How to Decorate

We are so excited to finally launch our new series, Building a House, that we’ve been talking about for many years! This is a multi-part series where we’ll welcome some amazing experts to help guide us through the entire process of building a brand new house. Joining us for the series is guest host Maggie Griffin. Maggie is an interior designer with a full-service firm in Georgia with a team of 10 working throughout the Southeast. She also has a retail component, Maggie Griffin at Home, and is working on a product line. Not only has Maggie recently done her own big personal project, but she regularly helps clients build homes from the ground up. Throughout the series, she’ll bring us some of her favorite experts, like an architect and contractor, while Maggie takes us through the interior design process.

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The holiday season is finally here! Today we’re talking all about decorating for the holidays with Ballard’s own Skye Westcott and Li Kurczewski. Skye is the SVP of Merchandising, Design, & Sourcing and Li is our Director of Decorative Accessories. Both are veterans in the industry and instrumental in curating Ballard’s holiday style every year. This episode will have you ready to pull out your holiday decorations and begin decking the halls!

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Our guest today Emily C. Butler is a New York City-based interior designer. Her work has been featured in House Beautiful as well as multiple design books such as Elements Of Family Style written by one of our favorite podcast guests, Erin Gates. Emily’s signature style is beautifully grounded in tradition with a modern lightness. She has a particular flair for doing big designs in small spaces by bringing her big “Texas vibes”. We talk about how she does that, her use of color, her love of fabrics, and more!

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Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Tara,

This is definitely an open space and I see some beautiful marble-type floors. The two cabinets you are referring to seem to be competing with one another because one is for the TV and the other is a China cabinet. I would maybe move the media cabinet against the long wall even though it’s in the pathway. There is a lot of circulation to consider in this apartment and this room is a pathway to multiple spaces. I agree the rug is a little small for the space and it’s also contrasting too much with the floor color so I would go with something more neutral. There is definitely room for more seating in the space; maybe even a pair of ergonomic chairs placed together. You could probably get an L-shaped configuration of seating going if you also add a loveseat and move the China cabinet out. Neutrals can be a little tricky and I see multiple whites in the space so adding some textures could help and add to the beachy theme. Something like a seagrass rug could be great. Where the dark chandelier is, I would suggest sticking with the theme of having a nod to the beach and adding texture with natural material. Once you remove the China cabinet it might not feel as formal in there and this would be a good space for something more natural and casual.

Good luck, Tara! This is a gorgeous space and please send us the after photos

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Our guest today, designer Lauren Liess, has quite an impressive rap sheet. She began writing her blog, Pure Style Home, in 2008 and has since written the two best-selling design books Habitat and Down to Earth. Her new book, Feels Like Home, is hitting shelves this Fall. Her HGTV show, Best House on the Block, follows her and her husband as they design and renovate homes throughout the DC metro area. Her work has been featured in House Beautiful, Country Living, Traditional Home, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living, and many more. We talk about how she manages her incredibly busy life, embracing the imperfect, her new book, lighting toys on fire, and much, much, more!

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Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Hillary,

I can identify with this right now! My advice is to arrange things as best as you can and hang up some artwork even though they aren’t quite right; just enough to make it feel like home. My house is a mess right now, so I’m trying to live each day one at a time. I’m bringing in simple things like branches, flowers, candles, and good music and meals. Focus on experiences and bringing the outside! It’s so hard and we get it! It’s definitely a mental exercise in patience when you can’t quite make the space the way you want it, but find the joy where you can.

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We are long overdue for our conversation with the amazing architect Roger Seifter. He’s a partner at the renowned firm Robert A.M Stern Architects (RAMSA) and has designed houses all over the world including in the US, UK, India, and Canada. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House & Garden, The New York Times, Lux, and many more. He recently co-authored the book HOUSES with his colleagues featuring projects and the design work from the firm. We talk all about his processes, projects in the book, adapting to different architectural styles, and more!

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Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Amanda,

The easiest answer is DO NOT put a glass top table in the dining room; I would put a nice wood table. There’s enough beautiful tile that we don’t need to see through it, but you could do with some leggy chairs. Regarding the fireplace; it’s beautiful but it’s tiny, so it would be odd to focus the furniture around the fireplace. Your instinct to mount the TV in the built-ins is the way to go and then position the furniture in a way that you can actually sit in it to watch. I would put the sofa across the room with the two chairs opposite it and then some pull-up chairs by the fireplace. In terms of types and colors of furniture, I would keep the upholstery simple and soft in a neutral, lighter color. Then use pillows that pick up the colors from the tile. Just remember not to pick oversized furniture that will overpower the floors. If you decide to go without a rug, you’ll be relying on your furniture and window coverings to balance the sound, so maybe steer towards lush, skirted upholstery and ample, soft curtains. A bonus with skirted chairs is you can have them on swivels to access both the TV and the fireplace!

This is an amazing space and we can’t wait to see it finished. These floors are so unique and such a treat to see! Please send us the after photos.

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Roger Seifter

RAMSA: Robert A.M. Stern Architects

RAMSA Houses

RAMSA on Instagram

HOUSES on Amazon

Las Olas Project

Kiawah Project

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We are thrilled to welcome the talented and hilarious Mikel Welch this week. Mikel shares his colorful journey with us to becoming an interior designer and TV show host, going from offering free design on Craigslist to now working on The Drew Barrymore show and co-hosting Roku’s Murder House Flip. Mikel talks with us about how set design informed his perspective on home decor, the bold move he made with Steve Harvey that paid off, how he taught himself design, and the importance of knowing what you are working with before you commit to anything in design. Mikel also has great advice for spray painting, finding the right plants, and navigating thrift stores.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Melissa! Thanks for writing in. Mikel loves your Pinterest board of wonderfulness but wants to narrow it down so we can get down to what will work best. First, start with wallpaper, which should be the backdrop. Mikel would like to see soft white trim, which would make it bright and airy, and really balance things off. For the awkward window, large drapery is one option. Another can be a singular rod with pinch-pleated draped, in a solid color. In terms of furniture, consider spray painting the dresser so it matches the crib and swapping out the hardware for something more modern. Your artwork may work great on a larger wall as your impact pieces, and it will pick up on the wallpaper just across the way. We know you believe the layout is awkward, but make some of these changes and we think you will be pleasantly surprised! Last but not least, Mikel has to say it — the carpet has got to go! If you rip it out in just the nursery, hopefully, there’s something great underneath. You’ve got the bones, now you just have to lay everything down!

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Mikel Welch: Website | Instagram

Morehouse College

CB2 Furniture

Jerseylicious

HGTV Design Star

The Drew Barrymore Show

Emily Henderson

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We are so thrilled to welcome renowned and veteran architect Peter Pennoyer to the show. Over the last 30 years, he has grown his business, Peter Pennoyer Architects, to a 50-person firm of architects, interior designers, and related professionals with projects completed all over the world. He has co-written seven (!!!) books including most recently the introduction for Rowdy Meadow: House - Land - Art available now. We talk in-depth about the house in the book, the many details involved, and Peter’s approach to this and every project.

Also, be sure to take our survey at the end of the episode!

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Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Consuela,

I think you’re very lucky that your apartment is facing South on a high floor, is full of light, and that the living room has windows on the long side. There are two ways to do this. One is to place an L-shaped couch in the Northeast corner of the room with maybe a club chair facing into the corner. Then place the TV to the left of the window on the other wall. This will give you more space to have a larger desk which could also double as a table to host friends to eat in that room instead of the small breakfast room. With this option, you would have to take that door off the hinges. It’s taking up too much room and I don’t think you’ll ever close that. The other way is to have the TV on the narrow, East end of the room. And then place a sofa and two chairs in a more conventional set up around the fireplace facing the TV. It would also give you plenty of room to put the desk against the West wall. With either option, I think you could hang a fabric panel or identical large-size mirrors on the niches of the fireplace wall. I think the radiator would look better if you take that large box off of it (if you don’t have small children) and you could pay someone to clean it up and paint it.

This is a really great NYC apartment with a beautiful view. Good luck and please send us after photos! We want to see if you chose option 1 or 2… or neither! As always, we recommend using our Room Planner.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Peter Pennoyer Architects

Peter Pennoyer on Instagram

Rowdy Meadow: House - Land - Art

Stray Dog Designs

A Year at Clove Brook Farm by Christopher Spitzmiller

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We are joined today by our first Australian guest ever! Melissa Penfold is Australia’s foremost authority on style and design, a bestselling author, columnist, editor, and journalist. She calls her book Living Well by Design the ultimate decorating book. Melissa talks about keeping design simple, functional, and uniquely you. We also discuss a lot of pointers from her book to help you create a style that makes you happy.

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Decorating Dilemma

Hi Emily,

What would make the biggest difference of all is to open up the entire back as one large door ceiling to floor. I’m not sure if that’s in your budget, but it would make it fabulous! However, if you want to stick with what you’ve got you can correct the window and sliding door by getting rid of the vertical blinds and hanging new curtains from the ceiling. Hang them on the left on a metal rod and use fabric the same color as the walls; it doesn’t have to be expensive but use it in abundance. Go wider than the window and do a proper Roman shade instead of faux. I like the floors and the tulip table, but I would lose the tablecloth and put the chairs around the table in a pair. I would also keep the banquet and the Ikea cabinet. If you want to change the paint just carry it through the whole space. It’s a lovely color, but you could go slightly warmer with less grey and more beige. I would also change the handle on the sliding glass door to something more modern. A very large, rectangular rug in that space would also anchor the whole area.

One thing I would do outside is get two large potted trees just outside that door; maybe orange or olive trees. You could even grow something along that fenceline--jasmine smells lovely and grows like wild!

Good luck, Emily! You’re 90% there. Please send us photos when you’re done!

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Melissa Penfold

Melissa Penfold on Instagram

Living Well by Design

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Our guest today is interior designer Lilse McKenna. Before starting her own firm, she worked with designers Markham Roberts and Lindsey Coral Harper and drew inspiration from their styles. She has since had her work featured in House Beautiful, The Wallstreet Journal, Real Simple, and more. Her signature style is rooted in tradition yet layered with colors, textures, and patterns. We talk about how she uses layers, where she searches for killer fabrics, her best budget buys, and more!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Melissa,

I like the Pinterest example you showed with the custom shower curtain that was especially long, hung close to the ceiling, and almost to the floor. You may have to custom make it, but I would get an ivory linen with a narrow contrast banding on all 4 sides that pulls from the colors of the wallpaper. This will make sort of a fabric wall and make it look less “bathroomy”. You could even have the shower curtain made with pinch pleats or grommets to make it look more like a curtain.

Good luck! We are very invested in your shower curtain so show us after photos!

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Lilse McKenna

Lilse McKenna on Instagram

Etsy

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We are beyond thrilled to welcome our guest today, Charlotte Lucas, of Charlotte Lucas Interior Design based in Charlotte, North Carolina! Since starting her business in 2012 she has been featured in ELLE DECOR, Southern Living, Veranda, House Beautiful, and more. Charlotte also has an incredible fabric and wallpaper line called House of Harris. We talk about Charlotte’s love of color and patterns, how she balances funky and traditional, using layers, and more!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Shari,

We just did this for a client! A beach house is all about embracing where you are. So this is a place to restrain from color, as hard as it is, and go for texture, layers, and warmth. I like to do this with materials like caning, bamboo, rattan, and anything woven. There are so many vintage dealers both in local coastal outlets and online for wonderful pieces like this. I would definitely keep the furniture neutral but maybe add soft color with a lamp/lampshade or other accessory; your pillows would be a great place to add some. You could even paint one of those woven pieces. Try to grab color inspiration from your natural, outdoor surroundings (i.e. sky, sunset, sands, plants, etc) at different times of day. Another great thing for a beach house is grasscloth wallpaper. It’s not terribly expensive and it provides incredible texture; there are a lot of brands out there. You could even do it in the back of the bookshelves! We think your rug is too small, so think you should either size it up, or layer it with another bigger rug. With an open floor plan, it is important to create defined and separate spaces. Light fixtures in the kitchen or dining area could definitely help accomplish this.

You already have a great base, so no drastic suggestions! You can message me on Instagram at @charlottelucas if you have more questions or want to send me after photos!

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Charlotte Lucas Interior Design

Charlotte Lucas on Instagram

House of Harris

Blinds.com

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