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Jess
So good, so good, so good.
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Jess
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Dear Alice. Today we are answering your questions. The listener questions.
Sue
I love these.
Jess
I love these episodes too also, because
Sue
we don't have to do as much prep work. Yeah, it's kind of like a vacation. So. Yeah. Questions because we have opinions that we want to share with you.
Jess
It's kind of just rapid fire and off the cuff and they're fun and easy and we get to connect with knowing what you want to know, which is great.
Corey
Which is the reason we started the podcast in the first place.
Sue
Exactly.
Jess
We just jump in.
Corey
Yeah, let's do it. First question is from Ashley. She asks your favorite quote that you live by.
Jess
O. Ashley, a non interior design question.
Sue
We're getting deep. Okay, you want to go first?
Jess
Well, I was going to say I have a couple.
Sue
Okay.
Jess
But one of my favorites of the design center, one of our team members is really darling and optimistic and she's like the spirit leader. If she. If there was a head cheerleader of the design center, she would be in, it'd be Nick.
Corey
Yep.
Jess
Yeah, Nick. So, Nick, often if there's ever a situation we're trying to work through, she always says we're lucky and everything goes our way. And it's amazing how when you say that out loud, especially in a sticky situation, it reverses you out of the sticky and you start believing that everything's going to be okay.
Sue
My. That I usually live by, continually think about. And I tell this to my kids all the time when they start to whine, only you can make you happy. Not your brother, not me, not your dad or anybody. Only you can make you happy. So again, kind of a reversal of your mindset, right? You have to kind of shift and be like, okay, if I want to be happy, I gotta make me happy. So what's going to make me happy? Yeah, you know, and then you switch your behavior. So it's amazing. Only you can make you happy.
Corey
Mine, I don't know where I got it from. It's been a long time, but I've been implementing it for over 10 years. And I try to do my best, but it's make choices based in love. Not fear. That was a problem. I noticed in myself that I would be like I'm going to do because I'm afraid if I don't. Whether it's like taking a new job or whatever this situation is. I always try to, like, go with what I love and not with what I'm afraid of.
Sue
Yeah.
Corey
And so far, so good. You know what I mean? I have a wife and two beautiful kids and that was choice based in love. So.
Sue
Yeah.
Corey
And I'm here with you guys, you know.
Jess
Yeah.
Corey
Come on. Good life. Be better.
Jess
Thanks, Ashley. That was really fun.
Corey
Great way to start the podcast.
Jess
Yeah.
Corey
The next question comes from Eastside. Sweet read. They asked, when color drenching a room, do we paint the trim the same sheen or different?
Sue
I'm going to go ahead and say different.
Jess
Glossier. Unless the whole room is already lacquered, then it's also going to be the same sheen.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
But most people most of the time, like, is they're color drenching. So this isn't a wallpapered room. Yeah. Wouldn't you say most of the time the sheen on the wall is going to be. The trim is going to be more sheeny.
Sue
Most often people are doing like their walls in like a satin. And then we're going to go high gloss on the trim. A highlighter, like, you want to see that pop off. I don't like it when everything's flat. It's a no go. Don't do everything flat. And when you do have like the detail of trim and finish work, you want to highlight that that cost you more money. I want to exaggerate the coves really feel the reflection hit when either natural light or actual, like our fixtures are shining on it. So you want to feel the sheen difference even if it's the same color still. Yeah.
Jess
Which I think that's the way that everything's headed right now is everything is pretty glossy. And so if you're already high gloss. I'm just thinking about myself with the office, my home office, I just did. And also when I did high gloss on my grass cloth, I did high gloss on my trim. However, they look different because the grass cloth absorbed it. It still looks a little bit more. It's weird to say more matte than. Than the trim, but there is an offset and the trim is glossier than the way the grass cloth absorbed it.
Corey
I think that's going to be the same with drywall compared to whatever your trim is too. So you might maybe even need to go a little bit more than you're
Jess
thinking because drywall would absorb differently than. Than wood.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
Yeah. But I would almost today say. We used to say semi gloss on trim and satin on walls. We're going gloss today on trim. Yeah.
Corey
Lost in high gloss or hot.
Jess
Yeah.
Corey
Or high gloss or just all high. All high gloss.
Sue
It depends on the client, guys. It really, really does. If you're like, relatively neutral and then in those, like, crazy spaces where you really want to feel something, we're going high gloss. I will say that.
Jess
Here's a fun question.
Sue
Yeah.
Jess
What did you do in your bedroom? High gloss on the walls and on the trim. Yeah, we're just in a glossier phase.
Sue
We're in a glossier face.
Jess
Yeah.
Corey
Just high gloss paint because it looks very reflective. It did great. Yeah. Tom did such a great job. He's a master. Yeah.
Sue
We recently had a remodel that we've done before. We worked on it like over 10 years ago in this historic avenues and felt like here. And we. I'm so excited to show you guys the picture because we did do lacquer. We chose to do lacquer. She was down for it. She wanted to feel something. So we're like, okay, your living room. Let's go. Let's do this green. And she loves this one painting. And I'm like, let's pull the best parts out of this painting. And I want to see more of that green. And so let's just saturate the place in high lacquer. And that, my friend, is reflective. But what we did next to it, because she had an adjacent room, which is something you guys should consider if you have a cased opening, what is happening in the room next to it? In that adjacent room, it was the dining room with navy walls. Previously had a white ceiling and white trim, classical, beautiful, whatever. And she's just like, I want to fly my freak flag. What should we do? And I'm like, yeah, you should do a totally golden rock saffron high gloss ceiling with the navy. And I remember doing all the doodles. What if we did all your trim in this kind of icy blue so it talked to the navy? You know, being like a friend of makes sense and justifies the fact that we're color blocking on the ceiling. We're already. We're going to be outlining with a blue highlighter on all your trim work. And then what if we see that that trim also as the trim at least the threshold into the green living room. So when you're in the green living room, you. You see the icy blue threshold going into the navy dining room with the saffron ceiling and the icy blue trim. And you guys, that's rad. It is such a party, like bus. This client's heart, it is so strong. It is so strong.
Jess
If you're lacquering, you can't live in that house.
Corey
Oh, yeah, because.
Jess
And so they've been living in. They like, they have, like, inside while the space is being lacquered.
Corey
Good for them.
Jess
I know.
Sue
And they've been going on more trips, so good go you. But it is. It's so impactful. We don't even have the furniture in there yet. And I could just lie down and just. Just like look up and you see everything. It is so reflective.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
And just this idea that we are going glossier, I love. I love both rooms. I love the all high lacquer. And I really love, like, because we didn't high lacquer the navy, we kept the navy walls. And that's like a satin. But then what is high gloss and lacquered is the. That light blue trim. So you really feel it. And of course, the ceiling is lacquered. And so those two rooms speak so tremendously to each other. They're so excited. They entertain. These are spaces that they actually use and they can be more stoked. Let your freak flag flat y' all lacquer it.
Corey
You know how many layers they needed to do of lacquer.
Sue
Like, it's fascinating because with lacquer, you're. You're patching, you're sanding, you're priming, you're patching, you're sanding.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
In between all of these little. All millions of little tape marks. Because if there's any spots that aren't completely. It's like a grand piano.
Corey
Yeah. Yeah.
Jess
And she actually shared the pricing with us. I think we asked her by chance, what have you paid? It's precisely 10x what I paid for my one room, my office, to be painted in high gloss.
Corey
Crazy.
Jess
So if you're ever curious, the difference between lacquer and high gloss paint, it's about 10.
Corey
10x. Yeah. Because you have to spray it. I'm sure all the walls had to just be like, perfect. Yeah.
Sue
This is a historic house, like, built in the 1800s. It's been months in the making.
Jess
Extraordinary. It's like the room is a candy shell. It is so bananas. I can't wait to see these images. But back to east side. Sweetie's question is, like, when your color drenching your room, do we Paint the trim the same or different as the sheen. And we obviously said color drenching. I'm picturing this, like, drenched currently in a glossy paint because that's usually what we're doing right now with color drenching. East side. You might also want to consider what's happening in that adjacent room, like Sue's just said, because when you make a hero out of a room color drenched, there is a gravitational pull to that room, and you might want to consider something outside of that room, something across from that room, hitting it with some. Maybe you're just painting your existing sheen high gloss to make it connect. I'm not sure what your situation is at your house, but I do think what sue is teaching right now is really valuable to everybody because we're all in a mood, and we're ready to do something. It is so spectacular that you want to keep playing that game in the
Sue
house and all your other decisions that you make. Like now in the entry, I'm, like, looking there. We replay. We're getting a new chandelier that just has some funk to it. You need to do something. Even if it's not high gloss, you need to do something that matches some amount of intensity that you're seeing in the next room.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
Or it feels so distant, not related at all.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
So you do have to continue in that string of just being bold.
Jess
Excellence.
Sue
Excellence. Being bold. You know, whatever your style is, just make sure that you feel that in each space so it all feels like you.
Corey
Great advice said.
Sue
Okay. So excited for you, sweetie. Yes.
Corey
The next question is from Jess B. Is this.
Sue
You know, you wrote in.
Jess
Yes, I wrote it.
Corey
She asked, are you doing backsplashes in kitchens, or is it just pulling the countertop up?
Jess
A great question.
Sue
I love this question.
Jess
So backsplashes are back, y'. All. It's going to take a minute, but we're already seeing this in all the magazines. It's really fun. We're doing tile in spaces again. I think one of the. One of the interesting things to consider is, like, what else is happening on that range hood wall? That's kind of your. Your money shot, your hero shot. Right. And so in my kitchen, I have two long windows that come down and cut into where my backsplash would be. They almost hit the countertops, so there is no backsplash there. And next to that, there's two tall towers of cabinetry, and I've run floating shelves across my windows. So really, the only bit of backsplash you're getting is under my range hood. And so I. For me, I kept my countertop material going so it could run under my windows and then on up because there's so much happening. A little patch of tile in the middle of all that would not be great. It would just really cut everything up. And I needed some cohesion.
Sue
Yeah.
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To.
Jess
With all those other heroes going on.
Sue
Yeah.
Jess
So also, I think the backsplash as the countertop is also a really contemporary, sleek move, even if you have, like, a really fun, wild countertop. So if you're a little bit more chic and contemporary, transitional, this is the move. Now, in the case of some of our other projects, such as Tiger Oak, Manchester, Highland Manor, Sugar House, let's talk. Let's talk tile.
Sue
Yeah. Tiger Oak is a great example because we did do the whole thing. Tile, including the hood, and we did a lot of interesting details. I think what you're saying as far as, like, the backsplash and what is interesting in that wall, you have to pay attention to it if you are going to take the slab up. If you say, my husband loves the slab, you know, he just wants to take it all the way up. It's simple. He knows what it is. His. His mind can understand it and predict what that's going to look like. You have to do until you don't have windows, so you just have cabinetry. I think that you have to do something even more so bold to pair with that. If you're just going to do the back or the backsplash. Is a slab beautiful? You can have a beautiful slab, but I think you have to turn the metal to be more interesting on your hood or you have to, like, make an interesting profile that's graduating somewhere. Actually. Care to, like, add this in? Since I made this more edited move. So if you're traditional, I think you just need to with something else or have a cool profile or do something like that to make that slab more interesting. We started using this probably like 10, 15 years ago. It started to get on the market and so. So fascinating that this is the question that came in. And we get this a lot. Do you even do tile backsplashes anymore? Because everything I see is slab. We are seeing the tables turn and people want tile. We're loving tile. And, like, it just feels interesting. You can do cool rhythms. And I think where more is more, seeing those lines and, like, feeling different textures paired with each other is more exciting. It shows that you designed it and you really thought about it. But even on Manchester, we did the slab backsplash but what we did is we threshold everything in the marble, and we had. We had floating shelves, we had an interesting hood, and you have to, like, pull other moves to make just that move interesting again, you know? Yeah, no, it's such a big move. I don't want to discredit it, but I do think it looks more designed, more thoughtful, more you. If you can add those details in, that feel like you.
Jess
Yeah. And also, this is a design podcast, so we're gonna. We're just gonna talk about the details of all of this and why, what you have to do to make it work. If you are just going to use the countertop material as the backsplash, which, by the way, is a power move, because slab is super expensive, you're buying twice as much countertop material. So just taking it to the limit, like Susa's saying, is a way to make it really feel current and really feel thoughtful and designed.
Corey
When you do a slab view, is it thinner CM that you're putting on Thinner CM version of the countertop that you're putting on the wall? Do you know that?
Sue
Not always. Usually it's just like, if the court side is three centimeters, then the court side's three centimeters, and they just have to reinforce the walls to, like, handle the weight.
Corey
And, you know, okay, it's not going to fall over.
Sue
But. Yeah, that's a great question. But, yeah, usually it's from the same bundle. They're not going to sliver it.
Corey
Or if they had slabs that were like, this comes in 2 cm or 3 cm doing the countertop, would that be cool with you guys to do a thinner.
Sue
As long as it doesn't change. I would just want to make sure it's from the exact same batch. And they just happen to have two thicknesses. Because this stone could be up here, it's already going to look different because of, like, the plane that it's sitting on.
Corey
Yeah.
Sue
And so every batch, there's always something like. And it's usually part of the field color. There's a shift on it.
Jess
And today's slabs that we're specifying are more heroic than the Carrera marble, if you would, because you could just be like, yeah, let's get a thinner slab of Carrera. And they would probably stock both because it used to be so popular, but now we're going for these more hero, wilder slabs.
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And so you do just kind of
Jess
want all of those from the same block of marble. So they're related loaf of bread.
Corey
Yeah, yeah.
Jess
If you will. Yeah.
Corey
Exactly.
Sue
I would encourage you if you are. You still love the slab, you know, backsplash and everything. What else can you do that's interesting? A lot of times we're even, like, taking that up to either the bottom of, you know, the upper cabinets or to where the hood sits or just to a certain amount. And then we'll even tile above that, keep it clean. You're still taking the backsplash up some out of shelf tile above if you don't want to see, like, grout lines coming all the way down. So there's so many interesting applications that you can combine the two. You're like, I'm not a tile person. Even taking that up, doing a cool little shelf with a cool little edge, and then you're plastering above or just something.
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A good example of this, because I
Jess
think we use ti. We use tile, is the Beaver Cabin.
Sue
They also had windows on both sides of the range. We cased that. We brought up the slab. We cased the windows out in that slab and then tiled all the way above there. And that tile spoke also to the TNG happening on the ceiling treatment. And so, yeah, just texture on texture on texture, like you do. You feel totally enveloped. And I don't think it doesn't feel overwhelming.
Jess
Also, this is a ski cabin. It's a ski, so it should feel cozy and artisan and touched by hands.
Sue
Yeah. Hallmark movie. I just got snowed in.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
Like, I want to live there forever.
Corey
Tng, by the way, is tongue and groove for people. So it has, like, a seam in it.
Sue
So, yeah, another that texture, but it's the warmth that spoke back to the warm tile. But then we have this dark backsplashing countertop that. It's so cool. I cannot wait to shoot that project this summer. So stay tuned. That's right. But, yeah, a lot more. All the projects that we're doing right now, you know, if it's slab, it has some interesting elements to it so it doesn't get boring. Or we're doing tile, so. Or both.
Corey
Slab feels a little bit more contemporary. Tile backsplash is kind of right in the pocket of traditional. It's, you know, obviously very trending right now. So I. It's also the type of person that you are. I love and appreciate slab backsplashes. I'm just more of a tile guy.
Sue
Yeah, I'm a tile girl.
Jess
You know what you are.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
That's a good first date question.
Corey
Yes.
Sue
Tyler Slabback.
Corey
Or just go ahead and put that in your dating profile if that's your thing.
Sue
Camera one Camera. To which slab are you to have,
Jess
like, lived a few lives before you know that? I don't think I knew that about myself when I was in my twenties. Depending on when you're dating, but I feel like you would know that about yourself, Right. In your late 20s or 30s or 40s, maybe you've lived in a house or two. You know who you are.
Corey
Yeah.
Sue
I don't know if I would do it differently though, in your house. I still think I would do slab.
Jess
Yeah. I was just actually staring at it this morning thinking about this question. I'm like, yeah, it just wouldn't work. It would chop my kitchen in thirds.
Sue
Yeah.
Jess
And you're trying to keep that long.
Sue
Or you'd have to take it all the way in and around everything, which you could do, but it would just be slivers and it probably wouldn't make too much sense.
Jess
We just, we'd have to remodel the kitchen. Yeah, we get a new kitchen if we wanted to do that.
Sue
Should we. I'm just kidding. You have a really good kitchen.
Jess
I'm in that space now where I'm like, let's just change everything. It's been a decade.
Corey
That's awesome. The next question is from Courtney. She wrote in and asked, I'd love to know, if you were fixing up an old home, knowing that you were going to sell it in about five years, what design decisions would you make? I'd expect that you would say to use a neutral palette for the structural elements, but I'd love to hear what materials you'd use. Would you still try to use natural stones, slab remnants and metals, or would you compromise and use porcelain, etc. Any thoughts you have are very welcome.
Jess
One of the things that we've learned from working with a high end builder out of Dallas is, and he's built spec homes and we've helped him, he feels really strongly as he's worked with realtors that you want to have memory points in your home. So to me, the neutral palette today, while that would be the answer, I think all realtors would give you is like, yeah, just keep it neutral. Everybody can like it. Man, woman, no matter what nationality, what their upbringing, everybody can understand a neutral palette. But what we've learned from Mark Shout out Platinum homes is that he says it's the memory points that make people remember your home over the other neutral homes that they were just looking at. So I think you. I, I do think that materials matter and I do think doing something that's a little bit more heroic, more interesting, if it's done in good taste. And, Courtney, you're listening to this podcast. We know you love design. We know you have great taste. So you're going to make great decisions. And I would say don't phone it in because you're going to sell it in five years. Her other question is, would you still try to use natural stones, slab remnants, and metals, or would you compromise and use porcelain?
Sue
Natural stones?
Jess
Yeah, I'd use those remnants. One of the things that, Corey, you were saying, too, the other day is that when you use porcelain, it makes you feel like they cut corners everywhere.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
It makes you wonder, like, what kind of cabinetry did they use?
Corey
Where else are they cutting corners in their house? Yeah, that's a huge point to make. Because when I, if, like, I am looking at a home, especially if I'm looking to buy it, I'm kind of picking out things that it's like, oh, that's kind of a red flag to me. And if I see one red flag, where are there others? And that's probably going to give me a little pause. So I think that's something to consider as well. People try to judge how well you took care of your home, but by this, what they see, obviously they can't do a deep dive, you know, especially just going and looking at it once. So those are going to be tails for the people looking at your home. Also, you're still going to live in it for five years. You want to enjoy that. Five years. Yeah. So I would say, and I learned this from you and your team, like, helping me with my kitchen in my old home. I didn't know I was going to sell it, you know, a year after I remodeled it, but I'm so glad that I just made the decisions. I did. It was. That was probably 2018 or 19. My kitchen was green. And we got so many people to come and look at that house in one day. I think it was like in the 20s the first day and just as many people the next day. It was crazy. So we had, like, four backup offers, and everyone was remarking on the kitchen. So may not be everyone's, you know, style or their vibe, but it attracted so many people to come and see it, and that kind of just created a buzz itself. So I don't think worrying about your investment, I think, like Jess said, a lot of realtors are going to say, just keep it. Keep it neutral. And, you know, so it appeals to everybody. You can't sell your home to. To Everyone. You can only sell it to one person. And if you do it, if you design your home in good taste and be thoughtful and you love it, someone else will too.
Jess
Yeah, definitely. And you're gonna have like some neutral elements, let's be honest. Like, your carpet isn't going to be red, you know, or you're going to do everything in good taste. Your wood floors are going to feel somewhat neutral. It's just some of these heroic moments. Everybody that loves design here is going to remember for one moment Cameron Diaz's kitchen that Kelly Werstler did for her. It was green. I think we probably.
Corey
That was. That was my inspo.
Jess
Yeah, I remember to do this kitchen. And so there are things like that that we all remember that kitchen. We all want that kitchen. We've always loved it. It's. It was a great move anyway. Yeah, I think, I think go for it, Courtney. Use your best taste. Get those remnants. You're going to be a really good sh. And you're going to be super proud of it when it's done. And everybody's going to want it.
Sue
You might not want to move.
Corey
Love what you live in. And someone else will too.
Jess
Yeah, good point.
Sue
Yeah.
Corey
Talk about life quotes.
Sue
I know that in a pillow.
Jess
Oh, it's getting so hot lately, it's hard to sleep. I don't know about you, but I
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have nightmares when I get too hot. So I finally swapped my bedding for the cozy earth sheets.
Sue
Good call.
Jess
Why didn't I do that so much longer ago?
Sue
They're amazing.
Jess
They really are.
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They keep you.
Jess
I think that the science says they're
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like percent cooler than cotton.
Sue
Oh, my gosh.
Jess
I know. And they're like got this great hand.
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They're so slippery. I love how they feel. And I'm finally sleeping through the night again.
Sue
Bless. And I think just overall summer, like as temperatures are rising, also in addition to your sheets, what becomes our everyday set that's going to keep us cool.
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Yes.
Sue
Tom was complaining about that and he. I actually finally just pulled the trigger and I bought the every wear pant and the everyday polo for him. He loves them. We're gonna get him multiple pairs because they're light, stretch, breathable, barely any wrinkles. He loves them. And this is going to be his summertime uniform because it's finally something that he can wear that looks good. Dressed down, dressed up. And we'll keep him cool all throughout the summer.
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Jess
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Corey
The next question is from Medora. She's sent in a couple questions before. She's awesome. So shout out. Thank you so much. This is a great one. If you guys had to buy something at ikea, what would it be? This is awesome.
Sue
Tupperware.
Corey
Yeah, There you go.
Jess
Storage.
Sue
Like, I think their storage solutions are really good.
Jess
I know something we bought from ikea. We bought this lot from ikea.
Corey
We did. Oh, that's true. Yes. Bam. We did. Yeah.
Jess
After leasing spaces for like 15 years, we finally were like, we should just build our own building. And so we actually bought our land from Ikea. We bought two acres and built our own building. And Our address is 1, 2, 3 IKEA way, and IKEA is across the parking lot. And we were joking around earlier that we would buy the meatballs from ikea. I actually haven't been over there in so long, but I'm gonna go after
Sue
this my daughter and take you with us.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
My daughter's friend just sketched her a really darling charcoal sketch for her birthday, and she was like, I need to get this framed. I was like, run over to ikea. Bring this sketch with you. Even if it's white on white, it'll feel very artist. So I don't remember what they have for frames, but we should go over there again. It's been a minute. Yeah.
Sue
I'm hungry.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
All college dorms.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
Storage. I think that they do a great look. The scales usually off for larger homes, but for small apartments and things like that. High five. But yeah. Kids, toys, storage, Meatballs.
Corey
Meatballs. Yep.
Jess
Love it.
Corey
I'm gonna say this with IKEA furniture. Like, you know, the eight block thing that they have? We have a cat room.
Sue
Yeah.
Corey
That's like. It's underneath our stairs. I don't know. We call it the cat room. We cut a little door on the bottom so they can go. Yeah, it's. I don't know. It's cool. We love our cats. Whenever I put something together from ikea, I use wood glue to put it together, keeps that bad boy in place. Yeah. It doesn't start rocking. So little, little Ikea hack for you. Use glue when you're putting it together. It's going to be great.
Jess
Awesome. Thanks, Corey.
Sue
It's a hot tip.
Corey
We really should go over there and film a little something though. Yeah. Get a couple meatballs. I don't know. Yeah. Next question is from Gabrielle. She asked quick question on picking the perfect sofa color. I'm buying one for my home office which is totally color drenched in stone blue. I'm. I'm tempted by something fun like salmon, cognac or even a blue that matches the walls. But since it's a long term investment, cream feels like a safer bet. You think the sofa can still play in the color drenching or should I go for some contrast? What's your usual thought process when choosing sofa colors for a room? This is a great question too.
Sue
Great question.
Jess
To me, the off white feels like the. Like the one that doesn't go all of them. I wouldn't choose that for this beautiful stone blue. Yeah. I like all of your options of cognac or salmon or the blue that matches. We did this in a office.
Sue
We did capitalize Capital Heights.
Jess
We did a red mohair sofa that matches the red walls. And it feels so built in and considered and handsome. I love that look. And then we did the opposite, which was your other idea, Gabrielle, which is your salmon in a blue room, which is on the color wheel opposite in our lovers lane project. The room is light blue. And then we did kind of a red orange sofa and it sings. Your first instincts on this whole question. You already know the right answer. But I think your salmon or cognac would be really fantastic or matching the wall.
Sue
Seeing an ivory sofa in either of those spaces I think would have been a big disservice to the go us as a designer design firm. I'd be so disappointed.
Jess
Yeah. If you're watching this right now and you're looking at that red, that red library picture a white sofa there instead of the red one. Or if you're looking at the Lovers Lane beautiful blue office instead of that red sofa picture white one. It be so sad.
Corey
Bummer.
Jess
Yeah. Gabrielle, you've got this. I'm excited for you.
Sue
So excited. Jess, your favorite cream puff. Your cream puff. Yeah. Sofa.
Jess
Yeah.
Sue
Had that forever and it's been blue. You've carried that from house to house.
Jess
I have.
Sue
So that is a favorite.
Jess
I've had a blue sofa since we got married. We bought a home and bought this sofa when we were living in Virginia, and it sits like a cream puff. It's full of down and it's velvet, and I love it so much. It's like the one thing I can't give away. Even though we don't make it, we don't source it, it's. This sit is so awesome. But it's always worked in every home, and we've probably lived in probably four homes since then. You will not regret having a colored sofa. Yeah. Especially a blue. I mean, to match your walls. You'll always love that.
Corey
Okay, next question is from Jenny L. Any sneak peeks at new product I want to see. Yeah, this is. Come on, you're talking our language here.
Jess
Exactly.
Corey
Christmas for us, Jenny.
Jess
We're launching new product next week. But you know what? We're going to show you, since you asked, we'll show you some of the new pieces on the podcast. So we have. Do you guys remember our Alice Flush mount? Sue's did two little ones in her hallway. And these are really cute. Instead of cans. Well, we decided to come out with not just the white glass, also of a faux alabaster. Now, I wouldn't have thought to do faux alabaster, but our factory said that they could do it. And it looked so real. And there's, like, kind of a shortage on alabaster right now, so it's crazy expensive and heavy. And so heavy. Anyway, this looked so great, we thought we could keep the price down. And each one of these is different, so you're not going to get it and have identical lenses on every single one because it's faux. It's all like molten. What is it, like resin or something?
Corey
Yeah, it's. It's poured resin. And so each one is made in. In a mold. So like Jess said, it's different. It's not just like recycling the same. Yeah.
Jess
If you have three of these going down your hallway or like two in, like, Susan's, and you end up. And you wanted to do the faux alabaster. This lit up, too. Really does like to look like the moon.
Corey
It's crazy.
Jess
It looks exactly real.
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I need to switch mine.
Jess
You can keep the price down. You've got a real brass double bullnose edge. And we make this in the large size as well. So these are going to launch next week, but Jenny Lu and everybody else watching get to see it first. So that's the Alice Flush mount. We also have a new little crystal lamp that's joining the family. This is so fun. We're calling this the Perla P E R L A. It means pearl in Italian. So this is a crystal orb. We're sandblasted on the interior to give it that frosty look. There's a single bulb in it and we've got a nylon cord. We're kind of flushed on the bottom so that it lays flat. And then you plug it in and this little thing is just going to glow wherever you need it.
Sue
That is so cool. It's like a crystal ball. I'm going to look into the future.
Jess
Isn't that so rad?
Sue
That's so, so, so cool. I haven't seen this guys.
Jess
Oh my gosh.
Sue
I'm so excited. That's rad for like a kid kids room. The baby lamp reinterpreted into the sculpture. I love this.
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Yeah.
Jess
Like a big stack of books in a kid's room and that just sitting on top. Like a nightlight.
Sue
I know.
Jess
Or in a kitchen. You could have this on a shelf. All glow. Or in a secretary.
Sue
You're not going to have any height
Jess
issues on a desk. Yeah. I can't wait to start playing with this. So anyway, this is Perla. It's like a little pearl.
Sue
I love, just love.
Jess
It's like a magic trick. I know you're going to get so many compliments on this.
Corey
The interior is opaque too, so you don't see the bulb. It's just kind of glowing from there. I don't know if you already said that, but yeah.
Jess
Looks so good. We have some favorites which are the crystal link frame is now available in the 8x10 in both landscape and portrait. And then the crystal column frame is also now available in the landscape and portrait AB So this has been a request of all of yours for a long time. So your wedding day. I just think these are so beautiful. A wedding photo in those family photo
Sue
also has like a cool edge. I love the column frame.
Jess
So these are the, these are the portrait ones. And then Corey's gonna bring over or. Sorry. These are the landscape, these are the portraits. Oh girl, aren't those pretty?
Sue
That's so beautiful.
Jess
Maybe it's an old photo from your first birthday or. I don't know. You're gonna know just what to do. But now our. Our two favorite and best selling frames. Well, the orb frame sells really well. Are now both available in portrait and
Corey
landscape and they all live well together.
Jess
Yes, yes.
Corey
Which is, which is awesome.
Jess
There's one other sneak peek we don't have and it's not going to launch for a while. We have Been working on a bed for a while and we're doing. It's a 10 inch bullion fringe around the base. We used to have a bed called the Tilly bed and it had a slightly canted upholstered top. It looks rectangular, but it's sort of got the edge taken off and it's a little bit slimmer at the top. We've seen the prototypes. We're so excited. We're going to try and get it here by Holiday. It's going to be in this really beautiful slubby sort of tissue pink, kind of a little bit of a shrimp color velvet. And then it's got a bullion fringe around it.
Sue
What color is the balloon?
Jess
It's like a gold. It's not like a metallic gold, but more like a dark taupe.
Sue
Yeah.
Jess
Which is so pretty they almost start to look like each other, the pink and the taupe. And it's stunning. It's not so over the top because the headboard is some big curly shape. So I think it could even be in a contemporary home or you can take it traditional. But we know that fringes are all the rage and that it's high decorating time. And so we felt like we had to take a pass at this on a bed. We've been calling it the frilly bed because it used to be called the Tilly bed in house and now it
Corey
has a fringe on it.
Jess
Now it's a fringe and it's in pink. So we're calling it the Frilly bed, but we're going to give it a better name. Look for it before holiday and yeah, it's going to be a showstopper.
Corey
The next question is from Navi. I've heard that you were supposed to keep the exterior of your house looking uniform when it comes to window coverings. However, I would like to do different window coverings in each of the rooms that face the the front of the house. For example, I would like to do a Roman shade in one, shears in another and solid drapes in another room. How do I keep it looking uniform from the exterior or does that actually matter, Navi?
Jess
It does matter. We would say to this, your drapes are all just going to live on the wall. And what you're actually going to do is get a window covering which is like picture if you will, Navi, a roller shade. The roller shade is going to give you privacy because you're not going to be pulling your drapes open and close, open and close, open and close every day and night. The drapes really just hang on the wall. The window covering is what you're going to raise and lower to give yourself privacy or to filter light or even to be a blackout shade. If it's in a bedroom, you usually end up doing two types of window coverings. A window covering which actually covers the glass, and then the decorative treatment, which is your drapery. So your coverings, you're probably going to do something pretty uniform. Some people love a roller shade's really cost effective. So there's some really pretty woven ones for that. Or there's even like the seagrass woven looking. So maybe you'd have bamboo shades on your house, but then you have drapery with ones. Even if you're doing a Roman shade navi, you're still going to put that bamboo shade underneath the Roman shade to be a layer. Because most Romans, you don't want to have to raise and lower every day because you're going to want to keep them looking folded and. And pressed and beautiful.
Sue
Because some of them will be blackout, some of them will be light filtering. It's just that you're going to just like pay attention to the liner cover color from the outside so that those feel uniform because some of them will be more opaque than when some will be more transparent. And so that's what you're paying attention to. Because of course you're going to want to do different window treatments in each room.
Jess
Everybody does. Yeah, we love it too.
Sue
And I would say that. Say that you are a Pearson. You're going to want to do a functional or like you don't have the room to do one or the other. Again, the liner of all those of your Romans of your window treatments, if they are operable, you're just paying attention to the liner colors so that they all get along from the outside.
Corey
Do you know the other reason I like roller shades, too, is then you're not seeing the fold, the stack of things when it's shut and that kind of being different or, you know, they're kind of like split in the middle if they're not all the way shut. Just so really, when you're looking from the front of your home, you're just. It's all uniform and it's the straight roller pulled down, I think that makes the most sense to me.
Sue
Looks, the clean is. Yeah, it's the easiest to live with, too.
Jess
I can see why this is a question for people, because we went through a period in the early 2000s where shutters was the answer. Do you remember that everybody had white Windows and white shutters. Or they had a wood window with wood shutters and the shutters were the window covering. And some people would still do a drape on the outside, but you could not do a Roman if you had a shutter. Yeah, but shutters were the answer for so long and then once shutters weren't the answer anymore, then what do you do? They people haven't known what the answer is since then. You know if you're working with a designer that you're going to do a window covering plus the outer drape or whatever decorative to go with the room. But people really haven't known this answer. I have. We, we run into this question with like so many households, nobody knows what to do since the shutters have kind of gone away.
Corey
Yeah, yeah. I was just gonna say shutters. Not a thing. Yeah, yeah. The next question is from Rachel S. She asks. I have a large family and lots of children. Practical dining room wallpaper. That is beautiful.
Sue
I would go vinyl guy. Three rotten little boys that are really cute with a lot of sticky hands and just anything that's wipable is my friend. I will tell you that right now. And there's a lot of really beautiful options. Even like Tebow which is T H I B A U T that's a window covering. They have a lot of really great like textural vinyl options. They look like grass clothes. They're really beautiful. Philip Jeffries has vinyl. Most manufacturers have vinyl options. So if you like a certain brand or a certain type, look and see what vinyl options they have. That will be your easiest to maintain and clean in this phase of life and still look good.
Jess
I have a vinyl wall covering in my powder bath and it looks like silk and it's got a really beautiful sort of striae through it. And honest to goodness, the walls look upholstered. It's really lovely. It came in a lot of different shades. It's from Tebow. Like sue said, they have really good looking grass cloths. Vinyl. Don't feel like you're about to put like rubber pants on your wall. This isn't embarrassing. This is a really sophisticated, beautiful offering that is, you know, good for I also think wet rooms, bathrooms and whatnot. That body closets. Exactly. Yeah. It's a really good solution in so many homes, whether you have a ton of kids or not. It's a great solution. So yeah, it's a great, great answer.
Sue
I'm excited for your dining room too.
Corey
The next question comes from Allison von Guten. 6187, she asks, do you have any recommendations on where to get statement glass for entry windows or doors? I love what Jessica did around her door.
Sue
I also love that Favorite things.
Jess
Gosh, we're so lucky here in Utah. I will tell you where I got mine. Glass Images in Utah.
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Did.
Jess
Did mine for me. Their glass shop, where you can get mirrors cut, you can get, you know, windows. A lot of your glass shops are. Might have this capability to also do stained glass. They have great capabilities. They do a lot of stained glass for temples, for churches. So they can do anything. This was like, the least of their abilities. And we just drew it up in CAD and had them make it for me, which was really, really just so thrilling. I've always wanted this. So look, I would call the glass shops in your area and see if they offer. If they don't, they're going to know somebody that does. But Glass Images in Provo or Orem, Utah.
Corey
Orem, Utah.
Jess
Orem, Utah. Did mine.
Sue
Yeah. Like, we have several here, though. I'm like, there's glass images, there's beehive glass. Like, you know, most of them do this type of work. And so again, I think what you said about just calling your local and seeing what their capabilities are, if they don't, they'll know somebody.
Corey
Yeah. One of my really good friends, Jerry, works at Glass Images. He's awesome. I've known him forever. Those guys there are so talented. So I would say when you, yeah. Google Glass shops in your area, I would go there, see the work that they've done before. If it kind of, you know, feels like in the same vein of what you're trying to accomplish, then you found the person. But if it's. If. If it does feel kind of disconnected with your vision, maybe try to, like, find someone else in your area. Because I know some people who had. Who did not go to Jerry and not as happy, so.
Jess
Oh, Going in person, though, is really great advice because I remember holding my jewels in my hands that we used a couple little colored jewels where the circles are. You can kind of see on the right side how there's a yellow one kind of midway through, and then there's two on the left side. One's orange, and then I forget what the other blue or something. But I remember, like holding them and trying to figure out what colors of jewels. And you really are like, this is couture. Like, you really are making this custom thing that nobody else has.
Corey
Yeah.
Jess
So it's fun to have your hands in it. I might have even seen it before they welded it at all. Like they had it all set up before they, like, you know, did all the leading together. So you really, you really are creating. Creating something special. And it's, it is fun if it's local and you get to check on it and see it in its phases,
Corey
see it in person rather than just pictures because sometimes pictures don't. Don't always do it justice and can be a little bit misleading. So great question, though. Okay. That was it.
Sue
Oh, my gosh. That went fast.
Corey
Yeah, I know. Super fast.
Jess
That did go fast. You guys, thank you so much for writing in your questions. If you have questions like these, please send them to Dear Alice, alicelnhome.com Sometimes they inspire a full episode. Sometimes we just answer them here in the listener Q and A. And I wanted to quickly tell you about our insider program because we do have a launch coming up. Our insider program gives everybody several days access to a collection before it launches. Sometimes we have things that sell out because they're hits. And so I wanted you guys to know, since you're our closest friends, that if you're not already an insider, you can sign up on our website. Tori, where do they sign up?
Corey
So if you just go to alicelanehome.com, there's going to be a pop up there that, you know, prompts you to sign up for the insider program. It's an invitation. Yes. So just fill out that information and yeah, you'll get a confirmation email and yeah, you're off to the races. Whenever we launch a product, we never know exactly, you know, how much to order because we don't have any sales data before that. So I would say every launch, we have at least a couple of things that sell out. So this is the best way to just guarantee you a spot in the game.
Jess
Besides launches, you also get early access to sales. You'll get two days early access to every sale. You're just always going to be a privileged insider. We're going to give you some of your own private sales. Like the list goes on and on for the perks. So I would say definitely sign up, especially if you're listening. You're one of those people that likes insider info. So we're going to give it all to you as an insider. Also wanted to point out all of our episodes are available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. So you can watch it on Spotify and YouTube and Apple, you can just listen for now. But I know video content is going to become available soon there too. If you have any episode ideas again, please send those to Dear Alice Alice Lane Home and we'd love it if you'd leave us a review and we will see you guys next time. Hey thanks for listening. If you like our show, please leave a five star rating.
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Date: June 4, 2026
Hosts: Jessica Bennett (“Jess”), Suzanne Hall (“Sue”), Corey
This episode of Dear Alice dives into a rapid-fire Q&A with listeners, focusing on practical, high-style interior design advice straight from the Alice Lane team. Jess, Sue, and Corey answer listener-submitted questions about everything from paint sheens and kitchen backsplashes to memorable homes and sofa colors. They keep things lively, witty, and full of actionable tips — with fun behind-the-scenes stories and expert insights into current design trends.
Jess: Shares a positivity mantra from a team member: “We’re lucky and everything goes our way,” emphasizing the power of mindset shifts.
Sue: Teaches her kids, “Only you can make you happy,” reinforcing self-responsibility for joy.
Corey: Adopts “Make choices based in love, not fear” as a guiding principle.
“It’s amazing how when you say that out loud, especially in a sticky situation, it reverses you out of the sticky and you start believing that everything’s going to be okay.”
— Jess (01:24)
Best Practices: Use different sheens for walls and trim when color drenching. Gloss or high-gloss for trim highlights architectural details—even glossier for a trend-forward look.
Lacquer vs. High-Gloss: Lacquer is 10x as expensive as high-gloss paint but delivers a candy shell, ultra-reflective finish. Requires rigorous prep and unoccupied space during application.
Adjacent Spaces: Consider what’s happening in nearby rooms to maintain visual cohesion and boldness across connected spaces.
“You want to highlight that [the trim] cost you more money. I want to exaggerate the coves, really feel the reflection hit…”
— Sue (03:16)
“If you’re lacquering, you can’t live in that house… It’s so impactful.”
— Jess (06:27)
“Let your freak flag fly y’all — lacquer it.”
— Sue (07:17)
Trend Observation: Tile backsplashes are making a comeback, but slab (countertop material as backsplash) is still a strong, contemporary move.
Slab Tips: Works well if you don’t have windows on your main backsplash wall. For added interest, pair with bold hoods or custom profiles.
Tile Tips: Brings texture and design intentionality; works best in traditional or eclectic spaces. Combinations of tile and slab are increasingly common.
Project Examples: Tiger Oak (whole wall tile incl. hood), Manchester (marble thresholds + floating shelves), Beaver Cabin (slab around windows, tile above).
Slab Thickness: Aim for the same thickness and from the same block for cohesive appearance.
“We are seeing the tables turn and people want tile. We’re loving tile. And, like, it just feels interesting... shows that you designed it and really thought about it.”
— Sue (11:08)
“Slab feels a little more contemporary. Tile backsplash is right in the pocket of traditional… you know what you are. That’s a good first date question.”
— Corey (16:22)
Beyond Neutrality: Memorable features (“memory points”) like a striking color or bold material can make your home stand out in the market.
Material Choice: Use real, quality materials (stone, remnants, metals) rather than porcelain substitutes to avoid the perception of cut corners by buyers.
Personal Story: Corey’s green kitchen (inspired by Cameron Diaz’s Kelly Wearstler design) attracted multiple offers, proving bold design can pay off.
“If I see one red flag [like porcelain countertops], where are there others?… People try to judge how well you took care of your home by what they see.”
— Corey (19:00)
“Love what you live in, and someone else will too.”
— Sue (21:32)
Storage Solutions: Go-to items include Tupperware and storage furniture, especially for smaller spaces or dorms.
Picture Frames: IKEA is recommended for affordable, stylish frames for DIY projects.
Furniture Hack: Use wood glue during assembly for extra durability.
“Whenever I put something together from Ikea, I use wood glue… keeps that bad boy in place. Little Ikea hack for you.”
— Corey (24:46)
Advice: Don’t default to off-white—choose hues that complement or boldly contrast with your wall color for a designer look.
Past Projects: Cites examples where matching or contrasting sofas made the design sing (red on red, blue with salmon/orange).
Real-Life Endorsement: Jess’s own blue sofa has worked in every home she’s lived in.
“Seeing an ivory sofa in either of those spaces… I’d be so disappointed.”
— Sue (26:42)
“You will not regret having a colored sofa.”
— Jess (27:19)
Lighting: Alice Flush mount now comes in faux alabaster (resin) for a luxe vibe at a lower price point.
Decor: New Perla crystal orb lamp (“like a magic trick”; sandblasted interior so it just glows).
Frames: Crystal link and column frames available in new landscape and portrait sizes.
Upcoming Furniture: A velvet pink bed with bullion fringe (“the Frilly Bed”), launching in time for the holidays.
“It’s like a magic trick. I know you’re going to get so many compliments on this.”
— Jess, on the Perla lamp (30:21)
Curb Appeal: From the exterior, keep the operational window covering uniform (e.g., roller or bamboo shades) for consistency.
Layering: Use decorative treatments (drapes, romans) inside the room; ensure exterior-facing liners are matched.
Why it Matters: Avoids the patchwork, "messy" look from the street and keeps every room customized.
“The liner of all those of your Romans, of your window treatments, if they are operable, you’re just paying attention to the liner colors so that they all get along from the outside.”
— Sue (34:29)
Vinyl is Your Friend: Go for high-quality vinyl wallpapers (Thibaut, Phillip Jeffries) for style and total wipe-ability; today’s options look truly luxurious and mimic grasscloth or silk.
Broad Use: Suitable for kids, wet rooms, closets, and practical spaces.
“Don’t feel like you’re about to put rubber pants on your wall… This is a really sophisticated, beautiful offering.”
— Jess (36:43)
Where to Source: Custom glass shops (e.g., Glass Images, Beehive Glass in Utah) can fabricate anything from mirrors to couture stained glass—call local shops to ask about custom projects.
Go in Person: See samples/jewels firsthand, be involved in color selection and design for a one-of-a-kind result.
Quality Check: Review their previous work; not all shops are created equal.
“You really are making this custom thing that nobody else has… it’s fun to have your hands in it.”
— Jess (39:12)
Warm, personable, and peppered with playful banter. Jess, Sue, and Corey offer a mix of high-end expertise and pragmatic, real-life strategies—making upper-echelon design ideas approachable and actionable for every listener. Bold, smart moves are encouraged!
A must-listen for creative, detail-focused homeowners eager to personalize their spaces with confidence and flair!