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- [00:02]
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.
- [00:11]
Taryn
And I'm Taryn, and I'm a product designer.
- [00:13]
Liz
I'm Liz. I head up the creative team. We're your hosts.
- [00:16]
Caroline
Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other talents in the design world.
- [00:23]
Taryn
Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.
- [00:25]
Liz
We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us@podcastallardesigns.net now, on with the show.
- [00:34]
Caroline
Kashani, I am extremely excited to chat with you because I really enjoyed going through your portfolio. And it's so funny. I was, I was digging back in the archives of your website and so many of the spaces I recognized from design magazines, you know, a decade ago, two decades ago, and, you know, Pinterest and blogs. I remember Molly Sims apartment in New York.
- [01:04]
Liz
Yeah.
- [01:04]
Caroline
InStyle Years and years ago. And so it's fun to be able to say, like, oh, I know her work. And, you know, getting to reintroduce myself with you a little.
- [01:14]
Taryn
Thanks. Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you.
- [01:17]
Caroline
So you launched your firm in 2003, but very quickly, your work, like I mentioned, your work was recognized in style. But I'm curious, you know, being in the industry for 20 years now, how your aesthetic has evolved and changed and what led you to your latest venture, Healthy Homes.
- [01:39]
Taryn
Well, you know, my aesthetic has always been all over the place because I can appreciate almost everything, and I learn a lot from my clients, too. So even if they bring something to me that they're like, I love this piece. And in my heart, I'm like, oh, my God, that's terrible. I, I, I've in The, you know, 20 years ago, when I first started my career, I would have been more like, closed off to it, and now I'm a little bit more like, you know what? Let me think about that. And I've kind of learned to love and appreciate and then work with all sorts of different styles and eras and things like that. And thanks, you know, to my clients as well. So as much as I've always loved that too, it's been fun to kind of evolve my style with clients. I do. I don't know if this is just getting older, but I've become a little less cluttered, you know, like, I used to like the layering and layering and layering in my own home, clients, homes, and now sparseness makes me happy. I don't know, again, what that is. It's just more calming to me. So I think that's definitely a big change in kind of my aesthetic and even my clients.
- [02:45]
Caroline
So, yeah, even in your very, very early work, there was this emphasis on flea market funds, reusing things, reimagining things. And, you know, in a way, you're a little bit ahead of your time. I think, you know, antiques are certainly sort of seeing a resurgence. Obviously, there's always been a love of antiques in the design world, but I think we're seeing it now a little bit more, you know, brown furniture and, you know, some of those classical styles. So what is, you know, what is your sort of like 20,000ft view of reusing materials, using old pieces in a home? What does it add and why? What is your, like, love? Why is your love for them?
- [03:35]
Taryn
It's. The love goes back to my teenage years. I was thrifting and flea marketing and pulling things out of people's garbage way back when. And my parents would be totally disgusted when I come home. Like, somebody left us by the curb. They're like, take it out of the house immediately. But I don't know, I just saw such beauty in the craftsmanship and the stories that these pieces could tell and that they've lived these lives before I've met them. I always found that really interesting. And I don't know, I think pieces have an energy to them that sometimes good, sometimes bad. But obviously, I'm only drawn to the ones that have a good energy. But I think that adds such a warmth and character to people's homes that even in my clients who are not really into vintage, because some of them are a little bit put off by the oldness and the dinginess or something, I always convince them to get even one little piece if it's a knickknack or a vase or a table, because it transforms the room from feeling just very new and cold and to me, a little bit soulless, to having that history and the story. And you're absolutely right. Antiques, definitely. I was a little bit ahead of the curve because when I first became a designer, it's interesting. I didn't think I was. I would ever become a designer. I just did what I loved. I went thrifting and I went vintage shopping. I did my room over and over again. My friends rooms, dorm rooms. And then it just kind of evolved into, like, Hawke, Shawnee, she can help you with their place. When I Was, you know, teenager, 20 or 20 years old, that kind of thing. And I started to develop all these health problems in my 20s. And I kept thinking like, I don't think I could work like a normal job because there are days when I could barely get out of bed, I was so sick. And I thought, you know, it'd be great if I work for myself and I can make my own hours and maybe then, you know, if I didn't feel well, I wouldn't have to work. I of course, had no concept at the time and I was delusional to think that it would be easier working for yourself. Little did I know you're working 24 hours a day when you work for yourself. But all my friends kind of said, well, it's so obvious you should be a designer. And I said, what? No way. Because back then, we're talking maybe 25 years ago or so, interior design was what you saw in the magazines anyway was this very like glossy, shiny, gold, silky, really like elegant, luxe kind of vibe. And nobody was really showing the appreciation for like the kind of, you know, rough and tumble pieces, things with a lot of character. Some, some may call it junky looking things, but those are the things that I found interesting because they had the character. So I love that. Obviously that's evolved a lot over into a massive appreciation for that. Now I feel like the alternative of the very, very shiny and new and clean is not as on trend or not as, not as exciting. So.
- [06:21]
Liz
Okay, so you mentioned that you were feeling sick. Is this what got you interested in.
- [06:28]
Taryn
Unfortunately, yes. Yeah, tell us more about that. Yeah, so in my, like I was maybe 20 years old and I started developing health issues from my head to my toes. Multi, systemic, multisymptomatic doctors can figure it out. From thyroid dysfunction to immune system issues to fibromyalgia, to food allergies, like foods I ate, I'd suddenly become allergic to and I couldn't eat weight gain for no reason and just brain frog and feeling terrible. So this kind of set in around 21 or so and saw every doctor under the sun, the head of this, that and the other at the best hospitals and nobody could figure it out. They were just putting band aids on the symptoms and, and nobody really could understood what it was. And flash forward to almost 10 years ago at this point. So I was almost 40 when it was. I was initially. This all started when I was about 21 and it took almost 20 years for somebody to figure it out. So I was 40. I saw this doctor after Being convinced to. Because I thought, I give up. Nobody understands what's wrong with me. I'm not even going to bother anymore. But I was getting sicker and sicker and sicker and sicker. Because what I didn't understand was that my life was actually making me sick. At the places I was going to, these, like, moldy old construction sites, these old houses, all the chemicals that I was around in the new construction homes, I had a vintage shop, an antique shop, all those antiques, and they were. They had full of. They were full of mold. They were making me sick. And so I saw this doctor. Within five minutes, he goes, I know what's wrong with you. I was like, no, you don't. Nobody knows what's wrong with me. And he's like, I know what's wrong with you. He's like, it's mold. And he's like, specifically mycotoxins. I was like, I don't know what that is. And he said, mycotoxins are a byproduct of toxic moles. They basically are like a gas the molds give off when they're defending their territories, whether that's from other moles, or somebody comes along and tries to scrape it off the wall, they freak out and they start giving off this gas. It's like a voc. And it is a known biotoxin. It's weaponized by some governments. Like, it's genuinely known to be very, very toxic to humans. It could kill people. And high enough doses. And he's like, your entire life, you're around black, black mold and these toxins. And that's. Some people are more susceptible to them, you know, others are fine. He's like, unfortunately, genetically, you are more susceptible. And he went on to describe. He's like, this is how it started. He's like, it started from here, here, here. And he went through all of something. I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, what are you, psychic? He goes, no, this is just the common pathway of mycotoxins. I said, if it's so common, how come nobody could figure out? How come I've spent 20 years searching for answers and nobody knew? And he goes, because more often than not, people aren't looking and doctors aren't as familiar with how damaging it can be. So I was very lucky to find him. And that kind of set me down this path of trying to figure out, like, well, if it's an issue for me, it must be an issue for other people. And what is the issue? And really, it comes down to the buildings that we're in because we do spend 80 to 90% of our lives indoor, whether that's your home work, wherever. And indoor toxins are indoor toxicity is higher than outside, almost no matter where you live. And which, when I found that out, I thought, does anybody know this? Like, I don't understand. So why aren't we doing more about it? We're building houses now that are eco friendly and good for the environment, which is wonderful, but what about houses that are good for humans and their health? And nobody's really talking about it. So that kind of set me down this path trying to figure out what could be done differently.
- [09:57]
Caroline
Wow.
- [09:58]
Liz
How incredible it must have felt to finally have someone hear you and recognize the issue.
- [10:05]
Taryn
It was life altering.
- [10:07]
Liz
Yeah. And I think it's really incredible just how many homes and how many people are having issues. And it's not just in old homes, it can appear in new homes too.
- [10:25]
Taryn
Correct.
- [10:26]
Liz
What are some things that we can look out for in our homes?
- [10:31]
Taryn
Yeah, honestly, mold for me obviously personally is something to look out for right away. And you have to find the right people to test because even typically mold testing companies don't even know what mycotoxins are, which I find baffling because this is their industry. They should know. It's not the actual growth you see on the wall, it's what's in the air that you can't see that's the problem. So, you know, being aware of that, older homes that are framed with wood are a bigger issue than older homes that are made out of masonry. So for example, I can go to England or Europe in general or the Caribbean, wherever, where houses are built with concrete and stone and masonry and they could be 100 years old. I have no problem in LA. I go into a 1950s house that's framed with wood. I'm sick for three months. So it's very interesting how the building practices really affect the level of toxicity in the home, but also just, you know, for out of convenience and cost efficiency. The materials that we're using in our building now are just way more processed chemicals, flame retardants, lots of pesticides, things like that that people think, oh, this is so convenient. It's great for the longevity of my house. Maybe not for your longevity. So yeah, you know, even newer construction is not necessarily safe because it's a different set of issues you're dealing with. And if you're multiply, you know, you have multiple chemical sensitivities, like I do asthma, things like that. It's. It's really dangerous.
- [12:01]
Liz
So what are some simpler things that we can do to either look out for or to swap in our homes?
- [12:08]
Taryn
Yeah, there are definitely things you can do. You know, if you can't do a whole house air purification system. For example, I have this one by this company called IQ Air and it literally processes all the air in your home with HEPA filters. Like layers and layers of HEPA filters and it pushes it back so at least the air you're getting is cleaner than what went in. If you can't do that, there are so many amazing little small guys, small air purification systems, air purifiers that you can put on a tabletop in every room anywhere from like $100ish. There's a company called Blueair. Those are very reasonable. On up there's Air Doctor Molecule. I try to look for when I'm looking for air purification systems. The highest microns that it filters. So some filter 0.3 which is okay. Some filter 0.003 which is even better because it's purifying even smaller particles, gases, things like that. So look for that. That's something definitely everyone can do. I like also water filter, filter filtration system. Sorry. Because also our water is so full of chemicals too. We're bathing in it, we're drinking it, we're cooking with it. And again, if you can't do the whole house system, which can be at times cost prohibitive, you know, even on Amazon you can get a countertop reverse osmosis system that are like maybe $200. So at least you know the drinking water and the water you're cooking with is clean. And that's, that's huge. Just taking out that level of chemicals in your life is, is massive. And also as we kind of briefly touched upon opening windows, it's such a simple thing, but we all kind of live in our little bubbles now and think I'm going to stay. It's the air outside is really full of pollutants and stuff like that. And although that is true, when you're trapped in your little house bubble, the toxins are just. It can amplify and it's far worse. So just old fashioned opening up some windows, getting some air circulation, great ventilation that helps. Making sure you know, your bathrooms and stuff have fans that are really pumping out the moisture and stuff like that. That's very helpful.
- [14:21]
Liz
Well, you're making me feel better about my 1930s drafty house.
- [14:25]
Taryn
Yes, it's a good thing. It's actually a good thing.
- [14:31]
Caroline
Well, well first, how are you feeling these days? Are you feeling better?
- [14:35]
Taryn
And, you know, I generally, yes, definitely more functioning and not as bad. I do, however, live in a bubble. I call myself the bubble girl because I have to. I can't go into older buildings still at all, even for a couple of minutes. So it's definitely a challenge. When clients call me, they're like, we have an amazing 1920s house. And I have to say, wonderful. I will never be able to come into your house. And they're like, what do you mean? Yeah. So that's definitely not only a challenge, it's a bit depressing at times. But, you know, one day, hopefully my immune system recovers and I can handle more. It's getting better by the day, but I'm still not at that point yet. The multiple chemical sensitivities, much better. But, you know, I have good days and bad. I'm in a little bit of a down, down cycle right now because I went into a building that was older and it kind of set off all my weird immune things and autoimmune things and so. Mm, you know, that's life.
- [15:31]
Caroline
Well, we hope you start feeling better because that's.
- [15:33]
Taryn
Thank you. Yeah.
- [15:37]
Caroline
I'm curious how your, like, how. How did you start, I guess, taking this to your clients? You know, did someone approach you? Were these things that you just started considering as you were picking fabrics? I mean, what kind of. How did it organically develop into the business? It is now.
- [15:59]
Taryn
Yeah. Honestly, it's something I've just naturally, probably instinctively, I knew that I was sensitive to chemicals and certain things. And so it's just something I always did. And luckily that's. That's sort of the clientele that I was drawing into just naturally. And they were really interested in doing as much non toxic organic as possible. Even as far back as 15 years ago, you know, my clients were like, let's do organic. And unfortunately, at the time, the options were extremely limited. So it's wonderful now that we have more options. But yeah, so as I realized, it wasn't just me that was really into this. It was. Clients wanted it to just kind of started building on that. So initially it sort of started with the decorating side of things, finding less toxic items for the home, from, you know, mattresses that are not covered in chemicals and flame retardants to finding organic mattresses or at least just non toxic, because, you know, you're laying in that bed eight hours a day, let's call it, with your face and a bunch of chemicals, like that's the Worst thing ever. And so just, you know, we started doing like swaps like that. And so, and then as my issues kind of became clearer, I started to really research and start to understand kind of building science and the materials in the actual building, so not just the interior, but actually the envelope of the building, and started really picking everybody's brains, whether it was my doctors, scientists, reading everything I could, talking to my contractors and architects and trying to understand, like, how to accomplish what I would like to accomplish and what would be kind of better than what's happening now.
- [17:31]
Caroline
What are some ways that you, like, I'm curious, when you were talking about building sciences and understanding how structures are built, like, what are some examples of things that you learned and figured out? I guess a workaround for.
- [17:46]
Taryn
Yeah, so I can't speak super technically about snapping a contractor or architect. Leave that to the experts. However, I did just learn a lot about materials. So, you know, for me, wood framing is just not great. And I'm sure that will cause some kind of uproar with somebody. They'll be really mad that I said that. But you know, wood just becomes moist and moldy. And first of all, they're also covered in chemicals as well for flame retardants, pesticides, so that's not good. So I started to just understand actual material. So my preference if I could build a home from scratch would to minimize wood and to do more like steel or aluminum, concrete, brick, masonry, that kind of thing. And there are levels of sustainability and levels of organic that you can go like, for example, if you wanted to build with hemp crete, which is concrete made out of hemp, super sustainable, very breathable, fire retardant, mold retardant, insect retardant, amazing. Might be more cost prohibitive. And people are also a little bit nervous about doing things they don't know. So we go, okay, fine, we'll do concrete has a heavier carbon footprint, but it's better than, you know, wood framing. And also just with the climate getting incrementally worse, these things are better. With wildfires in la, hurricanes going crazy. Like, why are we building with wood still? I don't know, because these, it just, it's not that stable. So that's one thing I learned. You know, simple things like fiberglass insulation, although not super toxic necessarily, not great for people, especially with asthma and lung issues and allergies. You know, if you even touch fiberglass, you get itchy for hours. So. But those little particles end up in the air regardless of how well encapsulated they are in Your attic or something. So there are little bits in the air aggravating people's lungs all the time. So instead of fiberglass, I really love the idea of wool insulation, which is literally sheep's wool. Totally natural. It's same thing, flame retardant, insect, sometimes insects can get in there. But mold retardant and also just so natural. You know, you feel good about, like, using something that's really organic and can return to the earth at the end of that, the house, the life of the house. In the same vein, there are things like recycled denim, like basically cotton insulation. You know, there are just so many alternatives now, so that's really nice. Drywall is another thing I learned about, like drywall or commercial drywall is basically like gypsum, plaster, glues, some chemicals that, you know, not, although off gassing or doing anything necessarily horrible, is not great with moisture, not great with fires. So the alternative to that would be something called magnesium board, which is just made out of magnesium, the mineral. It's pressed together, it's turned into boards. There are even magnesium boards that are strong enough to be structural, but just on your interior. What a great alternative. And again, when the house is done and over with crumbles, back, sprinkle it on the earth and you're good to go. So those are some of, like, my favorite things I. I learned and I thought that's so interesting. They're small changes and in terms of construction, like, a tradesman would be able to install them in the same way, but hugely beneficial for the person living there.
- [20:59]
Caroline
So, yeah, I'm curious about finding, I guess, tradesmen, like you said, to actually use these materials. Is that it might. I have no idea how common it is and how willing people are to try new things. But what is that system like? I mean, I wonder if any of our listeners are building a house and they want to ask their contractors about some of these materials, what sort of questions they might have or, you know, how comfortable they'd be.
- [21:32]
Taryn
There's initially a ton of resistance. I'm not going to lie. In every contractor or tradesman I've encountered about this. They, you know, they're just. They like to do what they know and they don't have to worry about it. But after I kind of educate them a little bit, then they're like, yeah, you're right, that is kind of cut and installed and used in the same way, especially with, like, the drywall installation. Then they're open to it in terms of, like, actually building. That's where I've had more resistance because, you know, wood framing is very quick. They can throw up a house in a matter of like a week or two or three, depending on the size of the house. Whereas if you were to do it with cinder block, let's say, that's very labor intensive, time intensive. And there's definitely more resistance to that, I've found. We've spoken to several commercial builders actually, who are like, yeah, whatever, we do that all the time, no big deal. We can do poured in place, concrete walls, you know, steel framing. Great. It's just kind of changing the mindset of the residential builders a little, which hopefully will come.
- [22:35]
Liz
Yeah, that's amazing that you're finding more folks in the commercial arena that are willing to maybe even do some residential.
- [22:43]
Taryn
Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, it's interesting. Well, they're not always willing to do the residential. They're not making as much money. You know, they're used to doing like a 50,000 square foot building. And I'm like, how about a 2,000 square foot house? And they're like, no, it doesn't make sense for them. But they are more open to even considering it because these are. That's the way they build. So, yeah, it is very interesting actually. And then kind of subbing in the more organic materials they seem to be okay with. Although even in the 10 year span that I've been like trying to work with our contractors and stuff, there's definitely a slow shift coming in, being open to the materials and like sourcing wood, you know, that is pesticide free and flame retardant free and things like that. They usually want to be like, you need to sign a waiver saying that it's not my fault if I bring this wood into your house and you have termites the next day. Which has happened. But you know, at least in that scenario, in this client's house, we were able to bring in an organic pesticide company and they were able to treat it and take care of the problem versus spraying it down the chemicals. And then you have to live with that for the next 20 years or something like that. So. Yeah.
- [23:47]
Caroline
How has this or has this changed your approach to using antiques in your projects?
- [23:53]
Taryn
It definitely has changed my personal. Like in my own home, I. I'm a little more reluctant to bring in like bigger pieces of antique furniture because obviously I am so sensitive. But you know, I'll bring in vintage ceramics and metals, things like that that I don't have to worry as much about. And, and I will bring in wood too. I treat it with something called Benefact, which is a natural thyme, like thyme, the herb oil. And I just let that soak in. It's called Decom 30. Benefact makes a bunch of really great plant based products. And this one is specific for mold. So I just kind of boil it down a couple of times and it actually absorbs and kills funguses, bacteria, all sorts of things. So. And I kind of just leave it outside a little, let it air out more, let it dry out, things like that. So I'm just a little more thoughtful in how I bring these things into my house. I used to just bring it straight from the antique store and pop it in, but now I'm like, yeah, let me let it air out a lot, clean it a little bit, do my thing to it and then I'll bring it in.
- [24:52]
Caroline
But yeah, what about with like upholstery or any sort of soft goods I'm curious about? You know, pretty much every sofa has a wood frame.
- [25:04]
Taryn
It does. And then the foams are actually very, very toxic and those off gas for a long time. So, yeah, in that, in that scenario, I do try to lead clients to do the more organic upholstery as well. Not even from the fabric perspective, but just the insides are usually really full of chemicals. Luckily, again, things are really shifting in our industry, which is wonderful to see. Like, West Elm even offers organics upholstery now, which is great. You know, when I first started this, as I think I mentioned, the options were limited and really unattractive. Now at least you can find something really beautiful and cool, very well priced, that is also organic. You know, oddly again, like, antique things are made way better. When I did that house for Molly in New York, we shopped in Paris and we brought all sorts of upholstery pieces back. And the upholstery shop would send me pictures like, laughing like, this one is stuffed with hay. This one is stuffed with, you know, like actual wool. You see the curls. Like, that's actually cool, you know, like, can we keep it? And he's like, no, it's like, all right, at least switch it for organic. Some kind of organic like soy latex or something like that, which is natural and not as toxic. So. Yeah, but it's definitely something to think about.
- [26:15]
Liz
Yeah, you're mentioning, like, materials that are, you know, ages old, but then also some new things like latex, soy, that.
- [26:26]
Taryn
Yeah.
- [26:27]
Liz
What is that like?
- [26:28]
Taryn
Yeah, so instead of the like polyurethane latex, which is just basically lots of chemicals, they're making foam out of soy, which is wonderful. And it feels the same. In fact, I think it feels better. And it's just made from soy. It's totally plant based. There are no chemicals, which is really nice. My upholstery shops now are becoming well versed in this as well. So if we're doing custom pieces, they have multiple options for me, whereas before they're like, what, where do I get that from? And then even like the batting that wraps the foam. We can do organic cotton batting now versus like the polyester sort of batting. That's very common in upholstery. Yeah, it's really nice. And they're able to source, like the wood framing that's without the. That hasn't been sprayed for the flame retardants.
- [27:13]
Liz
So are there any other materials like that that we should be keeping an eye out for?
- [27:21]
Taryn
You know, I kind of think even in, like, case goods or for example, like in your house, if you're refinishing your floor, just always think about opting for the more natural options. For example, like instead of a polyurethane coating, which is going to again, off gas for a few weeks or months, you don't know, maybe years, you can do oils, you can do waxes. These are all kind of natural things. And those are also applied to case goods in your home as well. That's a little bit harder to mitigate just because the shops aren't necessarily using that as much. But at least the bigger pieces, like the upholstery, it does have it. So that's something to look out for. And in your own home, just paints, you can opt for no or low voc paints everywhere. That's huge because that, again, encompasses your whole living space. Well, something.
- [28:08]
Caroline
Is there a way to, like, measure this or, you know, like, how do you measure what is or isn't a healthy home? And is there or is it something that, like, your clients just feel and are sort of deciding on their own whether. Yeah, you know what that means?
- [28:32]
Taryn
It's definitely. I always say, listen to your body. Because anybody who, you know, anybody I've ever spoken to, they'll say, oh, you know, it's funny, I was in this place that every time I went, I felt sick, but I didn't think about it. And I never put two and two together. That was the environment. It could have been mold or chemicals or something there that was making me sick. So definitely listening to your intuition, I say is number one. There are tests for various things. Air quality, you know, water quality, mold, the Mycotoxin test, things like that, radon, you know, even that that you can very reasonably buy online. Unfortunately, there's just not one test that tells you all the information in one place. That's maybe something I need to work on. But. But, yeah, there are. There are different tests for different things. In terms of VOCs, I have not found one that I thought was wonderful, but definitely for the mold, the water, just general pollutants and particulate. And there are. There are things out there.
- [29:32]
Caroline
You mentioned that, you know, years ago, there wasn't quite the selection. There is now. I'm curious, when you're choosing fabrics is that, you know, what is the. What is the range like, and has it changed the way that you decorate? Like, you know, I was sort of thinking back in your portfolio, and you have lots of color. A lot of times you'll have, I guess, maybe a more neutral sort of wall or wall color, but you tend to use color in your fabrics and, you know, interesting rugs. Has that changed at all? Do you find yourself going more towards simpler materials? Like, how has this sort of evolved your style and not just the materials you're using?
- [30:19]
Taryn
Well, definitely. When I first started doing this for a couple of clients, like, 10, 15 years ago, if you were looking for organic cottons and linen in the design centers, and you're looking for fabrics like that, there's a lot of white, a lot of flax, a lot of sand, very natural colors. And it's like, well, just because we want it to be organic doesn't mean we want it to be very neutral. But luckily, that's changed, you know, and there are definitely more options in terms of organic fabrics in colors and styles, and even just in terms of, like, rugs. Fifteen years ago, if you wanted a natural rug, it was jute or seagrass. Very uncomfortable, really nice and durable, but you don't want to walk on that, like, first thing in the morning. Now there are so many amazing alternatives that are more natural. You know, actually, jute and hemp, like, rugs have also evolved too. There are hemp rugs that are very soft now, and they come in amazing vegetable dye colors, like, from teals to oranges to everything, which, of course, I like because I love color. But there's banana silk rugs. There are, you know, obviously just cotton and linen. The hem brugs, yeah. It's just the variety is totally grown. And even in terms of, like, the fake leathers, I have clients like, we just finished a house that's 100% vegan, and it was such a battle for me, not necessarily the client, but for me because a lot of the vegan fabrics, some of them anyway, especially the ones that were leather or just, you know, polyurethane and polyesters and more chemically to me, and I was like, why can't we have more like plant based leathers? And that exists. I haven't seen it really hugely in the sort of interior design world yet, but it's coming. There are things like cactus leathers, apple leathers, mushroom leathers. I mean I think I saw like a banana peel one. Like just so many interesting things that I'm, I'm very excited about the future of design and where it's kind of going in this organic and non toxic way because it's, it's happening.
- [32:09]
Liz
I've seen the cactus leathers.
- [32:11]
Taryn
They're pretty amazing and beautiful.
- [32:13]
Liz
Really great.
- [32:14]
Taryn
Yeah, yeah, beautiful colors. So I'm very excited about that. So we can source them. They just don't come in the kind of upholstery widths that we need, like the 54 inch wide, they're usually like 32. So we're doing smaller things with them. But yeah, it's very, very cool to see the innovation that's happening in that, in that realm.
- [32:30]
Liz
Well, that's so exciting to hear that, that there's so much going on and you know, to look at your work, you wouldn't know, you wouldn't initially say like this is a vegan house or this is an organic house because the rooms, your homes are so livable, they're so bright, they're so vibrant and full of, full of color and life, which is just amazing.
- [32:55]
Taryn
Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you.
- [32:58]
Caroline
Yeah, and there's a definite like, I guess global sort of vent bent to your work, which I love to see because, you know, it was so like not formulaic. Like there was, you know, some projects, like I would be like, oh, okay. It's kind of, I can kind of. It sort of has this feel like in the colors and then maybe the next one it was like the patterns and then maybe a different one. It was really just like the types of wood or the combination of wood. And so it was very sort of varied and, and like I could never quite put my finger on what it was that felt so I suppose eclectic. And I'm curious if you like have defined that at all or is it just something you're like, you were just drawn to particular materials and styles based on what your client wants.
- [33:53]
Taryn
It is very client driven. So it's interesting. And when I first started my career, the first few projects were, as you were saying, very varied because it was so client specific and each client is very different. And I'd have people come to me and they'd say, well, I don't know what your style is. Like, I look at your portfolio and everything is completely different. You obviously haven't defined your style. And I was like, but it's not about me. I'm just a facilitator. I'm here to put my spin on what you want and make it better and enhance that and make it cohesive and make it feel good. And yeah, it was something I used to have to defend a lot when I first started my career because people didn't understand why is everything completely different. But I really do spend a lot of time trying to get in my clients heads and develop that relationship with them so that I understand who they are, what speaks to them, what they like, what makes them happy. Because everybody's different. Some people, it's the sort of a serenity and sparseness that makes them happy. Others, it's more like everything from their travels, being surrounded by that is what brings them joy. So, yeah, I really take a lot of pride in kind of infusing my client into every home. And like I said, I think earlier that actually makes me a better designer too because I grow from learning from them and like seeing what they like. And maybe it's a design challenge for me sometimes to think like, how does that piece of art that I'm not so into work into this design and then I make it work. And I think that art is amazing and just like created this entire room. And this room evolved around that piece, which was really fun. So, yeah.
- [35:22]
Caroline
Well, I loved. I was kind of looking back at that apartment I referenced earlier, The Molly Sims one, that was an InStyle and like just looking at the images, I would, I would live in that apartment today. Like it's 20 years old, but it's so chic, so many. I mean, you've got pleated lampshades, you've got colored lampshades, you've got, you know, beautiful French antiques.
- [35:47]
Taryn
Yeah.
- [35:48]
Caroline
I mean, there were so many things in here where I was like, wow, it has. Your. Your portfolio has aged well. I will say.
- [35:54]
Taryn
I think so. I think so too. I was just going to say I go for timeless. I'm not super into trends. And when clients bring me something that is very on trend, I try to talk about it. I might bring in a little bit of it just because, you know, sometimes it's fun, but I try to generally keep it in a place that, you know, you can look at a project five or ten years later and it could have been done today and it's still relevant. And yeah, that's definitely. Well, thank you. That's a huge compliment. Thank you so much. Because that's what I strive for with.
- [36:23]
Caroline
A client like Molly Sims, who even on I was kind of looking through like the press page on your website and you've done multiple projects for her, you know, multiple houses. How does that relationship work in terms of, like having, I guess, a different look, but a similar look for each space. And how has, you know, have your, like, have your clients kind of evolved with you as your own sort of style has evolved?
- [36:56]
Taryn
Yes, definitely. Molly is a good example. And I have like, Caitlin and Rob Olson. Caitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney. I've worked with them for many, many years. So many clients of mine, it's again, major compliment, have stayed with me and worked with me through their lives. And 10 years, 15 years later, and it's, it's really fun because their style evolves, my style evolves, but we can still come together and make it work and make it interesting. Yeah, with Molly, it was really fun because we worked on a few projects, maybe can't even think now, three ish projects. She works with another designer. At this point, we decided we're better friends than working together and we are still friends. But yeah, it was really fun. She's really into design, so that makes it really fun for me too. I love working with creatives and luckily a lot of my clients are creative because they're open to doing really, really interesting and out of the box things, whether they're actors or musicians. I, you know, I've been very lucky in that way. So I can suggest like insane things and they're like, yeah, okay. Whereas maybe somebody else would go, seems a little too weird for me. But on the other hand, I also like working with clients who are not creative because it's a fun education process for me. I have a client that's been. She's actually one of my first clients. So I've known her for about 20, 21 years, something like that. And she was a lawyer and she was like, I don't know, I don't know anything. You just decide, you decide. And like, I was like, well, what about. She's like, you decide. You. I was like, I want you to decide. I'm like, I want you to be involved in this Process. It's your house. And she's like, but I have terrible taste. I'm like, you don't have terrible. I'm like, you dress really well. I'm like, look at your outfit. You're so put together. And I'm like, it's just. You need to kind of, like, understand what we're doing here a little bit. Just for your own benefit, too. So to this very day, she'll text me a picture. She's like, look, you taught me well. I bought this, and I put this, and I put it together. I did good, right? It's like. It's so sweet to me because I feel really good about that. Like, I've taught her how to appreciate, you know, the little things in her home and. And how to create little vignettes and little scenes in her own space. And we still work together. She's buying a new house actually this year or next, and we're going to be doing that together, too, so. But again, her style has completely changed. At the time, she was very brown, very beige, very earth tones. And now she's into more color and a little more opulence mixed with, like, vintage. So it's really fun. I don't know if I answered your question.
- [39:18]
Caroline
I'm always curious when you're doing, like, lots of different spaces for the same client, how to either reimagine products you've already bought for them or how to do something that's still them, but it's not just a repeat of what you've already done, you know, because.
- [39:37]
Taryn
Well, I think. I think the architecture really also dictates a lot of what we do, too, because I don't want to have, like, I don't know, like a really. Like a Craftsman or something, and then put really contemporary furniture everywhere. I don't mind mixing in a little bit of a contemporary thing here or there for, like, a juxtaposition and a bit of a interesting mix. But I wouldn't. I just wouldn't go completely opposite of what the architecture is kind of dictating. So that. That is also a big factor, too. So, you know, our. My clients tend to buy, like, very different homes, depending on, like, this is our beach house. This is our New York house. This is our, you know, Aspen house. And depending on where we are in the architecture, the kind of. That informs the design that we're going to come up with, and then kind of through the lens of my vibe and theirs, you know, that's what. And we end up with something cool that everybody's happy with the thing.
- [40:24]
Caroline
That's the things that I'm so. I mean, obviously there are lots of reasons to be envious of someone with multiple homes. Just, you know, they have multiple homes. But I am a little envious of it in that like if they're. If you love a lot of things, you can kind of try each of them out and, you know, you can.
- [40:41]
Taryn
Be like, I've always, I've always wanted like 20 homes for that very reason and for no other reason except I want this one to be like my eclectic, you know, global house. This one to be my Beachy House. Exactly 100%. I'm with you.
- [40:58]
Caroline
We have to. I have to combine all of it into one place in a very challenging, you know, challenging bed.
- [41:04]
Taryn
Me too.
- [41:06]
Caroline
My next life.
- [41:07]
Taryn
Yeah. One day. One day.
- [41:13]
Caroline
Hello. I listen to your podcast often, especially when I'm gardening. Thanks, Karen. I do have a decorating dilemma for you to help me with. I have an area rug in my living room which I love. However, I bought an entry hall rug which has colors, blue, rust, tan in it. It looked different inside the store. I'm thinking the lighting may have something to do with it. Now I'm seeing a pink tone to it and I don't know if it is just my eyes seeing this. How do you feel about this rug? Can you help me? And what would you put in the entryway as far as colors or if you can give me a visual of a rug that would be better. I'll give you my dining room to the left. Like she'll give you a photo of the dining room to the left of the entryway she's talking about. And there's a library on the right. So yeah, she's got this sort of blue and like spice colored. Looks like a wool hand knotted rug, antique in her living room. And then she was. She's trying to figure out whether this second one that she sent us coordinates well or not. So what do you think?
- [42:13]
Taryn
You know, from the photo I saw, I actually thought that the entry rug did work quite well with the living room rug. It could be the photo though, because colors are very subtly different in photos than they are in real life. So if in real life it is skewing more pink and that bothers you. I was. What I was thinking is I'm not entirely sure what the size of that rug is in the entry, if it could potentially move to the dining area. I like having space between patterns, like just where your eye can rest in between like one pattern and another and one Color palette and another color palette. So personally, my suggestion would be to go with a rug that's a little bit more neutral. Like pick up the ground color of the living room rug, which is like a kind of like a sandy tone. And actually on Ballard, I saw there's a really beautiful braided rug. It was called the braided hand woven rug. That was like a great, just very neutral rug that I. I quite like something like that. And I know maybe you want something with more pop when you walk in, but for me, it's like I want to come in and just kind of have like a serene moment and then be excited and surprised by what you see in the various rooms. Especially in a space like that where you have a central space and then all the rooms kind of circulate around it. I like to have that moment of calm for the eye and then make each space unique and different. So that would be my suggestion. Yeah.
- [43:30]
Caroline
And then she also asked, what else would you put into the entryway to help sort of add that, you know, as far as colors and to add that visual interest. So if she does. If she does move the new rug that she bought, which she said, you feel like works, which, I mean, I agree, it kind of.
- [43:50]
Taryn
Yeah. In the photo it looks great.
- [43:52]
Caroline
It looks really good.
- [43:53]
Taryn
But in real life, maybe it doesn't. I thought so too. I was like, wait, there's nothing wrong with this rug.
- [43:58]
Caroline
Yeah. I thought it was kind of perfect to go like a perfect counterpoint. But I love your idea of maybe putting it in the dining room and then having something neutral in between. Sort of like as a bridge in between them.
- [44:12]
Taryn
Exactly.
- [44:13]
Caroline
So if she does make the rug in the entryway more neutral, is there something that she should do in the entryway to like make it pop, Make a statement? Yeah.
- [44:23]
Taryn
Based on the photo, it's hard to sort of see the dimensions. If there were space, they might not be, but if there was space, like a circular table in the middle would be really nice with like color, flowers, accessories. If in real life that would not work, I would love to put like a console behind one of the doors or two doors. And obviously one is the more functioning doors. Whichever door she's not using on a day to day, great to put a console, some artwork, bring some color in. Because the neutral rug is a little less exciting. But. But if she keeps her rug because we think it looks good, it's still a great way to bring in a little more interest and warmth. Because right now it feels a little sparse. If there's an Opportunity to do, like, a central light fixture. I would love to see, like, a bit of a chandelier or like a semi flush pendant. Just something to kind of draw your attention up a little as well. That'd be great. Yeah, I think that would really transform that space.
- [45:17]
Caroline
I love her original rug, too. Like, it's.
- [45:20]
Taryn
Yeah. Really pretty.
- [45:21]
Caroline
Great colors.
- [45:22]
Taryn
Yeah. The other thought I had if she'd be open to this is maybe to paint the front doors. If those were, like a great color on both inside and out, that would make the whole entry pretty interesting. Yeah. So that'd be fun. That'd be really fun.
- [45:35]
Caroline
What color would you think? Like one of the oranges or blues or brown?
- [45:39]
Taryn
Black.
- [45:39]
Caroline
What are we talking?
- [45:40]
Taryn
Like, maybe a dark blue. Could be really pretty. That would be really, like, a rich blue. Yeah. I don't know what the exterior of the house looks like, though, so who knows? And it might not work, but. But if it did, something like, that would be really beautiful.
- [45:54]
Caroline
Okay, so it sounds like our. Your overall thought is, Karen, you've done much better than you're giving yourself credit for.
- [46:00]
Taryn
Exactly. Nice work.
- [46:01]
Caroline
We like the rug. Maybe just, like, keep going. Add a little more color. You know, the light fixture. You gotta have a great light in your entryway because like you said, there's really. There's not always a lot of floor space. So, like, make your go up. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But thank you for listening, Karen. We appreciate it. Oh, go ahead.
- [46:23]
Taryn
Yeah. Oh, sorry. Last thought is maybe pull the rug away from the door a bit, because right now it's right up against the door. Maybe space it out so it's more like an entry rug rather than a front door rug.
- [46:33]
Caroline
Like, so there's sort of an equal amount of space around the rug. Yeah.
- [46:39]
Taryn
Yes.
- [46:40]
Caroline
Like, it's centered in the space. Yeah.
- [46:41]
Taryn
Yeah, that would be nice.
- [46:44]
Caroline
All right, well, Kashani, thank you so much. I really enjoyed going through your portfolio.
- [46:50]
Taryn
Thank you.
- [46:51]
Caroline
Have great style and so interesting to hear what I appreciate, what we can look forward to in terms of innovation.
- [46:59]
Taryn
Yeah. What can we look forward to?
- [47:01]
Caroline
No, I'm saying you spoke so much about what sort of you've learned and what we. It sounds like, is kind of coming down the pipeline as far as interior design. So I'm excited to see that kind of grow and see more of it out in the marketplace.
- [47:17]
Taryn
Me, too. Me too. Well, thank you guys so much for having me. This has been a lot of fun.
- [47:21]
Caroline
And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog, howtodecorate.com podcast to send in a decorating dilemma.
- [47:28]
Taryn
Email your questions to podcastallarddesigns.net so we.
- [47:32]
Caroline
Can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs.
- [47:36]
Liz
Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcast so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.
- [47:43]
Caroline
Until next time, happy decorating.