Ep. 457: Timelines, Tiles, & The "Fifth Wall" with Studio Wellington

How to Decorate

Caroline McDonald

Arts, Business, Design

4.4 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2026

⏱️ 92 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we are thrilled to welcome Stephanie Abernathy and Ashley Malone, the creative forces behind Studio Wellington. With backgrounds in history, art history, political science, and interior design, this dynamic duo brings a uniquely informed approach to their projects. Currently in the thick of a massive personal home renovation, Stephanie shares the unvarnished reality of what it actually feels like to live through construction. The ladies break down exactly how long you should spend planning before swinging a hammer, why you should pick your appliances before your cabinets, and the biggest "green flags" to look for when hiring a general contractor. Quick Decorating Takeaways: Pick Appliances and Stone First: Before you finalize your cabinet layout, you need to select your appliances. The sizes and types of appliances you choose will dictate the function and flow of the entire kitchen. After that, pick your stone (like countertops or a slab backsplash), as this will drive the aesthetic direction of the room. Look for Contractor "Green Flags": When interviewing a contractor, a major "green flag" is if they walk through the job site with you and actively take notes. If they claim they will remember everything without writing it down, that's a warning sign. Another red flag? If they refuse to provide any sort of timeline or refuse to be transparent about their costs. Don't Assume the Tile Layout: Never assume the installer knows where you want the tile to start. You should always provide a tile diagram or physically be on-site to tell them exactly where the first piece should go, otherwise, you might end up with awkward, sliver-sized cuts in the most visible areas. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Stephanie and Ashley of Studio Wellington 05:00 Why planning a major renovation can (and should) take up to a year and a half 09:00 Building your team: Do you want to get bad news from this person? 25:00 The importance of detail down to the outlet covers 37:00 Why appliances and stone must be selected first 40:00 Why you need to hand a "lighting binder" to the framing crew 56:00 The variables of construction and dealing with unexpected changes 01:13:00 Green flags and red flags when hiring a contractor 01:20:00 The golden rule of tile installation: Tell them where to start! 01:26:00 Treating the ceiling as the "fifth wall" 01:31:00 Closing thoughts & where to find Studio Wellington Also Mentioned: Studio Wellington | Website Follow them on Instagram: @studio.wellington Shop Ballard Designs 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

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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 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. Okay, today we have Stephanie Abernathy and Ashley Malone of Studio Wellington.
0:39.3	Between them, they have degrees in history, art history, political science, and interior design.
0:44.8	So coming to the interior design world from an unusual path, which we love, and we find many interior designers do, but you'll met at Skad and
0:55.5	started your business in the pandemic and are five years in. And today, we're going to talk
1:04.1	about renovations. Because Stephanie is in mid-renovation. Of course, we know that Taryn
1:10.3	just finished her huge build project.
1:13.0	And, you know, there are a lot of questions.
1:16.1	We always get questions from listeners who are either starting one or planning.
1:21.3	And, you know, there is so much out on the, like on social media, you know, with beautiful before and afters. But what is the nitty gritty? What does it really look like? What are the challenges? Yeah. It's such a good perspective. Yes. Versus after. Because a lot of what we've recorded was like my post thoughts, which had mellowed. And I do think there's something to be said about what it
1:45.5	feels like in the thick of it, which is what you all. Yeah. So that's also why we were like,
1:49.3	yes, that's tough. Exactly. So we're going to just jump right in. And maybe the two of y'all
1:56.8	could start by, or Stephanie, maybe you share
2:02.3	what is your renovation project.
2:04.3	And then we can kind of just ask
2:06.0	and also should mention
2:08.1	Ashley's been growing up around
2:10.7	construction projects.
	...

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