How To Decorate

This week, we are interviewing our own bedding expert, the stylist that makes all of the beds in our gorgeous rooms, Beth Mars Dean. You probably never knew a bedding stylist exists, but she's the lady that makes sure all of our beds look picture perfect and snooze worthy. For all of your bedding questions answered, be sure to listen to this episode! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE The most recent catastrophe that happened with our photoshoot The surprising amount of time it takes to make a bed for one of our photo shoots All of the extra things Beth adds to her beds that you wouldn't normally use From start to finish, how Beth makes a gorgeous catalog-worthy bed Whether all of us make our beds every day, what the nation-wide average is, and what percentage of our How to Decorate readers make their beds everyday How many pillows each of us have on our beds What Beth's bed looks like and how she makes it every day How Beth became a bedding stylist How you can create a luxurious bed in a realistic w

As our final episode of the year, we're leaving you with a special bonus episode where we're discussing the 2016 trends that are 'out' and the trends to look for in 2017. We discuss Million Dollar Decorator Mary McDonald's list of trends that are out and trends that are in for 2017... and we discuss whether we agree or disagree. We also admit to any 'out' trends that we're guilty of committing in our own homes. What You'll Hear on This Episode Which trends Mary McDonald says are officially out Which trends she says to look for in 2017 Which trends we're all guilty of committing

This week on the podcast, we sat down with Erika Ward of Erika Ward Interiors. After majoring in finance and working in the corporate world several years, Erika decided to follow her passion and start her interior design business. She gives us the whole scoop on her business, decorating pet peeves, and answers your decorating questions! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW: Erika talks about why she went into finance and eventually transitioned into designing full time How Erika balances classic design with a modern aesthetic Why you need to incorporate color into your room Why it’s so important for her and her clients to understand each other Why her biggest challenge in design work is educating her clients What’s so important about the ‘shell’ of a room What decorating mistake she made in her own house What surprised Erika when she came to one of our catalog shoots   Erika also helps us answer to questions this week. The first question is about how to properly dress an 11 foot window. Our second questi

On this episode of the podcast, we sat down with interior designer and blogger Sherry Hart. She’s a master of styling bookshelves, can make a neutral room feel fresh and modern, and is going through her own bedroom makeover. She gave us the whole rundown of how she turned her home renovation into a successful interior designer business, what her husband thinks of her constant decor updates, and how to make your home look cohesive. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW Karen’s latest progress on the guest room she’s redecorating The baby shower Karen recently hosted where the food was baby-themed How Sherry caught the decorating bug and her first published space How her style has changed over the course of her career Why she loves decorating with white Her biggest decorating pet peeve Bad advice for decorating when there’s someone else in the mix Her approach to styling bookshelves In every episode, we answer decorating dilemmas from listeners, and with the help of our guest, give them ways to solve their p

This week we’re bringing you a bonus episode, and we’re talking entertaining! Our plan was to bring you a short extra episode with our entertaining stories — to get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving — but of course, we gabbed for over an hour. But, if you listen to the whole episode, you’ll hear our tried and true secrets, entertaining disasters, and suggestions for being a great guest. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW Karen’s Napkin Tricks: both removing stains after a dinner party and an easy ironing trick The time I lit two dinner napkins on fire Karen’s ongoing entertaining disaster — under cooking meat Karen’s worst disaster — it involves a lasagna and an old oven mit The time Taryn exploded an entire bottle of wine in a crowded restaurant Our thoughts on signature cocktails All of our best flower arranging tips — including which combination of flowers to buy My mom’s three keys to a good party — good music, good food, good people The importance of traditions during the holidays, especially food t

We were so excited to have as our guests on this week’s episode, Jason Nixon and John Loecke, the Madcap Cottage Guys! Their style is on point, and their love for color and pattern is infectious. We picked their brain about combining furniture styles harmoniously, their upcoming travel plans, why they love decorating with the color green, and their pack of adorable rescue dogs.  WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW Where Jason and John find inspiration, both abroad and at home. They’re as inspired by things they see in London as they are around their hometown in North Carolina. Inspiration is everywhere. They talk about their next vacation spot — Tokyo — and why they’re dying to make it there next. What do they do with all of the treasures they bring home? What do they see as living a ‘well-lived life?’ They share their more casual approach to entertaining, like ways to entertain without making everything from scratch. Why we should throw out the idea of having a ‘camera ready’ home all the time. Jason and J

This week, we're talking to stylist extraordinaire, Ginny Branch. Ginny is a prop stylist who has worked with some of the most beloved brands all over the country, including Southern Living, Country Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, Design*Sponge, Cooking Light, Coastal Living, and Ballard Designs! She shares with us how she got into styling, her favorite accessories, her most recent travels, and even her hoarding tendencies. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW: Ginny talks about becoming a stylist Why it's so important to love the people she works with Which people or brands she's dying to work with An insider's view to how catalogs are shot The magic of shooting a catalog in Italy The craziest thing she's ever brought home with her on a plane She tells us about her little house in Atlanta As always, we answer your questions. This week, we talk about the best sisal rug to use if you are concerned about spills, and we answer Rosemary's questions about hanging a mirror over a bed. We want to teach your how

Hosting each episode will be three ladies from the Ballard Designs team — Caroline McDonald, Taryn Schwartz, and Karen Mooney. You know Caroline from rour blog How to Decorate where she is constantly posting and answering your questions in our comments section. Taryn Schwartz is a trained industrial designer (and also super talented artist) who designs product for Ballard Designs. Finally, Karen Mooney is our fearless leader who we sit down with to discuss each new season. You’ve read our interviews with her here, and we also shared her kitchen renovation … and her backyard. In today’s episode, we’ll be telling you more about each of us, how we work together designing the rooms you see online and in our catalog, and what projects we’re working on in our own homes. We also answer questions about which sofa pillows could coordinate with the floral pillows Lauren already has. We answer Samina's question about how to layout a room if you have a corner fireplace, and we help Rachel decorate the stair landing tha