How to Decorate

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 108: realtor Haven Duddy Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

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.

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Ep. 107: designer Kimberly Barr Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

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.

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Ep. 106: designer Naomi Stein Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

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!

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Ep. 105: "The Trim Queen" Jana Phipps Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

"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

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Ep. 104: editor Margot Shaw is back Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

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

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Ep. 103: designer Amanda Lindroth Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

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.

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Ep. 102: designer Susan Jamieson Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

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

AlysBeach

BridgetBeari

BridgetBeariColors

SusanJamieson

@bridgetbeari

BallardDesigns

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.

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Ep. 101: designer Whitney McGregor Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

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 Plus Silver Comet Trail Whitney McGregor @whitneymcgregor Southern LivingJohn Stefanidis Bobby McAlpine David Hicks Billy Baldwin Angie Hranowsky Nashville Rug Gallery

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Ep. 100: Our Guests' Best Tips Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

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 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

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Ep. 99: designer Angie Hranowsky Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

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

TheLittleTartBakeshop

LampArts

CityIssue

CoastalLiving IdeaHouse

AngieHranowsky

HouseBeautiful

1stDibs

MatthewQuinn

@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.

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