Taryn (2:23)

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Caroline (2:25)

Me too. I'm Sorry, that was such a long winded introduction.

Taryn (2:29)

I appreciate all the kind words.

Caroline (2:31)

Yes, yes. Well, I want you to start with your background because just reading your about page and looking into your design work, you have such an unusual path into. Into interior design, which tends to be a recurring theme amongst designers. So that's always fun. But there was something in particular. You were originally a kindergarten teacher and were for many years.

Taryn (2:55)

Yes, yes.

Caroline (2:57)

And then you're also, you're. You talk a little bit about growing up in your mother's restaurant and helping her. And I love seeing how those two things sort of like penetrate into your design work and the, and the themes that you talk about in your design. So that's fun. So tell everybody about that.

Taryn (3:13)

They're very intertwined. I would say, you know, my education background and my, you know, growing up in this really rural town in northwest Connecticut and growing up in a family run business and you know, just being a part of that are really a huge part of, I think of how I got here and kind of really inform more so my business, the business side of things. I would say less maybe the actual, you know, creative. But. So I grew up in Kent, Connecticut, which if not many people are familiar. If you know the town, I'm like, that's. You get brownie points because not many people have ever heard of it. But it's in northwest Connecticut, which is a really charming part of Connecticut. It's known, it's got this really artistic sort of creative side to it with its proximity to New York City. You get a lot of people who come for the weekends and have a little weekend house. And so there's lots of art galleries, antique stores and it's a really, you know, growing up there was challenging because I had, you know, 11 people in my grade. You know, it was very small. The same 11 kids, K through 8, you know, so I really, my sister and I were very close because of that. But it has this very eclectic community which I think is really interesting now in retrospect, like looking back at that and my town, each town in Nashville county kind of has something it's known for. My town is known for having a lot of art galleries, so huge installations of these massive sculptures in the middle of this tiny little one traffic light town. So art, creativity, the design world was certainly like a backdrop, which I think is rare when you come from a really rural town like I did. And then my grandmother was just one of the most fashionable chic. You know, she. I feel like a lot of designers have that theme that they grew up in a house that appreciated design. I certainly did. My grandmother made, you know, now that I look back on it, like, outrageous choices that I'm like, how did she do that? You know, she did not work with a decorator, but she always impressed upon me that it's fun, that it's to be enjoyed and that it's to be shared. And I think that that's something that I really took away and really impart when I work with my clients. And then so, you know, came out of Kent and, you know, moved on, went to college and came out and thought I was going to be an attorney. Very quickly learned that I joked that I wanted to play an attorney on tv. I didn't actually want to be an attorney. So I pivoted to teaching and was a kindergarten teacher for years and adored that job and then had children and was home with them when they were really little. And so by the time I was my youngest, was four or five years old, I started to tow back into the working world. And in that time we had moved several times and each time we moved we were either redecorating or doing a little mini renovation in the house. You know, something along those lines. And a builder at one point who I'd worked with a couple times, we did a small renovation, our living room and a couple bathrooms. And he's like, you should do this for a living. And I was like, huh? Like, just. He's like, you're really good at it. Comes really naturally to you. I was like, gosh, I've always loved this. It's certainly been something like as a kid I would read every House Beautiful magazine and you know, all the magazines that came to my mom's house. And so I've always enjoyed it. I didn't ever think it could be a career. And then this is where I feel like it becomes the cliche. I feel like a lot of designers say this. I had a friend who walked into my house who did your house. I did my house. Can you do my house? And then, you know, from there your business is born. And so I would say definitely not your typical. I did not go to design school. I'm completely self taught. But I think, you know my background in teaching. I mean, all I do, I feel like all days is educate our clients on, you know, here's why I prefer this finish over that finish. You know, this is what this looks like in five years, this is how this is going to hold up. And then from the restaurant side again, I mean, how many times do you hear people say, like, we are in client services, like, this is what this job is. And so if you don't have the ability to, you know, work with a lot of different types of clients or be patient with a lot of different types of personalities, then I think you're going to get some serious burnout pretty quickly. Because we deal with a lot of different types of people. And I think the restaurant is like a crash course in how to deal with any type of personality that walks in the door. And granted, my mom and I. My mom still owns the restaurant 54 years later, and she and I compare notes all the time, and I'm like, but, mom, you get them for like an hour. I get them for two years. You know, so she's like, she and I joke about that, but it's still. It gives you, I think, a huge, you know, just perspective on all the different types of people out there and how they process stress and how they process excitement and, you know, all the things that we get to walk people through on a. On a project that takes as long as interior design takes.

Caroline (8:15)

Yeah. We often hear about education as being such an important part of the designer client relationship, which is something that I find so surprise. I mean, not surprising when you really think about it, but not something I realized Right. Going into, you know, for sure.

Taryn (8:32)

For sure. I mean, we work with a lot of clients who, this is the first time they've ever worked with an interior designer. We have some who are well seasoned. You know, either they grew up in a home that was, you know, their mom worked with an interior designer, or they perhaps have a friend. You know, there's some people who know a little bit about the business. But if you've never worked with an interior designer before, or if you've, like, never built a home before or renovated a space before, those are such small, specific. Like if I'm coming in and just designing your daughter's bedroom and we're like, putting some pillow, like that's most people kind of, I feel like, know a little bit about that. We are certainly educating on, you know, lead times, price points, wear and tear of materials, that sort of thing. But when it comes to construction and renovation, I mean, there's just so much that people don't know. And I. I've heard this before, that when you are doing a new construction project, that you have to make 115,000 decisions when you're the homeowner. And I'm like, that is accurate. And. And I bet you've never thought about hinges before, but we have. So here's. Here's what we know about hinges. You know, a lot of people don't like to do the deep dives on those things, and I think that's where our knowledge comes in, because we're just in it all day.

Liz (9:39)

Yeah. That can be such a scary endeavor to just kind of jump into if you haven't done a build or a design project with a designer before. And I love the. The kind of idea that you have this background of welcome, welcoming.

Taryn (9:54)

Yeah.

Liz (9:54)

You know, kids into a classroom for the first time. Now you're welcoming, you know, clients into their. Into their project for the first time.

Taryn (10:02)

Right. And, you know, my mom's restaurant was started by my grandparents, and my grandmother was the hostess every single night. And my grandfather played piano, and he would. He was the entertainer every night. And my mom was, like, the workhorse, you know, on the floor. So I'm like. I feel like a combination of all three of those has gone into kind of what I do every. You know, we. We are certainly trying to navigate people through a process that can be so stressful. And so we try to be welcoming and entertaining and knowledgeable and hardworking, and, you know, all those things combined into.

Liz (10:36)

One and make it seem effortless, too.

Taryn (10:39)

Yes, I know. We. You know, the analogy where we're like ducks, you know, it's like we're all calm on top, but our feet are going like a million miles an hour under the water. I say that a lot. You know, we talk a lot with our clients about typical phases in a project. I say it's a lot like planning a wedding. You know, all those things. It has these very typical timelines, and there are phases where it looks like we are doing nothing. You know, they're like, what's happening? Why did we get a bill for this? You know, and you're like, I promise, we are working on your project so much. It's just stuff that you don't know necessarily, that we are doing behind the scenes.

Caroline (11:12)

Well, I was. I was so curious about the kindergarten teacher to designer.

Taryn (11:17)

Right.

Caroline (11:17)

You know, pipeline, especially in the sense of, you know, you're a mom of three kids.

Taryn (11:23)

Yeah.

Caroline (11:23)

I imagine that many of your clients have kids.

Taryn (11:26)

Yes.

Caroline (11:26)

So was. Were there learnings from being a kindergarten teacher? Just in the ways that kindergarten kids play and interact and. I don't know, things from your classroom that you brought into design, because I'm sure that comes in so handy when you're working with clients with young families.

Taryn (11:42)

Yes. I mean, you have to be incredibly Patient. I think when you're a teacher and you're working, I worked, you know, obviously with very little children. And so you have so much patience because they're not like fully developed yet, you know, so when they have a little tantrum, you look at them and you're like, it's okay, sweetheart, you know, and I was an all girls school, you know, it was a very lovely environment. But of course you have to have, you know, when a little girl is having a tantrum because, you know, she forgot her, you know, favorite, you know, whatever at home and now she can't play with, you know, so you have all of this patience for that. And I feel like similarly it's because they haven't developed yet. And it's like sometimes when clients are having a little bit of a breakdown, I'm so empathetic to it because I'm like, this is a lot for you to understand and process and this is very disappointing. And you know, so not to compare our clients to kindergarten students at all. They are wonderful and very mature. But I think that that background, just doing that over and over and over again and just having developed that sense, I think really comes in and then just how children play. I mean, like you said, I. My children are a little bit older now, but I have three dogs and I swear the dogs are worse than the children. They destroy my house more than my kids ever did. And so you learn very early on what works and what does not from a materiality standpoint. Lots of trial and error on that end on my part. And you know, I feel like again, empathy with my clients. Like, I bought the three sofas that all have been destroyed within a year and now kind of can opine on and what works and what.

Caroline (13:22)

Yeah, well, well, can you share some of.

Taryn (13:23)

Yes.

Caroline (13:24)

What. What is the sofa you shouldn't buy because it's going to be destroyed by your kids.

Taryn (13:29)

I. So this is where, and I know not everyone has access to working with an interior designer or things that are to the trade quote unquote. I do think, you know, any time when we're working with a client, the things that are the most expensive, that are the hardest to replace, you know, for instance, if you're in construction, it's tile, you know, that no one's going to be ripping out tile. That's a really difficult thing to replace. In terms of decorating a sofa, that's a really big ticket item. That's something you don't want to be replacing every year. Those are the areas where we really Recommend that people invest in the best quality that you have access to. And so for me, the material as well, you know, for a sofa in particular, like, we're always looking. There's so many incredible. Yes. Inside both. So in terms of fabric, I would say you're absolutely looking for something that is very cleanable. So things that we always tell our clients to stay away from are any fabric that contains viscose. It's a. It's a very. It's a material that makes things very soft. So you will pick up a fabric and you'll be like, wow, this feels. Feels amazing. I can't imagine if this is on my sofa, but the actual, like, fiber content changes permanently when it gets wet. So if you spill on it, and then we all know the times where we've spilled something, and we clean it up just with water, and it leaves a permanent ring, and you're like, but it was just water. Like, how did that happen? That's because there was viscose. A high content of viscose in that material. So we tell clients to stay away from that and to stick towards more of your, you know, maybe it's a polyester cotton blend, you know, some type of cleanable materials. Similarly, with rugs. Another investment. We love wool. Like, I just. I cannot say enough about wool. I have a wool runner in my kitchen. You know, it sees everything. Everything's been spilled on it, you know, but it's cleanable. And again, this is somewhere I tell my clients, like, look at a sheep. They are brown when they're in the mud. And then that. Then we take off the. We spin it into yard, and it's white, you know, so it is able to be clean naturally without, you know, all of this, you know, needing a million treatments. So things. I think knowing what materials to go with is super important. And then the insert as well on a sofa, what we usually recommend. So I know in my house, my dogs are always on. We love them. They're on our sofa. We don't have a no sofa policy, but they always like the back cushion. And then the back cushion gets smashed down into, like, a little, and you're constantly fluffing it. So for me, I actually like a firmer back cushion. And that's something that I tell my clients a lot. Like, don't go 100% down on the back. It feels lovely. But then your dog sits on it or your kid uses it as a fort, and you're, like, punching it to get it back to its original shape. So either go with A tight back sofa that has no cushion at all on the back or just do that standard like firmer back cushion and I, that has like saved me so much time. But then on the seat cushion to do something where you can do a little bit of down. So we usually do. It's a polyester filling but then you wrap it in down so it's got a little bit of softness to it. It's not super stiff, but that combination I think works really well and it lasts a really long time too.

Caroline (16:43)

I've made that viscose error. I bought a viscose rug for my daughter's nursery.

Taryn (16:47)

Yeah.

Caroline (16:47)

And it was incredibly soft, but also.

Taryn (16:51)

And it has a flavor.

Caroline (16:52)

I'm a bottle.

Taryn (16:53)

Yeah.

Caroline (16:53)

Spilled.

Taryn (16:54)

Yes.

Caroline (16:54)

Yeah, yeah. Water cup.

Taryn (16:57)

Yes. It has its place. Like if you are incredibly neat and tidy and you want the feel and look of a silk rug without the price tag, like it's incredible in like a bedroom and you're you know, 60 with no, no children and no pets. So like there's, that is the application for that. But I feel like if you have young children in the house, you know, you want to stick to things that are cleanable and you know, the most tried and true materials are really cleanable. And then if you have access to some of these amazing performance lines, like perennials for example, we work with them a lot and their, their materials are incredible. They're very cleanable. And a lot of like, you know, companies, I know Ballard and other kind of direct to consumer companies have access to these performance materials and I think, you know, sometimes it gets a little confusing. Something's outdoor. Does that mean it's performance and you're like not always, you know, you got to kind of like look at what it's being asked to, to perform for. You know, outdoor is certainly, it's not fading and it's not getting super mildewy. Whereas like indoor performance is more cleanability. So you know, just kind of, I feel like asking as many questions as possible too. If you're, if you're purchasing an item, someone is going to have the answer to it.

Kate (18:09)

You have so much knowledge about fabric and contents and how to clean them. And I mean I know that you're all self taught but it sounds like you really have a passion for these types of things. So how did you, how did you become such a guru in all things fabric content? I'm, I'm quite impressed.

Taryn (18:30)

Oh, it's a lot of question asking. You know, I think when I think you have a little bit of a You know, nervousness when you didn't go to design school. That. And I'm, I'm naturally the type of person who like deep dives on something. So I feel like I'm a firstborn child. Like I'm, you know, very type A. So I there, I already have that, you know, going against me. But the, for me, I think that fear when I first started my business, like I remember saying to my husband all the time, what if I don't know the answer to their question? And he's like, I don't know the answer to many questions in my job and I've been working here for. That's normal, you know, but just ask questions. So for me, a lot of it is relying on the relationships that we have with, you know, various vendors and just always asking questions. And I think as a consumer it's, that's so easy to, I mean, any, if you walk into a Ballard and you're a shot, you know, ask the people who work there, they know you know, the answer or they can find out if they don't. So I think those things are really important as a consumer and to just really understand what you're purchasing. Because similar, I mean, I've made the purchase of, you know, the rug with the viscose and not before knowing that and not even knowing why the water rang left, you know, the ring on the rug. Just like, that's weird. You must be cheap, you know, and you're like, no, it's, it's the content. But, and I would should also say too, textiles are definitely my favorite part of what I do, hands down.

Kate (19:55)

Yeah, I mean, I can see that through longer work. I mean, I even wrote that down. I mean, I love all the fabrics and things that you use throughout. I was looking through your portfolio, but I think that that's such an awesome quality to have as a designer and someone who was self taught. You're clearly a very, you're a self starter. And so I feel like that's a really important quality to have as a designer.

Taryn (20:20)

For sure. I think you, you know, when you're running the ship a little bit and people are relying on you, you know, it's in any job, there's continuing education all the time. You know, we are always meeting with our vendors and always asking questions and learning new things and new products are coming out. And, you know, that happens all the time. And especially now, I feel like the performance world in the last, even five to 10 years has just exploded and pretty much it's the. I would Say, the industry expectation now, if you're working with a young family that, you know, we can't guard against things like, pilling is something that's really tough. Like, we can. That just comes from, you know, knowing a fabric pills just because you've used it before, and a client's called you and been like, hey, this is pilling. And you're like, oh, no. Pilling is a tough one. But, like, staining and cleanability. And I've. I think, also, too, I've cleaned so many stains in my day in my house. I've learned. I've learned what works. But, yeah, I do. I definitely have a passion for that. That side and helping families understand how to live in a space that's beautiful but livable and. And that, you know, like I said, I've always designed my houses. I think if someone walked in, they'd be like, whoa, this is a lot going on here. But every house I've lived in, I've just wanted it to be really colorful and full of pattern and never have a room that's off limits and everything's cleanable and, you know, and just. That's how I live.

Kate (21:45)

That was, like, one of the first things that, like, drew me to you when I was looking through. I mean, because I'm just guest hosting here. But the practical, functional, yet beautiful. And I just absolutely love that. And I definitely think your work shines through with. I mean, I. I don't know that it's functional until you tell me, but it's right. It's beautiful. So I. I think that's the.

Taryn (22:10)

Like, I joke. That's, like the New England. New Englander in me is that, like, practicality, like, this. Is it gonna function? And then the beauty is like, this move to the south, where this, you know, respect for these, you know, traditional, beautiful, feminine things and. But knowing that the two can combine in a way. And I always say people. I mean, the number of things that we host all the time, the number of things that have happened in my house, and people are like, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. I'm like, there is nothing in this house that cannot be spilled on, like, everything. I mean, certainly there's some that I would be a little bit more upset than others, but, like, you know, it's. We. I try really hard to make sure that the. The key pieces, the really pricey things, the things that you do not want to. Like a pillow. Sure, I'll splurge on a little bit. But, yeah, rugs, upholstery, that's where I try to be super practical and then have fun with drapery or have fun with pillows or art, things that kids aren't necessarily touching all the time, or dogs.

Caroline (23:09)

Will you talk about moving to Nashville and, like, how that came about and maybe misconceptions you had or didn't have?

Taryn (23:17)

Yeah. So I, as, you know, born and raised in New England. My husband is also from the Northeast. He's from Syracuse, New York. And so we never in a million years anticipated leaving the Northeast. But the Northeast is. I love so much about it, but it is not the easiest place to live from, like a weather perspective and from just a lifestyle perspective. My husband was commuting into Manhattan every day from the town we lived in. We never saw him. And it wasn't like he was working like, you know, 15 hour shifts. It was just his commute was really long. And so we were. I would say we were kind of, you know, curious if there were ever an opportunity to get out of the Northeast and the company that he worked for relocated to Nashville. And so we had never been. And we didn't know, I mean, literally did not know a single person here. And we came down because I'm like, I have to see it if we're moving there. I just need to know, like, where are the kids going to school? I just have to have a little bit of info on it.

Caroline (24:16)

When was this?

Taryn (24:16)

This was 2018. And so came down and just immediately, it's just the warmest, friendliest city. It's got so much going on, both from a music perspective and from, you know, housing person. I mean, restaurants, like, there's just so. It's such a lively place. My sister lives in Los Angeles. I love how la. It's like you're in the city, but you're in a suburb. It's that kind of. Whereas New York, it's like you're in Manhattan or you're in a suburb. It's like very binary. Whereas down here, I think it's lovely that it's kind of we can be downtown in 15 minutes or in a neighborhood with sidewalks, you know, so it's. It's got that sort of ease and we've never looked back. I mean, it's just been the most incredible move for our family. I love the community here, and I. I think my business, it could not. I could not do what I'm doing now. If my husband was working as much as, like, for as long as he was in the north, you know, no one would have been home. So I Think it really helped launch my business as well. So I'm very grateful to be here. And I just. We. We've loved it. We've never, like I said, never looked back.

Caroline (25:26)

Yeah. That's amazing. How. What, style wise, what. What has changed, maybe? How has it influenced you?

Taryn (25:35)

I think the thing. That's interesting. Interesting. So there's a lot of parallels between both areas. I think there's this love of tradition, both in New England and in the South. So, you know, the town that I grew up in, the area that I grew up in is known for, like, salt box houses and charming little capes and farmhouses. Like, I grew up in a barn that was converted into, like, my bedroom was the hay room, you know, as a. And so you would see. Yeah. So, like, beams everywhere. So. And it was a very old barn. And there was never a thought that you were gonna demo this and build a new house. Like, that's just not what you do in New England, I feel like. And in the South, I think there is this respect for tradition. Every single one of my clients comes to me with furniture from their grandparents or furniture from their parents that they love. That is beautiful. Hopefully, nine times out of 10, it is, and that they want to use, but they don't know how. It feels heavy. It feels dated to them. But then we show them how to incorporate it in a way that kind of gives it new life. And so I think that's kind of the common thread. I see. But I would say there's sort of this, like, preppier, more colorful vibe in Connecticut a little bit, which is not as prevalent in Nashville. Nashville's a little more eclectic, maybe a little bit. It can lean that way. And so I think sometimes what's unique about what we do is all of the color and that we aren't afraid. I mean, pretty much, like, every hue in the rainbow, I feel like we love to. To work with. And so I think the clients who come to us in Nashville are coming to us because we love color, we love pattern, and we want to incorporate that. That being said, we have clients who love neutrals, and we do that too. But I would say primarily that's what we are known for. And I think, you know, certainly a respect for formality in the South, I think, is wonderful. I grew up in a very formal house, but I would not say that's the normal. That's norm. The norm in the Northeast, I think there were a lot more people who were foregoing formal living rooms and formal dining rooms, whereas in this. That's like, unheard of. I feel like down here, my clients are like, absolutely not. We need the formal dining room. And. And I really. I love that about a lot of the clients that we work with, where there's this respect for, you know, the homes that have been here. And certainly there's a lot of the new builds going on in Nashville and kind of the struggle over watching some of these gorgeous old homes being torn down. You know, all of that is. Is. Is here. And it's. It's, you know, sad to watch. But I would say a lot of our clients, they respect the. The beauty of the bones of their house, and I love that because I love. I mean, I think it's growing up in a barn. I love the charm. I love. And we moved into an old home, and my husband all the time had to have the charm as we're putting a new roof on, like, yep, love that. Love that charm. But to me, that's just. You cannot recreate that.

Liz (28:36)

Yeah. Your work is so. It feels so effortless and traditional, and I. I can see all of the. The kind of heritage pieces that you bring in and the antiques, but yet it all feels so. So light and airy. How do you. How do you combine all of those things together?

Taryn (28:58)

I. I really am a firm believer that, like, too much of one thing is. Is just not. It makes a room feel so similar to, like, the dreaded bedroom set. I feel like that's, you know, people always talk harken back to those days. It's like when there's too much of one thing in a room, it. It becomes a theme, you know? So let's say you have a client who loves antiques, but now all of a sudden, it looks like. Like an antique, you know, graveyard. You know, you can't have too many things in one room. So that being said, on the flip side, it's like you need a piece that's old and that has patina and that has been around for a long time and has a story to it, because that's what makes a room interesting. And when people come over, it's usually a talking point. I feel like, oh, that's so pretty. Oh, it's my grandmother. You know, it's like that I feel like is really important to have in a room. So to me, it's all about mixing those things. And I think that art and lighting and accessories are the areas that I love to push a more whimsical, more contemporary look, but that the upholstery shapes and certainly the, you know, the finishes, things like that. I love to be really classic. We're. We're working on a house right now that was built in 2007. And the number of houses that I think we work with that were built in the early 2000s, where we are coming in and, like, I joke, we're like, de Tuscaning everything. Everything was, like, Tuscan in the early 2000s. But we're working on a house right now that was built in 2007. It could have been built in 1920. It could have been built in 1950. It could have been. It's the most classic finishes in every single room. And we're not touching. I mean, we're touching, obviously, wallpaper. And we're. We're, you know, maybe doing a couple new light fixtures. But the tile, the cabinetry, the flooring, the millwork, like, everything that they chose when building this house, they chose from a classic perspective. And it never goes out of style. I always say that. I'm like, Jackie, oh, was stylish. She's stylish today, and she was stylish then. It's because good design, really, truly. I know it's a cliche, but it really, truly never goes out of style. So I think we try to pick the pieces that really are going to last for a long time and really be that, like, kind of, you know, the sort of bottom layer of the room that really keeps it. That I like to be classic and then have fun and some other. And that's where textiles, I think, come in, where you have fun with these. More whimsical and wallpaper. You know, those things are changeable.

Caroline (31:19)

Well, I loved your. Your room in the Kips Bay show house in Dallas, which tell everyone about that, because you really went for it with especially color pattern.

Taryn (31:31)

Yes.

Caroline (31:32)

And it was certainly whimsical, but. But so. Almost felt like it had a nostalgia to it. I think maybe. Maybe it was the colors or something. Some of the, you know, some of the drapery. And there were some elements that felt like a little bit like a. Something you might have seen.

Taryn (31:51)

Right. Yeah.

Caroline (31:52)

In a period house. But so tell us how you. How you pulled that room together.

Taryn (31:55)

So, you know, Kips Bay. I joke that we need to have a reality TV show on Kips Bay. It would be very entertaining because what we, you know, what has to happen to make that room come together in the timeframe that it does is really. I look back on. I'm like, I cannot believe I. That we did it. You know, so it's just this wonderful experience. Obviously goes towards benefiting an incredible charity as well. Just it's such an amazing opportunity as a design firm. And we were lucky enough. You know, you don't know what room you're going to get. You don't know. You know, for listeners, you know, it's these show houses, Designers are just. You apply to do them because it's an incredible opportunity and you hope you get picked. And when you do, you get what you get and you don't get upset. That was a line from my kindergarten classroom. And so we got a drawing room, which I felt was very lucky for someone who'd never done a show house. I was waiting, I was like, we're gonna get the, like, back hall downstairs into the garage. I know we are. And luckily we got a drawing room. I'm like, okay, that's wonderful. And then we get there because they just tell you the name of the room. You don't know what it looks like. And they told us our room was called the Venus Drawing Room. And I'm like, I have no, no idea what that means. And so when we got there, we immediately were presented with this 10 by 18 room without a window, with 12 foot ceilings, with acoustic tiles because it was a commercial office space. And you're like, whoa, Venus. I don't know how the word Venus, you know, came into play here. So we were a little frazzled by that. But we created the, you know, sort of the feeling that there was a window in this room with the drapery that we used. So we brought in a sofa and kind of created this feel as if there was a window behind the sofa. And we added a fireplace across from the sofa. It was not functional. It's just, you know, purely aesthetic to give the feel that, you know, it was like a cozy little room. And then we were lucky enough. Gracie was one of the sponsors for the show house, and they provided us with one of their murals called Linda's Garden, which is just the most, most spectacular. I mean, I just, I miss looking at it every. I mean, it was just so beautiful and ethereal. And, you know, our inspiration for the room, we, we went with the Venus theme and we were inspired. We took Botticelli's painting, the Birth of Venus and really pulled from that color palette. And I think what's fun about a show house is you get to really do what you want to do, particularly in that moment. And so I won't, I would not do the same room ten years from now. It's like at that moment, for whatever reason, I was like, let's do something more really feminine, really colorful, and just kind of go for that. And I think we'd done a lot of more, like, masculine rooms at the time. A lot of like, you know, I was like, this is a she shed. I've done enough man capes. I need to do a she shed. And so we really wanted it to feel like a room that, you know, some. A group of ladies would come back from at the end of a long day and unwind by the fire. And we had this gorgeous custom banquet made that went in the corner as well, just to, like, open up the room. And it just. It was such a fun experience. You meet so many of your design heroes. I think that was. I mean, when you're just, like, sitting there talking to Mark Sykes in your room, and you're like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe this is happening. Such a pinch me moment. And then sharing it with your family, too, is really fun. And everyone came out and, yeah, it was. It was a wonderful experience. It was so, so hard, but so worth it. And the room is so over the top. You know, it's not something that we. Not many people want to be lacquered, the ceiling, this shell pink to kind of look like the inside of Venus's shell. Not many people are going to go for that in the real world. So it's fun to really push the envelope. I think in those types of spaces.

Liz (35:49)

You would never know that there's not a window in that room. I think, you know, just the color that you painted the ceiling. And plus, with the Gracie wallpaper, which is just stunning.

Taryn (36:00)

Yeah. Yeah.

Liz (36:01)

I mean, it feels like you're in a garden room. You wouldn't ever imagine that there were acoustic tiles all over the place, and it was crazy.

Taryn (36:11)

And that was the thing that. That paper, it has this obvious. All hand painted and, you know, just so beautiful, but has this haziness to it. So you kind of see through the mural a little bit, the way that it's painted. So it just made the room feel bigger. I mean, 10 by 18 is such an awkward proportion for a room. But that's everyone who came in. That was what we kept saying to them. I'm like, every room in your house, like you. There is a furniture plan for every room. You know, and I think that was the thing I took out of that experience, is how important furniture planning can be in a room that is so, like, we had to create illusions, and we called it the room of the of illusions. Like, there's a Window, it's bigger than it actually is. You know, it's just all those little tricks that designers use. We created symmetry in the room where there was not by, like, furring out a wall, like, just trying to make it feel like something. And I think that's what, you know, sometimes I think people who work. The negative connotation of a designer is that we are coming into. Just spending all your money and, you know, racking up hours, and it's like, no, we really actually are bringing in a perspective on a space that either, you know, creating kind of illusions in a room to make it feel more proportional. And we have. I mean, how many rooms do you walk into that are perfectly proportioned? We're always doing that in a room like, okay, this is an awkward corner. What are we going to do about that? Or this window isn't centered. How are we going to figure that out? You know, there's. That's a common. And that's what I think is the magic of what a designer. That expertise. When you come in, you're like, oh, no, we'll create the illusion of it, because we can bump this this way and do that that way. And I think people are like, oh, my gosh. I never, never thought about that. You know, so that's, I think, really fun. And that was certainly. That was the challenge of that room.

Caroline (38:02)

Where do you start when you're working on your furniture plan? I mean, are you starting with the sofa? What are some things maybe that you tried that didn't work? Because I think that you're so right that the furniture plan is crucial. But for those of us trying to figure out our own furniture plans, what are some things to look for and to avoid?

Taryn (38:23)

That's a really good question. That's a really good question. I feel like, for me, I always look for the room's awkward things first. So I'm a very symmetrical person. I just like things to be balanced and symmetrical. So if it were me and I were doing this in a room for the first time, I like to measure everything and kind of, you know, draw it on a piece of paper. We use, obviously, cad, but you could draw it out on a piece of paper and just look at, like, oh, okay, this wall is one foot longer than this wall on the other side of the fireplace. That means that this is not going to be perfectly centered in the room. You know, think little. Just noticing what a room's little quirks are. I think that's where I start. Or for instance. Yeah. One wall being longer than the Other a window not being centered, like little, like, things like that. Then from there, I think I go big first, like the big pieces. And I also think through the function of the room. I think actually I should back up the function. Like, do you want to use this room every single day? If so, then it needs to have something in it that you want to use every single day. So, for instance, my living room in my house, it's very long and narrow. Very similar size, actually, to the Kips Bay room. And so for me, I did not want my living room to be a room that was never used. I really wanted to use it a lot. So I'm like, okay, we need to have multiple seating areas, and they need to be different from one another. And what do I like to do? So I like to work from home some days. I like to have a cup of coffee in the morning. I like to sit by the fireplace and read. I don't want a TV in here, you know, and we do puzzles and board games and play mahjong. So I did a little banquet where you can have games and you can work from home and you can have a cup of coffee and you can do a crossword and. And then we put the sofa by the fire so I can sit by the fire, you know, so we kind of created those two moments. You know, if it were a family room, I'd be like, are you really into movies? And you really like to all cuddle up? Then you probably are going to want a sectional. Like, let's look at if we can get that in there. If it were a dining room, are you a family of four? And you're always a family of four eating in there, and maybe one or two people come over? Or are you like my family with 7,000 cousins? You're always coming over and you need a huge, you know, so just trying to think through that purpose. And then from there, we plug in kind of furniture shapes and make sure. I think the big tricky points are, do you have enough clearance between pieces? So, for instance, like in a dining area, each person needs two feet. You know, that chair has to scoot, you know, of width. You know, the chair's got to fit. The person's got to fit. Then behind the chair, you know, do you have at least three feet so that when the person pulls the chair out and they're eating at the table, someone can walk behind them? You know, those are the things to look at, too, to not, like, cram so much in there. And the other thing I think last. The last Thing we think through would be like, rug sizes and things like that. And I usually. I think the mistakes I've made personally are not looking at the floor vents. The number. We did that twice this year. I was like, we are on notice. We are. We've been in business too long to be making that mistake. So now I'm like, hyper aware of it. I feel like. But looking at the floor, where are there floor plugs? Is there anything funky about the floor? And then when you get into drapery, measuring every window, because especially in an old house, the drop can be different from window to window, or the distance between the window and the casing can be different from window to window. Things warp over time and settle. So just really being meticulous in your measurements, I think, is something that's really. Measurements, function and then kind of playing around with size and scale of everything.

Caroline (41:57)

Yeah, the. The. The floor vents is such a good call out. Oh, my gosh.

Taryn (42:03)

Oh, my gosh. We were. The second time it happened, I was like, we're fired. We.

Caroline (42:06)

We cannot.

Taryn (42:07)

This is a terrible. Twice in one month.

Caroline (42:10)

Well, how do you solve it? Do you, like, send. I mean, do you have to get a new one? Can you cut it?

Taryn (42:15)

Cut it down? Yep. And so we just send it. And if. If you ever make that mistake with, let's say, you know, a rug that you ordered that just comes in a 12 by 15 size that you just order online, you. You can take it to your local carpet showroom and ask them to cut it down to whatever size you need, and they'll surge the edge for you. Obviously it's not, you know, you have to pay to do it, but it's a much less expensive undertaking. And the rug will look better because if a rug's too small, you know, it. It's really nice when it does kind of meet the shape of the room. Luckily, if a rug makes all the difference. Makes all the difference. That's the thing. You can't go bigger. So I would say if it's too. Too small, you might. I would say, try and sell it on Facebook Marketplace and start over. But if it's too big, at least you can cut it down and drapery can be hemmed and they can be let out and, you know, those little things can be. Can be tweaked. Not infinitely, but, you know, you can play around with it.

Caroline (43:09)

I want to highlight what you said about putting things in a room that you want to use, because I just feel like that's the key. And people know for when you do have a space, like an extra living room or, you know, an office or something. Like, make it so comfortable and appealing that you want to use it every day. That's all it really takes, you know, for sure. Like you said with your coffee and your crossword, like you're gonna go find a comfy spot.

Taryn (43:34)

Yeah.

Caroline (43:35)

Sunny spot or whatever.

Taryn (43:36)

Right?

Caroline (43:37)

Yeah.

Taryn (43:37)

And do that. And I feel like everyone's different. You know, we have clients who are, like I said, avid readers. We have clients who our avid game, you know, they want to. They have mahjong groups all the time. We have clients who love movie night, you know, So I think really thinking through what you like to do, if a room's not being used, it's because its purpose hasn't been discovered yet. You know, you just need to really think through. You know, they're all. I mean, that was famous during COVID Everyone needed an office. And so people were just looking through their homes, like, what is a room that we can turn into an office in here? And so I think, you know, looking at kind of what are pain points in your house, and there's always usually some space to kind of add a little nook or cranny here or there. And for me, it's certainly that. And then we have a little den. And it fits just like a sofa and two ottomans. I mean, it's tiny, but it's where I like to watch tv. And I feel like everyone gravitates towards the smallest room in the house because it's so cozy, you know, so we spent a lot of time.

Caroline (44:36)

I feel like, you know, when you talk to people when they're house hunting, all they want is like more space and bigger spaces and a big living room. And then you talk to designers or like, what are their favorite spot in the house? And it's always like the little, little cozy nook.

Taryn (44:51)

I know, I know people. I feel like, you know, it's like a space where. And now that our kids are older, we're. It's a space that, like, we can go and my husband and I and we can watch a show or, you know, whatever we're doing. So I feel like that people really relish having that. And even when you have little children, like a grown up space that is yours, where you put them down at night and you have a glass of wine and relax and, you know, I think those are really nice spaces. If you can. If you have the luxury of having a little room like that in your house.

Caroline (45:18)

Yeah. We do have a question from a listener Liz and Jamie, do y' all have any final things you want to ask before we get to Bree's question?

Liz (45:28)

I don't. I'm really excited to see what you have to say about this decorating dilemma.

Caroline (45:32)

Yes.

Taryn (45:32)

Great. Yeah.

Kate (45:33)

Yeah. Nothing for me, but I'm just. I'm just mesmerized over here by everything.

Caroline (45:40)

I'm like, good morning. After months of being inspired by your amazing podcast and incredible guest, I finally gathered the courage to write in one of my many design dilemmas. So here it goes. Oh, my gosh, Bri, thank you. That's so kind. All right, Last year I converted our attached two car tandem garage into a one bedroom plus snug Berkshire modern Airbnb. The space is just under 500 square feet and quite narrow, so I aimed to maximize light, volume and flow. We opened up the ceilings in the kitchen, dining entry area and the bedroom to create height and space, drenched the space in Benjamin Moore's French canvas, and added windows along the east side for light. We also laid continuous flooring throughout to make the whole guest house feel cohesive and larger. So far, I think these choices have worked beautifully, but here's the the bedroom. While it feels cohesive with the rest of the house, it's bland and the bed feels like it's floating in the space. The challenge is that there's a window, admittedly a gorgeous feature, right above the bed. I've tried multiple configurations, but nothing seems to give the bed the visual grounding it needs. Here's where I need your help. How can I anchor the bed and make the most of the volume, light and lines of the bedroom without it feeling disconnected from the rest of the space? Because it's such a huge feature of the space, I'm gun shy about making permanent moves without another good eye. Some ideas I'm considering. Wallpaper panels behind the bed to add texture and dimension. A long horizontal shelf that spans the entire wall. Mirroring the bookshelf in the kitchen and pulling in a theme of aged pages and books. Painting the wall behind the bed and something dramatic like faron balls, licorice, a worm off black with hints of brown. Or even painting the ceiling that shade for a cocoon like effect. I'm also thinking about adding curtain panels behind the wall, but I have no idea how that could happen with a pitched roof. I'm stuck. Do I paint the whole room just the ceiling? Just the window? Feature wall? Maybe something entirely different? Thank you for serving up fresh ideas and inspiration and hopefully for giving me a designer's gut check. On this tricky dilemma, gratefully, Bri from Williamsburg, Massachusetts. All right, Kate, what do you think it is?

Taryn (47:43)

It is tricky. It's definitely, you know, the window behind the bed is something that, you know, you kind of cross your fingers, you're not coming across sometimes because they can be very tricky. But they also can be. I think you can create moments around them that are really interesting and unique. You know, my. In looking at the photos, my. My gut reaction to it is the ceiling height. It has. The room has a very high ceiling, and the furniture is very low to the ground. So I think, to me, that's why it's feeling a little bit as if the furniture is just kind of there, because it's not really maximizing the. The space, the vertical space in the room. You know, that was the first thing that I noticed. I think there's a few things in terms of adding character and in terms of adding, you know, visual interest. I love the idea of, you know, two things. Either, like, drenching color, you know, just drenching this room in one color. I think accent walls. To me, I'm not usually a huge proponent of. I feel like if you're going to do something, commit to it for the whole room. So from an economical standpoint, paint would be the easiest way to do that. And I, you know, the. The Bri is sharing the photo. She has some, you know, green pillows on the bed. She has some sort of, like, mushroom brown pillows on the bed. So if she wanted to choose a color, I know her lamps are green, but maybe she can get different lamps. I think I would veer towards a green. If she were going to do painting this entire room, and I would paint everything. This ceiling, the trim the walls. And, you know, faron ball lichen is a beautiful color that has. It's sort of this, like, earthy green that I think would be very pretty with all the other items she has in the room. So I think that would be where I would start. If she wanted to do something economical and. And just kind of call it a day. If she wanted to do something a little bit more, my recommendation would be wallpaper. And whenever you have a room with interesting scenes, ceiling lines like this that's up kind of in the trees, because this is. This appears to me to be in her garage, like the top floor of her garage, because the ceiling is pitched like, you know, a gabled roof sort of a thing in this room. So to me, that's when I bring in a wallpaper that has, like, some trees or vines or birds and you create this almost like, tree house effect. Like, you're up in the. In the trees. And it also has sort of this, like, farmhousey look to it a little bit. So I was thinking to myself, if she ever wanted to add, like, a wainscoting or something like that to break up the wallpaper, and you could paint the wainscoting a color like that greenish color, and then she could, above that, do the wallpaper and do every wall, the ceiling, the slanted part of the ceiling, you know, the flat part of it, do everything. And, you know, ones that come to mind, I think there's, you know, ones with, like, sort of trees and movement. You don't want the. The ground. You don't want the pattern to be too big, the scale of it to be too big, because there's so many angles to the ceiling. You want kind of like a tighter floral. Luli Wallace is a beautiful, amazing fabric and wallpaper designer, and she has a few patterns that I think could be really fun in here. There's one called Catherine that has, like, leaves, and it's just. It. It comes in a blue, it comes in a green. It could be so, so pretty. And then you could coordinate the wainscoting below with, you know, the color either a blue or a green. And it also has a. They also have a matching fabric. So that was the other thing. Looking at this window, it lets in so much light, and so I would be hesitant to cover it with too much. It looks like there's a little shade on the window, you know, for. I'm assuming, just, like, when people go to sleep. But if she ever wanted to keep that shade there, and that's the functional one that kind of goes up and down every day when sleeping, she could over that, do, like, an. Like a little Roman shade, like a fake Roman shade, you know, that it looks like it goes up and down, but it's really just staying in place. And I don't think it would cut off all that much light to the room, but it would give a little bit of interest and kind of make you, you know, draw your eye up a little bit. And you could even do it where it coordinates with the wallpaper so that it's all kind of, like, seamless into, like, you don't really. It blends in with the wallpaper. The other one I was thinking of, too, Cole and Sons has one called Hummingbird. That's another beautiful, like, fun wallpaper where you've got, like, kind of leaves and birds and things like that. And then I feel like this becomes this like almost like a tree that's. I think it's like a tree house where you're kind of up in the trees. That was where my mind, in terms of like adding interest, start with, you know, either a color drench or wallpaper. And you could break up the wallpaper with some wainscoting if you wanted. The other thing and I. She did not mention furniture, but if she were, if we were open to new furniture, I went back and forth like thinking when I was looking at this that sometimes I love like a wrought iron canopy bed in a room with such a high ceiling like this. Because yes, a little bit of it would be in front of that window, but they're so like the little, so thin, that little part of the canopy. And then on the sides you can have little fabric panels, you know, on the sides of the canopy, which I think creates like the coziest little cocoon inside that bed. So if she wanted her guests to feel a little bit more like they were kind of really like cozy in that room, that was another. Another thought was perhaps she could add a little bit of height by adding either like a four poster bed or a canopy bed. And then that way the bed really feels grounded. I mean, it's a very narrow space. It really just. You want to maximize, I think, the verticality of it because horizontally you just don't have a lot of, of wiggle room. So I think that those things to me. And if she ever wanted like some taller lamps as well, or even you could mount some wall sconces instead on the walls just to like draw the eye up a little bit. I think that was the, the biggest thing I noticed. It's like everything's either low to the ground or there's. Or high up in the air. And so to kind of, you know, bring the delta between those two closer to one another, I think would help make the room feel more balanced. But certainly color, I think, you know, it's amazing what a can of paint can do. And so I think if you were nervous and you were a little bit like, gosh, I don't want to commit to a wallpaper yet, that I think you could start certainly by color, drenching that room entirely and like a green or a blue and do something, you know, to kind of bring those colors to me, bring the outside in, I think could be really beautiful.

Caroline (54:36)

Yeah, you're right about the. It's like all the furniture is low and then the ceiling's so high, so there's this sort of no man's land in between. I was thinking like, what about just a really tall, kind of exaggerated headboard? Like something with an unusual shape.

Taryn (54:52)

Yes. Yeah.

Caroline (54:53)

And like bigger lamps.

Taryn (54:55)

Yep.

Caroline (54:55)

And a color 100 and.

Taryn (54:57)

Yep. Yep.

Caroline (54:58)

Yeah. Because she definitely really low bed, which I. I get in maybe in the thought process would make sense to make it feel like open.

Taryn (55:09)

Yeah.

Liz (55:09)

Right. Because it is a small space.

Caroline (55:10)

Because it is so small. But it's like she needs a big space. Statement on the wall.

Taryn (55:14)

You need a statement on that wall. And I was looking at it, like, could she flip? I. You know, without knowing the measurements, I feel like that's where the bed has to go. I don't think there's another wall for it. And so 100% agree with you. Like, the bed needs to be the focal point. It's floating. It feels like it's floating right now because all you're seeing are the sheets. You know, you're not seeing a headboard. You're not, you're. You're seeing a little bit of the footboard. But if you had some sort of dramatic. And there's many so, so many great places nowadays to get a dramatic headboard, sideboards, foot. I mean, like, there's a million places. You can order them online. And so I feel like that would be something to me, like if you could get that headboard so that it's just about up to where the bottom of the window is and it has some sort of really unique, interesting shape. And then, you know, I think the earthy color palette is really, really pretty. And if she wanted to stick with that, then you could certainly. Then I would paint the whole room that color, add this interesting headboard. And like we were saying, either taller lamps or sconces on the wall that are hardwired. And you don't need to hardware. They're ones that plug in still. You know, you don't need to get an electrician to hardwire. There's plenty of options that are plug in. And I think that that just would bring your eye up and eat into some of that dead space. And we are always solving for tricky windows. Always. I mean, I feel like the number of times I'm like, if I met your architect, he and I would have words because I feel like this window is impossible for me to dress. And this is one like, you know, when you look at it, you're like, could you add drapery? I just, I agree with her. I think getting panels up there, I just don't think she has the Width at the top of the ceiling to get a wide enough rod in there where you could create almost like this, you know, balance or something over the. But I don't think she could create that. So I think if she ever wanted to add something, you could definitely do an outside mounted faux Roman shade with some sort of really pretty pattern that just stays put. And then whatever that little. And is it. I can't tell if it's like a piece of. Because the. In the pictures, they're different. It's hard to tell. But if she ever wanted something that. Like a solar shade that just came up and down, which is what it looks like in one of the pictures might be there.

Caroline (57:23)

It looks like there might be something.

Taryn (57:24)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So she could keep that. And then in front of it, just do a stationary roman in a fun pattern. Paint the whole room and get a taller piece of furniture. Taller furniture, I think would go really. And she can keep the nightstands. I don't think the nightstands are really nice and neutral. I think they go well with everything. And I would eliminate as much other furniture in there as possible. In some pictures, there's a very large floor mirror. And I know sometimes people are like, oh. But the mirror bounces light and would make the room feel bigger. But I think it's taking up too much real estate. I think I would just stick to a very simple, like bed, nightstands, lamps, and the art and just. And. And stick with that.

Caroline (58:05)

Bri, I would suggest take a look at our Catherine and Sophie headboards. They're both pretty tall and have an unusual shape, because I think those could work well.

Taryn (58:14)

Yeah. And then she could do, like, a neutral fabric, you know, or she could do a color, you know, kind of depending on what she wanted to go for. I think that would be really nice just to kind of add some height.

Caroline (58:29)

I love this.

Liz (58:30)

We've turned this into a destination. Airbnb in Williamsville's gonna want the link to it.

Taryn (58:35)

I know, exactly. It's very. I mean, she gets a lot of. This room gets a lot of natural light. It's very beautiful. So whoever her tenants are very lucky. It's a beautiful. It's a beautiful space, and I think with just a few little tweaks, it could be really a really special room.

Caroline (58:55)

Well, Bree, thank you so much for writing in and for listening to the show. And, Kate, can you tell everyone where they can find you, follow you and see your work?

Taryn (59:03)

Absolutely. So we. Our offices are based in Nashville, but we have projects all over. And since I'm From Connecticut. You know, we have lots of clients up in the northeast. All over, really, actually. So my website is katebiglerinteriors.com I'm on Instagram at Kate Bigler Interiors and also on Pinterest as well, if you'd like to follow us along there. And you know, we are always taking on new clients or, you know, speaking with people. And I always say too, I'm like, never hesitate to reach out because we take projects of all sizes and scopes. So, you know, it's. You don't be intimidated sometimes by working with a designer. We love kind of meeting people from all over and working with all, all different types of clients.

Caroline (59:45)

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. This was such great conversation.

Taryn (59:48)

Thank you.

Caroline (59:49)

Thanks for chatting with us.

Taryn (59:50)

Of course. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Caroline (59:52)

Yes. And thank you to Jamie for joining us today.

Kate (59:55)

Thanks for having me. It was so nice to meet you, Kate.

Taryn (59:59)

Nice to meet you too.

Kate (60:00)

So inspired by everything that you had to say today.

Taryn (60:03)

So thank you.

Caroline (60:06)

All right, well, that's our show. And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog howtodecorate.com podcast to.

Taryn (60:14)

Send in a decorating dilemma. Email your questions to podcastallet so we.

Caroline (60:19)

Can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at ballardesigns.

Liz (60:23)

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 (60:30)

Until next time, happy decorating.