie Kondo it up, pleated shower curtains, and what cayenne pepper has to do with a successful bird feeder.
• Jennifer’s business started as a hobby and she was always a purveyor of beautiful things with an eye for design.
• Jennifer is Italian, and she feels the heart of every home is in the kitchen. She discusses what she loves about electronics in kitchens, and how they help us become better cooks.
• More about the use of gold finish in kitchens, and how it can go with our existing brass and metal.
• How we can glam up a kitchen using seating, hardware, lighting, and certain backsplashes.
• Ways we can carry the glam from our kitchen to a living room using subtle accents and shine.
• Not everything needs to be matchy-matchy, and Jennifer is a big proponent of integrating personal style instead of transient trends.
• What Jennifer’s personal kitchen looks like, and how she created it to function for her children ranging from 3 to 14 years old.
• The “magic” fabrics that have us not worrying too much about our rugs and sofas.
• Why rug pads in the nursery are a great idea.
• How Jennifer takes risks with her design, including creative closet solutions, tile, and colors.
• More about Jennifer’s showroom, and how it showcases how she can work in different mediums but still tie in a beautiful space together.
• What wattage is best for different lights, and what brightness we use in the bedroom.
• Walk-in showers are awesome, but we are still loving a tub in the home as well!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ikea Hackers

Renee’s Garden

Rittenhouse Home

Jennifer Nanni’s Instagram

Dacor

Victoria + Albert

Lauren Liess

Emily Henderson

Decorating Dilemma

We love how vibrant your teal is! Check out Benjamin Moore Classic or Nimbus Gray. They will be in the same color tone as your teal.

_________________

You can do one lamp on each nightstand, and a taller one on the dresser. Another option would be to get the remote so you can turn on all the lights as soon as you walk in. Add some surfaces in the room, and fill them with some lamps and light and you will be in a great position!  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we welcome best selling author of over 18 books, Susan Sully. She tells us all about Southern Hospitality At Home, her new book that details the inspiration behind the art of finding joy and generosity in hospitality. Susan talks about what surprised her most about the history of Southern homes and hospitality in her research for the book, the importance of a welcoming entrance hall, why the door was almost always open in the South and her go to tips for entertaining at home. We also talk about dining room etiquette including the rules on lighting candles, ways we can update tradition, and incorporating high/low into your entertaining.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials regarding a cool Ballard lamp, a Prosciutto haunted hand, and failed kitchen outlets.
• Triumphs of rediscovering the right way to use a fan, a killer centerpiece, and new dining table.
• Why Susan thinks that hospitality and comfort have remained so ingrained in Southern culture.
• Why old Southern houses work with the climate to encourage an environment of fun times and great parties.
• Why porches were arranged on the side in Charleston, and the difference between a porch, Side piazza, and gallery.
• No matter how big or small the entrance way in a home, do something to make it welcoming.
• The hilarious story of how cheese straws and the bald eagle are both a thing.
• Some of Susan’s must-haves for decorating including cloth napkins, beautiful place cards, comfortable chairs, things that gleam and glimmer, and how to get ahead of the game by setting the table the night before.
• The etiquette around lighting candles, and ways we can update tradition with boldly colored candlesticks and candle holders.
• What we need in our guest rooms to make our special visitors feel appreciated and welcomed.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Susan Sully books

Susan Sully

@susan.sully

Southern Hospitality At Home

Devon Lamps

Blair Bench

Mrs. Whaley’s Garden

University of Georgia

Erika Powell

Florida Water

The Charleston Silver Lady

Decorating Dilemma

Susan loves the idea of a wicker bar cart with you changing out flowers or greenery. She said a polypropylene runner to put along the front of your house, to soften up the floor and bring color. You can paint the bar cart a color to go with it. We love the idea of having that table next to your door, with plants on it to add some depth and color.

___________________________________________________________________

One of Susan’s mottos is “there is no problem that a good curtain can’t fix”, but here it can be dramatic and make it feel like a pavillion. Her advice is a very long curtain rod with two panels on either side all the way down the floor. Susan also throws out that two curtain rods with two panels on either side and treating them on individual windows may work really well too. We also throw in the idea of Roman shades, to help add softness.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interior Designer Jennie Seward began her career as a colorist and designer of fabric and wall coverings. Jennie shares how she managed to fall in love with surface design, and with the help of a few side hustles, worked her way up to opening her company Jennie Seward Interior Design. Jennie also talks about her love for color, her custom decoupage lamps and decorative accessories, and her passion for designing beautiful wall coverings and fabrics. We also talk about the importance of paying attention to the exterior when designing as well, what goes behind her “Traditional With a Twist” style, and where Jennie recommends we save vs. splurge.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials regarding a fractured tibia, mother in laws, and a lesson in entertaining with silver spoons and hot dishes.
• Triumphs about the Final Cut outlet, new sofas, and a power audit to help bring down the electricity bill. Also, a discovery about a cordless serving heating warming tray — thanks genius listener Sharon!
• Jennie describes her style as “Traditional with a Twist”, and loves working with a variety of clients and projects.
• Jennie was always either designing rooms or upgrading her fort as a child. She has a natural talent to take a space and bring it to a new level of beauty.
• Good things happen when you go above and beyond your job, and say “yes” to side hustles that move you further in your dream.
• Jennie works for her clients to create an interior that feels fresh but includes any important historical objects they are holding on to from their family.
• Jennie is a fan of wallpaper, and sees how it adds so much to freshen up a room.
• Where to splurge on beautiful fabrics such as wallpaper, and where to save, like seagrass and sisal rugs.
• Why Jennie recommends buying the ugliest house on the best block, and the importance of both interior and exterior for curb appeal.
• Great design is not about the price you pay, but rather the choices you make.
• As you are going through a project, always be open to make sure the next step is the right decision.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Final Cut

Cuisinart Warming Tray

Syracuse University

Schumacher Designs

Charlotte Moss

Hartwell Sofa

Duran

Jennie Seward

@jenniesewardco

Mathes sofa

Suzanne Kasler

Decorating Dilemma

You either need to paint or reupholster your sofa. We don’t know the size of the room, but we are thinking painting might be easier. Jennie is already on the hunt for a fabric that will pull it together, and check out some Ballard custom drapery. If you love your gray wall and don’t want to paint, consider a new sofa! If you don’t like your sofa, don’t waste any resources trying to match it until you can purchase one that you love!

_________________________________________________________________

Maybe a Person table would work, since it’s neutral we have a lot of options such as a marble top and chair with fabrics to help with the hard surfaces. A round table works best in a square room. Think of it as a conscious contrast rather than a near match to be intentionally different.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Betsey Mosby, interior designer and owner of Betsey Moby Interior Design, pairs the contemporary with the tried and true to create spaces that are traditional with a twist. We caught Betsey while she was in Atlanta on a new client project and talked with her about using pieces you already love and how she helps clients develop a space where they can live their life comfortably.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials regarding a hornet’s nest, a NYC apartment fire, and a not so hidden garbage can.
• Triumphs on some great Target Anniversary purchases, new living room love and nice looking melamine plates.
• Betsey works with clients to use what they already love, and to add new furniture and accessories that will stand the test of time.
• Betsey is all about helping clients develop a space where they can live comfortably in an environment that suits their particular lifestyle.
• Betsey took an unconventional path to design, but her background as a CPA helped her in the business and entrepreneurial side of things.
• Your best advertisement is your last client.
• When Betsey starts a room at a showhouse, it is her to her truest form.
• Why a good power wash can have performance furniture and rugs looking just like new.
• Embrace where you are at every stage of design.
• We can make our own rules when it comes to creating new places for guests to sit and be comfortable while entertaining.
• Hanging art on the headboard is a new way to make the space interesting.
• Monograms are a way to add a classy touch to soft goods such as towels and linens.
• Betsey’s use of lattice in a room to create a warm yet polished look.
• More about the Southern Idea Living Showhouse.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Betsey Mosby

John Derian

Vesper Martini Table

Pinterest

Sunbrella

Hatchimals

@betseymosby

Southern Living Idea House

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack of all trades, Eddie Ross is a stylist, author, editor, trained chef, decorator, and thrift store addict. We visited his production studio and event space Maximalist Studios to sit down with him and talk entertaining, his house renovation, and much more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:The historic renovation of Eddie’s Edgewood Hall, and how they brought it back to life. Eddie’s addiction to thrift stores, and how he stores all his precious finds in his prop house and photo studio.More about Eddie’s new book Modern Mix: Curating Personal Style with Chic & Accessible FindsA home should have a sense of things collected overtime to give the space a personal feel.How to know when to thrift, and when not to thrift. How Eddie made his Butler Pantry dreams come true and made the best use of a small space. What’s in his summer flower drawer, and what a berry spoon is. Some of Eddie’s seasonal tips to spruce things up and make things feel lighter in the summer and cozier in the winter. A behind the scenes look of shooting for House Beautiful, and how it gave Eddie time to really decorate the space and make sure everything felt authentic. People that are friends with designers — please still have us over! We promise not to judge, and just want to escape our home every now and then. What a celery vase is, and why it’s everything. Buffet etiquette including how to navigate the assembly line to maximize time and space. Why “inspiration” on social media can sometimes stress us out, and what to do about it. Some delicious dishes to serve for a party of 20 or fewer guests. Ice cream sandwich station, anyone? Eddie’s entertaining stock kit: cutting board, footed board, cake plate in two sizes, celery glass, low bowl, pitcher, ice bucket, ice scoop, and linen cocktail napkins. Wash and iron your cocktail napkins. You will take great pleasure in the steam. Mentioned In This Episode:

@eddieross

MaximalistStudios

HouseBeautiful | EdgewoodHall

Eddie RossModern Mix

Better Homes & Gardens

Bunny Williams

Herman Wendell

Angie Hranowsky

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Designer Barbara Balongue specializes in hospitality design — restaurants, bars, and boutique hotels. We loved chatting with her about the intricacies of restaurant design, how it impacts our dining experience, and everything those goes into building out a gorgeous venue. She blew our minds with all of the details we’ve never even thought about!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

The challenges with restaurant designWhy you can take a bigger risk in restaurant design than you might at homeWhy booths are great and why they’re great to use in residential spaces as wellThe science and psychology of restaurant designWe talk about restaurants that haven’t used designers and a client of Barbara’s who was blown away by how interior design changed his bottom lineNew trends in restaurant designHow Barbara chooses color in her projectsRestaurant noise — how to combat it and why its an after thoughtWhy people covet the ‘hotel feel’ when they’re designing their own homesBathroom lighting and everything you need in your guest room

WilliamMcClure

@balonguedesign

BalongueDesign

TheWhiteDogCafe

Schumacher

Autograph

RestaurantImpossible

Sunbrella

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Haven Duddy is the founder of Main Line Haven and works with her team to do it all - from buying and selling, construction and renovation, to staging and interior design. She joins the show this week to talk about why it’s totally okay to embrace your style changing, how she came to start a business that offers a full-service experience in the real estate and design world, and simple things that make big changes in design and renovation.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Haven’s husband worked in construction, and they combined forces to create Main Live Haven, helping people through whatever process they are in. When someone employes Haven to buy or sell real estate, they also get 4 hours of professional interior design service. Philadelphia has a more traditional housing style, and many of Haven’s clients will make changes throughout the years to reflect a more modern and present look. What you love today, you may not love in 10 years. Your style will change, so embrace it! What people get hung up on that they shouldn’t, and simple things that make big changes such as new lighting, updated toilets, glazing tile, and painting cabinets. Living in the house may give you a great idea of the functional way you want to design it. Common mistakes people make when they are renovating a home or looking to design it from scratch. The gals varied thoughts on open floor plans and the trends Haven is seeing with her clients. When you are selling your home, less is more, so get ready for some garage sales! The weirdest thing Haven has seen in someone’s house. The staging of science and general rules we should keep in mind when getting the most for our home. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly Barr is an Interior Designer in the Philadelphia area and is known for her youthful, put-together style. We talk about her love for antiques, not having strict rules, and how we can mix patterns and pieces in a way that brings a modern, fresh look to the traditional. We also get into some pillow talk, where in design you can have fun, and how it’s possible to design family friendly yet elegant spaces.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Kimberly’s inspiration behind mixing the traditional with a twist of elegant and modern. More about Kimberly’s company, Kimberly Barr Interior Design, and how she tends to work with clients from the beginning until completion. Kimberly’s love of working in Philadelphia because it allows her to bring a current feel to old stone homes and mill work within traditional homes. Ways we can mix fabrics without being over the top. Some good rules of thumb for mixing things that may not go together. How many pillows on a sofa is too many, and how to best store pillows instead of just throwing them on the ground! Kimberly may keep her master bedroom all white, but also knows how to design for families, knowing that a space needs to be livable and kid friendly. What a triple pleat is, and why it adds a crisp sophistication to drapery. The price range for working in custom fabrics, and how to know if it’s the right choice for you. When wallpaper is appropriate, and if Kimberly thinks the trend is here to stay. Art and sconces are great opportunities to have some fun and mix it up in a traditional home. Kimberly’s grandma owned an antique store, so her childhood was spent oohing and ahhing over the best antiques. Every situation is different, if you have rules you may be missing an opportunity. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naomi Stein of Design Manifest joins the show this week to share how working with her contractor father gave her an eye for design and a purpose to help others make their lives more functional. We talk about making a room light, bright and comfortable, the big mistakes we tend to overlook in kitchen design, and hacks for small spaces. She also talks about finding that middle balance between your dream and your budget, and things people should look out for when working with an interior designer.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Naomi worked with her father for 12 years which helped her knowledge of working in high-end homes, and honed her skills for taking her clients to the next level. Common mistakes we tend to make including layout, form, and functionWhat Naomi doesn’t want to see in a kitchen, and what appliances she thinks is okayIdeas for storing trash bins in a sleek yet recognizable space, and ideas for housing composting and recycling containers inside a kitchen. Naomi’s best hacks using Ikea cubbies, and what she learned from renovating her own small space, or “twin” as they call it in Philadelphia. A large part of Naomi’s success is the fact that she is very aware with both the artistic vision of a project, along with the realistic overview about budget and what it will take to get it practically aligned. What works when mixing finishes in a kitchenWhere it’s easiest to take risks in the kitchen, and personal examples Naomi has worked with either in her professional life or in her own personal renovations. What to do with outlets! Do we color them, do we have USB outlets, lamps with USB options, etc!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Trim Queen" Jana Phipps stops by the show to tell us all about trims, fringes, tapes, and everything embellishments. She a world-renowned expert and advocate for embellishments and we talk about everything you want to know about the history of trims, how it's changed in the last few decades, how to use them, and how Jana became an expert in the topic. It's a fun conversation you won't want to miss!

What You'll Hear on The Show:

-Jana's background in trim and how she got her nickname 'the Trim Queen'

-How we should be using trims in our homes and why they're so valuable

-A little history of embellishments and where in the world they're made now

-Her Venice experiential tour that's she planning

-How designing trims differs from designing a fabric

-We talk about trends in the trim world

-Exciting collaborations happening in the world

-How to get the most bang for your buck with a trim

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flower Magazine editor Margot Shaw is back to talk about her new book Living Floral, why we should all be using our 'good stuff,' how to entertain graciously at home, and much more.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE:

-Margot tells us a little bit about her background

-We talk about her new book Living Floral and why she wrote it

-Why Margot finds the people behind the work so interesting

-How the Flower Magazine readership and mission has grown (organically!)

-We talk entertaining and everything you should know about it

-Flower's mission is to help people live graciously at home indoors and out

-Margot's passion is about inspiring the next generation

-Why you're never to young to start entertaining and learning to host a party

-Why you should use your 'good stuff'

-Mixing high and low pieces on your table and why it makes for a more beautiful table

-Margot tells us a story about entertaining for celebrated designer Charlotte Moss and why she was so nervous about her table and flower arrangement

-Why you shouldn't be intimidated to host your friends

-What is 'tole' and why does Margot love it

-Margot's go-to arrangements

-Why simple can be just as beautiful as an elaborate arrangement

-Margot tells us about what's trending in the world of floral design

-Why setting a beautiful table shows your guests that you care

-We discuss the merits of placecards and why planning your seating is important

SHOW NOTES:

- What we used for our terrariums: Berakna vase, river rocks, pink quartz rock,  jade pebbles

- Dutch Flower Line

- Cut Flower Wholesale

- Living Floral by Rizzoli

- B Brooks Fine Flower

- Flower Magazine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Designer Amanda Lindroth joined us all the way from the Bahamas to chat with us about her home collection, book, her interior design work, and all of the joys (and difficulties) of decorating homes in your favorite vacation spots. We even talk about the Dunmore Hotel where she used our upholstery pieces. You'll be shocked to hear all that goes into maintaining this beautiful property!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials of towels hanging on display where they don’t need to be, soapy stoves, crazy sinks and backordered rugs.

• Triumphs over a beautiful blue outdoor rug, sink and special chair finds.

• Amanda would have been a designer sooner if she knew that was a viable option!

• Amanda grew up living in a house with perfect mathematical scale, and that taught her about proportion right off the bat.

• What it was like for Amanda to grow up in South Florida in the 1970’s, and how it influenced her design now in the Bahamas.

• What people look for when decorating on an island home and resort. Warning — this will make you want to go on vacation ASAP!

• Amanada was intentional with learning about color, and studied it in a serious and motivated fashion.

• Why Amanda loves a pink wall, and it can be a neutral to go with everything.

• Why decorating for people’s second and third homes can often be easier, but they still may get sticker shock when it comes to tax and duties of the island!

• How Amanda navigates doing business in so many locations, and having a team all over the world.

• Setting a tone for using timeless antiques with a modern and contemporary touch.

• The places to spend money and really invest in great quality pieces, and what areas we can super glue it all together.

• Amanda’s thrift shop mentality suites life in the Bahamas well, and it’s not easy to replace things so she pays attention to every single thing she brings in and how she can reuse and recycle.

• Amanda’s book, Island Hopping, that takes us everywhere from Antigua to Cranberry Island.

• What we can expect next from the Amanda Lindroth product line, including lighting in early 2010.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Susan Jamieson, award-winning interior designer out of Richmond, VA, joins the show to talk about her brand Bridget Beari, her new line of wallpapers, and how her Southern upbringing gave her a foundation for the warm and imaginative style we see today. Susan also talks about the importance of knowing the mood you are trying to create, why we shouldn’t be afraid to use different whites, and her effective and practical steps of mixing patterns together.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Trials of a $600+ power bill, boxwood hedge trimmers, and a broken dishwasher.

Triumphs of outsourcing yard work, an outdoor bench, and dish towel upgrades.

How Susan’s business Bridget Beari has expanded from design to home furnishings to paint and wallpaper.

Wallpaper is having a major moment, and Susan gives her thoughts on why it’s here to stay and not something to be afraid of.

Susan’s line takes the guesswork of picking the right color for the client’s specific design and needs.

Susan loves pushing boundaries and making each project unique to the client based on their taste and the architecture.

How growing up in the south affected her taste and gave her a foundation of working in a Southern style with warmth and hospitality.

How to use texture and contrast when working without color, and why it’s okay to not match whites.

Why neutrals can sometimes be harder to work with than color, and the three main things to think about before you should even pick the color.

The importance of identifying the mood one is trying to create when picking a direction for fabrics, textures, and colors of a room.

Mentioned In This Episode

 Harringdons

Alys Beach

Bridget Beari

Bridget Beari Colors

Susan Jamieson

@bridgetbeari

Ballard Designs

Decorating Dilemmas:

Susan thinks a round entry foyer is amazing, and she would put a round rug and a beautiful lacquered table in the middle with an even larger statement chandelier. She also suggests making it even more Spanish, and adding some jewel box color with crisp white trim to give it even more umph.

Susan would start with balancing the light on both levels, including a lamplight and light in the foyer. She would add a surface fixture outside the front door and maybe a pair of lamps depending on your mood. We love the idea of several fixtures that are grouped together.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whitney McGregor, interior Designer based in South Carolina, joins the show today. Whitney’s home was recently featured in Southern Living, and talks about her traditional yet playful and welcoming style. She explains what she means when she tells her clients to “listen to the house”, her inspiration of combining clean with beautiful and traditional, and the importance of being transparent about your budget when working with a designer.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Triumphs on grass cloth wallpaper, dorm shopping, and a great anniversary copper wine cooler and pillowTrials about a dilemma on dead grass and hydrangea placement, and the same anniversary shaggy pink pillowWhen you go bold, go with a color you know you like.The special art of picking out gifts for people, and if you should go on or off the list.How Whitney incorporates fun and fresh beauty steeped in the traditional.Whitney is a self taught decorator, and has been designing for fun since she was only 4 years old.The mistakes Whitney gave herself permission to make when decorating her own home, and the lessons she learned from them.More about her new home, and how the flow and light caught the attention of Whitney and her husband.Why Whitney is a proponent of living in a house before making any major changes to it.Whitney doesn’t care if art matches, it’s all about how it makes herself and her clients feel and the emotion it stirs in them.The difference between splurging and investing, and why it’s important to be transparent about your budget.Mentioned In This Episode

Wallpaper PlusSilver Comet TrailWhitney McGregor@whitneymcgregorSouthern LivingJohn Stefanidis Bobby McAlpineDavid HicksBilly BaldwinAngie HranowskyNashville Rug Gallery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a pretty exciting episode today. When brainstorming how to celebrate our 100th episode, we wanted to talk about everything we've learned and all of the best tidbits our guests have shared with us. We hope you'll enjoy it!

• How and why we started the show
• Who we’d want to hire as our interior designers
• Gil Schafer talked about thinking of your outdoor spaces as rooms
• The best color temperature for your light bulbs
• Dimmers are our best friends!
• Susan Ferrier’s advice about strengthening a view by placing furniture in front of it and why she loves banquettes and mixing dining chairs
• Nancy Braithwaite‘s concept about a power statement
• Pappas Miron talking about how your exterior spaces should influence your interior spaces
• Brian McCarthy’s talk about collage boards and how they can help you envision where items will work together
• Rachel Cannon’s design manta “haste makes waste” 
• Why a floor plan will tell you what you need
• Recurring themes — designing around the life you live
• Meg Braff’s talking about mixing fabrics and how repetition makes it intentional
• Liz Bauer’s talk about mixing whites and why you shouldn’t worry about it so much
• Amy Vermillion’s tip about testing paint color by using a board and folding it to see the shadows
• Ashley Whittaker’s strategy for finding a common thread for color as you go throughout your room
• Collections and why you should display them all together versus scattering them around the house
• Bill Peace’s thoughts on collections and why they’re important to creating a home that feels personal
• Keith Arnold’s pyramid tip for styling
• 4 Things that every room needs according to photo stylist Stacy Kunstel

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angie Hranowsky has been named one of the “20 Designers to Watch” by Traditional Home, included in Southern Living’s “Top Five Fastemakers” and featured in House Beautiful amongst many others. Based in Charleston, Angie's style combines modern, vintage, chic and colorful all to highlight the taste of lifestyle of her clients. She joins the show today to talk about finding the confidence to take risks, gives us a peek into her favorite projects, and shares a few of her favorite resources for buying vintage and antique.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Triumphs about awesome birthday gifts including new lamps, giant watercolor paper rolls, and mid-century modern sculptures.

Trials regarding kitchen shelves, very expensive power bills, and a nightmare situation with Taryn’s little boy.

Angie’s background, and how she got into design and started her own business in Charleston.

The Coastal Living Idea House, and how Angie went into it with the intention of making it look like a real project rather than just an idea.

Why Angie gravitates towards using colors, especially purple, yellow, and turquoise.

A few of Angie’s tips to get homes to feel beachy and coastal, without being too obvious in design.

Angie loves to mix all sorts of styles and textures, and has been incorporating modern, vintage and found pieces for years..

How Angie made the best of economically challenging times, and some of her personal budget friendly tips for making the home look beautiful.

How Angie ended up working with Darius Rucker and his wife, and the great time they had creating something original and chic while transforming their newly built home.

Your house can be more about the art and the objects, doesn’t have to be all about color.

Angie’s theory on threading color similar value and tone throughout the house.

Angie’s new project of a kitchen house, and how it might be the most colorful project she has done yet.

Angie’s unusual use of light fixtures, and why she tends to use vintage lamps to support originality in the homes.

Why it’s important to treat your furniture, to kid, pet and spill proof your home.

How to get a proper foyer, and why a package drop off room may be a thing in our near future.

Mentioned In This Episode

 ARCHES  Watercolor  Paper

The Little Tart Bakeshop

Lamp Arts

City Issue

Coastal Living Idea House

Angie Hranowsky

House Beautiful

1st Dibs

Matthew Quinn

@angiehranowsky

Pic of Drapery next to fireplace - HTD will put in

Decorating Dilemmas:

Angie has had the same scenario before, and looks like there is plenty of room on either side of the fireplace. (We think!) If there indeed is, drapes would cozy up the room and add warmth to the space. Bamboo blinds would work, if they are mounted up high behind the rod with an outside mount. The other option besides panels on either side of the fireplace is doing drapes on the long wall, and using custom Roman shades using the same fabric. If the space between the drapery and the fireplace is too close, you may have to do the Roman shades to match the style of the drapes.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've gotten lots of emails about having Matthew Quinn and Ric Parrish on the podcast to talk about kitchens! They're the tour de force behind Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath, the premiere kitchen and design studio in Atlanta. They've worked with all of your favorite designers and most likely designed many of the dream kitchens you've all ogled. We know we certainly have. We ask all your burning questions and answer your kitchen conundrums.

What You'll Hear on This Episode

We talk about how Matthew got into kitchen and bath designHow and why he likes to design spaces with a unique look for each kitchen versus anything formuliacHow a client's closet might inspire his kitchen designPopular finishes, colors, and materialsWhy he prefers paneled appliances over exposed stainless onesHis must-haves for a great kitchenWhy it's important to learn everything he can about how a client cooks, entertains, and what kind of kitchen items they haveSo much more!Show Notes:

Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath StudioMatthew Quinn CollectionMatthew and Ric's Atlanta penthouseMatthew and Ric's lake houseMatthew's Top 25 Kitchen TipsHouse Beautiful's 2016 Kitchen of the Year designed by Matthew

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Since recording this episode, Ryan McKelvey has been promoted to President of Cornerstone brands. Karen Mooney is the current president of Ballard Designs.*

Recording from Karen’s cozy and mythical basement, former President of Ballard Designs Ryan McKelvey joins the show. Ryan talks about what it is like to be the fearless leader at Ballard, and how he got here on his own career path. He discusses moments that made him grow professionally, gives us a glimpse into his own home designs, and shares what we can look forward to next at Ballard.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• More about Ryan’s start at L.L. Bean as a Manager in Product Development, and how he got to be the President of Ballard Designs.
• Ryan has been working at Ballard for 19 years, and he has learned so much. He shares what is so special about the Ballard team, and his love for working with manufacturers to make the best products they can stand behind.
• Ryan is a finance guy that can also plug into his creative side, and he loves both.
• What Ryan means when he says he loves solving people’s issues with a sense of style.
• The design concepts that Ryan uses in his own homes to get a traditional yet eclectic look, using almost 90% of Ballard items (and where that other 10% comes from).
• How they built their home from the ground up and used scale drawings, a great builder and team, and a lot of research to do it correctly.
• What life at a river cabin is really like, and the funny story of how Ryan created his electrical plan on the fly.
• Our expert tips on how not to go completely crazy during a time of home building/renovation!
• What Ryan learned about honesty and transparency when it comes to customer service, and examples where they also learned from their mistakes.
• The next Ballard product that Ryan personally is excited about.
• Why Ballard waits until a product is really ready to go to market rather than forcing or rushing something.
• 
  

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Ryan McKelvey LinkedIn
• L.L. Bean
• Rebecca McKelvey
• Amy Vermillion
• Ryland Table
• Ballard Designs

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Ledbetter is both an architect and interior designer with a love for combining traditional details with chic Modernism. He joins the show to talk about his book The Art of Place, and the projects in which he helps the client get their dream vision that is both unique and comfortable for their life. Lee also discusses how his homes stay rooted in the deep history of New Orleans, yet create a win-win for function and livability. He also shares his love of smaller homes, why we should embrace the color chartreuse, and the top three things to hit up next time you are in New Orleans.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Triumphs about homemade essential oil cleaners, black fences, and Ballard clearance shopping spree.

Trials regarding carport mishaps, dead grass, and formal yet kid proof dining rooms.

Lee’s inspiration behind his book The Art of Place, and how this book showcases his ability to incorporate the historic with the modern and chic.

Lee’s background in both interior design and architecture, and why he himself loves working with both other decorators and landscape architectures.

How the furniture sketches in Lee’s initial plans serve to get an idea of how the room will best work and function.

That there is no wrong or right when it comes to what goes in the room, and it’s most important that the room serves its purpose for how the individuals live and entertain.

Lee’s renovations and adaptations of historic New Orleans homes, and how he blends contemporary design mixed with the reverence to the original structure.

The English Cottage kitchen of his brother and sister in law that Karen is very jealous of! Why the room feels more like a sitting room than a kitchen.

Some interesting facts about his modern home making it to the first on a New Orleans Historic Home list, and what exactly it is about New Orleans that Lee loves so much.

How he organizes his library.

It’s okay to downgrade if you don’t have a need for more rooms. Lee only has one room in his own dream home!

His take on open spaces, and why there is a luxury to height, volume, and open lighting.

Advice for someone building a home from the ground up.

Mentioned In This Episode

All Purpose Cleaner

Ashley Whittaker Leather Dining Chairs

Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans

 Galerie

Nathaniel Buster Curtis

Robert A.M. Stern Architects

The Frick Collection

Decorating Dilemmas:

You don’t have to do a floor lamp, instead, Lee would try to find a tall round table like an English Reproduction Antique. If your budget allows for pattern drapery, a printed one would add some height to the room, but it is not a necessity right away. Adding a pair of vertical prints on each side would reinforce the window. The view outside the window is so green and pretty, that using color to unite the spaces would look beautiful. Chartreuse is one that plays great with your existing neutral palette.

Please do send us some “after” photos, we can never get enough!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We cover so much today with our guest, interior designer Matthew Carter, that it's an episode you don't want to miss! From brown furniture to bookshelves to investing in great pieces and so much more, Matthew offers us down-to-earth advice about decorating your home and how the laidback horse farms of Kentucky inform his style.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Why a collected and beautiful house feels more evolved than everything matchingMatthew's design process which starts with fabrics and furniture layoutMatthew's background and how it has evolved Why it’s okay to mix and match colors, finishes and fabrics.How to break up a room seamlessly, and why hosting a party can help you plan your furniture layoutGreat ways to bring down the formality and humanize the room using a formulas for curtains, sofas and rugsBuilt ins are a great way to add architecture to a space — just make sure you have books!Painted chairs are always beautiful and a new coat of paint is a great way to freshen up a roomEvery room needs a mix of high and low, and Matthew reminds us we can’t be too intimidated by decorating in generalIf you have to move a pillow to sit down — it’s flat out wrong!Matthew’s take on curtain lengthMentioned In This Episode

Matthew Carter Interiors

@matthewcarterinteriors

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nashville designer Tori Alexander sits down with us to talk about taking risks with paint, her $59,000 dining table (that she bought for $1000), green as her secret weapon, and much more!

What You'll Hear on the Show:

Her background and how she started her business in California when a neighbor asked for her helpShe tells us a story about a dining table she bought off CraigslitWhy it's important to invest in upholstery but to find deals and one of a kind pieces on CraigslistMEASUREFind one place to start and work from thereWhy Tori loves Ballard but why she never shies away from mixing high and lowWhy you should consider the energy of your home before choosing the design"The magic happen just beyond the point of comfort"Why Tori loves green and blueWhy you shouldn't necessarily consider art when decorating your roomWe talk about scale for that dreaded empty space over the back of the sofaSome of Tori's favorite affordable sources for artWhy window treatments can help you solve issues like window placement and scale

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices