Ep. 417: Crafting Colorful Elegance with Palmer Weiss

How to Decorate

Ballard Designs

Arts, Business, Design

4.2 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Caroline & Liz welcome renowned interior designer Palmer Weiss to discuss her unique journey into design. Originally from Charleston, S.C. and now based in San Fransisco, CA, Palmer launched her eponymous firm in 2002 and has since become renowned across the industry for blending traditional interiors with modern twists. In this episode, Palmer shares her approach to using color as a neutral, drawing inspiration from fabric, light, and personal experiences. Her insights provide a deep dive into maintaining sophistication and timelessness in spaces that appeal to both modern and traditional tastes. From the challenges of balancing practical items in design to making bold choices, Palmer offers listeners practical tips for creating harmonious interiors that resonate personally and aesthetically. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to Ballard Designs Podcast 00:33 Meet Palmer Weiss: A Journey from Charleston to San Francisco 01:21 The Art of Using Color in Interior Design 02:00 Palmer's Background and Path to Interior Design 03:38 Launching a Design Firm: Challenges and Triumphs 08:52 Exploring Color and Pattern in Design 22:43 Client Projects and Design Philosophy 30:05 Family and Nature-Inspired Design 31:08 The Role of Upholstery in Room Design 32:12 Practicality and Color Choices 33:43 Designing for Families and Imperfections 36:15 Creating Timeless Interiors 43:35 Balancing Modern and Traditional Elements 51:27 Designing Multipurpose Spaces 53:28 Approaching Window Treatments 57:42 Conclusion and Where to Find More of Palmer's Work Also Mentioned: ⁠⁠⁠ballarddesigns.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Shop Now ⁠⁠palmerweiss.com | Designer Website ⁠⁠@palmerweiss | Designer IG 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

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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 of the creative team.
0:14.8	We're your hosts. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world.
0:22.5	Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.
0:25.4	We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us at podcast at Ballardesigns.net.
0:30.5	Now on with the show.
0:33.5	All right, I'm excited to introduce our guest today.
0:37.0	San Francisco interior designer Palmer Weiss.
0:39.3	Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Palmer opened her interior design firm in 2002,
0:45.1	has been bringing traditional interiors with a modern twist to clients all over the country.
0:49.6	You've seen her work in your favorite magazines like House Beautiful, Elta Court,
0:53.5	architectural digest, and veranda, and you'll know her work by how favorite magazines like House Beautiful, Elta Court, Architectural Digest,
0:54.7	and veranda, and you'll know her work by how gracefully she layers pattern and color and the
0:59.5	sophistication she brings to every project. Palmer, welcome to show. Thank you so much. I'm
1:03.5	thrilled to be here. I adore your work. I've been such an admirer for so long. And so I'm so
1:09.2	excited to pick your brain and chat with you and finally get to share your work with all of our listeners as well.
1:15.5	Thank you. I'm excited to hopefully impart some knowledge. We'll see.
1:21.2	The thing that I love about your work really is how you use color. Because you almost treat color like a neutral it's woven into everything and yet the
1:31.4	overall effect is so subtle and sophisticated and elegant it never feels like in your face and
1:37.7	over the top or yes it's it's very um just graceful.
1:47.6	And I think that's something very unique to your work.
1:53.0	And I think that our listeners will really enjoy getting to hear your perspective about color and patterns.
	...

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