How To Decorate

On the show today we have father and daughter design duo Barry and Amanda Lantz of Lantz Collective in Carmel, Indiana. We talk about Barry's art collection, why art is the perfect starting place for color, their new fabric collection with Kravet, and how their aesthetics differ. What You'll Hear on the Show: The unique paths they both took to interior design Why color is the perfect starting place for your home's palette How to use color and contrast to create drama in your room Why it's important to struggle in the design process (or any creative process) Symmetry and asymmetry and why your room needs a little of both How their new fabric collection came about Show Notes: Farrow & Ball's Sulking Room Pink Follow Me Art Brie Channel Bed Suzanne Kasler Mathes Sofa Barry's Serena Fabric Find all of the show notes at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

Today’s guest is acclaimed interior designer and photographer Matthew Patrick Smyth. He has been on ELLE Décor’s “A” List, his work has been featured in House Beautiful, Traditional Home, New York Magazine and more. He also wrote a new book “Through a Designer’s Eye: A Focus on Interiors”. We talk about his polished yet comfortable spaces, his love of artisanal pieces and antiques, his attention to detail and light, and some touching personal stories. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Trials & Triumphs about feeling at home in a temporary rental, a pregnancy announcement (!), COVID within the family, tearing down and rebuilding a house, a nightmare new build next door, considering new drapery, and dishwasher woes. Matthew explains how his process begins — starting with the floorplan. Where Matthew finds his artisanal pieces and what he loves about them. Matthew’s love of antiques led him to interior design and carries into all elements of his style. How Matthew’s experience as a photographer impacts hi

Welcome back to Part 2 of “Picking Paint Colors” with interior designer Fran Keenan. If you missed Part 1, take a listen to episode 178. Today we talk all about exterior paint colors as well as a word we used a lot in Part 1—nuance! We also cover more of your FAQ’s all about paint including at what point in the design process to decide upon your paint color, how to make sure your bold wall doesn’t look cheap, and some expert tips in choosing specific paint brands and colors. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Why picking an exterior paint color is a much bigger decision than interior Should you paint brick? How to choose front door colors Tips for choosing specific paint brands and colors What Fran loves about Farrow & Ball paints Fran breaks down her favorites within paint decks in several different brands Why paint should be the very last thing in your design What should trim color for white walls be? Can the front and back of interior doors be painted different colors? Should outlet covers be pain

More than any other topic, we're constantly getting questions about paint -- how to pick it the right one? What are the best colors? Which finish to use? We're answering all of your questions with today's guest, interior designer Fran Keenan. We're big fans of Fran's work, and she was a guest on episode 83. She's always picking bold, saturated color in her design work, so we thought she'd be the perfect designer to chat with us about one of the trickiest elements of design, paint. In Part 1 of this two part series, we're talking about picking colors. What You'll Hear on This Episode: We talk about why paint she be the last thing you choose in a room Questions you should ask before you pick paint colors like, what is the narrative? Paint is the easiest thing to change Light is a huge factor in how your paint and your furnishings will appear in your room Picking paint when you have a new build Testing samples, how many to test and where to test them Why paint should be the answer to questions about the t

Our guest today has been in the antique business for over 30 years. Debbie Mathews owns Nashville-based antique shop, Debbie Mathews Antiques and Design, and also created an interior design portion of the business in 2012. We talk all about Debbie’s love of antiques, why people shouldn’t be afraid to purchase them, and the best pieces to look for. Plus, Debbie weighs in on some Decorating Dilemmas about accent walls and mixing silver and gold! What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How Debbie got started in antiques and design in childhood and how it evolved. Why Debbie thinks people shouldn’t be “afraid” of antiques and how every room should have one. Tips for falling in love again with pieces you’ve had for a long time. Why Debbie is always on the hunt for a writing desk both for her shop and her clients. Debbie’s love of a Louis Philippe chest and mirrors. Which professionals to look for when restoring antiques. How to know when to leave an antique “as is”. Tips for feeling comfortable when buying an

Our guest this week, Beth Kushnick, has decorated sets from some of your favorite films and TV shows including The Good Wife, Jumanji, and Anchorman 2 just to name a few. She joins the show to share what exactly a Set Decorator does, and how she started as an art lover in New York to compose visuals for the top sets in the entertainment industry. Beth also geeks out with us about lighting, picking the perfect colors, and her biggest pet peeve in set decoration. Beth also is the host of the podcast, Decorating the Set: From Hollywood To Your Home. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: The difference between decorating for a TV series versus in movies. How Beth started in theater with design and painting and got led to set design for movies and television. Why you should be on the lookout for the little “easter eggs” in movies and TV, a clever gift from the crew! How Beth designs perfectly for each character and makes the sets seem realistic to their personality. Why you won’t see black drywall screws anywhere

Our guest today is known as the queen of print. Cath Kidston has a background in interior design and styling and started the brand, Cath Kidston, known for their vintage inspired prints and homewares. In 2017, Cath stepped down to start Joy of Print; a creative design studio that specializes in designing prints for interior design and fashion. She is also the author of A Place Called Home. We talk about joining the new and the old, the sentimental with the modern, and finding calm in color and patterns. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: While growing up in England, Cath started designing at an early age, studied fashion and design, then opened her own shop which grew into the Cath Kidston brand. Cath’s book reflects how all of us should think when moving into a new home, mixing some sentimental with modern elements. Cath’s goal in her home is to make it feel warm and relaxed; she loves using plants and flowers. How Cath is able to make strong colors work together without feeling too chaotic. Cath’s hus

Today’s episode features the multi-talented Alyssa Rosenheck. Alyssa is a renowned interior and architectural photographer, stylist, a cancer survivor, a lifestyle expert, and best-selling author of The New Southern Style. Alyssa shares her inspiring background and life pivots, and she encourages us all to tap into our creativity; whatever that means for us. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Alyssa’s story; including growing up as one of the only Jewish families in OK, life pivots, cancer, and staying YES to herself. Alyssa left high stress corporate jobs and started helping build small businesses about 7 years ago. What is “The New Southern” movement and where was Alyssa when she came up with it? Alyssa describes what her new book The New Southern Style is; not just a picture book! Why rituals are so important and what some of our favorites are. What “living in the light” means to Alyssa. Alyssa shares some tips on how to counteract burnout with creativity. The different ways you can define “creativi

Our guest this week is the founder of Los Angeles-based design firm JDP Interiors, Joyce Downing Pickens. She is the primary designer, and her work has been featured in the LA Times, Elle Décor, domino, and many more. We talk about her effortless design which features a California style mixed with a rustic English cottage look. Joyce gives us tips on bookcases and built-in stylings and other ways to make your space unique. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Trials & Triumphs about over power washing a deck, hurricane debris, packing for a move and 4 days without power. Joyce has a varied style that is often a meld of her aesthetic mixed with her clients’ desires. How Joyce describes the California style; laid back, rustic textures, linens, etc. Joyce leans towards using a cream or a richer white rather than pure white to add depth. Joyce has a quirky loft in her home that she managed to turn into a cozy lounge/sleeping space. Ways to make a builder's home seem unique like trims, furniture and collectibl

This week our guest is Los Angeles-based interior designer Stefani Stein. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Conde Nast House & Garden, Elle Decor, HGTV, House Beautiful, House & Home, and more. She was also named one of California Home + Design's 'Rising Stars' and has recently launched luxury wallpaper brand, August Abode. We talk about Stefani’s relaxed yet refined style, how California lifestyle affects her design, her love for an earthy palette and embracing imperfections. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Trials & Triumphs about eroding light fixtures, basement updates, lighting trials and triumphs, budget solutions on flooring, storing gift wrap, falling branches, broken fountains, plants, bushes and trees…oh my! Regardless of the style, Stefani doesn't like clutter. She appreciates the negative space; as in having mindful or selective emptiness and leaving breathing room around items. Stefani took a risk and left her first, successful career to go to school for design. How to mak

Our guest this episode is NYC-based architect Damian Samora. Damian studied at the University of Notre Dame and began his career in London before moving to New York and joining the esteemed architectural firm, Ferguson & Shamamian. Ferguson & Shamamian is on the AD100 and has been featured in all of the top design magazines. Damian has designed everything from rustic mountain retreats to historic apartment buildings to large family homes. We discuss why Damian and his firm always work in tandem with an interior designer, the challenges of working within the confines of NYC apartment structures, what to look for when hiring an architect and more. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Ferguson & Shamamian have a deep-rooted philosophy in designing spaces with interior design at the forefront. NYC apartments are often limited in their structural changes. How Damian and his team confront those challenges to achieve the client’s vision. How Damian works with an interior designer to face challenges like finding sour

This is the last day of our Nashville Week! Our guest this episode has many layers. Ray Booth is a designer, architect, bestselling author of Evocative Interiors, partner at McALPINE Design and this year launches his inaugural furniture collection with Hickory Chair and his first accessory and lighting collection with Arteriors. We talk to him about the design of his multiple homes including a home that rose from the ashes; Travelers Ridge. We ask him about decorating the mundane spaces, his love of light and drapery, and how to know when we have overfilled a room. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How Ray got his start with McALPINE and his journey from Alabama to NYC and back again. The backstory on Ray’s grand hilltop home, Travelers Ridge, in Nashville. He literally built the home from the ground up on the land of charred ruins. Ray shares how he makes use of the outdoor space using terraces and how he makes a 5200 sq ft home feel intimate using layers, texture, proportion, and scale. Ray likes to thi

We are on Day 4 of Nashville Week! This episode we are thrilled to be joined by another Nashville-based designer, Rachel Halvorson, of Rachel Halvorson Designs. Rachel found big success at a young age gracing the cover of Garden & Gun and she’s also been featured in LUX, Traditional Home, Southern Living and Better Homes & Gardens. Her work is incredibly varied; from farmhouse to contemporary to mid-century modern (MCM). We talk about how her approach is unique across every project, yet she manages to keep a clean style. We also talk about her go-to elements, her love of lighting, and the highly controversial “bookcase bathtub” that we mentioned in our last episode with Stephanie Sabbe. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Rachel found herself on the cover of Garden & Gun for her custom-designed porch swings. How Rachel makes a farmhouse, a very popular Nashville look, feel more authentic and elegant. Don’t rush the process! Designing your home is a journey. Rachel shares her approach to designing her own spa

This episode comes to you from Day 3 of Nashville Week! Our guest is Nashville-based interior designer and nonprofit art gallery owner Julie Couch. Her work has been featured in Country Living, Southern Home, domino and she was named one of Traditional Home’s Rising Stars. She was also on DIY Network’s Nashville Flipped. This busy lady sits down with us to talk about her many projects, her love of performance fabrics and textiles, staying accessible and how to jazz up the popular all-white look. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Julie’s doesn’t have a particular style, but she likes to pull her client’s requests through her own filter. She particularly likes performance fabrics. Julie likes the motto, “If you feel like you have to impress somebody at your house, then you don’t need to invite them over.” And that design is evident in designing her own home. Having kids in the house doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things; Julie didn’t alter her home much when her daughter was born. Life is short—make your h

Today’s episode comes to you from Nashville Week! We sit down with Stephanie Sabbe of Sabbe Interior Design. She started her career working in commercial and restaurant spaces and has transitioned to residential clients in her hometown of Nashville. We talk with Stephanie about how cozy her spaces make us feel, her love of traditional artwork, her favorite color palette and developing a flow to a room that feels personalized yet elevated! What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Stephanie specializes in cozy and comforting spaces. She approaches design from a livable way and often works with families. How Stephanie pairs her unique curation of traditional artwork with fresh colors and clean lines to create a more modern look. Stephanie tries to evoke motion as you move throughout a house; she wants a flow but for each room to feel like it’s a different space. If there is a space in your house you aren’t using, you need to design it better. Designing with kids in mind requires a great deal of practicality and th

In this week’s episode, we sit down with interior design expert Laura Thurman of Thurman Design Studio based in Nashville, Tennessee. We chat about how to handle bold, fall colors as well as having pieces of furniture in your living space that create a splash. We also discuss how to balance decor pieces that you may have picked up from different parts of the world with decor pieces that you already have. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Laura’s take on the “modern” style and what it means to her. How important it is to educate clients on the design process, because most of the time, inspiration comes from education. How to not be afraid of bold, non-traditionally neutral colors and how to incorporate them into your fall decor. How Laura takes an outdated house and gives it a much more modern approach without tons of major renovations. How to utilize gallery walls in your space, and what goes into creating a good one! How your personality and interests should shine through when it comes to the design o

Our special guests this week are renowned architect Peter Pennoyerand the Director of Interior Design of Peter Pennoyer Architects (PPA), Alice Engel. Their work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, Veranda, Town & Country, and many more. We discuss their love of details and high craftsmanship; especially when they serve a function. We also hear about common mistakes they see from clients, favorite projects and what it’s like to have nearly 10,000 books! What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How to balance designing for the particular needs of a family while also designing a space that will last for decades or more. Craftsmanship is the key to longevity. Ornaments personalize a house and Peter believes it joins art with architecture. Alice and Peter both find delight in small design details that improve functionality. PPA’s approach is to work early in the process with a designer and always include the design in the architectural plans. When meeting with an architect, always have a wish lis

Our guest this episode, Brigette Romanek, is one of LA’s most sought-after designers. Brigette is the founder of Romanek Design Studio and has been featured in Architectural Digest’s “AD 100”, ELLE Decor, Vogue and more. With no formal training, Brigette relies heavily on her intuition and doesn’t believe there are hard rules when it comes to design. We discuss how her one-of-a-kind style is heavily influenced by her musical mother, her travels and her love of eclecticism. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How Brigette went from having no formal training to designing Beyoncé’s home. Why it’s important to tune in to each individual client’s needs and “speak their language”. Brigette believes less is more (especially on windows!) and often strays from traditional design elements. What Brigette means when she says “livable luxe” and why she wants a home to feel functional yet uniquely yours. When designing a house, a room should be its own vignette but also fit together as a whole. Lighting is so important

Today’s bonus episode marks four years since we started the How to Decorate podcast! We talk about our favorite takeaways, tips and tools learned over the years. We are so grateful for all of our wonderful listeners and the amazing guests we’ve had and look forward to way more fun ahead. Listen in for some of our takeaways about treating your room as a vignette, why we aren’t mad at brown furniture, and a little more of the personal ways we’ve grown and changed throughout the past four years. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Your house should be the most glamorous version of yourself. One of the biggest takeaways we’ve learned is there is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to design. Brown furniture was an unexpected key player to emerge. Tone value is such an important learning tool to apply across the board. Treating the rooms as vignettes is a simple and manageable way to break up a project. One of the easiest and most instant ways to change it up? Paint! The personal changes we’ve all been throug

In this episode, we sit down with the multi-talented Breegan Jane. She is an LA-based designer, entrepreneur, lifestyle blogger, TV personality, children’s book author, and mother. She’s been featured on HGTV, the Hallmark Channel, and more. We talk with Breegan about using design as a way to keep some order and cleanliness in the house, tips that we can learn from a 23-bathroom house, and how to keep things fresh and new using what we already have while at home with our family. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How Breegan’s impressive and diverse resume has helped to shape her design style and visual expression. What exactly designing a 23-bathroom house entails. What kind of tips designers learn from their clients that they use for their own homes. How Breegan uses design to keep order and cleanliness with two young sons in the house. Why Breegan insists her 4 and 6-year-old share a bedroom (at least for now). How you can transition spaces, especially as we are at home more, without buying all new