meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
How to Decorate

Ep. 416: Home Is Where The Heart Is with Olivia Westbrooks

How to Decorate

Ballard Designs

Arts, Business, Design

4.2785 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Caroline and Liz—joined by guest host Nakyrna Milner from Ballard Designs—welcome award-winning Atlanta designer Olivia Westbrooks. Known for her vibrant use of color and emotional approach to home design, Olivia discusses her new television show, 'Homes is Where the Heart Is,' on Hallmark Plus. The show highlights her journey of transforming family homes filled with emotional significance.  Olivia also shares insights into balancing bold colors with a client’s personal tastes, the challenges of filming a design show, and how she manages her creative projects alongside family life. The episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice for anyone passionate about creating homes with true heart and soul. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to Ballard Designs Podcast 00:35 Meet the Hosts and Special Guests 00:51 Nakyrna Milner's Background and Expertise 01:10 Introducing Olivia Westbrooks 02:44 Olivia's Journey to Television 04:35 The Emotional Connection to Home 07:44 Challenges of Filming a Design Show 13:53 Balancing Creativity and Client Needs 22:27 Color Theory and Design Tips 24:50 Fun with Color Pairing 31:40 Navigating Color Choices 31:58 Trusting Your Instincts 32:40 The Squint Test 34:26 Exploring Unused Colors 37:58 Trends in Design 39:52 The Comeback of Glass Blocks 45:34 Balancing Art and Life 48:16 Creative Passions and Family 52:19 The Joy of Needlepoint 55:30 Encouraging Authenticity 56:49 Show Information and Farewell Also Mentioned: ⁠⁠ballarddesigns.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Shop Now ⁠oliviawestbrooks.com⁠ | Designer Website ⁠@oliviawestbrooksinteriors⁠ | Designer IG Olivia Westbrooks Ballard House Tour | Watch Now Please send in your decorating dilemmas + pictures so we can answer them on an upcoming episode (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) . And, of course, please subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already in Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss a new episode. Happy Decorating!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to How to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home.

0:09.1

I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer. I'm Liz. I head up the creative team.

0:14.8

We're your host. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists,

0:20.9

and other talents in the design world. Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each

0:24.8

episode. We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us at podcast at balderdesigns.net.

0:30.5

Now on with the show.

0:34.9

Welcome back to the show. I'm Caroline, and we've got Liz here. Liz say hi. And, okay, I mentioned a couple weeks, a couple episodes ago that Tarrant is going to be out for a little while. She is okay. But while she's gone, we're going to have some new Ballard voices. So today we have Nakaira Milner. She is an assistant merchant for accessories and lighting. She has a background in fashion merchandising. She's so, she's wildly creative. You have impeccable tastes. She knows just about everything Ballard. That is true. Yes. Wealth of knowledge. Thank you. Thank you. So yes, welcome to the show. And then our guest today is Olivia Westbrooks. She is an award-winning Atlanta designer with multiple ASID awards. She is also an artist. We recently did a house tour with you, which if you haven't, I don't know if it's up yet. If it's not, then be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you get a notification when it goes live. You have over 20 years of experience in interior design and in construction. And you just shot and launched your television show with Hallmark Plus. Yes. So it's called Homes Where the Heart is.

1:45.6

You and the host, Luke McFarlane, help families create homes with heart.

1:49.7

You can stream it now on the Hallmark Plus app.

1:52.6

So we're going to talk all about it.

1:54.0

We're going to talk all about it.

1:55.3

It's funny hearing that back is like my life flashing in front of my eyes.

2:00.6

How did I get here?

2:02.1

There we go.

2:02.8

I had to really trim it down.

2:05.0

So there was much Twitter include, but yeah.

2:08.6

Well, I just so enjoyed our house tour that we shot together and our conversation.

2:14.3

You had so much great insight and are so good at explaining why you do the things you do. And so I'm really excited for our audience to get to know you. I am too. This is my first podcast about design. Yeah. I did one with a friend before, but like this is is fun. I'm a podcast junkie, so.

2:34.4

Oh, really? I am. Yeah. So this is great. I'm excited. We keep it casual and conversational.

2:41.4

So I think we, though, have to start with your television show. Home is Where the Heart is. What a unique experience? How did that all come about? And then now that it's all live and everyone's seen it, how are you feeling?

2:53.9

Okay, let's see. Let's unpack that, right? How did it come about? I just, I got an email.

3:01.0

It was as simple as that. You know, I'm a big believer in what is for your journey is for your journey and in divine

...

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.