Style Matters

My guest today is the perfect example of someone who has taught herself how to train her eye and create a signature style.  Ariene Bethea is the owner of the antique shop, Dressing Rooms Interiors, in Charlotte, NC, which has been getting a lot of attention from interior designers and magazines.   But her home is just as compelling as the shopping experience she's created.  In fact, the way she so thoughtfully brings disparate objects together in beautiful ways is one of the reasons why she started offering in-person design services, in addition to curating her shop.  In this conversation, we talk about her use of color, her collections, and how, in the case of one client, she applied her maximalist style to a minimalist's home.  Let's go!

When I first saw Philip Mitchell's book, "Collected Interiors: Rooms That Tell a Story," I knew I had found a master of the mix. He's created my very favorite kinds of homes... those where every detail is fully considered and every composition and pairing of objects tells an arresting or unexpected story.

Melissa Penfold is a well-known Australian journalist in the field of interiors and she's just come out with her first book, "Living Well By Design."  We talk about developing your confidence, creating a sense of place, the missing wow factor ingredient in many homes... hint... it's about scale... and of course, why style matters.

"On The Little Yellow Couch" where it's just you and me.  In other episodes like this, you've heard me go over the principles of Slow Style and the path or phases you'd go through to apply this approach to decoration and design.  Today, I'll give you some concrete ideas about what exactly a Slow Style home looks like.  There are 5 main elements that I've come up with that I think pretty much covers all homes created with Slow Style.

We're going to hear about the beauty of Cheryl's natural environment, feng shui, her artwork and the importance of art overall when it comes to creating a home that gives something back to us.  Here's Cheryl.

I've wanted to interview many Australian designers but haven't been able to make the difference in time zones work.  Until now!  You're about to hear my conversation with Jen Kingwell, fabric and pattern designer, quilter, and now author.  She's just written a book called Quilt Recipes, and I fell in love with the gorgeous photos showing how her quilts are used in interiors.  Not only can you follow her patterns and design ideas to make your own quilts from this book, she also includes recipes from her mom who was a terrific baker.  When you think about it, it's the perfect combination for a cozy winter day... curling up with a soft handmade quilt and a sweet treat.  You'll have to check out the photos on the show notes page of this episode to really get a sense of the feeling this book has inspired in me!  Ok, here's Jen.

I'm very happy to have Marian Parsons open up this new season of Style Matters for us.  You may also know her as Miss Mustard Seed, which is what she called herself when she started a blog over 10 years ago.  From the blog came other business pursuits such as creating a line of milk paint, creating fabric and product designs, and selling her original artwork.  She's just come out with a new book, "Feels Like Home: Transforming your home from uninspiring to uniquely yours," and her approach to design completely aligns with what we believe here at Style Matters.  And that is that your story is your style.  Let's hear from Marian.

Melissa Parks is a hunter and seller of vintage goods just outside of Chicago, Illinois.  She's also a regular contributor to the digital magazine, Lived-In Style and wrote for the print publication Flea Market Style before that.  You may know her as "Megillicutti," which is the name she uses on Instagram where she has over 26k fans.  n this episode we talk about how she approaches the “hunt,” what makes the cut and what doesn’t and how she fills her own home with a rotation of collections.

Jamala Wallace shares her many room and furniture transformations through her personal blog, Viva La Vintage.   In this conversation, we really zero in on the idea that beauty comes from the act of finding and creating it, rather than acquiring it.

Emmy Ellison, founder of de Maroc.  Her mission is to bring the beauty of handmade woven rugs from Morocco into all of our homes.  I'll let her tell you her story, starting with her wandering around Morocco, following the trail of the centuries-old tradition of designing, weaving, and dying these beautiful, soulful pieces.