meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
How to Decorate

Ep. 142: designer Sophie Donelson

How to Decorate

Ballard Designs

Arts, Business, Design

4.2785 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2020

⏱️ 88 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We kick off this week talking about some possums and raccoons, flower power, and getting our storage until control. Then, we are joined with fabulous previous guest and design expert, speaker, consultant, and former editor of House Beautiful, Sophie Donelson. Sophie talks with us about her latest essay in the New York Times about why we don’t need our house to be perfect for Instagram, recommendations for picking out a paint color, and what life is like for Sophie in Montreal during this stay at home time. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Trials and triumphs about good ole neighbor Jim and his possums, labeling and storage containers, cottage cheese, and sentimental yard maintenance. More about the English and French decorating in Montreal, and the amazing views Sophie sees in her community. What are homes can do for us, and how we can have a loving and less combative conversation between ourselves and our homes. What lead Sophie and her husband to Montreal, and the pros and cons of living in a big city. The inspiration behind Sophie’s essay in The New York Times, “Self-Quarantine is No Time For An Instagram-ready Kitchen.” We have more flexibility and bandwidth to make our home comfy for our own needs, and not so much for the sake of it being pleasing or impressive to others. Sophie recommends experimenting with the design and flow of a room and reminds us we are not locked into one way of design in our homes. Get your one little perfect corner and you can branch out from there. It’s never all going to be perfect. The decision making behind her beautiful lavender walls. Why having a designated playroom and sleep room has been a life and sanity saver. Mentioned In This Episode: House Beautiful House & Home @sophiedow Sophie Donelson Self-Quarantine is No Time For An Instagram-ready Kitchen Big Books Small Talk Justina Blakeney Ikea Bunk Bed Decorating Dilemma: Caroline’s painter used oil because it’s harder and more durable than latex. You can get a beautiful finish with brushing, it is just labor-intensive. A semi-gloss will be easier to clean, and if you are getting it professionally done have them spray it and use oil. If you are capable, patient, and thorough enough to do it yourself - good for you! Luckily this plan is easy to put into action! Sophie would recommend going to the hardware store to find some aluminum pails with some pebbles on the bottom. The rug is so important to make it feel homey and to collect the space together to make it feel one vibe. We love the natural charm of the ceiling and we wouldn’t change it! Sophie’s favorite trick for a bedside table is to use a bracket because it can fit your phone and a glass of water. Plants could help up the comfort level, and vintage rugs that don’t necessarily match could look great and also elevate the room.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi and welcome back to the How to Decorate Podcast from Ballard Designs.

0:03.4

We want to teach you how to decorate your home and unleash your inner decorator.

0:07.0

So we'll be interviewing interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world, sharing the trials and triumphs of our own homes, and also answering your decorating questions.

0:15.7

I'm Caroline, I run the Ballard Designs blog, How to Decorate.

0:18.7

And I'm Taryn. I'm on the product design team at Ballard.

0:21.4

And I'm Karen and I head up branding at Ballard.

0:23.4

And we're your hosts.

0:24.5

Hi.

0:46.1

All right. Well, so Karen, you said that yours is the best. So I think you're going to take it off.

0:50.7

I'm going to blow your minds with my trial. Okay. Get ready, ladies. Are you ready?

0:54.6

And I don't know. I don't know. Okay.

0:59.8

So, you'll have heard me talk before about my neighbor, Jim.

1:01.1

Yes.

1:04.1

I'm using Jim to protect his identity.

1:05.4

That's not his real name.

1:09.1

And, you know, that his house is about to fall down.

1:11.1

He's the one with the squirrels going.

1:13.1

Yeah, he has the squirrels that live in the house.

1:16.3

And he's shoved tennis balls into the holes to keep the squirrels out.

1:20.6

And now the Ivy's grown up over the entire side of his house.

1:28.0

It covers every window on the west side of his house, which is the side that face, that's across the driveway from me.

1:32.2

So actually, the Ivy's very pretty compared to what's underneath it.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ballard Designs, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ballard Designs and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.