Ep. 430: Balancing Old & New with Claire Staszak

How to Decorate

Caroline McDonald

Arts, Business, Design

4.4 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Join Caroline and Taryn as they welcome Chicago-based interior designer Claire Staszak to the show, known for her expertise in historic architecture where she expertly blends tradition with modern flair. Claire delves into her journey of transforming traditional design elements with contemporary touches. Having established her design firm a decade ago, Claire offers listeners a peek into her distinct aesthetic and approach to projects. She shares the exciting journey of renovating her dream home, for example: a 1926 Mediterranean house where she skillfully blends charm with modernity, focusing on natural light and practical design. The discussion also covers how to handle design choices with kids in mind, emphasizing practicality without compromising on style. Moreover, Claire introduces her exquisite wallpaper collection, shedding light on its inspiration and customization options. This episode rounds off with practical advice for tackling design challenges and creating cohesive yet functional spaces. What You'll Hear This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to How to Decorate Podcast00:33 Meet Claire Staszak: Chicago's Historic Home Specialist01:03 Claire's Design Philosophy and Journey04:29 Balancing Traditional and Modern Elements10:42 Claire's Personal Home Renovation Journey20:18 Designing for Functionality and Aesthetics26:42 Navigating Renovation Challenges36:33 Transforming the Mud Room: Aesthetic and Functional Design39:08 The Importance of a Welcoming Entryway40:30 Exploring Color Palettes: Warmth and Earthiness45:26 Designing with Kids in Mind: Balancing Beauty and Practicality49:56 Wallpaper Collection: Inspiration and Customization56:53 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Us Also Mentioned: @centeredbydesign | Claire's Instagram ⁠centeredbydesign.com⁠ | Claire's Official Website ⁠Shop Ballard Designs⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Website Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone. Happy Decorating! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 of 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.
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 balauredesigns.net.
0:30.5	Now on with the show.
0:33.6	Our guest today is Chicago-based interior designer Claire Staisak.
0:38.4	Her client projects highlight her love of historic architecture, enhancing traditional design elements, and infusing new spaces with soul.
0:46.0	Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, The Chicago Tribune, HGTV, and Lux Magazine.
0:52.6	And two years ago, she bought her dream home,
0:55.0	which she's about to renovate from top to bottom. Claire, welcome to the show.
0:58.6	Thank you. Nice to be with you. So we have a lot to get to today. We wanted to talk about your
1:04.1	renovation because, you know, as I mentioned in the introduction, you kind of specialize in
1:09.8	historic preservation and architecture
1:12.4	and really sort of enhancing that in your projects. You launched your design business 10 years ago,
1:17.8	and since then, that's really sort of been where your specialty is, taking the traditional
1:22.9	design elements in your client projects. But then you also incorporate fabrics and furnishings that have a
1:29.3	little bit of a modern feel to them. So the two come together in a really unique style,
1:36.3	and it's something that your clients seek you out for. So I was curious if you could kind of start
1:41.5	there and where that aesthetic came from and kind of whether it was there from the beginning, is it something that sort of evolved over time or really sort of where that like unique combination came from.
1:55.7	Yeah. So I mean, I can't believe it's been 10 years. It's like so weird to hear that officially said. It's just time is really flying. I don't think I necessarily started out with a really clear vision of like exactly what my firm was going to do. I started out like many entrepreneurs just
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Caroline McDonald, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Caroline McDonald and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.