Dear Alice | Interior Design
Episode: Interior Design Q&A: Mixing Styles, Open Layouts & Timeless Looks
Hosts: Jessica Bennett, Suzanne (Sue) Hall, Corey
Date: September 25, 2025
Episode Overview
In this lively Q&A episode, the Dear Alice team dives into listeners' questions about mixing design styles, maximizing small spaces, the evolving trends around open floor plans, timeless style, furniture placement, and their ultimate celebrity dream clients. Packed with wit and practical insights, Jessica, Sue, and Corey share specific design strategies and reveal the reasoning, stories, and emotion behind their best advice—all through the lens of real projects and personal anecdotes.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Mixing Design Styles (Modern + Rustic, Art Deco + Modern)
[01:06–06:10]
- Mixing Styles: The Dear Alice team considers themselves "mix masters," thriving on blending different styles—particularly when clients have contrasting tastes.
- Sue’s Example: She recently blended modern and rustic styles for a ranch project in Idaho where the architecture felt modern, but the location and client favored rustic, earthen materials.
- Key Principles:
- Combine clean, modern lines with rustic, natural materials.
- Use foundational architectural elements (e.g., limestone floors in modern patterns) to marry the two.
- Focus on the essence of each style (e.g., repetition in Art Deco or relaxed comfort in rustic) and dilute elements to their purest forms.
- Layer references to both styles in building materials and furnishings.
Quote:
"When you start to combine these two—when you see it, it'll just start to sing. You don’t have to be so literal; pull what you like from each style and blend them in a way that fits the home."
— Sue [03:40]
2. Tricks to Make a Small Room Look Bigger
[06:13–10:01]
- Diagonal Lines: Install flooring or tiles on a diagonal to expand visual space.
- Large Rugs: Choose the biggest rug that will fit; smaller rugs shrink the perceived size.
- Overscale Art: Big art stretches the eye—makes ceilings seem taller, rooms wider.
- Drapes and Mirrors:
- Hang drapery rods high; use tall mirrors to stretch sightlines.
- Glossy ceilings reflect light and create the illusion of height.
- Mirrors bounce light and create depth.
- Color Drenching: Paint walls and ceilings the same color to obscure edges and create continuity.
Memorable Moment:
Jessica jokingly quotes Air Supply about creating something from nothing, relating it to transforming a small entry with mirrors.
"It's like Air Supply says—she made love out of nothing at all."
— Jessica [09:38]
3. Open Floor Plan vs. Closed Plan—Which Is Better?
[10:05–14:49]
- Jessica’s Stance: Prefers a dynamic "compression and release" effect—transitioning through small, cozy spaces into expansive ones creates drama and interest.
- Designing Individuality: Open plans force uniformity; closed spaces provide opportunities for varied moods and color schemes.
- Current Trends: The team predicts fatigue with all-open spaces and a re-emergence of defined, unique rooms—with kitchen and family being open, but retaining nooks and pantries for intimacy and privacy.
Quote:
"A big open floor plan...it's going to be a big, huge run-on sentence of a room where you can't create identity for each space. I think you'll start to see floor plans with more identity in each scene.”
— Jessica [11:41]
Anecdote:
Jessica shares a sweet client text:
"She texted me…her and her sisters from the neck down in their pajamas...they're all in the pantry…and she's like, 'You're right! This is the room we come in to tell secrets.'”
[13:22]
4. Furniture Placement: Floating vs. Against the Wall
[14:49–20:13]
- Don’t Push Everything to the Edge: Floating a few furniture pieces (especially chairs) is a designer's secret to making a space look intentional and inviting, even in tight urban apartments like those in New York.
- Chair Selection:
- Choose interesting, sculptural chairs that look good from every angle—make them the “characters” in your room.
- Use round cocktail tables to encourage angled, floating arrangements.
- Layering:
- Slip a slim console behind a sofa for added depth.
- Pieces with legs (as opposed to solid bases) keep the space feeling open.
- Subtlety:
- Even pieces near walls should have a few inches’ breathing room for sophistication.
Quote:
"The most interesting characters in an empty room are the chairs. So your chairs' job is to be interesting."
— Jessica [17:10]
5. Timeless Style: What Will Always Work?
[21:51–26:29]
- Traditional with a Twist (“New Traditional”): Classic shapes/look redeployed in youthful, unexpected ways (think English rolled arms in pistachio green or chintz with updated colors).
- Personal Collection:
- Build your home around pieces and art you deeply love and have a story or meaning—those are inherently timeless.
- Avoid dated patterns or ‘time-stamped’ details on classic frames; frame can be reupholstered to refresh.
- Heirloom and History:
- European antiques or elements with rich heritage age beautifully and transcend trends, especially when made “your own” with color and placement.
Quote:
"You're going to develop a point of view that feels like you, and that's going to feel timeless...those pieces that you're going to keep are part of your timeless collection."
— Sue [22:48]
Example:
Sue’s “golden rocker” transformed by reupholstery:
"As soon as I put that yellow, like, velvet on it...it totally made it something to talk about that I'll have in my collection forever."
— Sue [25:50]
6. Is There a Style You Don’t Like?
[26:29–30:38]
- Professional Growth: Early on, Sue had style aversions (e.g., against chintz or postmodern). Over 20 years, she’s learned there’s something redeemable in every style or decade.
- Design for the Client: The best designers find and elevate what clients love about any style.
- Style "Filters":
- Sometimes it’s not the style itself but a poorly executed version that’s off-putting.
- Educating oneself about the best examples in any style is key.
Anecdote:
Sue tells a story where her professor "fired" students who refused to work with a challenging fabric:
"You have to figure out—what is it about this pattern the client loves? That’s your job."
— Sue [28:12]
7. Dream Celebrity Clients
[30:40–35:45]
- Top picks:
- Benson Boone: Musician; team is collectively eager to work with him due to his fun, stylish outfits.
- Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce: “Characters” would be all-in on personal expression.
- Lenny Kravitz: Known for bold homes; team admires his risk-taking.
- Emma Stone, Amy Poehler, Pedro Pascal, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz (whose Kelly Wearstler-designed kitchen is legendary).
- Corey’s pick: CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys)—noted for coordinated, risk-taking style and fashion-forward closet.
Quote:
"People that love fashion, love interiors. So, yeah, they're gonna be all in with wanting, caring about, expressing themselves. And you know his closet is going to be a blast."
— Jessica [35:14]
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
- On Great Design:
- “Design like you give a damn.” — Sue [33:45]
- On Room Layout:
- “Angles are space expanding...Optimal angles.” — Jessica [18:29]
- On Timelessness:
- “Focus on the frame, because you can always reupholster that thing...and now reimagined, feels so fresh and interesting.” — Jessica [25:15]
- On Falling in Love with Styles:
- “There’s sort of this love story that happens between a designer and a client...You come to love every style because it reminds you of them.” — Jessica [29:24]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment | Time | |----------------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Mixing Styles Q&A | 01:06-06:10| | Small Room Tricks | 06:13-10:01| | Open vs. Closed Floor Plans | 10:05-14:49| | Furniture Placement—Floating vs. Against the Wall | 14:49-20:13| | Timeless Design—What Endures? | 21:51-26:29| | Styles the Designers Don't Like | 26:29-30:38| | Dream Celebrity Clients | 30:40-35:45|
Memorable Moments
- Air Supply Reference: Jessica uses the song lyric "she made love out of nothing at all" to describe transforming small, seemingly featureless spaces. [09:38]
- Sue’s Professorial Firing: A formative lesson in respecting every client’s taste, even the challenging ones. [28:12]
- Cameron Diaz's Kitchen: Still legendary among the designers, exemplifying distinctive celebrity style. [33:06]
Tone and Takeaways
The episode is accessible, energetic, and full of genuine camaraderie. The hosts encourage risk-taking, personal taste, and intentionality in every aspect of home design. Their stories—whether from client projects or their personal lives—emphasize joy, agency, and discovery in creating truly memorable interiors.
For listeners: If you’re considering mixing styles, maximizing your space, designing for timelessness, or simply want to feel more confident trying something “out of the box,” this episode is an inspiring and practical guide. The Dear Alice team breaks down design mystique into actionable, human, and even playful advice.