How to Decorate

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 3 with the Madcap Cottage Guys Nov 22, 2016

Show notes

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 John’s decorating pet peeves
Inspirations for their fabric like for Robert Allen
How their mothers’ styles impacted their own sensibilities
What they would save if their house was on fire
They mention the Traditional Home Napa Showhouse which they decorated using many of our products. You can see a whole tour of their space here.

Jason and John help us answer your questions, including how to pull off mix and match bar stools, guidelines for hanging artwork over a console table or sideboard, and how to update a built in cabinet with paint or stain.

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Ep. 2: Stylist & Hoarder Ginny Branch Nov 08, 2016

Show notes

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 to decorate! We'll help you unleash your inner decorator with interviews from designers, sharing trials and triumphs of our own homes, and answering your burning decorating questions. Brought to you from the Ballard Designs.

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Ep. 1 Meet the How to Decorate Team Oct 25, 2016

Show notes

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 that is a focal point right when you walk in the door.

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