Ep. 466: Trials and Triumphs

How to Decorate

Caroline McDonald

Arts, Business, Design

4.4 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We are back for a long-overdue "Trials & Triumphs" episode! It has been a hot minute since Caroline, Taryn, and Liz sat down to share their personal home updates, but they have plenty of stories to catch up on. Caroline gives a highly anticipated update on her daughter Birdie's room and shares a hilarious PSA about why you should always check your pockets before doing laundry. Plus, the ladies discuss the convenience of plug-in lighting and how to update a space without needing to hire an electrician. Quick Decorating & Homeowner Takeaways: The Big Girl Bed Transition: Caroline shares that they finally received Birdie's new bed (which features a handy trundle!). It’s been a great success, and she emphasizes how proud kids get when they have a space that feels like their own "big kid" room. The Magic of Plug-In Sconces: If you need extra lighting but don't want to hire an electrician or tear into your drywall, plug-in sconces are the way to go. Caroline recommends plug-in swingarm wall sconces (specifically mentioning some great finds from Lamps Plus) as an easy, stylish solution. Laundry PSA: Always check your pockets! Caroline learned the hard way that accidentally washing a fish oil vitamin will leave your entire load of laundry smelling terribly. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Welcome back to Trials & Triumphs! 01:25 Caroline’s Triumph: Birdie’s big girl bed has arrived and she loves showing it off 02:00 Navigating the toddler bed transition (and a few minor tumbles) 06:00 Caroline’s Trial: The fish oil vitamin laundry disaster 12:00 Caroline’s Triumph: Updating lighting with plug-in swingarm wall sconces 18:00 Catching up on Taryn and Liz's current home projects and finding the right "Homework Cafe" vibe Also Mentioned: ⁠Lamps Plus⁠ Shop ⁠Ballard Designs⁠ Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your 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.
0:33.9	We're back for trials and triumphs. Who's excited?
0:38.3	I am excited. I need the updates on your homes. I feel like it's been a hot minute. So I want all the updates.
0:45.5	I know. We said we were going to be doing this more and then we haven't done one in entirely too long.
0:50.3	But that should mean that we all have great things to talk about.
0:56.4	All right. Who's going first?
0:58.7	Okay, I'll go first if you'll want.
1:00.7	Okay, thanks, Caroline.
1:01.6	I think I went last, last time.
1:03.8	I have lots of updates.
1:05.5	So a few I'm just going to rattle through.
1:07.9	And then I have a PSA warning. I have a recommendation. And I have some things in
1:18.1	progress that hopefully I'll be able to report next time. There's a little synopsis of what I'm
1:22.1	going to cover in my time. I'm trying to go back. Okay. So I think last time we talked, we had not gotten
1:27.9	Bertie's bed. We've gotten her bed. We got it like four months ago now. But it's great. It's so cozy.
1:34.5	Looks good. I'll post a picture. But anyway, finally happy to see that sort of project and
1:42.1	does she love it?
	...

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