How To Decorate

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.

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 e

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 h

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! What You'll Hear on This Episode: 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 th

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 id

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 Qu

*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

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

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

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

Sitting down with Ashley Whittaker was such a joy, and we're confident you'll learn a TON from this episode. It's one of my favorite episodes to date because we talk about creating color palettes, why every room needs something grimy, the 'hows' and 'whys' of the room and why they're more important than the 'whats,' and why a jewel tone works in almost any space. We also talk about the difference between color tone and value and why that's important to consider when decorating your home. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Ashley wasn’t formally educated as a designer, but she cites working for a good designer as some of the best education out there. More about how Ashley and her team find a thread throughout each room of the home to have a place for our eye to land and bring restfulness to the design. The importance of contrast in decorating, and why we don’t have to be matchy matchy. Why seeing it on paper is sometimes easier than walking through the house, and a few of Ashley’s favorite storyboard ideas. Wha

Charleston designer Olivia Brock joins the show to talk about her firm Torrance Mitchell Design and her background in historic preservation. We cover it all -- how she fell into interior design, tips on mixing the old and the new, and her go-to paint colors. Olivia never planned on being a designer, but rather a real estate developer that focused on adaptive reuse of historical buildingsHow Olivia started as a paint color consultant The differences between normal housing and the sensitive nature of working with a historical homeOlivia's house in Southern Living which she and her husband totally restoredOur partnership with Olivia on the Traditional Home Southern Style Now Showhouse, and the inspiration behind the guest room How to make old things look fresh and pairing antiques with a modern piecesWhy she sees historical buildings as people that want to tell you their story, and it is up to us to listenWe talk paint -- testing swatches, favorite whites, and moreBrown furniture is making a comeback, baby!Why p

Seriously charming Keith Arnold, Vice President of Suzanne Kasler Interiors, joins the podcast this week to talk about his path to design, the pyramid rule, flower arranging, and his new shop KeithEtc. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: How Keith started working with Suzanne over 15 years ago, the many jobs before that helped him in his wide array of roles now. Keith’s background of attending Auburn University with a degree of Architecture, working in visual merchandising for Neiman Marcus and Martyn Lawrence Bullard. How Keith and Suzanne collaborate and how he styles the photoshoots and projects. Keith’s new collaborative venture, Keith Etc. To curate the best in both the old and the new. The ways Keith and Suzanne use colors in big swathes and practice restraint yet an open mind when it comes to breaking the rules. His love of the saffron color! Why France is Keith’s favorite place to shop, and his favorite places in Atlanta. The Pyramid Rule as a structure to start from in design for shelving. The flowers

We are thrilled to talk to authors and design duo Brooke and Steve Giannetti of Giannetti home. Steve is an architect, and Brooke is an interior designer, and together they are the talent behind Patina Style, Patina Living, and Brooke’s cult favorite blog, Velvet & Linen. We caught up with them to talk about the importance of emotional connection, how their work as a duo came to be, their interests as a husband and wife duo, and to bust the myth that goats will eat absolutely anything. What You’ll Hear on This Episode:Why Brooke thinks people have really caught on to her blog, Velvet & Linen.How Patina Style articulates the process of how to dream your design property, and Patina Farm demonstrates how they manifested the style and design philosophy at their beautiful farm in Ojai, CAHow they took the history and unique elements of Ojai to make sure their design reflected the story.The way they molded the different textures and materials together, and the inspiration Belgium gave them for putting a variety of

Traci Zeller joins us in Charlotte to share her unique background and super interesting story of being a former lawyer turned interior designer. She talks with us about switching careers, her commitment to creating a rendering for each project, the inspiration behind her polished and put together style, and how it all practically plays out in her house with twin boys and a puppy. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Trials of dogs breaking into cabinets, expensive inspection results, a rushed backyard construction project, and rocky 50th birthday. Triumphs of animal print fashion (sorry you are left out camouflage!), good luck in the form of a baby robin’s nest, déja vu, and a beautiful vase. Tips and tricks to clean the outdoor pillows that won’t leave you spending your whole time scrubbing. Traci’s path into interior design, and how she knew it was time to leave her career as a lawyer to shift more into her career into interior design. Dressing for our audience, and why Traci loves it much more now. Why Taryn

Designer Lisa Mende returns to the show to talk with us about designing our rooms to the fullest of their potential, and truly creating the home of your dreams. She also shares more about the ins and outs of renovation, her blog The Design Connector, and why design dilemmas are really just opportunities for us to be creative. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: An update on her famous pink sofa, and who else in her household may love it even more than her. Why functionality is just as important as design, and how Lisa helps her clients use every room to the fullest of their function. The crazy story of her studio roof leaking, and how it ended up being a blessing in renovation. Yes, you can both make your home feel like a hotel and have a billiard table in the middle of your living room. More about her blog, The Design Connector, and how it connects us with the people, products, and places we need to know about in the home design world. What she loves about her work with Ballard, and how it inspires us to have

Holly Hollingsworth Phillips is a designer and owner of The English Room in Charlotte, North Carolina. We love her bold, colorful, and elegant style and how she mixes tradition of the past with the modern style of today. She talks with us today about how The English Room began, the different projects she has done ranging from super modern to traditional, her love of color, patterns, and layering, and why it’s more than okay to break the rules. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: Her work in the world of design from an early age, and how her mother inspired her to develop a passion for all things antique.Ways we can be confident about mixing it up with colors and patterns in our homes.Using art as an accent, and why what’s popular and trendy in the moment isn’t always right for us.How she loves to take antiques and make them modern with a playful twist.How Holly renovated her own home and even got to keep what’s known as “the naughty chair.”Advice on when to shop for antiques, and where to begin bringing them i

Amy Vermillion joins the show to talk about her style that has been described as “comfortably elegant.” We talk about how good design can make your life easier, paint colors, an 80's house she brought into the 21st century, and her love of chandeliers. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: The renovation Amy has done again (and again!) from everything including the porch, office and master bedroom.The rule Amy uses when picking pieces that will be permanent and timeless. Her biggest design pet peeves, and why we should all just do what we love.The polarizing topics of gray, brown furniture, and a glimpse into the custom details she does for her clients.Amy’s love of a chandelier as decorative jewelry for the ceiling.Her description of a true 80’s house (but don’t knock a great wet bar in the den!)What is a scullery, and why would someone who entertains love one?How Amy gets to know her clients so she can design a space that functions for their lifestyleWe talk about the rising popularity of librariesWhat people

Designer Cheryl Luckett joins the show today to talk about form, function, and why we should love a good antique. She shares her background story as a professional dietician turned blogger and talks about pairing multiple fabrics together, where to invest and where to save, and the details people most often overlook. What You’ll Hear on This Episode:Cheryl’s story of working in corporate America for 15 years as a dietician and what led her to a path of design.How to take an antique and make it work to add depth, history, and warmth to a home.More about Cheryl’s experience as a blogger and ways she loves communicating with her clients and followers.What are good pieces to invest in, and where you can save.How we pair two fabrics together, and examples of recent clients where she put it to the test.The details people often overlook, which can help you save time by knowing where your TV remote iThe importance of form and function when creating a cozy yet sleek aesthetic.When you should spend a whole night in you

Award-winning decorator Susan Ferrier joins the show today. Known for creating sensuous, atmospheric interiors, Susan created Susan Ferrier Interiors and co-authored the book Art of the House. She talks about how she lights a room while creating drama, creating an architectural rhythm and symmetry in a room, breaking rules, and being bold. What You’ll Hear on This Episode:Why Susan believes the people in the room need to be the pattern.Her creative and explorative use of texture, and strategy of creating shadow with light and darker tones.Her rule of thumb for having a way to read and drink wherever you sit in a room.The two reasons she loves banquettes.How she got into the business, and why she decided to start her own firm, Susan Ferrier Interiors.How she gets inspired by her projects and the ways she digs in to develop a relationship with the people behind every project.How she balances her clients’ with her own personal sense of style and expert quality of being what she refers to as a “visual mathematici