How to Decorate

By Ballard DesignsBusiness Arts Design

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6th
on Design
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330
Followers
Typical duration
60 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

How to Decorate episodes

July 13, 2021Ep. 209: designers Mark Williams & Niki Papadopoulos
Our guests today are Mark Williams and Niki Papadopoulos, partners at Mark Williams Design. They share with us their thoughts on how homes are changing with their clients' changing needs, how to approach design challenges, and more.
What You'll Hear on Today's Episode:
How Mark and Niki got their starts in the design industry
How homes have been evolving over the last couple of years
Why it's important for your home to bring strength and optimism to your life
Challenges their clients' have had that have influenced their architectural and design choices
Why it's important for all of us to look honestly at our daily lives and address challenges with design
How Mark and Niki work antique pieces into their clients' homes
Show Notes:
Mark Williams Design
Mark Williams on Instagram
Niki Papadopoulos on Instagram

Find all of the show notes at howtodecorate.com/podcast

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54 min
July 06, 2021Ep. 208: designer Ariene Bethea
Our guest today is interior designer Ariene Bethea from Charlotte, North Carolina. She has a decor shop called Dressing Rooms Interior Studio, where she offers full service interior design and a carefully curated mix of vintage finds collected by Ariene herself.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
How Ariene got her start in interior design
The Ariene was able to open her own brick and mortar shop
How to breathe new life into vintage pieces
Factors that go into pricing upholstered pieces
Ariene’s perspective on the energy of color
Mentioned in This Episode:
Visit Dressing Room Interior’s website.
Follow Ariene on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Find all of the show notes at howtodecorate.com/podcast

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35 min
June 29, 2021Ep. 207: design duo Lauren & Suzanne McGrath
Mother-daughter design duo Lauren and Suzanne McGrath of McGrath II join the show to share their love of the classics. We talk about the way they approach their client spaces, investing in antiques, floor plans, and more.
What You'll Hear on This Show:
Trials & Triumphs this week
Why Suzanne and Lauren fell in love with classic design and how they approach their client spaces
Why taking chances is an essential element of designing a traditional space
How they often tweak or even transform old furniture for their designs
Why old houses often make their jobs easier
We talk all about kids rooms -- how to design with longevity, style, and comfort
Bedrooms in general and why they think of the primary bedroom as one of the most important spaces in a home
Lauren gives us a lesson in dressing the bed
Show Notes:
McGrath II
McGrath II on Instagram
Good Bones, Great Pieces by Suzanne & Lauren McGrath
Ballard Designs Room Planner

Find all of the show notes at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

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45 min
June 23, 2021Ep. 206: comedian Heather McMahan & designer Jared Hughes
We've got a hilarious duo for you today -- comedian Heather McMahan and designer Jared Hughes. They're longtime friends, and they recently made over Heather's bedroom using Ballard Designs products. Today, we're talking about mixing styles, adding traditional elements to a modern design, and more.
What You'll Hear on This Episode:
Why Heather designed her whole bedroom around our animal print Robbie Chair
Animal print inspired the whole room
How Jared took Heather's style to the next level and helped her learn what decorating rules to follow and which ones to ignore
Why painting every wall white isn't always the answer
How Jared really reigned in his bold style to ease Heather into the room design
How important is it for your room to look big?
Why a small room isn't necessarily a bad thing
We talk about Heather's mom and how much of a say she has in the design
Show Notes:
Heather McMahan's Tour Schedule
Heather on Instagram
Jared on Instagram
Jared Hughes Design
Robbie Chair in Serengeti Fabric
Giselle Bed
Acrylic Console Table

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37 min
June 15, 2021Ep. 205: designer Vicente Wolfe
We have a very special episode this week because we're welcoming our new host, Liz! Plus, we've got celebrated designer Vicente Wolfe on the show. He's one of the biggest talents in the design world, he's a published author, and he's here to chat with us about editing, color, mixing styles, and more.
What You'll Hear on the Show:
How his extensive travels inspire him and his design work
Why each room should include the past but always be moving forward
Why you need to branch out and take risks in your room
Why it's the most fascinating to examine rooms that are different than what you'd normally do
Why not being traditionally educated in design has been an advantage in Vicente's work
We talk a bit about gallery walls and how to execute them well
Show Notes:
Bissell Little Green Machine
Vicente Wolfe Associates
Books by Vicente Wolfe
Vicente Wolfe Designs on Instagram

For more show notes, visit our blog at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

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46 min
June 08, 2021Ep. 204: thrifting expert Margie of Thrift & Tell
We have a fun guest for you today as we welcome Margie from the fashion blog, Thrift and Tell. She is a consignment and thrifting expert, and is sharing her best tips on purchasing luxury items for your wardrobe and home.

What You'll Hear on This Episode:
Margie's clever philosophies on getting a great deal
How to mix high and low style in your home
Margie's favorite places to shop for deals
The importance of patience when shopping
Where you should invest your money vs. when to look for a bargain
How to tune out trends
Show Notes:
Thrift & Tell on Instagram
Thrift & Tell blog
Thrift & Tell on Pinterest

Find all of the notes or stream the episode at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

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35 min
June 02, 2021Ep. 203: designer James Farmer
Our guest today is back for another episode. He's a garden expert, interior designer, and author of 9 books, James Farmer. We talk about his love of traditional design elements, why the rooms he designs for his clients feel like a hug, and his new book Arriving Home.
What You'll Hear on This Episode:
Why James loves traditional design elements and why he works them into his client spaces
James explains his love of oyster plates and how they make their way into his clients' collections
James' lesson on lampshades and why a lampshade can make or break a lamp
James' three sofa layout design trick and when it works best for a space
James' obsession with patterned sofas and why they're just so practical
Why wallpaper and paneling give your home age
We get a lesson on decorating your outdoor rooms
Show Notes:
James Farmer's Instagram
James' Website, Jamesfarmer.com
James' latest book, Arriving Home

Find all of the notes or stream the episode at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

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40 min
May 25, 2021Ep. 202: designer Heidi Callier
Our guest today is Heidi Callier of Heidi Callier Design in Seattle, Washington. Her work has been featured in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Garden, the Wall Street Journal, and many more. Listen to this episode as she shares decorating tips and advice from her many years of experience in the decorating field.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
Heidi talks about neutral colors and how to use them
Heidi shares about her journey to decorating
How to keep colors from feeling depressing and combining different shades
The hosts and Heidi talk about how to balance different colors
How to incorporate different floral patterns
Heidi discusses her own house transformation
The hosts and Heidi talk about brown furniture and how to decorate with it
Heidi shares tips on how to approach layouts of rooms, small spaces, and decorations
Decorating Dilemmas
Hi Jill,
For small spaces, Heidi suggests doing all the interior doors the same color, but everything is dependent on the house itself and the architecture. If you are dealing with a place that has six doors in a small space, then you probably shouldn’t paint the doors a color. But in small doses, you could do all the interior doors the same color and maybe leave the trim white.
--
Hi Jordan,
What this room needs is a vintage rug, maybe with some violet, purple, or brown undertones to ground the space. There is a lot of white going on in the dining chairs, chandelier, and buffet, so something to richen it up the lighter colors would be lovely and child friendly. Pattern rugs are a great way to hide stains so vintage, wool rugs are wonderful for this.
This room really needs draperies. Go all the way to the ceiling or as high as you can with the rod and all the way to the floor. Put panels on each window so it frames the pretty piece of artwork in between, and keep the colors just a neutral linen with a pinch pleat at the top. Another option would be to layer in some color and patterns through the draperies.
Lastly, for the dining room, there seems to be enough furniture in there. However, a random vintage chair to bring in some floral patterns would be gorgeous.
Good luck, Jill and Jordan!

Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about Heidi Callier at her website
Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest

Find all of the show notes on our blog, How to Decorate.

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36 min
May 18, 2021Ep. 201: designer Corey Damen Jenkins
Our guest today is New York designer Corey Damen Jenkins. Corey is on the AD100 List, Elle Decor’s A List and his work has been featured in House Beautiful, Traditional Homes, The New York Times and more. He won HGTV’s Showhouse Showdown and has recently published his first book called Design Remix: A New Spin on Traditional Rooms.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
The driving force behind Corey’s signature eclectic exuberance
Corey’s background in the design industry
Detroit as the background of Corey’s work
How Corey puts his modern spin on traditional architecture
The importance of light fixture in interior design
Corey discuss his maximalist approach
Corey’s creative process
How Corey negotiates when working with couples with conflicting ideas
The statement opportunity in ceilings
The importance in thoughtfully curating children’s rooms
Mentioned in This Episode:
Corey Damen Jenkins website
Corey’s book
Follow Corey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Find all of the show notes on our blog, howtodecorate.com/podcast

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42 min
May 11, 2021Ep. 200: designer Brian Paquette
Today's guest is Seattle designer Brian Paquette. He joins us to talk about his brand new book At Home: Evocative and Art-Forward Interiors, as well as his unconventional path to design, his love of art, and why he finds so much inspiration in an earthy palette.
What You'll Hear on the Show:
His unconventional background into the design field
Why it's important to listen when working on a clients design (or your own home)
Why he typically favors weaves over patterns in his more permanent pieces
We talk about his book (why Karen loved his captions)
Sense memory in a room and why Brian loves to speak to a client's sense memory
Why Brian creates a signature scent for each of his clients' home
Brian thinks listening and inferring information is his super power
Why asking about a paint color someone used in their home isn't a smart way to choose a paint color
Why he likes a monotone palette for media rooms and bedrooms
Why Brian leaves art to chance in his design projects
Why a home should age and we should accept and enjoy the aging process
Decorating Dilemma:
Brian suggests switching your throw pillow inserts to Trillium which is a down alternative. This is what Brian uses for all of his clients! For the rest of the room, own the blue sofa! Add more blue in with two club chairs to coordinate with your sofa -- it could be pillows, some cording on the chairs, or a similar but different blue fabric on the chair. You're almost there. Just two more chairs will tie it all together.

Mentioned in This Episode:
Brian Paquette Interiors
Brian Paquette on Instagram
At Home: Evocative & Art Forward Interiors, by Brian Paquette
Trillium pillow inserts from PillowFlex

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40 min

About How to Decorate

From the publisher's feed

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…