Ep. 390: Designing Elegance & Comfort with James Thomas Interiors

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ep. 390: Designing Elegance & Comfort with James Thomas Interiors

Introduction In Episode 390 of How to Decorate, the Ballard Designs team welcomes James Dolentz and Tom Riker, co-founders of Chicago-based James Thomas Interiors. Since establishing their firm in 2003, James and Tom have garnered acclaim for transforming homes into sophisticated, elegantly welcoming spaces. Their approach emphasizes reflecting clients' passions and lifestyles, prioritizing easy elegance and comfort through unique design details, textures, patterns, and rich colors.

Founding James Thomas Interiors James and Tom share their journey of founding James Thomas Interiors, highlighting their transition from different backgrounds—James from commercial interiors and Tom with a master’s in architecture—to collaborating on residential projects. They recount how initial projects, such as designing lobbies and model units, organically expanded their portfolio.

James Dolentz [02:10]: "I was very tired of laying out workstations. There was a lack of creativity in my field."

Tom Riker [02:10]: "I always had an interest in interiors. It was a really good segue to team with James in creating our company."

Building a Strong Company Culture A significant portion of the discussion centers on the robust and engaging culture at James Thomas Interiors. James and Tom emphasize the importance of kindness, creativity, and employee retention. Their team, now numbering 18 members with long tenures, thrives on creative freedom and collaborative storytelling in design.

Tom Riker [05:26]: "We give our staff a lot of creativity... we’re not domineering over them."

James Dolentz [06:29]: "There is a common thread amongst all of them of this sense of generosity and light."

They also discuss their competitive compensation packages and benefits, which contribute to low turnover and high employee satisfaction.

Tom Riker [10:58]: "After 10 years, you get a month sabbatical. We try to treat people really well."

Learning and Mastery in Interior Design James and Tom candidly discuss their initial lack of residential interior design knowledge despite their professional backgrounds. They detail their learning process through seminars, mentorship, and hands-on experience, eventually building a knowledgeable and skilled team.

James Dolentz [03:53]: "We didn't have the privilege of working for a high-end residential firm and really gaining that experience."

Tom Riker [16:13]: "We just were kind of a sponge and we absorbed stuff."

Design Influences and Philosophy The designers delve into their North Star inspirations, citing figures like Martin Brudensky and historical architects such as David Adler and Howard Van Doren Shaw. Their philosophy revolves around creating timeless yet contemporary spaces that evoke warmth and hospitality.

James Dolentz [20:15]: "Martin Brudensky’s ability to create fantastical, magical places..."

Tom Riker [22:40]: "David Adler was a master of creating beautiful spaces that felt relaxed and effortless."

They reject fleeting trends, focusing instead on enduring elements that bring joy and comfort to their clients' homes.

Current Design Trends and Materials James and Tom highlight their current design interests, which include rich detailing, mixing furniture styles, and layering textures. They express enthusiasm for materials like grass cloth, sisal rugs, mohair, velvet, linen, and rattan. Their emphasis on details and personalization distinguishes their work from purely showroom-based designs.

James Dolentz [36:51]: "Details, details, details. Like hands down details."

Tom Riker [37:16]: "Mixing furniture styles makes interiors more interesting."

Showcasing Signature Projects The duo discusses notable projects, including the Gold Coast Space Residence featuring a stunning tortoise shell ceiling. They explain the creative process behind such elements, emphasizing collaboration with skilled craftsmen to achieve unique, show-stopping results.

James Dolentz [41:03]: "We started with a leopard print and transitioned to tortoise shell, transforming the space."

Tom Riker [43:06]: "It just transformed the space between painting those cabinets and putting that tortoise shell on the ceiling."

Listener Questions and Expert Advice In the listener segment, James and Tom address Joanne's dilemma about making her ranch-style 80s home more cohesive and calming. They offer practical solutions, including adding tongue and groove paneling to ceilings, selecting appropriate rugs, updating window treatments, and enhancing furniture placement to create a more inviting and balanced space.

James Dolentz [47:06]: "Adding tongue and groove paneling to the ceiling would do a world of justice for the space."

Tom Riker [51:50]: "Adding tongue and groove on the ceiling is going to elevate the space and make your eye go up there."

Conclusion James Dolentz and Tom Riker conclude the episode by sharing where listeners can find their work online and expressing gratitude for the engaging conversation. They highlight the importance of continued learning, collaboration, and maintaining a joyful, hospitable design process.

James Dolentz [54:49]: "Our website is jamesthomasinteriors.com and we are James Thomas Interiors on Insta."

Tom Riker [55:26]: "And that's our show."

Key Takeaways

• Company Culture: Prioritize kindness, creativity, and fair compensation to build a loyal, talented team.
• Continuous Learning: Embrace ongoing education and hands-on experience to refine design skills.
• Timeless Design: Focus on creating spaces that blend timeless elegance with contemporary comforts, avoiding transient trends.
• Detail-Oriented: Pay attention to intricate details and layer textures to elevate interior spaces.
• Client-Centric Approach: Tailor designs to reflect clients' lifestyles and emotions, ensuring spaces are both beautiful and functional.

Notable Quotes

• James Dolentz [06:29]: "There is a common thread amongst all of them of this sense of generosity and light."
• Tom Riker [10:58]: "After 10 years, you get a month sabbatical. We try to treat people really well."
• James Dolentz [36:51]: "Details, details, details. Like hands down details."
• Tom Riker [37:16]: "Mixing furniture styles makes interiors more interesting."
• James Dolentz [41:03]: "We started with a leopard print and transitioned to tortoise shell, transforming the space."

Follow James Thomas Interiors

• Website: jamesthomasinteriors.com
• Instagram: @jamesthomasinteriors

Connect with Ballard Designs For more decorating tips and to send in your dilemmas, visit howtodecorate.com/podcast or email [e-mail]. Follow Ballard Designs on social media to stay updated on the latest episodes and design inspirations.

Transcript

[Caroline]

Welcome to how to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home. I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team. And I'm Taryn, and I'm a product designer.

[Liz]

I'm Liz. I head up the creative team. We're your hosts.

[Caroline]

Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world. Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.

[Liz]

We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email [e-mail] now, on with the show. Today we're joined by celebrated interior designers James Dolentz and Tom Riker of Chicago's James Thomas. Since founding their firm in 2003, James and Tom have been transforming homes into sophisticated and elegantly welcoming spaces. Their design philosophy centers on creating environments that reflect their clients passions and lifestyles, always aiming for easy elegance and comfort. With James as the storyteller and Tom as the editor, they both collaborate to craft cohesive stories through unique design details and layers of texture, pattern, and rich color. Their work, featured in renowned publications such as House Beautiful and Traditional Home, spans from Chicago's North Shore to Beverly Hills. And today, we're excited to welcome them both to the how to Decorate podcast for their debut appearance. Tom and James, welcome to the show.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you for having us, Liz. We're very happy to be here.

[Tom Riker]

Excited to join you. Thank you.

[Caroline]

Even your background is just so idyllic. I appreciate even where you're set up.

[Liz]

Right.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you. Thank you. It's a jewel box of a space here in Chicago, but we love it. And when I say it's the size of a dime, it is the size of a dime, truly. But thank you, Taryn.

[Caroline]

I think we wanted to start by just kind of diving in about hearing who you guys are and how it started.

[James Dolentz]

Okay, Tom, you want to hit it?

[Tom Riker]

Okay. Well, we've been together as a couple for 26 years. Six years.

[James Dolentz]

26 years.

[Tom Riker]

And we started our firm in 2003, as you mentioned. Really? Because we were just started to collaborate on projects. I have a background and a master's in architecture. James was working in commercial interiors. And we just. We had a client. I had a client in my architecture practice that was building buildings, an old friend of mine, and he needed help with lobbies and model units, and so we started collaborating on that and it just kind of steamrolled and it just got bigger and bigger.

[James Dolentz]

And bigger. Let me be clear. I was, I was very tired of laying out workstations. You can only do that so long before your head explodes. So. And there was just a. There was a lack of creativity in my field. And I think, Tom, you were your name for something more. Be more personal.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, I just, I realized after seven years working in architecture that it just probably wasn't a great fit for me. I always had an interest in interiors. My mom ran state sales in the Detroit area where I grew up. And I think there was just always this inherent interest in interiors. And so it was like a really good segue to team with James in creating our company.

[James Dolentz]

That was gang. That was 22 years ago. And even though we both have degrees in our fields, we came into this residential marketplace and didn't really know our head from our ass. And I'm not exaggerating. I didn't know what a pinch plate was. I didn't know what a self. Well was. I mean, we didn't have the privilege of working for a high end residential firm and really gaining that experience.

[Tom Riker]

But I think what we did have is like, you know, with my background in architecture, we were able to take on jobs that needed interior architecture, you know, that condos that needed to be reimagined. And so I think we did have a little bit of a leg up on like a purely decorating firm with that background.

[James Dolentz]

We had some work to do though, in terms of the field of decorating and sources, and we've learned along the way and it's been, you know, it's been a wonderful ride. We are extremely fortunate to have a very tenured team of, we're, I think, 18 now, including Tom and myself. We've had people on our team for 15, 12, 10 years. We just, we have someone.

[Tom Riker]

They won't leave.

[James Dolentz]

We don't leave. They won't.

[Caroline]

I was going to ask if there was any openings because the culture part of your company looks wildly fun. And I was kind of like, I want to be part of this. I saw your design retreat, you guys.

[James Dolentz]

Oh, thanks. Thanks. We were just in Michigan. Yes. With the team. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Yeah.

[Tom Riker]

We sometimes look around and we're like, why do all these people want to work for us? What are we doing? But I think we do create a really rich, interesting culture. We have projects that are very, you know, wildly different from each other. And we let, we give our staff a lot of creativity. We let. We rely on them to, you know, spread their wings and put their own stamp on projects which I think may be a little unusual in our industry, that we're not domineering over them and saying, no, no, no, that's, that's not James Thomas way.

[James Dolentz]

Well, a lot of people ask us, you know, we get the elevator, you know, pitch all the time, like, what's your, what's your look? What are you guys all about? And you know, when you look at our projects across the field, they're all very different, but there is a commonality amongst all of them of this sense of generosity and light. And there is an effortless element to them. They're not encumbered by, you know, layer upon layer upon layer, just for layer sake. They do reflect the personalities of our clients and, but there is this kind of woven thread of hospitality. We always say like, you know, from the minute that you open the door to a client's home, to the minute you shut it after that last accessory is laid down, there needs to be this common thread of joy and hospitality. And that's what we really aim for, both with our culture and with our process and with our, with our designs.

[Tom Riker]

We always ask new clients, how do you want to feel when you come.

[James Dolentz]

Totally through really important question.

[Tom Riker]

And I think that takes people back. They're not. That's not a typical question.

[James Dolentz]

Not like, how do you want it to look?

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, how do you want it to feel to you? Like, what emotions do you want it to evoke? And it's interesting the responses you get. People usually are very thoughtful about that and like, oh, interesting. I want it to feel, you know, X. So.

[James Dolentz]

So Taryn, maybe to your comment, our team, you know, there's a good feeling throughout our team because we talk about your vibe check and how you're doing. And there's also this common thread with our projects and our clients that we want it to feel good, you know, because there's a lot of great people out there that can design a lot of great homes. But it's really about the interaction and the process and that feeling when you walk in the front door.

[Tom Riker]

We also, you know, we have a lot of out of town projects and actually we've never really talked about this, but when you do an out of town project, James and I go 99% of the time to the installation or to the site visit and we go with our team members and you know, it's spending that kind of quality time together where you're out to dinner and you're, you know, in some weird little town in Montana and you know, you're having you know, I don't know, you know, an old fashioned at like some dude ranch weird bar. That's quality time that I think you get to really know the people and enjoy them in a different level. So I think we do experience a lot of that, which is fun.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah. We always say there's nothing. We are nothing. I mean, truly nothing. Taryn and Liz, without our team.

[Caroline]

Yeah, that's.

[Liz]

That's amazing.

[Caroline]

That's so beautiful. And Liz knows this too. Just from listeners, we have quite a few questions about. We have interior designers listening who kind of want to start up. And so we get a lot of startup kind of questions. And I think the culture part, just getting that right feels kind of hard. So I do want to talk about your design. Do not get me wrong. But because we're on the culture topic, is there anything you would, you know, really kind of give for advice on? You've already given quite a few. But anything else you would give on really helping to build that culture of your brain?

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely. We, you know, when we interview for new positions, Taryn, I think on some level, I don't know if talent can be taught, but I think a certain level of taste can be taught or through a period of time, you know, you can refine someone's taste and you can refine someone's skills. I think innately what you cannot muster is people's kindness, you know, and you can't really teach that. You really, you truly can't. And so we really really look for people that are inherently kind, first and foremost. And I know that word is used a lot these times sounds a little trite, you know, but there is. We're known in Chicago for being a really nice. And I use that in a great way. Team to work with.

[Tom Riker]

We get this over and over from vendors, you know, and it's not sure, James. And we really hope that we portray that, but it's really our team that's meeting with vendors and talking to vendors, and we get that over and over from heads of companies that will say, gosh, I come to your firm and everyone is so nice.

[James Dolentz]

And look, this field, as we all know, there's a lot of shit that goes down.

[Tom Riker]

A lot of personality.

[James Dolentz]

A lot of personality. A lot of coordination, A lot of headaches, you know, a lot of emotions. A lot of emotions. Right. And so if you just treat people the way they want to be treated. Right, then that's really important. I think you can always learn and hone your AutoCAD skills. You can always learn and hone Your word and your Excel spreadsheet skills, and you can even hone your tastes right through just being around people with better taste than you. I always say, look, there are our team. They're super talented. There are people on our team that can pull a fabric palette together better than I can, quite frankly. I can edit that, and I can look for ways to improve it, but there are more talented people on our team than I am in terms of palettes. Right. What we look for as mentors and as owners and as designers is just creating a collective environment and one that we can collaborate and design.

[Tom Riker]

And I would also say to, you know, new young designers starting out, looking to grow their team, we offer an incredible package totally to our team and some work. Get it. You know, we'll talk to other, you know, leaders of design firms, and they're always sort of astounded at how kind of well compensated our people are. We have an amazing benefit package, vacation package. After 10 years, you get a month sabbatical. Like we try to do. We try to treat people really well because we do recognize, like, I don't want to have to interview people over and over and over again because we have world revolving door. Like, for us, it's such a comfort that we have 16 staff people who really feel like they want to be there and, like, working there. And, you know, we're going to pay them to be there.

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely. And that boils down to you explaining to your clients why you're charging X, Y and Z. Right. Why your procurement fee is this, why your hourly is this. You know, that that dovetails right into being able to maintain and procure, you know, I should say procure and maintain. You know, a great and talented team. You know, that's all about your tenure with your team. And so clients, I think, really appreciate that. Gosh, you know, James and Tom are, you know, they have a 401k program, and they have a healthy quarterly bonus program. And, you know, and I have good service because of this. Right.

[Tom Riker]

And I don't. I'm not losing, you know, my project lead and project because they're going to find a better deal somewhere else. I mean, you know, honestly, I think in Chicago, we are very. We're a good place to work.

[James Dolentz]

Yes.

[Tom Riker]

For many reasons, but I think compensation is one of them that keeps people working for us.

[Liz]

That is awesome.

[Caroline]

And thank you for.

[Liz]

Yeah, everybody, if you're. If you are hiring at all, keep your eyes out.

[James Dolentz]

This seems like the place to be and hire for. With people that have different or maybe Stronger skill sets than you. Yeah, right. I mean, one lesson that we could have learned right off the bat is hire a business manager or hire someone to take care of your books immediately. Like, do not be doing that. Right. That you do not need to focus your time on ordering supplies or doing your books.

[Tom Riker]

Your taxes.

[James Dolentz]

Your taxes, like, all that. And I would. We actually, after 22 years, just hired a. We call this person a project coordinator, but truly, they're a procurement specialist. And, wow, is she amazing. Like, insanely talented. And, you know, she handles all the procurement, all the backend with.

[Tom Riker]

Not all of it, but a lot of it.

[James Dolentz]

A lot of it with damages and all the freight issues. And we all know how much time that takes, right?

[Caroline]

Oh, yeah.

[James Dolentz]

So that if you can have somebody on your team that's helping out with that when you're first starting out, along with somebody that helps you with your books, and, you know, that is. That is an immense amount of help. It took us a long time to get there, quite frankly.

[Liz]

Yeah, but that's great advice because your skills are so much more valuable and.

[James Dolentz]

Exactly. Totally Right.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, exactly.

[James Dolentz]

Exactly right. You want to be doing what you want to be doing.

[Tom Riker]

I should not be ordering the, you know, coffee for the office, to be honest.

[James Dolentz]

Well, there is no. There is a time that we. Yes, you learn. You should learn pretty quickly that your skills are needed elsewhere.

[Liz]

That's awesome.

[Caroline]

Well, it's nice for your talent, your time and your talent to go into places where it fits. So.

[Liz]

I would love to go back a little bit more to your beginnings. I was surprised to hear you say that, you know, you didn't know as much about interior design or about, you know, pinch pleats and things like that. How did you learn? And because it certainly does not reflect in your current portfolio at all like, you have. You have a definite mastery. There's east. East to your spaces, and really an elegant and elevated look to every space that you touch.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you. Well.

[Tom Riker]

Well, if we showed you images from 2004, you would not be saying, this is true.

[James Dolentz]

This is truth. No, I mean. And you know, I stand corrected. And, you know, I have a degree in interior design. Tom has a master's in architecture. I also have an undergraduate degree, communication. So there is. There is a foundation there. And before going into this field, you know, we truly understood, you know, scale and how to pull together a set.

[Tom Riker]

Of working documents and some of the more technical aspects.

[James Dolentz]

Right. What. What we didn know are all the historical aspects of fine, you know, interiors from a residential perspective. We didn't know, a certain terminology and in regards to, you know, fabrication of custom furniture, bedding, you know, different, you know, broad loom types, you know, different periods of rug types. I mean, you name it. So all those finite elements that go into a well appointed home we weren't privy to. And so we really had to learn that. And that was everything from going to seminars. Right, Tom? That where we.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah. And even just, you know, paying attention with, you know, our first drapery work room, you know, he would teach us, you know, and we tried not to look like an idiot in front of the client, but, you know, well, what kind of, you know, pleat detail do you want? Well, what do you think we should consider? And, you know, he would show us and like. I like that one.

[James Dolentz]

Right.

[Tom Riker]

You know, so it was things like that that we just were kind of a sponge and we absorbed stuff. And then pretty quickly we started hiring people who did have probably a little bit more knowledge than we did and helped us along the way.

[James Dolentz]

And I write it, but inherently we had a good grasp and, you know, of color and scale and, you know, Tom and I do share a common belief in, you know, our tastes. And so there was. And Tom's mother, you know, was, you know, had a beautifully decorated home. My mother did, too. And so, you know, we had an appreciation for all those appreciation and maybe.

[Tom Riker]

A little bit of a foundation and maybe we tapped into something that we didn't even really know was there necessarily. And it just kind of flourished and for sure came to a. Came to. Came about.

[James Dolentz]

Yes. And we're still striving as a firm. We actually just talked about it as a team on our retreat. Taren, you know, that there's a. There's a desire and a want for some of our, you know, more kind of younger team members to learn about the historical aspects of furniture. Right. And where. Where that. That providence comes from and. And to be able to talk to clients about that which is so important. Like, younger clients, especially these days, really want the why and the story behind and the romance behind the items that.

[Tom Riker]

We'Re selecting for them, especially since there's a. It seems like a renewed interest in brown furniture and antiques and, you know, to be able to speak to that antique and tell your client, well, you know, that's a cabriolet versus, you know, Chippendale. And, you know, maybe not get into extreme details, but just to have a knowledge of that we think is important. And we talked. Yeah, we talked about it with our team is kind of needing to deepen those that Understanding.

[Liz]

Well, I really appreciate your honesty about, you know, because we all start in a place where we don't know everything about our field. But to be able to be open to learning and to learn by doing and to pass that on is awesome.

[James Dolentz]

Liz, just going back to your comment. In Chicago, it is definitely more, I would say, a commercially geared city. Right. We are a new city. We always build an. After the great fire in the 1940s and 50s, we did a lot of mid century architecture. We're known for big skyscraper skyscrapers. Right. New York has a very kind of different background where there's a lot of beautifully classically designed buildings on the east side, Upper west side that are rooted in like, you know, the origins of Americana. So, you know, there is that language there that is just part of, you know, residential interiors in New York as compared to Chicago, which, you know, has always been had a little bit more of a contemporary bed.

[Tom Riker]

Well, and I think maybe also a little bit more of a commercial bond. I mean, the merchandise, Martin, you know, there are floors and floors of commercial interiors and the, and now the residential floors are getting dwindled down. And so I think there is a big commercial presence here. And you guys, you know, you talk about in school, that school.

[James Dolentz]

Oh yeah, my design towards all of those commercial interiors. Exactly right. I mean, there was no discussion of a pinch pleat anywhere in school. So you know, it. So I think in Chicago and in the Midwest, you really have to get out of your bubble a little bit and really educate yourself about periods of furniture, periods of interiors. Who are the greats? Who are we looking to for some Guiding Light, for some Northstar elements in terms of good design?

[Liz]

Okay, so that leads me into asking, who is your North Star?

[James Dolentz]

Oh my gosh, we have. Okay, so we have a handful right now. We have been doing a good amount, a little bit of hospitality work. We've been doing some country clubs recently, which have been so much fun and definitely a way to spread our wings. And so it's. I have kind of been a little obsessed with Martin Brudensky lately out of Europe. He is, you know, on fire right now with his hotel designs. I think what I love most about his work is his ability to create these kind of fantastical, magical places that really transport you and beautiful, beautiful detailing that is, that are truly unique and.

[Tom Riker]

They feel, they feel classic yet contemporary. I mean, I think that's what's so fun about his interiors. That just such a beautiful mix. You go and you're like, oh, this has so much historical elements but it feels so fresh and new.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[Tom Riker]

And I think that's an incredible talent that he has.

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely. I mean, Tom and I right now also, because we have a lot of Michigan work and, you know, we do a lot of vacation homes. We were just guests of Urban Electric this last summer, and they took us on this. A glorious run through the English countryside. We had the best time, and with some of our good design pals. And so anything having to do with the English countryside and sisal, like, sign us up.

[Tom Riker]

But there also are some such famous architects here in Chicago.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah. David.

[Tom Riker]

David Adler, Howard Van Doren Shaw. Howard Van Doren Shaw designed Lakeshore Country Club that we got. We were fortunate to work on a few years ago. And they're just. There are some just incredibly beautiful buildings, homes here on the North Shore that are very inspirational.

[James Dolentz]

So, Liz, kind of to round out that, because we have a background both in architecture and commercial interiors, we look a lot at scale and proportion. And Tom, you bring up David Adler. He was a master of that and a master of creating beautiful spaces that were, quite frankly, from a technology standpoint or from a technical standpoint, quite complicated. But they came across as very easy and very relaxed and this kind of effortless element that we're always trying to design for.

[Caroline]

Absolutely.

[Liz]

That's interesting, because the way that you talk about your design heroes is the way that I would describe your work, where there's a timelessness and a modernness as well.

[James Dolentz]

Right. We don't.

[Tom Riker]

Thank you.

[James Dolentz]

You hear that? Thank you very much. Yeah. You know, you hear like, oh, what are your. How do you stay on trends? Or how do you stay, you know, up with trends? I'm like, ugh, I hate that word. Like.

[Tom Riker]

Or what's the current trend?

[James Dolentz]

Oh, God, I just, you know, I. We never. I. We never look at trends. I mean, we. I think if there's a trend right now, it's to make sure that our homes are full of, you know, some color and some happiness. And especially here in Chicago, where it's gray, you know, half the year, I.

[Tom Riker]

Will say that probably is a trend, or at least maybe something we've embraced in the last five years. Just more color.

[James Dolentz]

Right.

[Tom Riker]

You know, we think for a long time there was this period of just everybody wanting gray interiors and kind of that restoration hardware look, where everything is beige and gray and, you know, which can. Which has its place and in certain settings can be absolutely beautiful and, you know, stunning. But they're obviously definitely a move away from that and much more.

[James Dolentz]

I called it gay gray. Because we had all of these. All these guy clients who were like, I just love the color gray.

[Liz]

I'm like, not a color.

[James Dolentz]

Gray is not a color. It is a color. And it's not a color in Chicago that we're going to decorate our entire home in, you know, when it's gloomy and gross outside, you know, and so I called it K gray for a long time.

[Caroline]

Well, it's fun to look back at it, right? To be like, what were we. What. What drove us all to. Yeah.

[Liz]

What were we wanting?

[Caroline]

Like, what Overseas? Yeah. Like, the cyclical part of it. Right. Like, that's a.

[James Dolentz]

Right.

[Tom Riker]

What were we wanting? That's a great question.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

Was the 80s and 90s just so color packed that we're like, please make it stop? Right? And then we made it. We made it stop. And then we were like, wait a second.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, Liz.

[James Dolentz]

And Liz, that's a great question. What were we wanting from that? What was. And then, Taryn, you just brought up. I'm not sure. I mean, it's different than a neutral interior. Right. Like, you know, decorating in neutrals, it can be so sublime and chic. Yeah. And there's so many great designers out there that do it beautifully here in Chicago. Michael DiPiro is one of our pals, and she's just a delight. Like, she takes neutrals to the next level. Alexa Hampton. Same thing. You know, you. But. But that's different than duck gray in shades of gray, which, to me and to Tom is just sad. It's just sad.

[Tom Riker]

Sad.

[James Dolentz]

So I'm glad we're. I'm glad we're away from that. Away from that, definitely. And I also think a little bit on the retailer side, like, you know, oftentimes furniture shapes would be shown in, like, a pale gray color. And I think that got lumped into a pale gray room because it just was perceived as neutral. And so people, I think, thought that that was how they were supposed to do their homes, when, in fact, it's the exact opposite. You know, Liz, I'm looking at your background. Taryn, I'm looking at your background. They're, like, full of joy. There was a tree growing behind you, Taryn, like, with, like, yellow birds on it.

[Tom Riker]

Like, amazing.

[James Dolentz]

Like, rock on.

[Caroline]

And just to your point, it is this interesting part of how we've really focused on how our house can serve us versus I don't believe we grew up that way. Like, I don't remember being like, is your room serving you right? Like, it was.

[James Dolentz]

Yes, definitely.

[Caroline]

So I wonder if it the other part I did want to bring up, though, is, do you remember, though, when, like, French design was like, everything, right.

[James Dolentz]

And Chevy chic.

[Caroline]

Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

No, no. Or not Chevy chic, but like, well.

[Tom Riker]

French to something like, over the top. French country.

[Caroline]

Yes. And before that was almost like an English ivy, like red. And that was kind of the English.

[James Dolentz]

Look, jewel tones almost.

[Caroline]

And so it's intriguing, though, that we've come back to this English way of looking at things, because you had mentioned it, and I just was like, you're. You know, we want the layered. And is it that they've figured out how to live in these cold environments and, like, make.

[Liz]

Make them feel warmer? Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

We actually were just talking with a client about this yesterday, Taryn, that they want their next home to be a little, like, hobbit home. And you know what? That. To me, that has to do with is scale, scale, scale, scale. You know, you go into these lovely English countryside, you know, manor houses, and the rooms are small on the smaller side, the ceilings are a little low. There's. The furniture is scaled like human scale that you, like, sink into the. You know, sink into the piece. The coat. The cushions are 100% down, and they don't look perfect. Right. That is. That is comfort. And the rooms are typically saturated with a warm color. And so that's. That's.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah. We were just in Scotland, well, about a year ago and stated this old country house, five farms.

[James Dolentz]

Amazing. If you ever get a chance, go to five farms near Bell. Amazing.

[Tom Riker]

And the rooms were just, like, a little bit over the top. But, you know, you looked around and there were just so much detail everywhere. In a, like, good way. It felt super personal. You kind of felt like you were in someone's right, country home.

[James Dolentz]

Like your uncle, Scottish, like your wealthy uncle.

[Tom Riker]

It didn't feel like a sterile hotel.

[Caroline]

Your wealthy uncle, I like.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah, everyone has one of those, you know, just happens to have a, you know, a manor house in Scotland.

[Tom Riker]

But I think that there's There was just a. Yeah. An ease and a comfort to that, to those spaces that just felt so warm and inviting. Right, right. You know, that was maybe help that it was cold and dreary outside and they have, like, the fire and the, you know, being surrounded by beautiful antiques, like, it was just a really lovely experience. Inspiration.

[James Dolentz]

It's different than what you're talking about, though, too. Like, you know, we've. We. We have moved a little bit in this world to spaces that. That serve and that are cozy, different than shabby chic. Right. Or like, Tuscan inspired, which, you know, they're shabby chic, is, you know, had its moment, but who wants all their furniture to look beat up to the point like you dragged it behind your car for two hours and everything's like slip covered and messy. Like, that's different. That's different. What you're talking about is just a sense of place and a sense of like a nice, warm hug.

[Caroline]

You made me think about kind of how you're talking again, that the interiors and how they feel in these cooler environments. And then you have the ones that are in warmer. And we can all picture these very tropical places. Right. Like, you can. You can picture the aesthetic.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

How do you help a client with, like, these in between? Because I know you guys are pretty northern. I would say you live in a cooler climate most of the time.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah.

[Caroline]

But I feel like we are in one of those environments where, like, it still gets cold and you crave these little nooks and lower rooms, like, kind of like you said, like, we. We want that hug, but we also sweat our butts off in the summer. And so it's a very hard balance. I feel like in the South. South of being like, I don't want my house to look like I'm in the Bahamas, but I also am loving rattan, but I want leather. So how would you. Yeah. Handle something like that or how do you.

[James Dolentz]

Well, in. In the South, I mean, you're so fortunate to be. You're both in Atlanta and like, Southern interiors are. I know you Southerners love your interiors and you love your furniture pieces, your home, you know, and it's amazing. Like, you know, there is this incredible sense of place and providence with the work that's done down there, and we love that. And so I guess, you know, to your point, Taryn, in designing a room where you want it to feel cozy and like, you know, like a warm hug like we've talked about. You know, I don't know necessarily if it's about the color of the room, but maybe just the scale of the furniture and having pieces that, you know, have, you know, some history to them, have a worn element to a certain degree, making sure that their furniture is scaled right to the body where, you know, it actually is comfortable to sit in for a long time, you know, and good light. I think in the South, I mean, you can speak to this. You can still have a small room and be, you know, incredibly, I'd say, casual and warm and comfy. Right. Yeah.

[Tom Riker]

I also. We just finished a house in Sarasota that, you know, it's kind of a. Feels very Florida house. And we tried to infuse a lot of, like, natural elements into it and cozy it up that way. Like chunky linens. Not, like super crisp linens, but still linen, because linen feels right for the south. And, you know, sisals and bleached woods that felt kind of old and weathered. So there was a. And, like, pecky cypress. And trying to add natural elements that feel appropriate for the south that you wouldn't like. I wouldn't do peggy cypress too much, I don't think, in the north or so. So add these elements that cozy it up but still feel appropriate for place, if that makes sense.

[James Dolentz]

A wood paneled room in a beautiful, you know, cerused or, you know, wash whitewash finish would be perfect in terms of what you're talking about with water, wall sisal and, you know, linen furniture and some great draperies. Like, that's a hug, right? It doesn't have to be, you know, a saturated room with velvet, you know, so.

[Liz]

Well, that sounds so appealing and so comfortable. You know, as it gets cooler, you just layer in some faux fur throws and wool and, like.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah, right.

[Liz]

Additional textures. How fantastic.

[James Dolentz]

We're. We're starting a new lizard. Starting a new project. Actually, I'm flying down to Kiawah on Wednesday. Sunday. Excuse me. To start a new project. And our client has given us the directive that she really wants the house to be kind of inspired by British colonialism and that design element. Right. Well, there you really have to look hard to find, you know, what that truly means and that. That. That sense of place. And, you know, you go and every. When you look at what British colonial and that design element is, you know, it's a lot of, like, dark brown furniture. And it's not very. In my mind, like, it's not very light and fresh. But then you kind of look towards their earlier iterations of that design, and everything is like, oh, my gosh, it's linen and sisal and rattan and mixed in with these beautiful, you know, early Americana and English antiques. Like, it's really. So I'm super inspired by it. I can't wait to start the project. And she wants it, Taryn, to your point, she wants to be cozy and approachable, but also have, like, this British colonial bent. So it'll be fun to design. We're really looking forward to it.

[Caroline]

And Akiwa, again, is one of those places just being south where it has a very local feel of, you know, beach as well. Like, it has to serve right.

[James Dolentz]

And she wants to head in a different direction, which I kind of love, you know, so it'll be a good challenge for sure.

[Liz]

That is so exciting. And so. Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you.

[Liz]

I am.

[James Dolentz]

Thanks.

[Liz]

This project just totally gets me to wall colors. Like, what type of wall colors are you thinking about for this space, too? Because when I think of colonial colors, like, something colorful but yet kind of a little bit muddy. Which directions are you going?

[James Dolentz]

Sure. I'm already thinking, like, pale pinks mixed with, like, you know, like a lovely, like, kind of like light cappuccino color and cream. And, you know, I would say mixed in with, like, a little bit of, like, super. Super, like, khaki and a crisp white, and then I can throw in a chocolate brown. That's what I'm thinking. Tom and I haven't really talked about it yet, but I've been looking at it.

[Caroline]

It's just a brainstorm. I love it session.

[Liz]

It's great.

[James Dolentz]

Let's design together. We're going to sh Together right now. And not having it be. Because a lot of. When you look at a lot of British colonial homes, like, they're all, like, white interiors with brown furniture and white walls with brown furniture, and we want to do something that's just a little different. And Taryn, to your point, you know, Kiawah, it does have such a sense of place and its own kind of vernacular with design. It'll be fun to kind of move a little bit away from that but still embrace the area. So. And it's our first project down there, so we're excited.

[Liz]

All of that sounds like it's going to go amazing with a Kiawah sunset.

[James Dolentz]

I hope so. Yeah. A little blush goes a long way. Right.

[Caroline]

Background color, sunrises. Oh, that's really the sunrise. If you're coming down, too, you've hit the time of year when the sunrise you'll be okay being awake for. Make sure you do a sunrise. I'm sure you'll be inspired even more.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you. We're super excited.

[Caroline]

Well, kind of on, you know, you're talking about or giving us a tease into how you kind of start to think about homes and what you're kind of excited about. And I know we're not saying trend because, like, I do believe every interior designer hates those words, but we do have things we are currently loving. And that's how I'm going to word it, because I think right now we have things we're craving maybe because we haven't seen them in a while or Maybe we think they're unique. What are some kind of maybe materials or textures you guys are using lately that you're loving?

[James Dolentz]

Sure, sure. Details, details, details. Like hands down details. Right. Tom and I just got back from Italy and looking at all the beautiful kind of dressmaker details of all the window treatments that we saw and all the, you know, the. Oh my gosh. Details. Right. That is the sign of a truly appointed interior is really comes down to details.

[Tom Riker]

I also think, you know, we're big proponents of mixing furniture styles and.

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely. And yeah.

[Tom Riker]

You know, pieces. I think there's nothing worse than going to. Into a home or seeing a home and everything's brand new.

[James Dolentz]

One note, no one like, I think.

[Tom Riker]

That'S so it's like a cop out kind of from the designer. Like I'm just going to go to a showroom I'm going to or various showrooms, just buy a bunch of new stuff. I think it's much more interesting if the interior has that piece you found on Cherish or First dibs or your grandmother's piece that, you know, you've had painted or refinished, you know, mixed with that piece that you found at that funky vintage store down the street. We really strive for that, which is different. I think in the last five years or maybe 10 years, we've, we've moved away from, you know, new furniture pieces.

[James Dolentz]

To in or all new, all new furniture pieces.

[Tom Riker]

And just really, really the mix is so important.

[James Dolentz]

Yes. But Tara, under question, you know, that and what Tom is talking about. And also just making sure that our, that our interiors are richly appointed with good detailing. Right. Whether it is the valance on a window treatment or that lampshade. God forbid we just do a factory, you know, paper lampshade or, you know, how dare you.

[Caroline]

The one that. With you. No, that's not stuff.

[James Dolentz]

And it's got to be custom. It's got to have a trim on it. Right. I mean, so we're, we're constantly looking ways to, to, you know, to I would say layer in our projects with great details and that's what I think. Separates. Yeah. You know, just a fine interior, a basic interior from a really good one for sure.

[Tom Riker]

But you asked about materials. I mean, I think, you know, we've been big fans of grass cloth for years, but sometimes I'm embarrassed to like present Philip Jeffries grass cloth one more time. One more time. And sisal, you know, rugs and, and wall to wall. Like we're big proponents of doing wall to wall sisal and layering you know, an old beat up oriental rug on top of that. I think that kind of patina and those materials. Right.

[James Dolentz]

Are things that we really. There's nothing like a good mohair. There's nothing like a good velvet. You know, linen, chunky. Linen is amazing. We are, you know, we love our antique mirror and we, we have a wonderful artists here in Chicago that we work with. We do a lot of Glamis work and that's really fun to do. And then, you know, besides that, guys.

[Tom Riker]

I mean, rattan, I mean, you know, that's been. We've embraced, embraced a lot of rattan furniture recently.

[James Dolentz]

And for sure, we're constantly inspired by travel. Yeah, constantly. And I think you'd ask any designer and they'd say the same thing. You know, design is never, I would say, created in front of a computer. Just not. Design is not like. Design is. You gotta get out of your head. You gotta get out of your space. You have to not be in front of your laptop or your desktop. And I said good design is never, you know, in front of a computer. And that's really important as a design.

[Tom Riker]

We recognize that's obviously a privilege to like, you know, travel everywhere and be inspired by travel. And not to say that you can't, you know, you can take the bus stop or follow a really cool hotel brand on Instagram and be exposed to things that you might not, you know, see obviously experiencing in real life and real time is the best way.

[James Dolentz]

But. Yeah.

[Liz]

Okay. There is one piece that I want to talk about in terms of, like, textures and things that you've done, and it is tortoise shell ceiling.

[Tom Riker]

Oh, yeah.

[James Dolentz]

Oh, okay.

[Liz]

So this is, this is in the Gold coast space residence.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah.

[Liz]

What inspired that? How did he pull it off? Because it just seems to glow and it's this gorgeous tortoise shell in large panels on the ceiling, which just amazing.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, thanks.

[James Dolentz]

It is a pretty dynamic space.

[Tom Riker]

It turned out to be quite a showstopper. And in real life, the space was an existing space. Our clients bought it. They have an incredible art collection. She's very, very knowledgeable. Like, she was teaching me things about art that she was flying to Bahrain to buy. And that space was a mahogany, mahogany stained, you know, library.

[James Dolentz]

And every designer's dream.

[Tom Riker]

When we walked into it, we're like, oh. And she's like, well, what do you.

[James Dolentz]

Think we should do?

[Tom Riker]

And so we first landed on, we're going to paint the cabinets, we're going to paint everything. And even our painters, like, what? This is such Beautiful mahogany. We're like, no, it's got to go. So we started with changing up that color. And then, you know, the fifth plane, the ceiling is just so important. So important and needs to be addressed. And one of our designers, Jim Josephson, I think, came to the table and said, you know, what about something like this? And I think we had a fabric sample and we said, well, let's. We work with an amazing specialty.

[James Dolentz]

I think we actually started with a leopard print. Yeah. Yes. And then it kind of transitioned to, you know, more of a tortoise shell.

[Tom Riker]

Exploding that and making it larger. And we work with an incredible specialty painter here who can work wonders. And so she did some strike offs of tortoiseshell, and we kind of landed on sort of, you know, more of an exploded tortoise shell and. Right. It just transformed the space between painting those cabinets that kind of peacock color and then putting that tortoise shell on the ceiling.

[James Dolentz]

Well, there's such a. There's such a stark contrast between the two colors. Right. You've got this incredible, like, deep, you know, teal aquamarine, you know, saturated millwork color, and then this brown, golden hued ceiling. I mean, they're. They're at the other ends of the, of the color wheel. Right. And so I think because they're so juxtaposed, it works. And that, that yellow, that golden color, Liz, what you're talking about, like, it does almost appear to glow. It's crazy. Like, it's lit from, you know, like it's backlit, but it's not. It really. It actually, it was one of those situations where it exceeded, like, beyond our expectations.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the clients, too. The client was like, you know, blown away when that was finalized and she.

[James Dolentz]

Came into the space and that's, you know, that's something she was. That's also something to comment about. Young designers and starting out, surround yourself with really talented craftspeople. Right.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

I mean, that is. That is key. And that is a great example. You know, we. That was Studio Linares here in Chicago that did that specialty painting for us, and she is wickedly talented and does some of our, you know, most kind.

[Tom Riker]

Of special projects and really changes up a house. Right. I mean, to be able to do something that no one else has is pretty cool. I mean, obviously you have to be able to afford that, but.

[James Dolentz]

You know, Right. It's.

[Tom Riker]

It's a fun thing to provide for a client. Like, no one else has this.

[Liz]

It's incredible. And it's so. It's so different so than so many other pieces that you, that rooms that you show. And that blue just looks like that would be a showstopper in and of itself. But you just, you cranked it to 11. It's amazing.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah, we definitely had fun with that.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah, we did.

[James Dolentz]

For sure. For sure. We're doing that. We just, like I said, we just got back from Italy and I had a presentation with a client up in Maneka this last week and there's so much color in their house. The last room we have to do is the dining room. And I said we're going to do a 180. We're going to paint the whole dining room white. And then all the upholstery is going to be in color. All the upholstery is going to be white with accents of color. And then we're going to do all this pencil mold with insets of aquamarine. And so we're kind of turning the dining room on its head in a really fun way. So, you know, and again, we're going to bring in Studio Luminaris and help us with some specialty tanning. So it's going to be a fun one.

[Caroline]

This is from Joanne. She writes. Hi, I love your podcast and I've been listening for years. Here's my dilemma. We moved into a ranch style 80s home two years ago with most ceilings at 8 foot high except for the living room and the sunroom. This room hasn't come together like the rest of our home and I'm looking for suggestions to make it feel more cohesive and calming. Should I consider a more colorful rug and then paint the walls a color from the rug? We've just purchased this sectional so it needs to stay with lots of glass in the room. Window treatments might help. There are four windows and a door to the patio on the south wall and two windows on the east wall. Living in Texas, sun control is also important. We're leaning towards a modern look and I'm considering natural fiber or fabric Roman shades. However, all the shades I see are mounted within the window frames and I'm concerned that six small shades might look choppy. Maybe I should use three long shades, each spanning two windows, mounted as high as possible before the ceiling slope. Additionally, I'm curious if mounting shades close to the ceiling has become outdated since all I see now are interior mounted shades. Thanks for. For all you do to entertain and educate. All right, so again, this is.

[James Dolentz]

Hi Joanne. Perfect. Yes.

[Caroline]

Perfect example of how like you guys started this whole episode on you don't know what you know about it till you're stuck with this dilemma.

[James Dolentz]

Exactly, exactly. Well, this is great, Joanne, and thank you for your input. So Tom and I have actually talked about this, and I think this is actually. We feel this is a pretty easy one. We would actually start with, with adding a little bit of interior architecture. We think that actually adding tongue and groove, painted tongue and groove to the ceiling would do a world of justice for the space. So adding a little bit of tongue and groove paneling to the ceiling that's painted to match the room would just give that ceiling plane some lovely texture.

[Tom Riker]

And then some easy things. Well, you know, those pillows that she has on the blue sofa seem way too saturated in color. We think, think, you know, you need to bring in some lighter tones and some maybe subtle pattern and texture.

[James Dolentz]

But we started by saying, okay, besides the ceiling, when you dress the floor, for sure, Joanne, you should do a area rug that is cut for the entire room. So spend a little bit of money. Go to, you know, Annie Selke, which is under Dash and Albert. You can do custom sized rugs. Rugs, super easy, really approachable in terms of price, and have a rug that's sisal, that's cut for the entire room. Because right now the rug is a little like under scaled for the furniture. So that would really help, I think, warm up the space and provide some nice texture. Lose the cowhide rug. It's not doing any justice for the space. It actually kind of, in a weird way, kind of, I would say minimizes.

[Tom Riker]

The footprint, makes the almost makes the room, room smaller. I realize she's in Texas and probably she has to have a cow height somewhere.

[James Dolentz]

I know.

[Tom Riker]

But just maybe find a new home for her.

[James Dolentz]

Sure. We also thought the coffee table, it's. It's way too dark. Right. And it's a little underscaled. So something a little larger. That would be maybe an iron base and with maybe a stone top.

[Tom Riker]

Could be really pretty concrete top.

[James Dolentz]

Yes. Just to lighten it up. Sectional is great. We love the blue, as Tom said, we just would want put in, install, I should say, some lighter accent pillows that kind of bring up that sisal color. Right. So, you know, pretty printed linens, you know, with maybe a nice detail. There is a great company that does wonderful designer pillows, Ryan Studio. You can order them online. They've got all designer prints. I think that between that and Dash and Albert, that would be two great sources. The window treatment is. It's twofold for us. Right?

[Tom Riker]

Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

We actually thought motorized. Battery operated, motorized shades have actually come a long way these days. And if you were just to install really simple light woven shades. Roller shades.

[Tom Riker]

Inside mount, though.

[James Dolentz]

Inside mount. Right. And they don't take up a lot of space, but they are the. They're the light blocking, you know, I should say light filtering shades. Right. Lutron makes them. But there are a number of different price points and a number of different specs from the shade store. But if you did motorized shades that you could lower during the day, that would just provide a little blockage. You could then layer over that with. We would do draperies, we would do linen shears and just kind of frame your windows with linen shears that just provide a little bit of scale and a little bit of softness. Yeah.

[Tom Riker]

Meaning they don't really need to be operational.

[James Dolentz]

They don't need to be operational.

[Tom Riker]

The only issue is I don't know what's going on the right of the door. That's a whole bunch of, you know, switches that would. That would need to be addressed because obviously you don't want to cover up a whole bunch of switches with a drapery panel. I mean, we didn't talk about this, but, you know, maybe adding a fabric balance to the windows just to give it some visual interest.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah.

[Tom Riker]

This is a.

[James Dolentz]

Could hide the roller shades.

[Tom Riker]

Could hide the roller shades. This is tough because sliding glass doors. It's really hard to address drapery like, or to add drapery because especially in this scenario, there's not a great place to stack them. And so that needs to be considered.

[James Dolentz]

Right. And she should just partner with a really, really good, you know, window treatment specialist in her area. The shade store is great. They can come out, they can field measure. They're really great to work with other.

[Tom Riker]

But I do think that she's, you know, concerned about, like, the six inside mount. Well, you can't do an inside mount anything on a door, so that either she leaves that alone and she does inside mount on the other windows. I do think, as James said, adding the tongue. Tongue and groove on the ceiling is going to elevate the space and make your eye go up there. So the windows might become less of a focal point.

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely.

[Tom Riker]

She has a couple of furniture pieces. Like, there's a little. Almost looks like a bedside table underneath a mirror. We would lose that, Lose that. That just looks like you have a bedside table under a mirror in the middle of your family room. And the.

[James Dolentz]

We also thought putting grass cloth behind the bookcases would be really charming. And layering the bookcases with actually even more books and larger pieces. Right. Now there's just, you know, a lot of little things, but if you just.

[Tom Riker]

A lot of things. I think she needs to edit. To edit. And, you know, there's a big stack of books and whatever those little things are, you know, just on top of the. On top of the books.

[James Dolentz]

But if you added grass cloth to the back of the bookcases that maybe had a subtle blue woven through that would really kind of pull over the sectional color and kind of make that tie nicely within the room and then lose whatever is on top of the shelf above the, above the. Built in. It's not doing the room any justice.

[Tom Riker]

And if she can. There. There's a chair in the corner. Looks like maybe it's leather. It's pretty dark that I feel like that could be happier in a different fabric. Could just. I don't think she. With that big navy blue sofa. I don't know if she needs any more dark furniture, but it's almost there.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Caroline]

Oh, yeah.

[James Dolentz]

Yeah. It is a great room.

[Caroline]

Yeah. She definitely knows what she's doing. She just needs. I, I think the angled ceiling and big windows just. I think it's hard for everyone, like.

[Tom Riker]

Yeah.

[James Dolentz]

Oh, completely. Completely. And then you've got this big white ceiling plane above you. Right. And that's. So that's what we talked about. Maybe just add in some tongue and groove. And that's really easy to do with a carpenter. It can be done.

[Tom Riker]

You can buy that stuff from home at Home Depot. Like, it doesn't need to be super expensive.

[James Dolentz]

You actually, you can actually buy it in sheets.

[Tom Riker]

Sheets.

[James Dolentz]

And, you know, working with a local carpenter would be easy and would. Would really dress up the space nicely.

[Tom Riker]

It looks like she might have tongue and groove or something outside. So that might be a nice tie. I see it on a wall outside. Might be a nice way to bring that inside especially.

[James Dolentz]

But we would, we would suggest partnering with a good, you know, work room for the window treatments or someone like the shade store. Don't try and figure it out yourself because this is. This is one of those ones that's kind of complicated. Right. Because you've got the door, you've got all these inset mount opportunities for window treatments. It's a bit of a challenge. Yeah. So best of luck. Joanne.

[Liz]

Yeah. Joanne, please send us pictures when you've got all this done.

[James Dolentz]

Yes.

[Liz]

She's got such a great start to her space.

[Caroline]

Oh, my God.

[James Dolentz]

Completely.

[Caroline]

To have a pool and those big windows. Like, I want to be on that.

[Tom Riker]

Love it.

[Caroline]

Awesome.

[Liz]

Well, Tom and James, thank you so much for your time today.

[Caroline]

Yes.

[Liz]

Can you let everyone know where they can find and follow you?

[James Dolentz]

Absolutely. Our website is james thomas interiors.com and we are James Thomas Interiors on Insta.

[Caroline]

Awesome. Yeah, yeah.

[James Dolentz]

Super easy.

[Caroline]

And you have a great website that shows your work and your Instagram's unfollowed, too.

[James Dolentz]

Thank you. So it was a pleasure speaking with you.

[Tom Riker]

This was a fun way to.

[Liz]

Yeah, this was a really fun conversation. We look forward to doing a part two sometime soon and.

[Caroline]

Or cocktails, you know.

[James Dolentz]

Okay. Done, done, and done and done. All right. It's almost time. Yeah. Right.

[Caroline]

We're almost there now.

[Liz]

Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

[Tom Riker]

And that's our show.

[Caroline]

And that's our show.

[James Dolentz]

You can find all of the show.

[Caroline]

Notes on our blog howtodecorate.com podcast to send in a decorating dilemma. Email your questions to podcast@ballard designs.net so we can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs.

[Liz]

Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.

[Caroline]

Until next time, happy decorating.