How to Decorate

**Disclaimer: We had some technical difficulty with one of our mics. It refused to cooperate! We hope you'll enjoy the show anyway.**

Being the design-aholics we are, we couldn’t turn down an opportunity to interview the Editor-in-Chief of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME, Betsy Riley. We have Betsy to thank for reviving the title in 2015. Each issue brings some of the most gorgeous and inspiring spaces in Atlanta, so we were thrilled to pick her brain about what makes a house magazine-worthy and how she decorates in her own home.

WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE:

Karen’s bathroom-related entertaining disaster Karen tested our Brian Patrick Flynn’s drapery training trickTaryn talks about her entertaining pet peeve — everyone gravitating to the kitchenTaryn’s shade swap with a big lighting lesson — take your lamp base to the store!Why some beautiful homes just aren’t right for a magazineHow she picks which homes to feature and what types of spaces don’t make it to the magazineWhat her biggest decorating challenge isWhy you have to be able to let things goBetsy’s tips for making your spaces look good in photographsWe talk about Betsy’s black and white issue 

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Today's guest is not only one of our favorite designers and a hometown hero in the design world, she's also our design partner, Suzanne Kasler. Suzanne's interiors are usually riddled with classic furniture pieces, but she presents them with a modern point of view. They're tailored, edited, and punctuated with color. We launched our first collection with Suzanne in 2011, and ever since then, we've been making design magic together, so we're thrilled to have her as our guest today on the blog!

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON TODAY'S SHOW:

Karen's recent framing victory inspired by Natalie Nassar's houseTaryn talks about a product she recently designedA new hobby I'm trying outSuzanne talks about showhouses and why she loves themWhy she likes to keep her team smallHow she does it all and where she finds her creative energyHow her love of shopping translates to design inspirationWhy Suzanne can't share her favorite places to shopWhy she started working with design partnersWe talk about her new outdoor furniture collection, her Directoire collection in whiteWhy you should start planning your outdoor space earlySuzanne talks about using white as a paint color and she uses it so much in her clients' homesSuzanne talks about her 'architectural envelope' and why she pays so much attention to the architecture of her clients' homes

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We're opening a new store outside of Boston at Natick Mall, and to celebrate, we wanted to talk to some local design talents. You may remember me mentioning Katie Hutchison's book The New Small House on our episode with Annette Joseph. We ended up connecting with Katie and were thrilled when she agreed to join us for a live podcast episode from the floor of our brand new store! Since we're live, you'll notice lots of background noise (we apologize in advance), but we loved picking Katie's brain about living in a small house, designing a small house, and takeaways even those of us not in small houses can utilize in our own spaces!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL HEAR:

• The background story of Katie book and how it came to be
• We talk about Katie's own house which we briefly talks about in the book
• The 'keys' Katie discusses in the book which each of the small houses have in common and which we can all utilize, like 'pockets for privacy'
• Taryn and I both talk about our experiences seeing the 'pockets of privacy' at work
• The variety of styles illustrated in the book
• We talk about the glass, kit house featured in the book
• How long it took the write and shoot the book
• How she found all of the houses for the book
• Ways those of us who aren't planning a large renovation can maximize the space we have
• We talk about the tiny house movement and how a tiny house differs from the houses in her book
• We talk about built-ins and how important they are for making small spaces super functional
• We talk about Katie's outdoor spaces and the many outdoor rooms in the book
• Katie tells us about her gardening mishaps, like transplanting weeds
• We talk about the strange things we've all found in our yard from previous owners
• We ask Katie about her favorite style of architect
• Common mistakes people make when they're designing a new home
• Why the answer to your home woes may not necessarily mean adding more space but reworking the space you already have
• Why the location of private and public spaces are so important for the way you live in your home

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We're big fans of interior designer, blogger, and author Erin Gates, so when we headed to our new Boston store at Natick Mall, we knew we had to sit down with this local stylemaker. She joined us for our first live podcast recording in the front window of our brand new store to talk about designing for families, her massive home renovation, and so much more.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE:

• We talk about what guys universally love and hate
• How one finished room can inspire a client to finish the whole house
• We talk about which room you should invest in and complete first
• She shares the topic of her new book, decorating for families and why you don't have to dumb down your decor just because you have kids and pets
• Why having a well-designed master bedroom is so important
• The misconceptions many people have about what they can and can't have in their home if they have families
• Why white is actually appropriate -- if you have bleach on hand!
• How much Erin's team has grown and how delighted they all are to have a new, organized office space
• The color they use in almost every project
• We talk about Taryn's color addiction
• Karen and Erin bond over their love of animal print
• Erin tells us all about the massive home renovation of her fixer upper
• Her next big project in her home renovation
• Her love of real estate and how she's always browsing houses
• We talk TVs -- what's too big and should you have one in your bedroom
• Erin gives everyone a rug lesson
• I share a story about a 'rug island'
• We talk about what you do when your friends asks for decor advice about a home purchase they've made
• Why it's fun to work on projects that are out of your comfort zone
• Where people can save in their budget, and where they should in vest most of their dollars

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We can't help but be struck by how powerful yet restrained interior designer Melanie Turner's spaces are, and we were even more struck by how down-to-earth and cool she is. In only seven short years after opening her interior design business, she's earned such accolades as Veranda's Southeastern Designer of the Year, Trad Home's Top 10 Designers, Architectural Digest's 2010 Kitchen of the Year, and many more. We were beyond thrilled when she sat down to talk with us about her recents trip to Morocco, the power of vision boards, why she never puts bookshelves in a home, and so much more.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW:

• How Melanie uses vision boards to turn her dreams into reality
• We talk about the photo shoot Ballard Designs did at Melanie's house
• The powerful history of her historic home and the spiritual connection she has to it
• Why she feels like a steward of her house instead of an owner
• She talks about how practical the home is for modern life, even though it was built in 1923
• We talk a bit about Atlanta architect Phillip Shutze and historic preservation
• How owning a historic home has helped her with her client work
• All the fabulous locales where she currently has projects
• She tells us all about her trip to Morocco, including what she brought home and visiting Yves Saint Laurent's house
• How you remember much more if you can't take photographs
• Why instead of gifts, they take a family trip every year during the holidays
• Why editing is the most powerful thing you can do to refresh your home
• Her approach to picture frames -- framing them in one big mass on a stairwell instead of spread throughout
• Melanie talks about how she manifested her project onto the cover of Veranda magazine with a vision board
• How rewarding it is to give purpose to her client's homes
• How at her client installations, the husband is usually the one who cries the most!
• Why you shouldn't dismiss how important your home is
• Why she loves decorating for bachelors
• Why it's so hard to decorate her own home
• How many times she's moved since she's been married (she's married to a builder and developer)
• How you can give a new build home that old character that gives a house soul

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Go ahead and pinch us because we can’t quite believe we get to introduce this week’s podcast guest, interior designer Miles Redd! We were beside ourselves when he agreed to sit down with us while recently in his hometown of Atlanta (and ours). Plus, he’s our first AD100 Designer on the podcast. Miles’ spaces are packed with style, drama, and whimsy, plus we were struck with how darn nice he is! 

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE:

• Karen’s juju hat insect infestation
• The next addition Karen made to her ongoing guest bedroom project
• Taryn painted her carport Sherwin Williams Vogue Green
• Taryn needs help with her guest bathroom because her beadboard wainscoting makes it difficult to hang a mirror
• My all-time worst trial involving a ‘ceiling pimple’
• How Miles got his start at NYU and made his way to John Rosselli
• His time at Oscar de la Renta
• Why it’s important to trust your own instincts and take risks
• Miles talks to us about color and why it’s all about relationships
• Why you should tackle your walls and floors first
• What it was like working on his parents’ home and why it was a lifelong fantasy
• Why he loves a door and all the fun things he does with them
• His thoughts on lampshades, including what everyone does wrong and how he jazzes them up
• His list of ‘greats’
• Who he follows on Instagram (mostly his friends)
• We asked about his new office space, and he confirms that it’s just as glamorous and we imagined
• The one color he doesn’t like
• Miles’ decorating pet peeves

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Natalie has worked with us here at Ballard Designs for years, so when we caught a glimpse of her chic, layered family home, we knew we had to share. We posted her whole home tour here on How to Decorate yesterday, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get even more decorating goodness out of her to share on the podcast! We talk about decorating with kids, styling, layering, and so much more!

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW:

• I hosted my largest ever dinner party and I give you a whole run down
• My seriously embarrassing 'trial' that involves my robot vacuum
• Another installment of Taryn's dog chewing disasters
• Taryn tells us about her trip to South America and what she brought back
• We ask Natalie about her style which she calls 'collected, global'
• Why Natalie likes to choose neutrals for her large furniture pieces, then adds in colorful accessories
• Her history with Ballard Designs and how she got started styling rooms
• We talk about her dining room, which you can see here
• Natalie talks to us about how she prioritized decorating each room
• We talk about the cute little ways Natalie styles her home, like buying cute hand soap (shown below)

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, please subscribe to the podcast in iTunes so you never miss and episode. Of course, you can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

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This week on the podcast, we're talking with stylist, entertaining expert, author, and workshop master of ceremonies, Annette Joseph. Annette does it all and makes it look so easy. We sat down to talk about the villa in Italy she's renovating, her workshops, how she got into styling, and so much more!

• How Karen did a mini bathroom makeover in her guest suite
• How Annette started styling
• What it was like pitching a show to Bravo and shooting a pilot
• Annette has been vacationing in Italy since she was a kid
• Annette talks about her upcoming book about Italy
• Why it's hard to be an ex-patriot in Italy
• Why it's always better to go shopping in Italy with an actual Italian (or someone who knows everyone)
• The scoop on buying real estate in Italy ... and renovating from a different continent
• Italy's all about 'juice'
• The faux pas Annette committed recently while walking around her property
• How they ended up buying the property they chose
• All about the workshops she hosts -- perfecting branding, photography, styling, and more
• What you could expect if you were to attend one of Annette's workshops
• The book she's working on about the cocktail culture in Italy

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This week, we are interviewing our own bedding expert, the stylist that makes all of the beds in our gorgeous rooms, Beth Mars Dean. You probably never knew a bedding stylist exists, but she's the lady that makes sure all of our beds look picture perfect and snooze worthy. For all of your bedding questions answered, be sure to listen to this episode!

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE

• The most recent catastrophe that happened with our photoshoot
• The surprising amount of time it takes to make a bed for one of our photo shoots
• All of the extra things Beth adds to her beds that you wouldn't normally use
• From start to finish, how Beth makes a gorgeous catalog-worthy bed
• Whether all of us make our beds every day, what the nation-wide average is, and what percentage of our How to Decorate readers make their beds everyday
• How many pillows each of us have on our beds
• What Beth's bed looks like and how she makes it every day
• How Beth became a bedding stylist
• How you can create a luxurious bed in a realistic way

We answer all of your burning bedding questions, including how to coordinate with your existing bedding collection, how to streamline bed making so you're more likely to do it, where to put your pillows when you get into the bed, and how many throw pillows are too many?

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As our final episode of the year, we're leaving you with a special bonus episode where we're discussing the 2016 trends that are 'out' and the trends to look for in 2017. We discuss Million Dollar Decorator Mary McDonald's list of trends that are out and trends that are in for 2017... and we discuss whether we agree or disagree. We also admit to any 'out' trends that we're guilty of committing in our own homes.

• Which trends Mary McDonald says are officially out
• Which trends she says to look for in 2017
• Which trends we're all guilty of committing

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