Designer Barbara Balongue specializes in hospitality design — restaurants, bars, and boutique hotels. We loved chatting with her about the intricacies of restaurant design, how it impacts our dining experience, and everything those goes into building out a gorgeous venue. She blew our minds with all of the details we’ve never even thought about!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

The challenges with restaurant designWhy you can take a bigger risk in restaurant design than you might at homeWhy booths are great and why they’re great to use in residential spaces as wellThe science and psychology of restaurant designWe talk about restaurants that haven’t used designers and a client of Barbara’s who was blown away by how interior design changed his bottom lineNew trends in restaurant designHow Barbara chooses color in her projectsRestaurant noise — how to combat it and why its an after thoughtWhy people covet the ‘hotel feel’ when they’re designing their own homesBathroom lighting and everything you need in your guest room
WilliamMcClure

@balonguedesign

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TheWhiteDogCafe

Schumacher

Autograph

RestaurantImpossible

Sunbrella

Ep. 109: designer Barbara Balongue

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

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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. 

Grouping plants in repeating patterns for movement through the landscape. 

Layering plants at different heights for year-round visual interest. 

Driveways matter when it comes to setting the tone for your whole outdoor space. 

How often should you change the soil in your planter? 

How to go about blending what you want with the realistic amount of sunlight or shade in your space. 

Gardening ideas for smaller spaces. 

Shifting away from chemical-dependent landscapes towards healthier and more organic approaches. 


Also Mentioned:

Ballard Designs

The Landscape of Home 

Hollander Design

Ep. 358: The Landscape of Home with Ed Hollander

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:

Ballard Designs

Minhnuyet Hardy 


Watch the Full Episode - Ballard Designs YouTube 


Minhnuyet Hardy Interiors

@minhnuyethardyinteriors

Decorating Dilemma: 
Hi Amy Lynn! Thank you so much for your question - this is a great question. Here are some suggestions:
First, painting the mantel trim the same color as the wall will help create a cohesive backdrop that draws the eye to your artwork. We would stack larger art pieces on the mantel that lean against the wall, layering smaller pieces in front. A large mirror with art displayed in front would also look very striking. Additionally, placing some birch logs inside the fireplace will add visual interest year-round. You could also consider stringing battery-operated twinkle lights during the holidays for a festive touch. We hope these ideas help highlight your beautiful original fireplace mantel! Also, be sure to check out our Essential Stocking Holder, it will be sleek and is great for kids!

Ep. 357: Common Design Mistakes with Minhnuyet Hardy

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 past and present design in LA. 

Annie shares more about how she chose the homes featured in the book to be more about interesting and captivating stories rather than just celebrities. 

Mid-century modern architecture in LA. 

More about Annie’s venetian-gothic home. 

Outdoor living and garden spaces that expanded entertaining areas. 

The evolution of LA's architecture from the grid pattern of flatlands to hillside communities. 

Renowned LA design stores and the characters behind them. 

Restoring iconic Case Study Houses for a new generation to appreciate. 

What is next for Annie and Tim? A sneak peek into a very exciting upcoming project. 


Ballard Designs 
City of Dreams: Los Angeles Interiors 
@anniehkelly 
@timstreetporter

Ep. 356: Los Angeles Interiors with Annie Kelly

‘Tis the season for all things outdoors! This week, we welcome Kelly Petrino 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, romantic outdoor lighting, and lovely lamps.

Mosquito-repelling drapery panels? Yes, please!

Reasons to think about furniture layout in relation to your daily and entertaining needs beyond just aesthetics.

Tips for defining spaces with planters.

Also Mentioned:
Ballard Designs

Ep. 355: Outdoor Decorating Spotlight

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 tends to be a pain point, and how to find your personal art that feels collected rather than all over the place.

Suggestions for simpler window treatments like woven wood shades.

Editing a space with clean lines and limited pieces rather than overcrowding a space.

Also Mentioned:

Colleen Simonds

Colleen Simonds IG

Decorating Dilemma: 
Thanks for writing in, Kim! First, what a charming space! And your art and decor already feel very well collected. Colleen’s first suggestion would be wallpaper. You may consider a lighter-toned grass cloth to add warmth and texture. Or, if you want a pattern, a vertical wallpaper pattern can be a great way to lengthen the room and add some pop of color. A round table with a leaf can also open things up but still serve as a way to keep the flow between the rooms.

Ep. 109: designer Barbara Balongue

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