How to Decorate

By Ballard DesignsBusiness Arts Design

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on Design
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Typical duration
60 min
per episode

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How to Decorate episodes

May 05, 2020Ep. 140: designer Barrie Benson
Designer Barrie Benson joins the show to talk about how she creates spaces that are both super sophisticated and also lively and fun. She talks with us about how to start an art collection, why she thinks more Southern homes are embracing contemporary styles, and how to update that traditional chair with a modern fabric.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode:
How Barrie mixes fun and colorful with sophisticated and well thought out design.
Why it’s important to really know your taste when working with a designer, and it’s okay to embrace if your taste is different or eclectic!
Ways we can reinvent old family heirlooms or furniture and how just a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference.
It’s great to call a friend (or designer of course) to get a perspective and outside look at what you have going on in terms of your design.
Barrie has seen more Southerners mixing traditional and stately with new and lively lately.
Ways you can get involved in your local art community and get to really know your taste and palette for art.
The more you are passionate about your house, the more you are proud and connected to it.
How Barrie uses the 80/20 rule to plan out her rooms, but leave space for new and organic pieces.
What toile wallpaper is, and how we can use it in a fun way.
Barrie’s choice of performance fabric rugs that look great and also are durable and forgiving on wear and tear.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Barrie Benson
@barriebenson
Soco Gallery
Sheila Bridges
SONY

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1 hr 8 min
April 28, 2020Ep. 139: designer Alexandra Kaehler
This week, Chicago designer Alexandra Kaehler chats with us about editing, when to know a room is finished, and how to make a meaningful antique feel chic. Alexandra also talks about her love of sourcing art, and how we can use art and wallpaper together in a way that works with the scale and intention of a room.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode:
Trials and triumphs including the obvious of working at home with young children, painting projects, outdoor lighting, and some moss-some yardwork.
Alexandra talks about her own home being featured in Luxe Magazine, and how she went into it knowing that she had to take on her own space with the same detail oriented nature in which she works with her clients.
Ways in which we can use traditional pieces mixed with the modern and chic to create a beautifully edited space.
How Alexandra knows when the space she is working on is ready to be done, and why we can always go in and add more or change things around as time goes on.
Alexandra sees less edited collections when working with her younger clients, however, creating a tradition of collecting a certain thing over a long period of time can be fun and add to the meaning of the decor.
Ideas for taking an heirloom or antique and repurposing it make it feel chic and contemporary.
Tips for working with brown furniture to make it feel chic and not outdated, and incorporating multiple wood finishes in one room.
What to know when working with wallpaper according to the scale of the room.
Alexandra loves the “grandma look” but mixes it with contemporary to make it feel fresh and clean.
How Alexandra shops for her art and mixes it together in a room, and some suggestions on where to find great art that won’t break the bank.
Using pillows for color and pattern in a room is an inexpensive way to add fun and experiment with different looks.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Alexandra Kaehler
@alexkaehlerdesign
Decorating Dilemma:
By moving the sofa to a different area in the room you can open things up a lot. Alexandra envisions putting the sofa on the right side of the room up against the window and a pair of chairs on the other side with a bench for more seating. If you put your TV across from the couch, it will be off-center but will create a nice flow in the space. Adding some nice drapes could bring in more warmth and texture, and if you don’t use the blinds we suggest getting rid of them! It looks like your vibe is modern and simple so it could be an opportunity to add some color or black and white photography, but not pack the walls and overwhelm the already beautiful light space.

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1 hr 20 min
April 21, 2020Ep. 138: Skye Kirby Westcott Ballard’s Senior VP of Merchandising and Design
We’ve been waiting to get her on for a while, and this week we sit down with Skye Kirby Westcott, Ballard’s Senior VP of Merchandising and Design. She talks with us about her impressive tenure in design industry and how she seamlessly blends different styles. Skye also shares where she finds inspiration for new products and what trends she is excited to see come (and go) in the future and at Ballard.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode
Skye is responsible for much of the vision of Ballard, and she pulls her inspiration from many things including her travels around the world. She has an extensive background in design and merchandising and a love of interior design.
Yes, it is possible to blend the eclectic and colorful with the modern and contemporary. Skye talks about the different styles within her homes in Atlanta, Connecticut, and even her “tree house” in LA.
Skye’s time as an exchange student in Sweden introduced her to how the culture took time and thought to decorate their home, and she soon fell in love with their design style and IKEA. She talks about working for IKEA and how it still inspires her today.
Skye gained a ton of experience from working on the team that developed the first Anthropologie store, and developed more skills while at Lillian August in New York.
We can learn a lot from asking customers about what they don’t like.
Tips for creating a card catalog of inspiration while traveling, and to have an eye out for art and design elements that you will forever appreciate from your travels.
What product design trends Skye is looking forward to going away.
Why Skye believes we should finish one room at a time to build our confidence and sense of accomplishment.
Skye discusses where Ballard is headed visually, including the influence of Scandavidian design.
Get excited for some color in upcoming Ballard bedding collections!
Mentioned In This Episode:
Skye Kirby Westcott
Vern Episode
@skykirbywestcott

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1 hr 3 min
April 14, 2020Ep. 137: design firm Toledo Geller
Virginia and Jessica, who own the boutique design firm Toledo Geller, join the show this week. This design duo who were just named House Beautiful’s “New Wave Designers” talk about the interesting way they met, how their styles compliment one another, and a home should be designed to fit your lifestyle.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode
The intention behind the way they design spaces
Yes, it is possible to meet your next business partner on Craigslist. Virginia and Jessica are perfect examples.
How their different styles compliment each other
Each of their signature design go-to’s when working on a project
Why both women believe we can work around anything, and examples of how they found solutions in challenging times.
Projects where they worked holistically and made sure the decor was perfectly trimmed and tailored to the space.
Ways that we can work with the architecture and blueprint of the home to decorate it in a way that really brings out how it was meant to be presented.
Why we shouldn’t be scared of everyday wear and tear because they are memories and part of experiencing life.
More about Jessica’s New Jersey Home and the inspiration behind all the beautiful patterns and textures.
How we make a room feel happy and joyous using colors and a play on patterns.
Why Virginia and Jessica ask their clients what they wear when they entertain, and what the answer tells them about their clients.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Toledo Geller
House Beautiful
Casa Bohemia

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1 hr
April 07, 2020Ep. 136: organizing expert Clara Schoen
Luxury home organizing expert Clara Schoen joins the show, to talk about what it takes to be a professional organizing expert, and gives her advice on how we can best use this time to get our home tidy and streamlined. Clara also talks about how we can get our family excited and onboard for organizing, how to get through the sentimental part of throwing things away, and what products she finds the most helpful as an organization investment.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode
How one gets into the organizing space in the first place, and how it’s different than organizing for yourself.
Why labeling things really does help you save time, and how to get your family onboard (and maybe even excited?!) about labeling.
What organization products Clara feels is worth the investment, and where we can save money.
Clara’s advice on organizing things that can create clutter such as junk drawer items, extra pens, and chords.
Organizing can be an emotional or sentimental practice, so how to feel better about ditching things you really won’t use.
How to get things looking clean and uniform, and where we spend small amounts of money to have everything looking streamlined.
How Clara folds clothes, and tips for getting our closets under control and storing handbags.
Great ways to organize sentimental items that the kids create, and why it’s okay to not keep everything they bring home from school.
How we store and file away our important papers, so that they are easy to find and clearly labeled.
Great tip: stores will load paint for you in your car, so you don’t even have to go in the store!

Mentioned In This Episode:
The Home Organized
@thehomeorganized_
Ballard Desk Organizers

Decorating Dilemma:
It’s all about thinking big! A 36 inch round skirted table that fits your own vibe with a big round ceramic lamp would look great. Feel free to buy larger things, like big artwork, as you have a good amount of space to fill. This will add height and presence to the room. We also bet your friend Taryn may paint something for you, if you ask nicely! Some modular seating that flow around the room could work to add more seating, and you do have the space for it.

The color of the headboard depends on how much light comes in the room, and how much you want to create a little cocoon feeling in the room. We like a color called Urbane Bronze, so check it out and see if it would work for you. Also, deep purple or green would go great. Think about getting bigger lamps, with something big and exaggerated with drama and pizazz.

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1 hr 20 min
April 02, 2020Ep. 135: bonus Trials & Triumph episode
We are back with a bonus episode, filling you in on exactly what we’ve been up to at home, and sharing our successes and challenges during this time. Whether it’s family cocktail hour or more time with the family, we are definitely finding a silver lining in this time. We also share what we’ve been ordering online, how to decorate using things already inside your home, and which of us is wearing high heels with our athleisure.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode:
The ways we are passing the time - planting flowers, creating yummy meals, online shopping, tackling long term projects, and a lot of home decorating!
How we are all keeping our sanity by creating a functional home office and sacred space to have some alone time in.
Even just cleaning a nook once a day will give you a good sense of control and accomplishment.
What parts of our home we are just upgrading, and which ones we are completely reorganizing.
How we are staying sane with our partners and family being around 24/7.
Cute ways to make arrangements or centerpieces on the dining room table using what you already have in the house.
How this time is making us appreciate our homes even more and the effort we put in to making the little details nice and enjoyable.
The plans we have coming up to make our homes and outside spaces even better.
What are are ordering online, tackling our to do list one by one.
Yes, yoga pants really are that comfortable during this time, but it also feels good to slap on some mascara and brush the hair every now and then.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Gallery Easel

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46 min
March 31, 2020Ep. 134: designer Rachel Cannon
Interior Designer Rachel Cannon is a self described Loudmouth Introvert, hence why this is the title of her new podcast. She returns to the show to discuss exactly what a loudmouth introvert is, the importance of having a quiet room or space in the house, and why introverts need a space like this for their rest and rejuvenation. Rachel gives some tips on setting up a quiet space and how we can begin right away with our schedules now being pointed more towards home.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode
What a “Loudmouth Introvert” means to Rachel, and why our assumptions about introvert and extrovert aren’t always right.
How the Loudmouth Introvert podcast was born, and the epiphany she had that the more she designed her show for introverts like herself, the more traction the episodes got.
The importance of introverts being able to have a quiet room and space to recharge themselves and take care of their mental health.
There are no design rules when it comes to a quiet room, just a separate space that is soothing and comforting.
What features Rachel designed in her quiet room that serve to provide relaxation and deep focus.
Tips for setting up a successful work from home space, which we all need as we stay home for the next several months.
Yes, we do have a “Zen Den” at Ballard where employees can go in and have a quiet moment themselves.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Rachel Cannon
Loudmouth Introvert
@rclinteriors
Saturday Style with Karen Profita
Myers Carpet

Decorating Dilemma:
What a beautiful room! It’s really about filling it up with texture and getting the right proportion down. We feel as though getting some decorative Birch logs in there would look beautiful and add some raw texture to fill up the room. Since the room is so large, you could probably keep the rug and get a big natural fiber rug underneath it, and when you are ready, get a larger couch. Some drapes and a bigger rug would also help fill up the room. Thank you and be sure to send us the after photos!

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55 min
March 24, 2020Ep. 133: homeschooling expert and supermom Erika Ward
While we are inside and schools are closed for the time being, we thought an episode on homeschooling could be helpful. This week, we welcome Erika Ward, owner of Erika Ward Interiors, based in Atlanta, Georgia. As a mother of 5 who homeschooled her children through their education, this supermom has great advice for us on how to create a space that welcomes both fun and learning, what sort of things we can do to transform our home into a homeschooling space, and ways we can keep our home beautiful with our kids running around full time inside of them.
What You’ll Hear On this Episode
Why Erika decided to homeschool her kids, and how it helped her raise them in a way that was aligned with her values.
How to schedule better so that you allow for learning, play, and fun.
Ways to create spaces so that kids don’t feel trapped, but they also don’t feel too comfortable.
How Erika transformed her home using tables and chairs to set exact spaces for learning, but also provided an area for her kids to get up, move around, and do the work they need to.
Lunch and snack time can be a challenging area for homeschooling parents, and Erika explains her winning strategy.
Hot tip for keeping the house looking great with little ones around full time - put all the beautiful things in spaces and crevices they can’t reach.
Ways that we can get our kids to be accountable and tidy up in their playroom.
Tips for designing a space that can stay functional and is worth the investment.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Erika Ward
#5: Erika Ward
#89: Traci Zeller

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53 min
March 17, 2020Ep. 132: event planners Laura Maddox and Sara Parker
The planning and event duo Laura Maddox and Sara Parker, who started and run Magnolia Celebrates, join the show to talk about their vast experience in events. Laura and Sara share how event planning mixes with design, the home decor they are seeing used in events, and all you need to know about registries.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
Laura and Sara’s combined experience of working both as an Executive Assistant to a CEO and planning over 2,000 events.
How we can plan smaller events such as a baby shower and have it be just as beautiful and memorable as a huge one.
How to curate a theme and weave in personalized decor and keep it elegant instead of cheesy.
What things we can think about to combine both beautiful decor and a comfortable guest experience.
If there is an alternative to flowers, and what other home decor items Laura and Sara see currently at events.
Registries — what you should pick and how, what you shouldn’t pick, and how we all feel about going off the registry to purchase your gift.
Who puts their China in the dishwasher, and why.
How to set the lighting and mood at an event, why this can make or break the night, and why it’s crucial to use a dimmer.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Magnolia Celebrates
BallardDesignsRegistry

Decorating Dilemma:
We suggest making things a tad less busy by taking the dark green from the wall paper and implementing it also on the vanity, molding and crown. Add a more modern light fixture, along with some cool abstract art and acrylic frames. If you could install a toilet paper holder on the side of your vanity, that will help declutter. Update your faucet and hardware, and take it from Taryn — you can get a pretty sweet one for$40!

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1 hr 3 min
March 10, 2020Ep. 131: Dilemma Blitz with Tanya
We’ve had so many of your wonderful Decorating Dilemma’s come in that we wanted to do a special episode focused just on them. To join us, we welcome Tanya from the Designs Solutions team to answer your questions including topics on how to emphasize existing cool architecture, what the cantaloupe rule is and why you may want to follow it, what paint colors Tanya recommends for certain looks, and her advice on how to decorate for young active kids when you know they will want a fresh start in a short time.
Decorating Dilemma:
We think a huge full bodied floor mirror would look great on the wall, and you can even get the kind that has a shelf down the middle for extra display options for a tiny entry such as this one. For inspiration, check out our Hollen Entryway Mirror. Add some bright pieces of art. A demi-lune can also be a great solution in a tight space, so you can display items but not have the corners clipping your hips as you walk by. You can add 3 or 4 sconces, and grouping of long pendants with lights on dimmers could look beautiful as you are going down the stairs. Get something that is glass, instead of full metal.
Caroline painted it gray using a Benjamin Moore Metropolitan Gray high gloss enamel, which was actually the color of 2019! Make sure your painter does the ceiling before the grass cloth, so you have a tidier finish.
In terms of storage, smaller modular pieces that are seperated would be a great solution for you. Check out these acrylic frame ideas that you can attach artwork to and easily change out. A nice plaid with the navy walls could look great, and check out our friend Brian Patrick Flynn for inspiration on how to use bold patterns and colors, and big geometrical shapes to give a clean but masculine feel. Since they will be playing a ton in the rooms, it really all comes down to concealed storage.
This is already a beautiful room, and we love your style, so great job! You know how much we love dimmers, so this could add even more lighting options. As you walk into the room, something open and not heavy will break up and help visually. Don’t feel bad about poking a hole in the rug to run your wires, and we love that you layered these rugs too. A new sofa, and a little round table with some cool ottoman stools could be beautiful. Check out our Banquettes for some fun options, which will also serve to warm up your room too.
Paint the brick white to create a uniform look, so at least visually it appears more cohesive. You can paint it the same tone and do it in a higher gloss finish with an eggshell that is the same tone, but get that area evened out. Center the mirror over the firebox, and you may want to employ the “cantaloupe rule”, where you edit down items to have fewer but bigger accessories. We have styling guides for shelves and this can help you minimize and pull off a fresh look.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Ballard Designs Design Solutions
Miles Redd
Bunny Williams's gray ceiling trick
Hollen Entry Mirror

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1 hr 3 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…