How to Decorate

Latest Episodes:

Bonus Boston Episode #1 with Erin Gates Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

We're big fans of interior designer, blogger, and author Erin Gates, so when we headed to our new Boston store at Natick Mall, we knew we had to sit down with this local stylemaker. She joined us for our first live podcast recording in the front window of our brand new store to talk about designing for families, her massive home renovation, and so much more.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE:

We talk about what guys universally love and hate
How one finished room can inspire a client to finish the whole house
We talk about which room you should invest in and complete first
She shares the topic of her new book, decorating for families and why you don't have to dumb down your decor just because you have kids and pets
Why having a well-designed master bedroom is so important
The misconceptions many people have about what they can and can't have in their home if they have families
Why white is actually appropriate -- if you have bleach on hand!
How much Erin's team has grown and how delighted they all are to have a new, organized office space
The color they use in almost every project
We talk about Taryn's color addiction
Karen and Erin bond over their love of animal print
Erin tells us all about the massive home renovation of her fixer upper
Her next big project in her home renovation
Her love of real estate and how she's always browsing houses
We talk TVs -- what's too big and should you have one in your bedroom
Erin gives everyone a rug lesson
I share a story about a 'rug island'
We talk about what you do when your friends asks for decor advice about a home purchase they've made
Why it's fun to work on projects that are out of your comfort zone
Where people can save in their budget, and where they should in vest most of their dollars

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Ep. 10 with interior designer Melanie Turner Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

We can't help but be struck by how powerful yet restrained interior designer Melanie Turner's spaces are, and we were even more struck by how down-to-earth and cool she is. In only seven short years after opening her interior design business, she's earned such accolades as Veranda's Southeastern Designer of the Year, Trad Home's Top 10 Designers, Architectural Digest's 2010 Kitchen of the Year, and many more. We were beyond thrilled when she sat down to talk with us about her recents trip to Morocco, the power of vision boards, why she never puts bookshelves in a home, and so much more.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW:

How Melanie uses vision boards to turn her dreams into reality
We talk about the photo shoot Ballard Designs did at Melanie's house
The powerful history of her historic home and the spiritual connection she has to it
Why she feels like a steward of her house instead of an owner
She talks about how practical the home is for modern life, even though it was built in 1923
We talk a bit about Atlanta architect Phillip Shutze and historic preservation
How owning a historic home has helped her with her client work
All the fabulous locales where she currently has projects
She tells us all about her trip to Morocco, including what she brought home and visiting Yves Saint Laurent's house
How you remember much more if you can't take photographs
Why instead of gifts, they take a family trip every year during the holidays
Why editing is the most powerful thing you can do to refresh your home
Her approach to picture frames -- framing them in one big mass on a stairwell instead of spread throughout
Melanie talks about how she manifested her project onto the cover of Veranda magazine with a vision board
How rewarding it is to give purpose to her client's homes
How at her client installations, the husband is usually the one who cries the most!
Why you shouldn't dismiss how important your home is
Why she loves decorating for bachelors
Why it's so hard to decorate her own home
How many times she's moved since she's been married (she's married to a builder and developer)
How you can give a new build home that old character that gives a house soul

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Ep. 9 with interior designer Miles Redd Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

Go ahead and pinch us because we can’t quite believe we get to introduce this week’s podcast guest, interior designer Miles Redd! We were beside ourselves when he agreed to sit down with us while recently in his hometown of Atlanta (and ours). Plus, he’s our first AD100 Designer on the podcast. Miles’ spaces are packed with style, drama, and whimsy, plus we were struck with how darn nice he is!

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE:

Karen’s juju hat insect infestation
The next addition Karen made to her ongoing guest bedroom project
Taryn painted her carport Sherwin Williams Vogue Green
Taryn needs help with her guest bathroom because her beadboard wainscoting makes it difficult to hang a mirror
My all-time worst trial involving a ‘ceiling pimple’
How Miles got his start at NYU and made his way to John Rosselli
His time at Oscar de la Renta
Why it’s important to trust your own instincts and take risks
Miles talks to us about color and why it’s all about relationships
Why you should tackle your walls and floors first
What it was like working on his parents’ home and why it was a lifelong fantasy
Why he loves a door and all the fun things he does with them
His thoughts on lampshades, including what everyone does wrong and how he jazzes them up
His list of ‘greats’
Who he follows on Instagram (mostly his friends)
We asked about his new office space, and he confirms that it’s just as glamorous and we imagined
The one color he doesn’t like
Miles’ decorating pet peeves

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Ep. 8 with Stylist Natalie Nassar Jan 31, 2017

Show notes

Natalie has worked with us here at Ballard Designs for years, so when we caught a glimpse of her chic, layered family home, we knew we had to share. We posted her whole home tour here on How to Decorate yesterday, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get even more decorating goodness out of her to share on the podcast! We talk about decorating with kids, styling, layering, and so much more!

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW:

I hosted my largest ever dinner party and I give you a whole run down
My seriously embarrassing 'trial' that involves my robot vacuum
Another installment of Taryn's dog chewing disasters
Taryn tells us about her trip to South America and what she brought back
We ask Natalie about her style which she calls 'collected, global'
Why Natalie likes to choose neutrals for her large furniture pieces, then adds in colorful accessories
Her history with Ballard Designs and how she got started styling rooms
We talk about her dining room, which you can see here
Natalie talks to us about how she prioritized decorating each room
We talk about the cute little ways Natalie styles her home, like buying cute hand soap (shown below)

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes so you never miss and episode. Of course, you can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

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Ep. 7 with Stylist & Author Annette Joseph Jan 17, 2017

Show notes

This week on the podcast, we're talking with stylist, entertaining expert, author, and workshop master of ceremonies, Annette Joseph. Annette does it all and makes it look so easy. We sat down to talk about the villa in Italy she's renovating, her workshops, how she got into styling, and so much more!

What You'll Hear on the Show:

How Karen did a mini bathroom makeover in her guest suite
How Annette started styling
What it was like pitching a show to Bravo and shooting a pilot
Annette has been vacationing in Italy since she was a kid
Annette talks about her upcoming book about Italy
Why it's hard to be an ex-patriot in Italy
Why it's always better to go shopping in Italy with an actual Italian (or someone who knows everyone)
The scoop on buying real estate in Italy ... and renovating from a different continent
Italy's all about 'juice'
The faux pas Annette committed recently while walking around her property
How they ended up buying the property they chose
All about the workshops she hosts -- perfecting branding, photography, styling, and more
What you could expect if you were to attend one of Annette's workshops
The book she's working on about the cocktail culture in Italy

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Ep. 6 with Bedding Expert Beth Mars Dean Jan 03, 2017

Show notes

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 way

We answer all of your burning bedding questions, including how to coordinate with your existing bedding collection, how to streamline bed making so you're more likely to do it, where to put your pillows when you get into the bed, and how many throw pillows are too many?

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Bonus Episode: 2016 and 2017 Trends Dec 27, 2016

Show notes

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

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Ep. 5 with designer Erika Ward Dec 20, 2016

Show notes

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 question is about mixing furniture shapes and heights cohesively.

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Ep. 4 with Designer Sherry Hart Dec 06, 2016

Show notes

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 problem. In this episode, we answer a question from Jennifer about how to take your room from 'average to amazing,' Monica's question about how to pull off a his and hers office, and Janet's question about maintaining practicality when creating a pretty room.

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Bonus Episode: Entertaining Disasters Nov 23, 2016

Show notes

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 traditions
How to cook one end of your tenderloin faster so you can offer both well done and rare
Your requirements as a party guest — RSVPing and being festive and fun
Our tips for cleaning up

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