Ep. 418: Adding Twists to Tradition with Andrew Howard

How to Decorate

Ballard Designs

Arts, Business, Design

4.2 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Caroline and Liz sit down with Jacksonville-based interior designer Andrew Howard: Renowned for his vibrant take on traditional design, Andrew shares his journey from working in his parents' design store to becoming a celebrated designer. The discussion explores how to inject playful elements into traditional spaces, highlighting the significance of color, unexpected accents, and personal touches in creating inviting homes. Andrew also delves into the nitty-gritty of selecting durable, comfortable furniture and the process of designing spaces that reflect individuality. He also previews his new book, set for release in September, and muses on the creative inspiration that fuels his unique projects. Watch this week's episode with images on the Ballard Designs YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/4jVD0OG What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to Ballard Designs Podcast 00:33 Meet Andrew Howard: A Journey in Design 01:40 Design Philosophy: Playful Traditional Interiors 03:20 Creating Unique and Comfortable Spaces 07:53 The Importance of Scale and Comfort 09:48 Exploring Bold Patterns and Colors 12:38 Andrew's New Book and Instagram Insights 24:44 Commercial Design Challenges 30:12 Unexpected Office Takeover 30:55 Kids' Influence on Home Decor 32:40 The Importance of Floor Plans 34:15 Ceiling Design Insights 36:58 Essential Room Elements 38:09 The Captain's Hour Concept 40:21 Painting and Refinishing Woodwork 44:41 Exploring Color in Design 46:06 Personal Home Design Stories 52:17 Dream Project Locations 54:01 Final Thoughts and Farewell Also Mentioned: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ballarddesigns.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Shop Now andrewjhoward.com⁠ | Designer Website @andrewjhow | 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 up the creative team.
0:14.7	We're your host. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other
0:21.2	talents in the design world. 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 balauredesigns.net.
0:30.5	Now on with the show.
0:33.6	Welcome back to the show. I'm Caroline and I'm here with Liz.
0:37.4	Hey, everyone. And today we're excited to welcome to the show Jacksonville-based interior designer Andrew Howard, from his beginnings and his parents' design store to being recognized as one of the top designers in America and publishing his first book in 2021. Andrew is known for his lively, traditional interiors, bold color palettes, and practical way of
0:56.1	putting a room together. Today, we're going to chat about how to add playful elements to
1:01.0	traditional design. Andrew, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, guys. Great to be on with you.
1:05.6	I have had you on my list of people to talk to for so long. And I think I wrote this in my email, but I saw one of your
1:13.0	projects in Southern Living, the one in St. Diamond's Island, and I was like, ah, why have I not
1:18.3	emailed him? So that prompted me to reach out to you. It was such a fun space. And I think really
1:25.1	speaks to the topic we're talking about playful but traditional at the same time.
1:31.3	I encourage all of our listeners to go check out that project because it was really fun.
1:36.2	But yeah, we're so happy to have you.
1:38.0	Thank you. Thank you. Happy to be here.
1:40.0	First, we've got to start maybe with your background a little bit because you were not the only
1:45.1	the designer in your family. In fact, your mom, your dad, and your sister are all interior designers.
1:52.5	And you talk in the introduction of your book about growing up and, you know, working in your
1:57.3	parents' shop and not necessarily knowing you were going to be a designer. But what was that kind of background like?
2:02.6	And how did you sort of come, you know, in young adulthood to realize that you wanted to be a designer?
	...

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