New York-based designer Marshall Watson joins us this week to talk about trusting your intuition, his connection to Swedish design, and more. We also talk with Marshall about the importance of creating a floor plan and knowing a home’s architecture before going in on a big design. Marshall also talks about his new book, The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors which pairs his personal stories of beautiful homes with photos showing their elegance and luxury. What You’ll Hear On This Episode: Why hiring a New York designer is the best - just ask Marshall how many unexpected obstacles and challenges come up when designing in small spaces that need both beauty and function. Marshall believes in getting the architecture right first, then other design elements will fall into place. Marshall is a native of Kansas City and graduated with three majors from Stanford University. He also has a love for theatre design and made it onto the Soap Opera As The World Turns as an actor! We can interview ourselves when about to design our own homes, much like Marshall would interview a client. The first place to start is asking “how can I spoil myself in the best way possible?” How to find artisans you trust and find it pleasurable to work with. Marshall doesn’t believe in bad taste - there are opportunities to take a vision and make it fit. Marshall shares how he got into Swedish design, and how the Swedish sensibility is practical, clean, and geared to bring more light in a home. Decorating Dilemma: Brenda, we love that you love color and pattern. Marshall believes in pulling spaces together, and the tables along with the wallpaper as well. It would be nice to have a stack of two photos on top of it, preferably with the frames being the same color as the consoles so they are unified. He would put two frames and a pair of pictures that are a large print or have a large mat. A suggestion would be painting the wooden part of the chandelier white, along with the base of the table. You have a lot of doors, you might as well paint them the same color and celebrate them. An indoor/outdoor carpet four inches from the wall could help accentuate and tie together the shapes while embracing what you have already done. If you decide to paint the entry, you can’t paint the ceiling white because it will look cheap. You can use a little of the wall color, but dark walls mean a somewhat darker ceiling. If budget allows, you may want to think about new flooring for the entry-way to fit your bold and colorful vibe. Mentioned In This Episode: The Art of Elegance Marshall Watson Interiors @MarshallWatsonInteriors Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast