How To Decorate

Flower Magazine editor in chief and founder Margot Shaw joins us from Birmingham to talk about flowers, being a green thumb, and why she decided to start Flower Magazine. We talk fake flowers, the etiquette for cutting from the yard, and why your containers or vases are as important as the flowers you're trying to arrange. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: -Taryn's very upsetting wardrobe malfunction  -Karen talks about how she oxycleans everything  -Taryn's triumph is that she had a piece of art framed  -Karen shares the mystery of her collapsed faux boxwood balls  -Karen's triumph was painting her back fence black  -My triumph is that I had my Nala Stool reupholstered in our Natural Woven Sand fabric which looks just like raffia  -My trial is a recurring experience in which my neighbor's get to see my pajamas  -Margot shares the incredible story of how she started Flower Magazine  -We talk about how people are really the cornerstone of the magazine, not plants  -She shares that she does not in fact ... hav

This week we have a very special guest all the way from California, interior designer Mark D. Sikes. Mark is a veritable renaissance man with a furniture line, fabric collection, rug collection, book, fashion line, and of course his interior design business. He shares the story of how his Los Angeles home landed on the cover of House Beautiful, his love of fashion and experience working in fashion, how he approaches a new space, and how to get that effortless California style in your home. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: Taryn's trial involves the yearly dilemma of pollen versus outdoor furniture.Karen gives us tips for pruning hydrangeas.My London travel momento is both my trial and my triumph.Karen's guest bedroom saga continues. This week, she's talking about paint.Mark shares the process of designing his furniture collection and where his inspiration comes fromHow his degree in finance helps his interior design businessWe press him on how he started his MDS Stripes fashion lineMark loves a stripe -- so

We recently traveled to High Point, North Carolina for their Spring Market and had the chance to sit down with some of our favorite tastemakers. This week, we're sharing our interview with the Editor in Chief of Domino Magazine, Jessica Romm Perez. She's worked at some of our favorite magazines -- Martha Stewart, Food & Wine, and Elle Decor just to name a few -- so we loved chatting with her about what trends she's seeing at market, her recent home renovation, and how her team dreams up such a gorgeous issue! Of course we couldn't end the episode without her answering your decorating questions! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: We're in High Point Market in North Carolina interviewing interior designers and editorsWe talk about why we love market and what it isKaren's triumph is the new bed she put in her guest bedroomHer trial is that her guest bedroom closet won't close because of the bed!We talk about how everything in Karen's house is from Ballard but why it doesn't actually look like our catalog or stor

This week, we're bringing you a very special Mother's Day edition. Our guests are our three moms! We gave them a little pop quiz and challenged them on how well they know us and how well we know them. We talk about our childhood bedrooms, how our styles differ, and much more. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE My trial which consisted of being in the middle of the Atlanta I-85 interstate collapseTaryn recaps her travels to South Africa, including what she brought home on the planeTaryn's sweet lab Baylor came home from the daycare with a tumorKaren talks about her carpenter bee problem and her gardening triumphWe played a game with our moms where we made them fill out a quiz to see how well they knew usWe talk color, wallpaper, sentimental things, and hoarding tendenciesWe talk about our childhood bedroomsWe share another round of entertaining disasters

Our guest this week has seriously enviable style that blends vibrant colors with doses of white and black. We love the way she uses vintage pieces but creates rooms that feel totally fresh and modern. Gen Sohr is one half of the husband and wife team at Pencil and Paper Company, and we had to pick her brain about decorating with kids, color, pattern, thrift shopping, and how she and Ben manage to do it all, and together no less! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: Taryn tells us about her fun new findI shopped my house to redo my living room mantelKaren tells us about the mysterious dots all over her kitchen and den and her clever solution to her tray which scratches her coffee tableWe talk favorite paint colors and color palettes with GenWhat it's like working with her husband, how they met, and when they decided to open their businessWe talk about her new hometown of Nashville and how the city has changed since they've moved thereDoes she have any pet peeves when she visits friends' homesHer go-to white pain

Interior designer Beth Webb's spaces are comfortable, tailored, and utterly timeless, so you can our imagine our delight when she joined us for this week's episode of the podcast. We talk about her recent challenge of blending her own style with her new husbands, we talk entertaining, southern hospitality, and the importance of great lighting, among other things. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE My garden related triumph and allergy related trialTaryn has a cleaning conundrum she needs help solvingTaryn talks about her recent accessory additionKaren's stranger danger experience in her neighborhoodWhy it's so great to be an interior designer in AtlantaWe talk the business of design, including comraderie, client relationships, and social mediaHow she's combined her own style aesthetic with her new husband's more contemporary styleWhat are her decorating pet peevesThe importance of having layers of light in your spaceWhy scale is so important, why it's hard to teach, and how to approach scale in your own home

Hold onto your earbuds because our guest today is none other than our own design partner, author, acclaimed interior designer, and hostess extraordinaire Bunny Williams! We traveled to Bunny's office in New York to record this special episode in her office, and she definitely did not disappoint. Bunny shares some incredible decorating tips and stories, including how she furnished her first apartment and decorating her home in the Dominican Republic. We talk about her new outdoor furniture collection La Colina, and of course she answers your decorating questions! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: We talk about my red lipstick trial and Karen schools us in her red lipstick protocolKaren's cord control decorating triumphTaryn talks about the incredible meal and incredible decor at Marcel in AtlantaHer trial involves public speakingBunny tells us why she decided to do a product line with Ballard DesignsShe tells us about how we're all faced with the same dilemma when it comes to decorating -- budgetWhy only buyi

**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 isW

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,

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

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 ar

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 A

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 a

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 ho

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! What You'll Hear on the Show: 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 -- per

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 w

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. What You'll Hear on This Episode 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

This week on the podcast, we sat down with Erika Ward of Erika Ward Interiors. After majoring in finance and working in the corporate world several years, Erika decided to follow her passion and start her interior design business. She gives us the whole scoop on her business, decorating pet peeves, and answers your decorating questions! WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW: Erika talks about why she went into finance and eventually transitioned into designing full time How Erika balances classic design with a modern aesthetic Why you need to incorporate color into your room Why it’s so important for her and her clients to understand each other Why her biggest challenge in design work is educating her clients What’s so important about the ‘shell’ of a room What decorating mistake she made in her own house What surprised Erika when she came to one of our catalog shoots   Erika also helps us answer to questions this week. The first question is about how to properly dress an 11 foot window. Our second questi

On this episode of the podcast, we sat down with interior designer and blogger Sherry Hart. She’s a master of styling bookshelves, can make a neutral room feel fresh and modern, and is going through her own bedroom makeover. She gave us the whole rundown of how she turned her home renovation into a successful interior designer business, what her husband thinks of her constant decor updates, and how to make your home look cohesive. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW Karen’s latest progress on the guest room she’s redecorating The baby shower Karen recently hosted where the food was baby-themed How Sherry caught the decorating bug and her first published space How her style has changed over the course of her career Why she loves decorating with white Her biggest decorating pet peeve Bad advice for decorating when there’s someone else in the mix Her approach to styling bookshelves In every episode, we answer decorating dilemmas from listeners, and with the help of our guest, give them ways to solve their p

This week we’re bringing you a bonus episode, and we’re talking entertaining! Our plan was to bring you a short extra episode with our entertaining stories — to get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving — but of course, we gabbed for over an hour. But, if you listen to the whole episode, you’ll hear our tried and true secrets, entertaining disasters, and suggestions for being a great guest. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THE SHOW Karen’s Napkin Tricks: both removing stains after a dinner party and an easy ironing trick The time I lit two dinner napkins on fire Karen’s ongoing entertaining disaster — under cooking meat Karen’s worst disaster — it involves a lasagna and an old oven mit The time Taryn exploded an entire bottle of wine in a crowded restaurant Our thoughts on signature cocktails All of our best flower arranging tips — including which combination of flowers to buy My mom’s three keys to a good party — good music, good food, good people The importance of traditions during the holidays, especially food t