It took some persuasion, but we finally got our Senior Director of Merchandising Phil Lancaster, or "The Professor," on the podcast! Phil knows it all, teaches us some furniture history, tells us all about how furniture is made, what you need to look for, and generally schools us on the nitty gritty details of furniture and antiques. If you're wondering how to look for quality in your next furniture piece, this is the episode you need to listen to. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR ON THIS EPISODE: We start off with a furniture lesson on modern vs. contemporaryHow does modern differ from mid-century modern?What's going to make it from the furniture being created right now? How do we know what will last?There's a lot of innovation around lighting right now in new types of light bulbsWe discuss light bulbs and why the color they give off is so importantWhat's the difference between an antique and vintageWe talk about his 100 year old house, how he bought it from the original owners, and how he loves the huntHow important it is to talk to antique dealers when you're out hunting for thingsWhat we look for when we're going on one of our big antique shopping tripsHow to shop for a wooden antique -- open the drawers, look at the back, examine the construction to know whether it's well-madeWe ask Phil about his favorite interior designer and artistWe talk about furniture styles, how the style Ballard is known for differs from Phil's own aesthetic, and the fact that good design is good designWe talk about why we use MDF to manufacture furniture and why you shouldn't assume something made from MDF is poor qualityTaryn tells us a story about a mahogany table she sent to a furniture show and why real wood isn't always betterWe talk about kiln dried wood -- if you remove the moisture from the wood, it's less likely to warpWe talk about teak and why you remove the moisture from teakWe dive into upholstery and the four main parts -- the frame, the suspension, the cushion, and the coverPhil jumps on his soapbox about the pitch of upholstery and why it's the most important quality about your furniture piece's comfortWe talk about what 8-way hand tied is and why you don't need it anymorePhil tells us about cushion construction and what's on the inside of your sofa