How To Decorate

This week, we welcome Atlanta based designer Bailey Ward. She talks about her love of art and architecture at a young age, and how she developed her style that is chic, traditional, and open to the eclectic. Bailey gives some great advice for those looking to bring in a designer, including the importance of clearly defining your vision and budget before the work even starts. Bailey talks about the “therapy” aspect of design as well, and certain elements of design that help bring about balance and cohesion.  What You’ll Hear On This Episode: How Bailey got interested in art and architecture.  Even at 10 years old, you could find Bailey sketching floor plans!  Clients should study interiors and articulate their style before hiring a designer.  How to find a designer you trust.  Bailey talks more about her “DIY Consultation” packages.  Where to even begin when looking for a designer.  The importance of designers providing a clear breakdown of costs to avoid sticker shock.  Focusing on one space at a tim

We are joined this week by award-winning architect and designer Lucien Rees-Roberts. He discusses his new book published with Rizzoli, Timeless Modern Interiors, showcasing many of his iconic projects through photographs. Lucien shares insights into his design process, including collaborating with architects to understand client needs and editing down designs. In his work, Lucien emphasizes using color, light, and art placement to create beautiful, comfortable modern spaces. We also welcome Erin Fredrickson, a Partner at Rees Roberts + Partners, who shares great advice  for selecting unique, well-made pieces that stand the test of time in both form and function. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Lucien talks about how growing up in a family of painters influenced his work.  More about Lucien’s design process including collaborating with architects, understanding client needs, and where he starts when editing down designs.  Tips on designing comfortable yet modern spaces, using unique and special furnitur

Get ready for a jolt of kitchen inspiration this week (and some myth-busting) as we re-united with Sophie Donelson, a design expert, journalist, and strategist who celebrates the connection between people and their homes. We last caught up with Sophie back in 2017 (episode #30) when she was the editor-in-chief of House Beautiful Magazine, but this week it’s all about her latest book, Uncommon Kitchens: A Revolutionary Approach to the Most Popular Room in the House.  Sophie provides insight into kitchen design and trends, reminding us that there are many ways to enjoy one’s kitchen. She discusses the idea of “liberated design” -bringing in nostalgic elements that also consider flexibility and functionality rather than following surface-level trends. Sophie shares some great advice on designing spaces that truly reflect how you use your kitchen daily, the “kitchen triangle” concept, and tips on lighting, color palettes, and storage solutions.  What You’ll Hear On This Episode: It’s okay to question and even c

This week, we welcome esteemed landscape architect Edmund Hollander, known for his award-winning career designing natural landscapes that blend with built architecture. In our conversation, we discussed his latest book "The Landscape of Home”, and some expert tips on designing a landscape that will look beautiful and inviting throughout all four seasons. Edmund also talks with us about the importance of having a master plan, working with your hardscape, and the connection between landscape and your favorite musical artist. Get ready for some plant inspiration!  What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Soil testing and designing hardscape for outdoor living spaces.  More about some of the gorgeous spaces and scapes featured in “The Landscape of Home”.  Listening to land when it comes to design composition and getting spatial relationships correct.   Designing gardens with a master plan for optimal functionality and aesthetics.  Landscape design elements, including seasonality, hardscape, and plant selection. 

Atlanta-based interior designer Minhnuyet Hardy joins us this week to discuss common interior design mistakes and how to avoid them. Minhnuyet shares her expertise on proper rug sizing and orientation, as well as drapery width, hardware placement, and lining importance. She gives some great tips for measuring spaces and hanging artwork at the ideal height, pesky furniture delivery challenges, accessorizing with trays, and grouping small items. Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here on the How to Decorate Blog. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Common rug size mistakes and how to properly size and orient rugs. Custom rug options for unique spaces. Drapery hardware placement and width considerations. Hanging drapery too low or not having it wide enough. Proper artwork hanging height and placement tips. Furniture delivery challenges in tight spaces. Why the tallest person in the house shouldn’t be the one hanging artwork. Accessorizing with trays and grouping small items. Also Mentioned:

We head to Tinseltown this week for a fun history lesson in LA design with accomplished author, Annie Kelly. Annie shares insights from her new book "City of Dreams: Los Angeles Interiors," offering a sweeping photographic survey of the city's most striking historic and contemporary homes. She discusses the inspiration behind the book and her longtime creative partnership with photographer Tim Street-Porter and shares a glimpse inside some of LA's most breathtaking modernist gems as well as historically significant homes. Annie also traces the evolution of the city's architecture from the early influence of the film industry to the innovative mid-century structures still inspiring interiors today. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: The inspiration behind Annie’s book, City of Dreams: Los Angeles Interiors.  How the topography and terrain of LA helps foster different and often quite eccentric design choices.  More about the influence of the film industry and influx of architects and artists after WWII on pa

‘Tis the season for all things outdoors! This week, we welcome Kelly Vettraino and Amy Jordan from Ballard’s merchandising team for their expert advice on mixing and matching outdoor furniture and accessories to create beautiful and comfortable outdoor space. They talk about cushions, pillows, rugs, lighting, and planters to complete the look, along with sharing some great tips for incorporating different materials, styles, and textures to define your outdoor space. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Considerations for using outdoor fabrics like Sunbrella that are stain-resistant and fade-proof. Ideas for incorporating outdoor rugs to define spaces and add texture. Factors to consider when choosing outdoor sofas and seating, like cushion fill and frame materials. What should you look for when it comes to outdoor sofas and seating? Kelly and Amy's perspectives on the pros and cons of mixing collections versus opting for a coordinated set. Entertaining essentials such as outdoor safe drinkware, candles, ro

This week, we address frequent home decor challenges through the creative lens of designer Colleen Simonds. Colleen's playful portfolio spaces have been published in top outlets and she offers practical tips for navigating choices, layouts, color selection, art sourcing, window treatments, and establishing focal points. Colleen gives us some great strategies for transforming common pain points into imaginative designs tailored to one's lifestyle, including approaches for maximalism, small spaces, and connected rooms. Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: What are some of the most common pain points when it comes to decorating and design? How to fix pain points in layout, color, lighting, and scale. Tips for finding your focal point and then creating supporting characters around it. Sometimes it’s just about time and patience to fix your pain points, so take a deep breath! How to activate a small space rather than trying to make it look bigger. Why art t

It’s all about developing your personal decorating style this week with Nashville interior designer Eric Ross. Eric has over 20 years of professional experience and has left his mark on homes in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and beyond. His work and eponymous design firm has been featured in publications like Luxe Magazine, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle and Country Living, and his book Enduring Southern Homes was released in 2019. We talk to Eric about tapping into your personal style, staying true to yourself as trends come and go, and how to turn your personal style into a furniture and design plan that works for your lifestyle.  Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Tips for developing your own personal style in design.  Eric talks about the inspiration behind his book, Enduring Southern Homes.  How Eric works with clients who want that traditional touch, and the ways he gets to their heart.  Tools for tapping into your personal style, such as Pinterest.

This week, we welcome Atlanta-based designer Amy Morris, who shares some great tips on decorating with neutrals. Amy first shares a little more about her traditional style with a twist of modern and her process behind selecting fabrics with depth and texture. She goes deeper into using lights and darks to create visual interest and advises on finding the right pieces to make your home truly personalized. Amy details her favorite neutrals to use and the importance of really understanding your overall plan and angle in creating your dream living space. Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Yes, neutrals can bring drama! Amy explains more about the “psychology of design”. Using lights and darks to create contrast in a room. Some of Amy’s current favorite and most used neutrals include the yummy chocolate and paprika. Selecting fabrics and materials that also prioritize depth and texture. Finding pieces that work for you personally and making them work in t

This week, we're getting romantic and welcoming style director of Garden & Gun Haskell Harris to talk all about her newest book The House Romantic. We’ve long admired Haskell’s work at Garden & Gun and are thrilled to talk to her about curating a space that reflects your life experience and individual flair. Haskell also gives some great ideas for injecting soul and personal significance into your home environment, how to let perfectionism go, and why a pop of color just puts us in a good mood. Haskell talks about the process of creating her book and picking the right kindred spirits to showcase. Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: The inspiration behind writing  The House Romantic. Choosing homes and individuals that approach decorating with soul, thought, and intellectual curiosity. More about the “kindred spirits” that are the subject of Haskell’s interviews in The House Romantic. Haskell’s love of finding young and undiscovered talent. Creating a

This week, we catch up on all our trials and triumphs that have been collecting since before the holiday season. We talk about our paint color powerpoints, water-related issues, learning from our mistakes to plan ahead, and the beauty of a delicious home-cooked meal. We get updates on Taryn’s basement renovation, which leads to a conversation about the challenges that often come with big DIY projects. Ballard Designs

This week, we welcome back legendary interior designer Bunny Williams. In preparation of her new book Life in the Garden to release in March 2024, Bunny generously shares some great tips on planning successful gardens from starting small to considering ongoing maintenance. Bunny also offers advice for novice gardeners, including prioritizing manageable tasks, plant care, pot selection, and using garden structures to enhance outdoor spaces. Get ready to be inspired to spend some time outdoors!  What You’ll Hear On This Episode: What inspired Bunny to make Life in the Garden.  How a plan in your garden can help you stay organized and on track.  Bunny shares memories of growing up in Virginia and how it shaped her approach to hospitality and entertaining.  Great advice for novice gardeners.  All about plant care and keeping your garden healthy and beautiful.  How to find the right pot for your plant.  Ornamentation and structure is such a huge part of your garden.  What Bunny’s planting season looks lik

Award-winning architect and best-selling author Gil Schafer joins us this week to discuss his beautiful third book, “Home at Last”. Gil shares the inspiration behind his new work, along with a behind-the-scenes look of a few of the featured homes. Gil discusses some ways to blend styles and design homes that stand the test of time, advice for creating spaces that foster family memories, and how to think out of the box without being too gimmicky. Gil is one of the most sought-after architects of the last two decades because of his authenticity, his impeccable style, and his practical approach to designing the house of your dreams. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Gil shares how personal experiences like marriage and the pandemic shaped his perspective between books. How we can create our “forever homes” to adapt to changing needs over time. Tips for considering landscape architecture early in the design process. Some of the unique stories behind projects featured in Home at Last. Ideas for updating a bed

We are joined this week by Megan Molten, Charleston interior designer and shop owner. Megan is known for her modern, light, and airy design sense, where she effortlessly mixes feminine and masculine elements together for a balanced and clean result. Megan talks with us about learning how to take bigger risks, how to embrace your coastal style, and ways to incorporate pattern and color through accessories like vases and artwork. Follow along with this week's decorating dilemma here. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Megan took a leap of faith and left her corporate career in sales to start her business after encouragement from friends and sharing her design work on social media. Why would Megan say “no” to a white sofa?! Take a deep breath - couch colors are important, but not life or death decisions. Tips for mixing metals. Want to change your artwork around? Look for affordable options for framing. What are some of the elements of coastal design? How Megan learned to take more risks with clients in bo

It’s all about trends this week as we forecast what will be “in” for 2024, and what things we are happy to leave behind in last year. We are joined by Will and Hillary, both part of the product design team at Ballard Designs, who are on the frontlines of seeing all the upcoming trends in design. We discuss the resurgence of classic colors navy blue, the growing interest in environmentally conscious design, and the emergence of new trends like celestial yellow and pink. We also chat about materials used in furniture making, with a focus on personalization and blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living. Watch the full video version of this week's episode now on YouTube. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Is beige no longer the go-to neutral? The trend alert for finishes, wallpaper, patterns, trims, and color. Will the explosion of soft colors carry over in 2024? The trend of bringing nature indoors through plants, materials, and decor. A few of our favorite “trendy” color patterns. The use of n

This week, Taryn shares the update from building her dream house from the ground up. She shares her own trials and triumphs throughout the process, how she keeps things organized, and what she wishes she did differently. This is a great listen if you are already in the process of a big renovation, or if you have future plans for taking on a big project. Stay tuned for more of Taryn’s home journey!  See pictures of Taryn's house build here on the How to Decorate blog. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Why did Taryn and her family decide to tear up the house and rebuild in the same location?  How Taryn made sure she got those big windows and a gorgeous street view in the kitchen.  Taryn’s plan vs. the architect's plan, and using 3D software for layout.  What Taryn loves including her driveway, paint choices and those bold colored cabinets.  Surprises Taryn encountered throughout the way, such as the plumbing fixtures taking a long time!  What’s next for the big project?  How Taryn decided on certain fini

We welcome New York designer, David Frazier, known for his warm modernist interiors and place-based architecture. Originally from West Point, Georgia, David attended Auburn School of Architecture before moving to New York, where he designed spaces for his clients in New York, the Hamptons, Connecticut, Colorado, and throughout the South. David shares some great advice for using neutrals in a way that suits your aesthetic and design dreams. He talks about why he gravitates towards neutrals, some of his favorite shades to use to warm up a room, and how to give neutrals the same energy as colors and patterns. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Neutrals don’t have to be boring! A neutral interior can give your mind and eyes a chance to rest. David shares some of his favorite neutral shades to work with. How to weave color in with neutrals while still keeping that calm and comforting tone. Using textures and layers to keep neutrals exciting. David’s love of playing with scale to add a bit of drama and excitem

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

We are thrilled to welcome back Peter Pennoyer, a world-renowned architect, whose eponymous architecture firm has helped redefine New York’s architecture specializing in new construction, renovation, and preservation of residential, commercial, and institutional projects around the world. Peter talks to us about his recent monograph of the firm’s work, Peter Pennoyer Architects: City | Country. He also discusses the different projects within the book, why people shouldn’t be intimidated by plans, the beauty of working with different designers, and preservation and sustainability in architecture. At the end of the episode, Peter helps us give some advice to a listener who is looking for some decorating help with her gorgeous farmhouse.  What You’ll Hear on This Episode:  How Peter chose the projects featured in his late book collection to showcase the diversity of talent, locations, and work. Peter describes a project where two townhouses were combined and how they solved the puzzle of having different floor