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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. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer.
- [00:13]
Liz
I'm Liz. I head of 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. 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
Welcome back to the show. I'm Caroline and I'm here with Liz. Hey everyone. And today we're excited to welcome to the show Jacksonville based interior designer Andrew Howard. From his beginnings in his parents design store to being recognized as one of the top designers in America and publishing his first book in 2021, Andrew is known for his lively, traditional interiors, bold color palettes and practical way of putting a room together. Today we're going to chat about how how to add playful elements to traditional design. Andrew, welcome to the show.
- [01:03]
Andrew Howard
Thanks for having me guys. Great to be on with you.
- [01:06]
Caroline
I have had you on my list of people to talk to for so long and I think I wrote this in my email, but I saw one of your projects in Southern Living, the one in St. Simon's island, and I was like, ah, why have I not emailed him? So that was prompted me to reach out to you. It was such a fun space and I think really speaking speaks to the topic we're talking about playful but traditional at the same time. I encourage all of our listeners to go check out that project because it was really fun. But yeah, we're so happy to have you.
- [01:38]
Andrew Howard
Thank you, thank you. Happy to be here.
- [01:40]
Caroline
First, we gotta start maybe with your background a little bit because you are not the only designer in your family. In fact, your mom, your dad and your sister are all interior designers. And you talk in the introduction of your book about growing up and, you know, working in your parents shop and not necessarily knowing you were going to be a designer, but what was that kind of background like? And how did you sort of come, you know, in young adulthood to realize that you wanted to be a designer?
- [02:10]
Andrew Howard
I don't think I really ever realized I wanted to be a designer. And that's a weird thing to say. I started working at the store out of college and kind of, you know, was finding My way wasn't. Wasn't sure it was going to be like a full time thing or maybe I'd leave and do something else. But, you know, it just sort of happened and, and I'm glad it did. It's been a lot of fun. I've been there. This is year 24, which is scary to even say, but. But I've been there in some shape or form for 24 years, and it's been a lot of fun. It's been a fun ride. I'm not the type of designer, though, that, like, grew up decorating their friends houses at overnight parties. We were more like playing football in the backyard and then, you know, making prank calls or whatever. We did so well.
- [02:57]
Caroline
You know, you have your own specific, I think, space that you've carved out because you're, you know, your color palettes are so fun. Your rooms are whimsical, lively. They're like, so buoyant. I don't know, they feel like, so uplifting and joyful.
- [03:18]
Andrew Howard
Well, thank you.
- [03:19]
Caroline
Yeah. What do you think that comes from?
- [03:21]
Andrew Howard
You know, I, I think that for me, I really want our spaces to be a reflection of, of the people that live there. And so I try to work with amazing people and, and I think a home that reflects them is really a true success. It's not always color that makes it. It's sometimes it's, you know, a little more paired back and, and just something that reflects them. I did this bedroom for a girl a long time ago, and her friends came in as we were installing and they all said, oh, my gosh, this room is just so grace. And I was like, we nailed that. I mean, that made me feel really good. And so for me, like, I want to do a room that's so whomever we're working for.
- [04:01]
Caroline
What a, what a great gift that you get to give your clients in that way.
- [04:05]
Andrew Howard
Absolutely. Yeah. And, you know, I think that we talked a little bit before about, you know, rooms and things. I like each room to sort of be a, be a new experience. I think a lot of times people are, are nervous, like, is this room going to connect to the next room properly? And I've never been a big believer that rooms should connect. I don't think we need to have similar themes in rooms. We can, we can explore something different in each room. It's fun for me to walk around the house and be surprised every time you turn around the corner to see something new and different.
- [04:33]
Liz
I think that's really interesting because we do hear a lot about There being a thread from one room to another. So what, what is it that that makes you want to have a new experience? Or is there any kind of thread? Even if it's a, even if it's just a very thin thread that goes through.
- [04:51]
Andrew Howard
When I first start a project with anybody, we sort of look at, you know, pictures and sort of determine what the style of the, of the house might be or what style we like. So I think, I think style wise, we don't want it to feel like a show house where a different designer did every room. I think there's a, there's some nuance in doing, doing a traditional house with different colors or a modern house with less color. I think the rooms need to sort of feel like they belong in the same house, but color wise, I don't think they need to relate to each other, if that makes sense.
- [05:20]
Liz
Okay, that makes, that makes sense. Yeah.
- [05:22]
Caroline
You use a lot of traditional pieces, but there is so much that's unexpected, whether that's the color or, you know, a funky chair or maybe a more geometric pattern or something. So I'm curious, like where, where usually starting are there things that you kind of go back to and draw on for inspiration?
- [05:44]
Andrew Howard
You know, I, I think for me there was a, there was a point in time where, where I just kind of looked at what I was doing, you know, maybe 10 years ago, and just like, you know, every piece in this room is, is recognizable. Like I, I sort of like this room looks like any other room. And I'm always trying to self reflect and think of ways we can, you know, improve. So I just had this realization day. I was like, I want to do rooms when that, when you walk in, you don't recognize anything. Obviously with fabric, that's a little hard and it doesn't always work, but at least with pieces we can do that. And so I, I want rooms to look like, you know, where did that come from? Or where did that come from? Versus oh, I've seen that mirror before. It's from this company. So I take a lot of pride in that and, and really work hard to do that and make a room feel collected. I kind of fashion myself as the anti decorator. I'm not, I don't really hang out with a lot of other decorators and I don't do a lot of design events. I probably should do more of them, but I just come across as a regular guy, I guess, and, and want my rooms to feel super special, but not, not decorated, if that, if that makes sense. Collected is A better word.
- [06:51]
Caroline
Okay, but how are you finding pieces? Like, you have to buy it from some, right? I mean, well, is it just, like, vintage? Are you making it one of a kind?
- [07:01]
Andrew Howard
We're doing a lot of vintage stuff. And then. And then sometimes we'll, you know, we'll look at. I'll look at books late at night and say, gosh, I love that side table that this person used. Let's create something kind of like it for this next job. Or I'll be on Pinterest and see a bench that I love and let's do a version of this for. For. For somebody. So it's just a constant rabbit hole of just always kind of looking for the next cool thing.
- [07:23]
Liz
Yeah, I find, like, all of your chairs seem to be totally unique in every room. And even within a room, you'll have like five different styles of. Of seating. And they seem to have a lot of personality, whether that's in the shape or the form or, or whether it's a bright fabric or a textured fabric. What is. What's going on in your mind when you're pairing different shapes and different, different forms like that with chairs?
- [07:54]
Andrew Howard
Well, I lived in my house that I live in now for a year without any furniture because I was so obsessed with getting the right chairs and shapes and all that stuff. So a lot of it's just a kind of a sick obsession, I guess, with things being unique and different feeling. But what really goes into it for me is I'm really big on scale and I'm really big on unique pieces. So chairs, you know, you don't want to have a tiny chair next to a. To a big wing, a wing back chair. You know, you don't want to have things that feel like they. They don't feel similar. Like, for me, I'll always pick a chair before I'll pick the garden seat that goes next to it, because I want the. The height of the garden seat to relate to the arm. I want end tables to feel like you could put a drink on without having to lift your hand up in the air. So for. It's a scale thing and pieces that feel appropriate. And then I'm also a really big comfort guy. I want everything to be really comfortable. I hate those rooms where you go in and you're like, there's not anything in here I even want to sit on. So. Love comfort. And then the last is a strange one. But I have two kids and, and durability for me is major. So I use a lot of outdoor fabrics My wife, when we got this, our sofas, we had. We got our first two sofas in this house, and I was so excited, and they were great looking. And so we finally had a place to sit and watch tv. And the first day we had them, I don't know if you've seen the office where Kevin spills that big pot of chili, but she was eating a bowl of chili and spilled the whole thing on the sofa. And we got it all out. And I don't know how that happened, but we got it all out. So durability for me is a big deal.
- [09:32]
Liz
Oh, that's awesome. Well, I just love, I just love your rooms. And I feel like the chairs are already having a conversation before you can even walk into the room, the party's already started.
- [09:41]
Andrew Howard
I might steal that line for you. That's, that's actually really good. I. I'm gonna start using that myself.
- [09:46]
Caroline
Yeah. I loved your layouts and you really do. You, you know what, actually, you use so many patterns on your chairs and, and on sofas, and I'm curious is that like, do you think of the chair and the sofa in the living room being like the main, like, attraction? Like you're, you're kind of always making them a focal point. And I like that because, you know, you're supposed to, like, that's what the living room's for. It's for sitting. So you're making it look like I'm drawn to this chair because it's interesting and therefore I'm gonna sit in it. I don't know. Is that, what, what is, what is your, your love for a unique chair?
- [10:23]
Andrew Howard
I think the way to make things unique is to sort of realize that, that, you know, not everything, you don't, you don't need to love every fabric in a room. You need to love the room. And so having, having smaller scale or solid pieces in a room really let some pieces stand out and be the star and really. And really be the. Be the focal point of the room. So for me, it's all about, you know, variation. You don't want 10 A list celebrities in one room. You like two or three, and then, and then maybe a couple of B list guys go in there with them. So that's what rounds out, makes it a great movie. So I think that I'm thinking that way, like, what's my superstar fabric? And maybe that's going to be curtains or a sofa. And then how are these other fabrics going to relate to it?
- [11:04]
Liz
And the pattern doesn't stop on the Chairs and the sofa. I mean, let's just start there, too. I mean, you go bold in wallpaper quite a bit. You're not afraid of just doing something completely different on a ceiling. So we've. We've kind of talked about the chairs and the. And the conversation that they're. But how do you round that out into an entire space and consider every space?
- [11:33]
Andrew Howard
Well, I think you hire a designer to make a space spectacular. You know, there's access points for everybody. I mean, you could. Anyone that had, you know, a little bit of time on their hands could. Could go in a store and sort of figure out how to put a room together that looked nice. But, you know, I think you hire us to make it something really special and over the top and, you know, think of things that the average person might not have thought of. My son was playing video games with his friends the other day. I hate video games. But in this. In this room upstairs that I have for them, and they close the curtains because the glare was bright. And he said to his friend, he's like, this is one thing about having a designer for a dad. That's good. Kids would never think to put curtains in a room. And so I was kind of like, you know, that's true. And so we think of the things that maybe kids or other people don't think of. And. And I take a lot of. A lot of, you know, when. When we get. When someone trusts us to help them with their house, we want to. We want to deliver in every sense of the word. So that. That's kind of why I try to think of every surface of every room and just make these rooms feel really alive and energetic.
- [12:39]
Caroline
I loved reading your book because you. You really are so practical in your advice and, you know, kind of what you wrote in it. But I also feel like there's a big, you know, and you kind of spoke to this earlier, but like, this. That St. Simon's project and some of your more recent projects, they take what was kind of in the book even to an. Like, a next level. They're bolder, they're more patterns, they're more colors. They're more accent colors. And I'm curious if that is your evolution or if that's something that you're, like, something your clients are asking for because, like, the temperature is changing in the world of design and, you know, what people are liking or if that's you kind of just being drawn to, like. Like more in. In a different direction.
- [13:25]
Andrew Howard
It's funny about my book and about even the book I have coming up in September, you, you sort of look, at least I do. I sort of look at my book and I love, I love doing the book. It was great and, and everything about it I love. But when, when I go back and look at old work, I'm like, I could have, I could have done this a little better. I could have pushed a little harder here. I could have communicated this concept to the client better that we didn't end up doing. So I'm always self reflecting and kind of looking at ways that I can do things better. And I like to think of every project that I finish. It's my favorite at that moment, but it's also the worst project I'll ever do from here on out. So I don't mean that in a bad way, but you look back at your book and you think, gosh, I could have done a little bit better than that. So it's a lot of self motivation, I guess.
- [14:11]
Caroline
Well, I'm sure our listeners, if they pick up the book, which is Style Comfort home, published in 2021, It's a great book, then they would definitely look at it and, and not think this is not bold. Like they're gonna look at it and think this is bold, this is fun, this is like unusual and something they haven't seen before. But in comparison to what some of the things you're doing now, it's like, you know, it's even more like on that trajectory but pushing further. So I liked seeing that just because I do think that in um, out in sort of the, the Shelter magazine and the Vibes and what we're seeing now, there is more color, there is more pattern, we're seeing more of that. So maybe there's more comfort with it. So I wasn't sure like maybe which came first. But I love that you're using the book as a way to kind of, yeah. Look back at what you've done and, and make it better. That's really cool. And, and you just finished another one.
- [15:06]
Andrew Howard
I did. Uh, it was funny. The, the, the first book, I, I kind of. My son was little, my youngest son was little when I wrote it. And there was this moment when we were potty training in the middle of the night where I went up to his room and sat him on the toilet. And then he said he needed to read a magazine while he was going to the bathroom. And I was like, it's three in the morning, there's not going to be a magazine. And I put that little blurb in my book, and it was like a serious decorating book. And I put that little blurb in the book, and they loved it. And so they asked me this time to see if I could write kind of a funny decorating book that would be kind of a comedy and a decorating book. And so we'll see how that works. I don't. I think it's good, but we'll see how everyone receives it. But this next one's going to be a funny book about decorating.
- [15:51]
Caroline
They being your publisher.
- [15:52]
Andrew Howard
Yes, they did. Yes. So anyway.
- [15:55]
Caroline
Oh, my gosh. Well, I can't wait to read that. When does that come out?
- [15:58]
Andrew Howard
It comes out early September. I'm not exactly sure most people would know when their book comes out, but I think it's early September.
- [16:04]
Caroline
I know we'd love to have you back to talk about it.
- [16:06]
Andrew Howard
Oh, for sure. I will.
- [16:08]
Caroline
Yeah.
- [16:08]
Liz
Because if it's anything like your Instagram, that is. That is a whole rabbit hole that I found myself falling down into. Not just because the photos are absolutely stunning, but because your captions are so hilarious, where every one of your caption is like a teaser into your everyday life. And then here's a dining room.
- [16:29]
Andrew Howard
Right, Right. Yeah. I, I felt like as a, as a designer, I was reading other people's Insta. When I first got Instagram, I was reading other Instagram and I was like, these comments are just so boring. Like, these people. I just. It's boring. Like, this isn't fun. And so I was like, what can we do to make this kind of interesting and, and, and make people kind of hang with my picture for 30 seconds or so? And I came up with that. And, you know, a joke a day is hard to come up with, so sometimes we probably hit Bs and Cs on them, but every now and then I'll get an A, I think. And, and, and, and the joke's good, so we'll speak. My kids say a lot of funny stuff, and when they do, I just tend to write it down.
- [17:06]
Liz
Well, it's a great way to both document your work and document the funny things that your kids are saying all the time.
- [17:12]
Andrew Howard
Thank you.
- [17:12]
Liz
Better than a baby book, right?
- [17:15]
Andrew Howard
I had this. I was at the design center many years ago, and, and, and my Instagram was kind of in the early stages, but this lady saw me and she said, are you Andrew Howard? And I was like, I'm going to do her voice. It's a terrible impression. And she's like, she goes, well, it's funny. You look like it, you look like you just got off your skateboard, but you're a good interior designer. And I was like, okay. And I was like, this is my brand from here on out. Like a guy that kind of vibes like he could have just got off his skateboard but does good rooms. So it was, it's funny what people glean from things.
- [17:48]
Caroline
You kind of mentioned this with the other interior designer. So many people are like, I'm going to describe what's in the room as the, the book or the caption. And your book really takes it into the deeper level, like, why does this work? Or how did I make this happen? Or what was like the motivation or the inspiration here and with really thoughtful insight. So I really, really enjoyed that about the book because knowing where something comes from or what it is doesn't necessarily help us take our own homes to the next level. But understanding the why or the how is much more, I think long lasting and you're gonna kind of keep it longer and makes you go back to the book. So I'm excited to see the, the hum, you know, see some humor in it.
- [18:34]
Andrew Howard
Thank you.
- [18:35]
Caroline
You don't get that very often.
- [18:36]
Andrew Howard
I know, right? It's so, like, it's just so, it's so buttoned up. But I, I think I, I think books are amazing. I mean, you know, I, I've been doing this, like I said, 24 years and I'm looking at books every day just for like, you know, seeing what people are doing, seeing how things are, are being put together, you know, thinking, gosh, this is a great room. I should, I should kind of, you know, do something like this at some point. So, you know, books, design books are the, are the best thing you can do, whether you're a designer that's been doing it forever or you're, you know, picking up your first design book. It's. They're very inspirational.
- [19:10]
Caroline
Oh, there is nothing better than having that, that paper in your hand and getting to see like the whole, you know, the whole room all big, undoing.
- [19:20]
Andrew Howard
The plastic and kind of even like the smell that comes when you open it the first time is like insane. I love it.
- [19:25]
Caroline
Okay, what is your favorite design book? And then I have a controversial question for you.
- [19:30]
Andrew Howard
Oh, well, my, my one I got started with, that I think is by far the most practical and actually was out of print for a while. And they rerelease it is Mark Hampton on decorating. So it's an old book, but it sort of describes the decorating process. And if someone wants to know how to decorate their own house. Other than my book, it's the best decorating book. I'm kidding, but yes.
- [19:51]
Caroline
Okay. Other than your own? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Are you. Do you like a jacket, or do you take the jacket off of the book? Book.
- [20:01]
Andrew Howard
I have not done a book jacket, and I am good either way. But my publisher, for some reason, has not been in the jacket camp. That is controversial because the book looks really good with the jacket on. So maybe I'd say it depends on the book and the designer. If the book. If the cover's, like, insanely great, then I'll probably leave it on. If it's not, I want it to look more. Books look more like a collection when they don't the jacket off. So a little bit of both.
- [20:27]
Caroline
Yeah. Okay. Okay. Is the. Is the place you're putting it ever a consideration? Like, do you go sans jacket on the coffee table? Keep the jacket on on, like if it's on a shelf?
- [20:37]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, exactly. You know, it looks. It's going to probably look a little bit better with the jacket off, but. But yeah, it's definitely a controversial one. I won't disclose whose jackets I've left on and who's I've left off.
- [20:49]
Caroline
Okay. We'll just have to use our eagle eyes in your Instagram feed to see what's on there. Well, okay, I mentioned that you're, you know, you have. There are a lot of designers in your family. I'm curious if you are ever competitive with one another or do you ever disagree about something?
- [21:05]
Andrew Howard
Well, I think I, you know, I don't. It's never really been discussed, but, I mean, obviously, when there's, you know, three, four designers under one roof and working together, I think there's. There's, you know, an internal competition, but I think it's. It's a healthy one. It's not. It's not a. It's like, you know, let's see, you know, what we can. What we can all do and who's operating at the highest level. So it's. There is a competition, but it's not one we talk about a lot. Is maybe what I'd say.
- [21:35]
Liz
Are you going and redecorating each other's homes when the other person's not looking?
- [21:39]
Andrew Howard
I have some ideas for some of their homes. I could share with them for sure.
- [21:44]
Caroline
Off mic. Off mic. Yeah. Do you. Okay. Do you ever go shopping together?
- [21:49]
Andrew Howard
I don't. The rest of them do. I tend to do, um. I'm on the road a lot more than Them. So I'm, I'm gone a lot and you know, I think that, that we kind of shop on our, on our own with clients and they, they, I don't go to market very often or any of that stuff. So they, they do a lot of that stuff and you know, it's just not really my thing.
- [22:14]
Caroline
Uh huh. So you're based in Jacksonville. And you know I love, there's, there is a lot of coastal, I think elements, you know, you, you love like sort of a woven or rattan, there's lots of blue. But I'm like, do you like to kind of get away from that? What is your thought on a kind of beach location and decorating a beach location maybe when it's not a vacation house, you know what I mean? Like living in, I think in a city that could be considered a, you know, coastal, but it's your main house so you don't want it to feel like. Or do you?
- [22:47]
Andrew Howard
Well, I mean when I first started I was, I live by the beach, so I was. I always say people tell people I've done blue and white beach house to death and I love doing blue and white beach house, don't get me wrong. But it's fun to sort of get out around the country and do projects that aren't on the ocean, that are maybe on a lake or maybe in the mountains or maybe in the country. It's fun to sort of not do the same thing over and over. And I think a lot of times people, people are nervous to hire a designer to do a style that they haven't done a lot of. But I also think if someone calls me to do a style I haven't done a lot of, I'm going to dig in a lot harder on that and really study it and try to nail it perfectly the first time. So if you, if you like a designer and they don't necessarily do what you think might be your style, talk to them about it. Because I think a lot of times, you know, the bag of tricks is the bag of tricks. Whether we're doing modern, traditional, whatever, it's, it's the same bag. So it's fun to sort of get out there and do some different things and sort of figure out how, you know, these other kit aparts go together versus my traditional blue and white beach house, which again I love doing.
- [23:51]
Caroline
Well, of course you get to explore a whole new palette, you know, maybe like muddier tones or more, you know, warmer colors. That's. That seems like would be such a. Yeah, fun challenge.
- [24:02]
Andrew Howard
It is. And it's. It's. It's always fun to go to a new place and. And check out the surroundings. I believe that a house speaks to you. And so when you go in a house, not. Not literally, obviously, but when you go in a house for the first time, there's something about the house that sort of says we probably need to be kind of on this roadmap, but you don't have to stay here the whole time. And so I try to listen to that. Like, you don't want to have the decor not reflect at all the architecture of that house. So I think there's sort of a balancing act, but I think that, yeah, that's kind of. Kind of always fun to do something new.
- [24:33]
Liz
Yeah. What was your last challenge that you felt like you really needed to dig in and do a little bit more research and doing a little bit more soul searching and finding the right style?
- [24:44]
Andrew Howard
I have. I've just started doing a lot of restaurants and country clubs, and actually, strangely enough, I got. I got asked to do a bar recently, which was like my own bar, which I'm, you know, in a lot on the weekends myself, which is great. So it's like, I get the bar to look the way I want it to look. So with commercial, there's all kinds of different aspects and finding fabrics that work, you know, if you. I mean, if you. People act crazy in public and if you don't think they do, think about how you've left hotel rooms at some point in your life. Not always super nice and clean. So, you know, you gotta. You gotta accommodate for that. And you gotta think about, you know, how people are gonna treat things and. And how fabrics, you know, how durable fabrics need to be. So we've had a lot of fun doing restaurants and bars and stuff like that. The way a room lives with tables, with. With all the same furniture, really, tables and chairs is different than the way we decorate residentially. So it's been fun.
- [25:42]
Caroline
Yeah. I would think it's almost an entirely different. Not job, but, like, it's a different set of color or fabrics, a different type of materials, different maybe set of rules in terms of met, like, your leeway for walking through your own house can maybe be a little tighter than if you're carrying a tray of, like, drinks or food and you gotta, like, open up your thing to put the tray down and. Yeah, like, it's. That would be totally different.
- [26:07]
Andrew Howard
The bowl of chili got spilled at this house on accident. The bowl of chili will get spilled at the restaurant. No doubt. Multiple times every night. Yes. So they gotta be ready for that. So.
- [26:16]
Caroline
Yeah. Oh, God. I. When I worked in a restaurant, like, you're. Yeah, the. Just the. The. The dirt, the grime, the constant walking, the food, like, gosh, none of that.
- [26:27]
Andrew Howard
Exists at any restaurants. I do, though, so.
- [26:29]
Caroline
Oh, of course not. No. Everyone's very, well, brave.
- [26:32]
Andrew Howard
That's right.
- [26:35]
Caroline
Well, you. You talk in the book about. About color and, you know, using kind of some something fabric or rug or artist inspiration, but I really enjoyed seeing the accent colors that you were using because your color palettes, you weren't. You know, it's not like there was one or two colors in a room. There were three, four, five sometimes. And they really, you know, I said lively in the beginning, and I. I felt like so much of that came from the color. Like, the energy. There was so much energy in the rooms. What do you think about accent colors? Do you think that's something that the average kind of homeowner is not, like, paying enough time, like, attention to or, like, how. What is your. What is kind of your thought on color?
- [27:20]
Andrew Howard
I guess I think. I've always thought that a blue and white room can be beautiful and traditional, but it. They don't necessarily feel layered and alive all the time. I think the more colors you layer in, the more the room will sort of feel alive and happy, and you really want to kind of go in that room. And there's a real simple formula. For people that are starting out, there's only three colors that exist. Red, yellow, blue. And then if you take the opposite one on the color wheel, those colors tend to go together well. So if you have. If you like red, then you mix blue and yellow. Green goes well with red. Pink. A soft red. Pink goes good with the soft green. So just kind of take the color wheel, and if you. If you're struggling, just kind of take that opposite set of colors and put them together, and that's. That's your accent color. If you're starting out, do you usually.
- [28:09]
Caroline
Know all of the accent colors from the beginning or is there. Are there occasions maybe where some color starts to unfold as you get into it or as you're installing that? You're like, oh, this looks great in here. I'm going to start going to add in some, you know, accessories or a pillow or something?
- [28:23]
Andrew Howard
We do. I tend to, when I meet with people, I'll put about. We'll have like, 20 or 30 fabrics out, and I'll kind of move them around and shift in my team. Really Is great about getting some great stuff to start with, but you'll start to put things with each other as we're kind of moving things around, and we'll say, gosh, this really feels good with this. I didn't think to add this pink in with this blue, but it's sort of feeling like it really belongs in the space. So there's some push and pull to it, I think. But, yeah, some of my favorite rooms I've done have had lots of different colors in them and not been limited to just like a white and cream or a white and green or white and blue palette, I think. I think you really get, get alive when you have a lot of, A lot of color going on.
- [29:07]
Caroline
Yeah, I just always feel like my friends who have, you know, beautiful spaces and hardworking spaces, I feel like they are nervous about adding in more accent colors. And I'm like, just go for it. Have fun. Like, add some yellow or some, you know, something like, more out there. You know, it's. Especially if you can do it in a way that is not a huge commitment.
- [29:30]
Andrew Howard
Right.
- [29:32]
Caroline
And start with pillow, I think seems scary. Yeah.
- [29:34]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, start with a pillow. If, and if it feels right, then, then go a little further. But I, I, I, Yeah, no, it is, it's a very scary thing to people. And of all things to get scared of, that would be really low on my list. But I understand that it, it is, it is that way for others. So I, I think, you know, be scared of things that might actually really hurt you in real life and, and, and take some chances in the decorating world would be what I'd tell them.
- [30:00]
Caroline
Yeah. I have a friend who's colorblind, and I think she's always like, does this match? It's. Is this, is this right? I'm like, you're really overthinking this.
- [30:07]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, I, I can see that.
- [30:09]
Caroline
Right. You feel nervous about it, but it's like, it's okay. It looks great. Yeah, you're doing great.
- [30:13]
Andrew Howard
No, I, A hundred percent agree. One hundred percent agree. I've given this office kind of that I'm sitting in now to my kids, and I just wanted this. Yeah, I have, I found this. I'll show it to you guys. This Michael Jackson sequin jacket in my desk chair that they've kind of taken over for me, which is, you know, really good. And then I don't know where this tank top showed up from, but I found this tank top in, in, in my office chair as well. So when you let your kids take stuff Over. That's the kind of stuff you have to deal with. So sorry.
- [30:38]
Caroline
How old are your kids now?
- [30:39]
Andrew Howard
They are 12 and 15. And this is my office, which is where I am now, has become their homework room. And so all their stuff's everywhere around here.
- [30:47]
Caroline
So, hey, as long as they're doing.
- [30:50]
Liz
Their homework dressed like Michael Jackson.
- [30:52]
Caroline
Yeah, that's great.
- [30:53]
Andrew Howard
That's right. That's right.
- [30:55]
Caroline
Yeah. What project was that relevant to?
- [30:59]
Andrew Howard
For me, definitely my home project. There's Michael Jackson stuff all over the house, everywhere. My youngest son loves him, and a Marvin Gaye poster just showed up on his wall the other night. I didn't even know he knew who Marvin Gaye was.
- [31:12]
Caroline
So anyway, have they gotten to the age where they are taking over the art direction of their own homes, or is that something you're still in charge of?
- [31:23]
Andrew Howard
I'm in charge of the starting point, and I actually caught one of them Googling best decor for teen rooms. And then I'm like, hey, we're not doing this, man. But, no, I'm gonna start.
- [31:33]
Caroline
Whatever Google is sharing is not up to your standards. Yeah.
- [31:37]
Andrew Howard
So I started out, and then I always say, you can put as much stuff on your walls with painters tape, that if I had to take it down in five minutes, I could get it down and in the closet in five minutes. And so they've got their stuff up, and if it ever needs to come down, it just comes out of there, and then we put it right back up, you know, if we need to. So they've got. I, I like to give kids free rein. You got to let them, you know, you got to let their personalities shine. Like, you don't. I grew up in some bedrooms and some houses that I felt like were really buttoned up and stiff, and we never really got to let ourselves shine. So I feel like when they go to college, I'll sort of appreciate some of that stuff they put up when they were little as well.
- [32:14]
Liz
Yeah.
- [32:15]
Caroline
Yeah.
- [32:15]
Liz
I, I don't know. I'd watch out. I think you've got some budding, some budding interior designers coming in.
- [32:23]
Caroline
Yeah. Oh, gosh.
- [32:24]
Andrew Howard
At the moment, no, but we'll see. I, I, you know, that would be the dream.
- [32:31]
Caroline
That would be. That'd be really. Wow, what a, what a, like, great thing to have three generations of interior designers. Wow, that'd be cool.
- [32:39]
Andrew Howard
Yeah.
- [32:40]
Caroline
You talk in the book about, you said something about, like, floor plans are really about walls. I thought that was so interesting. And I wonder if you could expand on that. You know what, what Is it about a wall that you're thinking about? Or what's the internal monologue, I guess, of the wall when you're building out the floor plan? Like, where is that coming into your thought process?
- [33:01]
Andrew Howard
Well, I talked earlier about scale. And so, you know, the floor plan is the house and the floor plan is what you got, and it doesn't lie. So for me, we'll always start with a 2D plan and sort of put furniture in and make sure things feel right size wise. Obviously you're going to miss from time to time, but for the most part, you can look at a floor plan. You should be able to look. A decorator should be able to look at a floor plan and translate that to the finished space. And if you can't do that, you might not be in the right business. But we tend to sort of look at a plan and then I'll say, I've got this much space to work with. I can fit this size sofa, I can fit these couple of chairs. And really, you know, we go to site visits and we do them, but they're not terribly necessary because we, we can look at a plan and know exactly what we're getting into and exactly what the room's going to feel like. So for me, you know, once I see a floor plan, I sort of, I got the house. I know what it's going to feel like. I know how it's going to breathe and live and everything starts there. If it doesn't fit on the floor plan, it's not going to fit in real life. So it's really important to make. Make sure everything, everything fits within those four walls. And your ceiling, you know, needs to be interesting whether it's architecturally or whether it's a wallpaper or a color or something like that too.
- [34:15]
Caroline
Yeah. Why does the ceiling need to be interesting? I loved. Okay. There's a whole chapter in the book about interesting ceiling, right. And it was like, it's the most. What did you say? It's the most important wall.
- [34:25]
Andrew Howard
Right.
- [34:26]
Caroline
I was like, what? I. I haven't touched my ceilings.
- [34:30]
Andrew Howard
You know, nobody likes an accent wall anymore. I mean, they're kind of like just not, not. Or at least maybe some people do. I don't love them. I think it is the. I don't like the word accent wall, to be honest with you. But it's sort of the accent wall of the space, Right. It's the first thing you see when you come in the room. And it sort of, you know, before you look at the walls, you'll see that shape of that ceiling and really pay attention to it. So it really just adds, you know, another level to rooms. And when people come through a house we've done, they don't necessarily leave talking about the kitchen faucet or the color of the island. They'll leave talking about the ceilings. And so we try to really work hard on those.
- [35:17]
Liz
You know, that's really interesting because when I was looking for a home, the house that really struck me the most had a really incredible wallpaper on the ceiling.
- [35:27]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, that's great.
- [35:30]
Caroline
I know. I was like, well, what do I put on my ceiling? I have low ceilings. I have like eight foot ceilings. So.
- [35:37]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, but aphid ceilings can be cozy and kind of, you know, nice too. So there's.
- [35:41]
Caroline
Can I go darker?
- [35:42]
Andrew Howard
Well, I mean I, you know that I've never been in your house. You're like, I don't know, I don't know what you got going on, but you know, lots of, lots of ways to get there. I guess.
- [35:52]
Caroline
My like living dining room. I have a great fixture over my dining room table, but there's not a spot for a living room like overhead light. And I've always thought maybe I should add something, but it's only, but I only have eight feet, so I'm like, maybe that's too low, I don't know. So problem I haven't solved yet. What would you do? Is 8ft too low to add a ceiling fixture?
- [36:17]
Andrew Howard
No, I mean, I think that, you know, obviously we prefer in a room like that, lamp light and stuff like that. But. Yeah, but no, I mean there's flush mounts now and even semi flush mounts that sort of, you know, can come down and really illuminate the space. My rule of thumb is the smallest they make a door is 6 foot 8 and so you don't want a fixture that hangs below that. And typically you'd probably like to be like 82 from the floor. And at an eight foot ceiling, that's probably your worst case scenario. Once you get up higher, you have more options. But think about being at 80 to 82 off the floor as a worst case scenario for your lighting.
- [36:56]
Liz
That is an excellent rule of thumb.
- [36:58]
Andrew Howard
Thank you.
- [36:59]
Caroline
Are there certain things that you feel like, need to be in a room other than a great ceiling? Maybe that for the, for the room to get like the Andrew Howard stamp of approval. Are there certain things that you're like, we're missing this.
- [37:12]
Andrew Howard
It needs it, you know, pieces, pieces that look unique. Comfortable furniture, really comfortable furniture that you'd Want to sit on and sit on for a long amount of time. Most houses, you know, depending on kids age, are going to have durable fabrics, you know, and they. They do such a good job with them now. You know, I like my outsides to sort of my outside fabrics to be inside. So those three things would be probably the most. And then I just like rooms to feel lived in. Like. Like when I leave a house, I don't want to have rooms that are off limits for kids or. Or, you know, things were. People aren't allowed to go. We had rooms that we weren't allowed in as kids. And I was like, it's kind of weird, you know, I kind of want to do houses where everyone can come in any room and just kind of have at it. And with that being said, I have a room in the front of my house that my kids are allowed in, but not too often. It's our wife and I charge them $5. I should, I should. But we call it our. We have this thing called Captain's Hour where we hang out at night for 30 minutes with no kids and talk. And so it's like our Captain's Hour room. So that's part of the reason they're not allowed in there too. It's not just because of the fabrics. But yeah, $5 should be on the horizon for sure.
- [38:26]
Caroline
Can you explain that to our listeners who don't know what I'm referring to?
- [38:30]
Andrew Howard
Yes, when I was a kid, we had rooms in our house, again, growing up with designers. So where. Where there was a $5 fine for sitting on certain pieces of furniture, especially with food that we weren't supposed to sit on. But it's weird being a parent now of having boys and seeing my son come home from football practice plowing through like a protein bar and a shake. I wouldn't want that kid sitting on my stuff either. But you gotta make it. Back in the day, we didn't have outdoor fabrics, so gotta make it durable enough that when they do that, you're prepared to. To contain those stains. I guess.
- [39:05]
Caroline
Yeah. I mean, to some degree there's some validity because you're like, are you seriously eating Cheetos on my sofa right now? Like, come on, come on, here. But, you know, $5 for every time you want to sit.
- [39:18]
Andrew Howard
I mean, it adds up, right?
- [39:20]
Caroline
Especially a lot of Tooth Fairy money.
- [39:21]
Andrew Howard
And I grew up a long time ago, guys, so that. That five bucks back then, that was a lot of serious money. Yeah.
- [39:26]
Caroline
So, yeah, I really love your Captain's Hour idea. I'm gonna steal that. I need. I love that, like, the playful language and the, like, firm rule of, like, this is. This is adult time.
- [39:41]
Andrew Howard
You know, I had a friend have.
- [39:42]
Caroline
A special room for it.
- [39:43]
Andrew Howard
I had a friend that told me about it a long time ago. I'm like, that's a kind of a strange name. Does it work? And he's like, yeah, just tell your kids it's captain's hour, and then they'll leave. And I was like, I don't know. So we did it, and they left. And I was like, okay, well, this is. This is good. So I travel a lot, so it's great to catch up with my wife. Just one on one without. And we can say all the stuff that we can't say around the kids and all that stuff, you know, so it's fun.
- [40:06]
Caroline
Yeah. And I assume you get, like, a little screen free time and. Or maybe you. Maybe you watch a show or something.
- [40:12]
Andrew Howard
Oh, we. Yeah, we. We. This is screen free, just, like, hanging out, you know, and then, yeah, screens definitely come back into play later on. But we got 30 minutes. Screen free. Good to go.
- [40:21]
Liz
I want to talk about adding color to millwork and around a space because we don't have a decorating dilemma. Caroline and I are just kind of interjecting our own, apparently.
- [40:37]
Andrew Howard
So.
- [40:37]
Liz
I live in a home that's built in 1930. It has the original woodwork all around the windows. I would love to paint them, but I also want to be respectful of the home and, like, the age and kind of the history of this home. What would you do? Would you go. Would you just go and paint them or refinish them or.
- [41:03]
Andrew Howard
You know, it depends on what you're trying to do. But I do see a lot of homeowners a lot of the time with this wood trim or even wood, you know, tongue and groove or paneling that's stained. And they say, you know, we want to keep true to the house. And I totally agree with that. But a lot of times it's like an inexpensive wood that probably should have been painted back in the day. So someone decided to stain it because maybe a husband got involved and he's like, we got. Are we stain all wood? You know, and. And. And so I think that if it's. If it's like a. Like a fine wood, like a mahogany or a walnut, those. Those live in a good stained world. But if it's something that was probably meant to be painted to begin with, I don't have a problem painting it. And you can always sand the paint off and take it back. So it's not for me. I don't get too concerned about, about painting a stained piece of trim unless it, unless it was like a fine piece of wood that should be stained. Like I said, most of the time when, when, when a stained piece shows up, it's a. It's a piece that probably should have been painted to begin with.
- [42:03]
Liz
Okay, I see your point there. But now what? But now what. What are your first thoughts about what colors to take them?
- [42:14]
Andrew Howard
I will definitely relate it to something in the room. So, I mean, if it's a wallpaper, you know, I think a painted trim, not white. I mean, it's something that relates to the wallpaper. As the wallpaper goes up, it makes it feel like it's got a really good stopping and starting point. And your eye kind of, if you have a wallpaper with a white trim and white base below your eye sort of flows to the ceiling and doesn't really see a defined stopping point. So I think it defines walls and ceilings and spaces to paint it that color. But there are also some instances where we don't need that extra step. We just need to kind of keep it light and bright. And so there's not a one size fits all. I don't think there's a one size fits all for anything in the entire world. But. But I think it's just kind of how things live and breathe. And, and a painted, A painted colored trim is always going to be more interesting to someone who hasn't seen that before. So guests, as they come to your house, like, okay, this is cool, you know, you painted your trim of color. I think it's. I think it's a really nice touch and a simple thing to do. And it's, it's one of those decisions we talked about being scared of, that if you, if you hate it, you can always go back to what it was before pretty easily.
- [43:23]
Caroline
Yeah.
- [43:24]
Liz
Well, I find that that's one of the things that really makes your rooms kind of joyful and playful too, is that extra pop of color.
- [43:31]
Andrew Howard
Yeah. Someone told me a long time ago, they said your clients are gonna have to repaint all their trim in a few years. And I'm still waiting for that to happen, but maybe they will. We'll see.
- [43:43]
Caroline
No, your room is gonna live forever because it's so great.
- [43:46]
Andrew Howard
Right. If they have to paint it, then they'll call me to redo it when they're painting it in a few years. And it's a win, win for me either. Way.
- [43:51]
Liz
So are you choosing a different finish for any painted trims? Like, would you go a high gloss or like, if you have, you know, an eggshell finish on the walls?
- [44:04]
Andrew Howard
I'm typically a satin guy on trim, especially if it's going with a wallpaper. You could punch it up a little bit if you wanted. But, you know, I don't do a lot of high gloss trim. Although, you know, there are some city projects or whatever that might call for it. So I think, I think 80% of the time we're living in the world of a satin finish on it. And then, you know, there might be certain circumstances that call for us to dial that up a little bit.
- [44:28]
Liz
I guess. I'm getting my paintbrush out.
- [44:30]
Andrew Howard
Go call your painter. Let's get this thing going.
- [44:33]
Caroline
You know, I just love Kush. Just your portfolio has so many great color combinations, and it's like there's no color off limits. Is there anything that you are really drawn to right now? Maybe like something unusual that you haven't seen or you've recently sort of been drawn to that you're like, this is amazing.
- [44:54]
Andrew Howard
Well, I'll tell you, I'm not drawn to orange all that much, and I'm a Florida gator graduate, so that's kind of, kind of strange for me. But I'm not drawn to orange in rooms very much. And I'm actually finding myself really drawn to red right now as a complimentary piece, but not as the main piece in a room. So red goes so well with blue and it goes so well with green. Green, like we talked about earlier. So I'm finding myself really exploring using a lot more red than I used to. And it's such a great pair with blue and stuff. So that's definitely something we're getting into a little more.
- [45:28]
Caroline
I love the, like, it's called the Hidden Hollow project on your website. And yeah, you've got so many primary colors in there. But, you know, which I think you know, to our listeners who aren't necessarily looking at the project, they might make them might feel very, like, elementary, but they're layered so well and there's just like this little touch of red. It's the primary color thing I have been seeing out there a lot. I'm curious, like, are you surprised how much you're enjoying it? Is that something that just was really for that particular client or are you feeling like that's more like interesting and exciting for you?
- [46:06]
Andrew Howard
It's. Well, A, I appreciate everything you said, but B, Hidden Hollow is where I'm sitting right now. It's my house, so.
- [46:13]
Caroline
Is it really?
- [46:13]
Andrew Howard
Yeah. So I. I was the client, so I kind of. I. I didn't. I didn't. I typically will work with a team member on a project, and I kind of did this one on my own.
- [46:22]
Caroline
I see your office now.
- [46:23]
Andrew Howard
And so, yeah, I'm sitting right here. Right. So the blue. The blue built ins right for me. I kind of wanted this to be a house, like if a. If a client was considering using us or. Or something to come over and. And take a look at and. And see kind of what a. What a. Well, at least in my mind, designed house looks like. So no client involvement. One year of sitting in the house with no furniture and thinking about every little detail. That's how we got here. So anyway.
- [46:51]
Caroline
Oh, my God, that living room is just.
- [46:53]
Andrew Howard
That's the Captain's hour spectacular.
- [46:55]
Caroline
Great, great ceiling. Great ceiling.
- [46:58]
Liz
Yeah. Everyone needs to check this house out, because seriously, this is the best show house ever.
- [47:03]
Andrew Howard
Thank you.
- [47:04]
Liz
Really fantastic.
- [47:05]
Andrew Howard
Well, I mean, I tried to relate. I try to, you know, do things that. That. That my kids like too. So we did a dining room mural kind of based on our trip to Nantucket. We took that everyone loved, and they actually. Actually put them in the mural. Most of the art we have are not things that I picked out of my own. They're things that, like, I. We kind of have seen on trips and they loved and they kind of reacted to, and we bought something from the same artist or something. So there's a lot of family history here. I had someone knock on my door recently and inquire about buying the house, and I just thought that there's just so many stories in these walls now that I just. I don't know that I could do that at this point.
- [47:43]
Caroline
Yeah. What do you say when someone's like, hey, can I buy your house from you?
- [47:46]
Andrew Howard
I'd say, how much are you offering? As the first thing I say. And then after that, I think about it, you know, think about. You know, my first. My second thought is where. Where would I go next? And do I want to deal with the year of having no furniture and all that stuff again? And, you know, for the right price, I probably would. But, you know, we'll see. We'll see how it goes.
- [48:04]
Caroline
Yeah. Well, I just. I love the color and the. Oh, my gosh, the color is just so inspiring and fun. I mean, that. That first living room with the chartreuse on the chair and the. What is up with the. The pleated. The pleated like skirted lampshade.
- [48:24]
Andrew Howard
Yeah.
- [48:25]
Caroline
You know, I'm seeing that everywhere.
- [48:26]
Andrew Howard
Yeah. Lampshades are kind of a new thing that, you know, I don't like missing details. And so I think you. If a plain, you know, shade is a detail. Miss. So I tried to go for check in every box. And the funny thing about that room, I always tell my wife, and we're sitting in there, like, that's the room that no client would ever go for if you showed it to them on the table with the chartreuse chair and then in the wild wall fabric. So it's. It's funny that that room exists in my house because it. I don't think I could ever talk a client into doing that.
- [48:55]
Liz
But would you invite a client over to have them experience it?
- [48:58]
Andrew Howard
And then they'd be like, oh, okay, yeah, sure, absolutely. That's. That's another thing. So, and, and. And then the other thing in play is that I can say, well, I have a room like this at my house. And if you say that, they're like, oh, well, maybe I would do that then. So anyway, it's kind of refrigerant, kind of a. Kind of a thing. Yeah.
- [49:14]
Caroline
Yeah. I love that pattern. What is that? Is that. What is that pattern? It's, like, very Scandinavian.
- [49:19]
Andrew Howard
Yeah, it's a cruel from peer for a. It's. It's, you know, it's cruels were, you know, something that you saw a lot of. I was going to say a long time ago, but, like, when I was first starting out, there were a lot of cruels in the world. And then it kind of. They went away for a while, and now they're back. And I love them.
- [49:35]
Caroline
Yeah. I love all the. It was that the jumping off point. I mean, the colors in it are just.
- [49:40]
Andrew Howard
For sure. Yeah, no, for sure. It was like, you know, it just opened the box of like, okay, I've got every color in this. In this fabric on the walls, actually, except for blue. So I added the blue in on the walls and then. And then I was just like, you know, anything we pick, we've got so many colors we can tie back to these curtains. So it gave you. Yeah. A great jumping off point. And then it kind of needed to be the star. Right. So I, I didn't put a lot of other big, you know, crazy patterns in that room. I kind of let that thing be the star. And then the rest of the guys just compliment it.
- [50:07]
Liz
Yeah.
- [50:07]
Caroline
I also love the. I guess maybe it's the family room in this. In your house. Where it's like, you've got the pattern sectional, the stripe wallpaper, the pattern on the. The window treatments. It's so. It's like blue and white, but to. To that next level I was talking about earlier, where it's. It's everywhere. And you've got a great ceiling in there too.
- [50:30]
Andrew Howard
I got a great story about that room. So I was sitting around Christmas three or four years ago, watching Po Malone, and I saw Buzz's room had a really cool wallpaper in it. And I texted my decorative painter that I'm friends with, and I said, hey, should we make a wallpaper like Buzz's room from home alone, but maybe change the colors a little bit? So that's Buzz's room's wallpaper from home alone. Ish. That we changed the colors to, and that sofa is the one we spilled the bowl of chili on.
- [50:57]
Caroline
So in that fabric.
- [50:59]
Andrew Howard
Yes.
- [51:00]
Caroline
Okay. Okay. Talk about an iconic house, right?
- [51:05]
Andrew Howard
The best. I mean, you know, the best for sure. But it's. I get a lot of crazy. Like, you'll be watching a movie, you say, gosh, that thing's really pretty, and I'll take a picture of it. I'll send it to somebody. I'll say, we could do something like this. Because, you know, I try to think of when I said we're doing things that are unique, I. I think the whole world is sort of our. Our market. So you never thought you'd take decorating inspo. From. From a kid's Christmas movie, but here we are, so.
- [51:29]
Caroline
Oh, gosh. I. I like, vividly remember those tile countertops where they spill the milk on the green tile countertops, and the. My gosh, there's so many things about that house that are so. Well, maybe just for, like, a kid of that age, but, you know, like, so visceral.
- [51:47]
Andrew Howard
I mean, I'm the kind of nerd that I've driven by there and taken my picture in front of that house, so, you know, I love it.
- [51:52]
Caroline
Nice. Yeah. Do you think that red and green is ever coming back? Not in that green.
- [51:59]
Andrew Howard
Like, not in that level of intensity, at least not for a while. But it's. It was great in its time, and. And. And I think that sort of evolved version of that is. Is sort of in style right now, but not. Not that exact way they did it, for sure.
- [52:14]
Caroline
The burgundy and, like, the hunter green.
- [52:16]
Andrew Howard
Right, right.
- [52:18]
Caroline
Is there a location that you've never done a project where you would love to do one?
- [52:23]
Andrew Howard
That's a good question. There are a lot of places I'd like to do a project. The Pacific Northwest would be great just because it's kind of a climate that. I've never done anything like that. Obviously overseas would be great. Like a London or Paris or something would be amazing. And this is strange, but we've been to Alaska as a family and I always thought it would be great to do something really great in Alaska too. So. But I'm up for anything anywhere, so.
- [52:53]
Caroline
Whatever comes next, we'll do in the Pacific Northwest. Do you go like moody and like muddier tones or.
- [53:03]
Andrew Howard
I think it would be right. And so it's, you know, I said earlier that it's always fun to do something that you haven't really explored before. And so it would be sort of a new, a new kicking off point for, you know, depending on the house of where it was. But I think, yeah, a moodier, you know, not as bright colored house would be a lot of fun to do up there. Like on a really great like rock cliff or something like that. I'm just throwing that in there just in case anyone has that and they want to call me.
- [53:29]
Caroline
Any listeners.
- [53:29]
Andrew Howard
That's right.
- [53:30]
Caroline
We've got the guide for you.
- [53:31]
Andrew Howard
That's right.
- [53:32]
Caroline
Yeah. So we've, we've had to, we've had a few people ride in from the Pacific Northwest. So.
- [53:37]
Andrew Howard
Okay. We did a road trip up there last summer and we drove from South Oregon to. Or Portland, not Portland, Oregon to just north of Seattle as a family over seven days. And we stopped a lot and, and did a lot of hiking and stuff and probably too much hiking because there were some upset kids after some of them. But it was a lot of fun and it was a great area.
- [54:01]
Caroline
Then sharing all of your amazing insight. I just, everyone needs to go check out your portfolio, get your book, follow you on Instagram because your work is so unique. It's, you know, it's. I think what everyone is really being drawn to right now, especially the traditional. But it's fun and different somewhere where somehow too, but also nostalgic and familiar.
- [54:23]
Andrew Howard
Thank you. You guys are great and I, and I appreciate all the compliments. If I'm ever having a bad day, I might just call you back and say, tell me a couple.
- [54:29]
Caroline
Listen back to this episode. Feeling down.
- [54:32]
Andrew Howard
Yeah. But no, thank you so much for having me. It's been great to talk to you guys and chat with you for the first time.
- [54:38]
Caroline
Can you tell everyone where they can find you, follow you and see your work?
- [54:41]
Andrew Howard
Sure. My website is andrewjhoward.com and I threw the J in there because the Andrew Howard was taken. I'm not a middle initial guy, really. And then I took it to my Instagram, which is at andrewjhow, and I just thought that sounded cool. So I'm on Instagram @AndrewJhow. You can find anything else you need on either my website or my Instagram. So go by and stop by and tell me if you think my jokes are dumb.
- [55:07]
Caroline
And you know what? In three or four months, pre order the book the next book for the September release. Can you tell us the name?
- [55:15]
Andrew Howard
It's called Comforts of Home, which is a lot like style Comfort home. But, you know, everyone knows a lot more about books than me. I know about decorating, and so they thought that was the right title for the book. I'm like, if that's what you guys think, we're gonna go with it. So Style, Comfort, Home, Comforts of Home, Comfort and Home in the book. If you just put that in, maybe you'll get both my books on Amazon. So.
- [55:37]
Caroline
For sure. For sure. All right, well, thanks. And that's our show. 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, email your questions to podcast Ballardesigns.net so we can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs.
- [55:57]
Liz
Don't forget to subscribe wherever you can your podcast so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.
- [56:03]
Caroline
Until next time, happy decorating.