Ep. 432: How to Approach Wall Art with Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg

Summary

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How to Decorate Podcast – Ep. 432: How to Approach Wall Art with Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg

Host: Ballard Designs Team (Caroline, Taryn, Liz)
Guest: Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg
Date: September 23, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Ballard Designs team welcomes exclusive Ballard artist Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg to explore how to approach wall art in home decor. Drawing on her decades of painting experience and deep roots in the home furnishings industry, Mary Elizabeth shares her creative journey, design philosophy, and practical advice for bringing meaningful, large-scale art into your home. She discusses the stories behind her iconic chandelier paintings, trends in color usage, her process for commissions, and practical tips for both selecting and displaying wall art.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backstory & Inspiration: The Chandelier Paintings

• Family History: Mary Elizabeth grew up in Atlanta, surrounded by creativity—a mother who taught Italian, social etiquette, and ballroom dancing, and a father who was a cinematographer and director ([01:10]).

• “Spring Ball”: The original chandelier painting was inspired by her mother's cotillion parties. The colors in the painting reflect the dresses and suits of party guests, encapsulating the festive atmosphere:

  • “It was called the Spring Ball, and…this is sort of a throwback to that era.”
    (Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg, 01:53)
  • “If minus the colors, this will just be an empty room just with a chandelier. But the colors…are just reflecting light from… the colors of the dresses in the rooms from the Colors of the guests…”
    (Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg, 01:53)

• Two Different Vibes: She creates both “daytime” and “nighttime” chandelier paintings, distinguished by their background tones and colors of the reflected “people”.

2. The Role of Storytelling in Art

• Art Evokes Personal Memories: The paintings are imbued with memory and emotion—her work is often rooted in personal or family stories.
  • “For me, I really have a connection to the subject somehow, some way. And that's what I love to do: to paint things that have connections.” (Mary Elizabeth, 14:48)
• Chandelier as Heirloom & Nostalgia: Partly a reaction against the loss of meaningful heirlooms in modern home design.
  • “There was a trend…we pulled these chandeliers out of beautiful homes, and they were replaced with builder special lighting…It was an heirloom.”
    (Mary Elizabeth, 06:16)

3. Mary Elizabeth’s Journey as an Artist

• Creative Family: Both parents and her brother were artists or art-immersed.
• College Beginnings: Started painting in college, learning to stretch canvases herself ([13:08]).
• First Big Painting: Inspired by a friend’s handwritten note—a large flower painting with sentiment and memory at its core ([13:08–15:41]).

4. Approach to Art in Home Spaces

• Scale and Impact: Mary Elizabeth champions large-scale pieces for dramatic impact in a space:

  • “For me, and size, I have a small chandelier over here, but really that's just a tester for me before I create a large size [painting]... all of my art is at least four foot by four foot or a six foot double panel.” (Mary Elizabeth, 08:21)
  • “I design that way in my home. I design light fixtures. The light fixtures in my home are gigantic. Yes. But I love something with scale.” (Mary Elizabeth, 20:32)
  • “I think something powerful and meaningful needs scale.” (Mary Elizabeth, 20:57)

• Mixing Color Palettes: Art doesn’t have to match a room exactly, but should “work together” to create a cohesive feeling ([21:52]).

• Rugs as Art: Rugs are “art on the floor” and can be a foundational element for building a room’s palette ([22:06]).

5. Mary Elizabeth’s Artistic Mediums and Influences

• Acrylics: Always paints in acrylics due to preference (strong oils bother her), and uses large brushstrokes ([20:32]).
• Subjects: Chandeliers, florals, landscapes, animals (custom pieces like deer, golf scenes for men’s offices), focusing on life and movement ([17:19]).
• Abstracts: Finds painting abstracts difficult due to her need for connection to the subject matter, but admires them in the work of others ([15:41]).

6. Color Trends & Industry Insight

• Upcoming Colors: Excited about a return of jewel-tone teals, ochres, browns, and rich colors paired with wood ([26:06–27:14]).
  • “A jewel tone. Like a peacock kind of... Yes, yes, yes. Not the lighter version, but more of that peacock feel. Love that. Love it. A deep rich.” (Mary Elizabeth, 27:13)
• Romance in Products: Mary Elizabeth is passionate about the “romance” and stories behind furnishings and their craftsmanship ([27:43]).

7. Commissions & Custom Work

• Commission Process:
  • Starts with understanding the client’s space, fabric, and color preferences.
  • Often creates a smaller “sample” painting before producing a final large-scale piece.
  • “It's definitely a collaboration.”
    (Mary Elizabeth, 35:18)
• Personalization: She pulls colors from dresses, skies, or photos for deeply personalized projects (weddings, events).
• Art as a Timeless Memory: Paintings can subtly evoke special moments (weddings, traditions) without being overtly a “wedding photo,” offering more longevity ([36:42–37:47]).

8. Practical Tips for Choosing, Hanging, and Displaying Art

• Choosing Size: Don't be afraid to go big; impactful art can “be the wall.”
• Hanging Height: Depends on ceiling height, scale of art, and room purpose:
  • “It depends how tall your ceilings are…For me personally, large scale is going to take up the majority of the wall…It is the wall.” (Mary Elizabeth, 43:54; 45:01)
  • Avoid hanging work too low; keep in mind how wall color and ceiling height affect perception ([43:40–45:00]).
• Mixing with Other Elements: Pair smaller artwork with objects like plates or family heirlooms to fill space and add interest ([45:05]).
• Anchor Each Room: Build rooms around meaningful items—art, heirlooms, or personal treasures add connection ([45:56]).

9. Ballard Partnership & Buying Art

• Quality Reproduction: Ballard’s art prints match the texture and quality of the originals, available in customizable sizes ([39:04]).
• Coming Soon: New horizontal, vertical, square, double-panel, landscape, and floral pieces launching for Ballard ([40:33–42:18]).
• Where to Find:
  • Mary Elizabeth’s work at ellenbergchair.com, Ballard Designs’ website and stores ([47:03]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Chandelier Series:

  • “For me, this would be something in daytime…it's definitely going to be in the spring because they're wearing pinks, they're wearing the lighter colors, they're wearing dresses. There's lots of yellow in it.” (Mary Elizabeth, 03:19)

• On Trends & Heirlooms:

  • “If you bought an older home, it would usually say in the closing documents, the chandelier is not included. That's…going to the, you know, the granddaughter…because this was an heirloom.” (Mary Elizabeth, 06:16)

• On Commissioning Art:

  • “It's really a process that, hey, I like this fabric…my aesthetic is either traditional or…it’s going to be a little bit more modern…From there, we build…It’s definitely a collaboration.” (Mary Elizabeth, 35:18)

• On Large-Scale Art:

  • “It is the wall.” (Mary Elizabeth, 45:01)

• On Timeless Memories in Art:

  • “How do I give note to [a big memory] and love on it without it being so actual, you know, like, it's a little…has more timelessness to it than a photo…” (Caroline, 37:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:33 | Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg introduction; Ballard collaboration | | 01:53 | Story behind “Spring Ball” chandelier painting | | 06:16 | Why she started painting chandeliers; loss of heirlooms in homes | | 09:44 | Mary Elizabeth’s family background and creative roots | | 13:08 | College years: learning canvases, the story behind her first painting| | 17:19 | Subjects of her art: florals, landscapes, animals | | 21:52 | Coordinating art with room color palettes | | 26:06 | Color trends: teal, ochre, browns | | 27:43-29:22| “Romance of products,” storytelling in furnishings | | 32:28 | Modern vs. classic in chandelier paintings | | 33:26 | Process for small/commissioned works; idea of “sample” paintings | | 35:01 | Commission process, personalization | | 36:42 | Art as an alternative to overt wedding photographs | | 39:04 | Ballard’s prints: customizable sizing, high quality standards | | 43:40 | Tips for hanging art: height, scale, wall color | | 45:56 | Anchoring each room with something meaningful | | 47:03 | Where to find Mary Elizabeth’s work |

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Closing

Mary Elizabeth Ellenburg’s approach to wall art centers on scale, storytelling, and personal connection—encouraging homeowners to choose pieces with meaning, to go bold in size, and to infuse rooms with elements that evoke memory and emotion. Her partnership with Ballard Designs brings sophisticated, soulful art to a wider audience, making customizable, high-quality prints available for diverse spaces. Her advice: choose what resonates with you, embrace dramatic art, and let every piece tell a story.

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Where to See & Buy

• Mary Elizabeth’s Work: ellenbergchair.com
• Ballard Designs: In-store, online, and catalog

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Transcript

[A]

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.

[B]

And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer.

[C]

I'm Liz. I head up the creative team.

[D]

We're your hosts.

[A]

Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks and tales from interior designers, stylists and other talents in the design world.

[B]

Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.

[C]

We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email [e-mail] now on with the show.

[A]

Today we're thrilled to welcome one of our own exclusive artists, Mary Elizabeth Ellenberg. Inspired by Monet and growing up in a creatively enriched family, she's been painting for over 25 years. Her work is characterized by bold brushstrokes and large scale statement pieces that tell compelling stories. You can see a collection of her paintings on our website and we are one of your exclusive prints. Like we sell exclusive prints of your pieces. So I always think that's so fun. Many people don't realize that we offer prints with real artists in our collection.

[D]

It's so cool. It's so fun.

[A]

Welcome to the show.

[D]

Thank you so much. I grew up here in Atlanta. I've been a big fan of Ballard for years. So to be able to have a collaboration with Ballard Designs is really exciting for me and it gets real original artwork reproduced into the hands of my neighbors hopefully. But it's been a great experience so far. So thank you for having me. Yes.

[A]

And you were so kind to bring a few of your paintings, the originals.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

To the podcast room today. So we're recording here in our studio in Atlanta and we've got one of your big chandeliers behind you and then a little mini over here.

[D]

Yeah. So behind me this is what's called Spring Ball and it is sort of a throwback too. When we were growing up, we would go to our grandparents home and there'd be these really great crystal chandeliers and old homes, big chandeliers, really fun, super fancy. And grandparents would have parties and lots of guests and lots of fun. So this is sort of a throwback to that era. Um, what you see here, this is all crystal. If minus the colors, this will just be an empty room just with a chandelier. But the colors that are, that are on, that are just reflecting light from the, the colors of the dresses in the rooms from the Colors of the guests, if you will. Um, and I grew up with my mother teaching Italian, and she taught social etiquette and ballroom dancing, and she would have every year a ball at the end of her classes, and it was called the spring. So the name comes from her cotillion parties where she would host kids and they would come in these really pretty dresses and the boys in their suits and all. All dolled up in seventh and eighth graders. So it was really a lot of fun.

[C]

Yeah, I love that the marks are representing the people in the room and they're the colors that they're wearing. And because they're. It's such a festive painting and such an icon, that great chandelier.

[D]

Thank you. So if. If I'm thinking about what sort of party this would be, I would say this would be something in the daytime before. Not, you know, it's. It's a lighter color background. So it could be four o', clock, it could be a five o', clock, it could be something with still some light outside. And then it's definitely going to be in the spring because they're wearing pinks, they're wearing the lighter colors, they're wearing dresses. There's lots of yellow in it. Now, I've painted so many chandeliers over the last 20 years that I'll have someone say, hey, I would love a chandelier that represents a darker party. And so this chandelier here, that's an example of a nighttime party. And this would just be a darker setting, a darker room. What I love in this particular. The smaller one is you can see some dark blue, and that is a reflection of the men in all their suits. So men are in dark suits at night and women are still dressed in some colorful dresses. But I love the two different sort of backgrounds. And it makes you feel like, you know where this is happening, you know, you know where this party would be. Yeah.

[C]

Because the backgrounds are really abstract representations of the space and these colorful fields. That's really great to know that you're putting yourself within a place when you're making these.

[D]

I love them. And I started out the first couple of chandeliers that I. That I made after this one. This is the original. Oh, this is like the original. The original original, yes.

[C]

And this has been you ever made.

[D]

Ever made? Yes. Wow. Yes.

[C]

Oh, thanks for bringing it.

[D]

And so this one, then from here, I just to sort of get your name out there as a local artist, I donated to auctions. I would get. Would make several schools, would call me Would you donate to our auction? Sure. Schools I wasn't even affiliated with. And then there was this inclusion program at Peachtree Prez that we loved. We loved, loved as a preschool. And so I made sure that we were in that auction every single year. And we've been at an auction for probably 15 years with different ones. So those folks who bought through the early stages, they really have fun. Different colorways. And I loved some of those that I did for those auctions.

[A]

When you did this very first one, like, you know, you said it was inspired by your mother's cotillions, but, like, what to walk us through, like, the idea behind that first one where you, like. Because you've created. It's almost like a silhouette.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

It's almost like the perspective on the chandelier is really unique because you didn't paint, like, the people. You didn't paint, like, the whole ballroom. You just painted the chandelier. So I was curious what, you know, kind of what you were thinking when.

[D]

You first did that question. And it sort of revolved. It brings me back to my experience and the home furnishings industry, which I've been in since 1998. And we've all seen trends come and go. The trend that I. It hurt me the most was the trend that. That we pulled these chandeliers out of beautiful homes, and they were replaced with builder special lighting. So before that, if you bought an older home, it would usually say in the closing documents, the chandelier is not included. That's in the will that's going to the, you know, the daughter or the, you know, granddaughter or that's promised to someone else, because this was an heirloom. And so I felt like there was a. A time period that we were really void of that. Let's sit around the Thanksgiving table and see our reflections in the chandelier that's been in our family for 200 years. You know, so it was really from that void. And I. And I being at the furniture market so much, this year will be my 47th consecutive market. We'd go twice a year to High Point. But seeing the trends and seeing us pull away from that aesthetic was really the impetus for me to start painting this. I'd paint other things, but I loved just bringing that back. And if you even go to the Swan Coach House, they had an iconic chandelier in the restaurant for years. And you go in now, and it's. It's not in there now. I believe they've moved it to the basement. But, you know, just seeing that that, that, that was a staple for, you know, 50 years, was just really sort of a classic that I wanted to sort of pay homage to.

[A]

The different chandelier designs, like, are you looking at specific chandeliers and sort of using those silhouettes and like where the crystals are and the. The frame to come up with your design, or are you kind of creating your own?

[D]

Sort of creating my own. I love the vertical orientation, so I really think that's a needed orientation for a lot to make a big impact in spaces. Your entryway for your table, you've got a vertical orientation. Your dining room you walk in, you can have a vertical orientation. So I love that and I really love the scale. So I'm more about scale. For me and size, it's. I have a small chandelier over here, but really that's just a tester for me before I create a large size. But if you come in my home, all of my art is at least four, four foot by four foot or six foot double panels. And I just love impact pieces. Really? Yeah.

[C]

Those bigger pieces also just draw your eye up and move your eye around the room too. So that's, that's really great to make them such huge scale.

[D]

Totally agree. And when you can connect with the story behind it, I think that's how art really just affects you personally. So walking into a room, even if you like a pet painting, you know, if you have a pet painting, you can connect with that. It's just really makes your space more personal and sweet. So that's what I love to do.

[B]

How did you even get. I want to go back, I want to go back to like, how did you start painting and in home furnishings, like, where did this all begin?

[D]

Okay, so my family growing up is very creative. My mother was an artist. My brother who went to Georgia Tech, we talked about earlier, tech connection, he was an artist. My father was a cinema photographer, director. And so he was a visual artist behind the camera. He was very talented. He's passed away, but I really felt like I got it from both sides of the family that I've got a lot of, um, you know, creativity. Now I will say, you know, creativity as a college graduate does not pay the bills. So you might have creativity, but the ones you get to be creative in your career forever, you're so blessed. I mean, you have got to count your blessings that you get to do that. So I started out really in the home furnishings business with my husband and, and he grew up in retail, in the furniture business in retail. And he decided to be a manufacturer. And so while he was, you know, working on building a manufacturing company that was high end, eight way, hand tied upholstery, I was, I was working with outside manufacturers to represent their, their lines to wholesale, through wholesale, to B2B channels. And the greatest part about that is that I get to see trends early. So I get to see 18 months before something hits. I get to see where the color way is going to be. I remember thinking, are we really going to do gray? Is that going to work? Because we all had, you know, St. Cecilia granite countertops at the time, which were brown. Yeah. And I thought, okay. And then it, and then it worked. And then every, you know, I mean, it was just like this tidal wave of gray. But seeing that 18 months in advance and telling all of my friends, hey, gray's on the way, and them not believing me, you know, I get why they didn't believe you.

[B]

Right. But yeah, that is so funny.

[D]

Yes. Yes. So I love, I love just the industry. We are really a small, tight knit group. We really are. We've got manufacturers, we have the sales reps, we have the merchandisers. And what I love is that the merchandisers, this is not their first rodeo. So when they come to the furniture market, they're looking for the best. They're looking for the best quality. They're looking for. They have standards that they live by. It's really a professional environment. I love that, especially about Ballard. The Ballard team, they can walk in and they will know right away, you know, this is a great fit for us. That's going to work. That's not, you know. And so initially started in the home furnishing business and this is my 26th year doing that. And then connected with Ballard through a rug line and was, have been working with Ballard through rugs. And, and then now my art. So this is why sort of the, sort of the short story.

[A]

But how did you, how did you start, how and when did you start painting?

[D]

I started painting in college, officially. That's when I started. I learned how to create my own canvases to wrap to, to build the structure behind it, pick the size that I want, stretch the canvas by hand. Uh, you know, that's really an art form in itself. I mean, people don't understand that that is such, that's such hard work to do to build your own canvas. And then I realized, okay, I'm not as good as the guys that do this professionally, so I'm just gonna buy their canvases. But I did that for several years. I built My own, the first real painting, which is like big girl painting. I received a card in the mail from a friend of mine, a handwritten note, and it was on this beautiful station. First off, we were entering that era of email. I mean, I was in college the year that Microsoft Excel came out, so, I mean, this is eons ago, but we were in the. We were transitioning from handwritten letters to emails. And the fact that this friend took the time to write me a letter, and the. The paper even the card was on was a linen paper. I mean, it was just really touching and exquisite. Got that in the mail. And it had this beautiful flower on the front of it. And I just stretched a canvas that was enormous. I mean, it was probably. I think it was six foot tall. And I painted that flower on that canvas for the first, really, my big girl painting. And this was about the time that red and gold, that was like the color of the year, red and gold. And it was a red flower with gold background. And I had a red sofa. I had the rug to go with it. It. All of that. And every time I walk by that painting in my house, it wasn't for anyone else. It was for me, the paintings for me, it just reminded me of her. My friend, and her name's Chelsea, and we went to high school together. And it was just really sweet. So I think that from then on, I knew that I wanted to have art that would speak to myself, speak to other people. Surprisingly enough, it is difficult for me to do abstracts. Hmm. And abstracts are a lot about balance, but for me, I really have a connection to the subject somehow, some way. Um, and that's what I love to do. I love to. To paint things that have connections.

[A]

Do you buy abstracts for yourself or do you like. It's. You said it's hard to paint them, but do you like to buy them in your collection?

[D]

Like, honestly, I do not. I. I do like other artists and I do have other artwork in my home. I love Laura Mooney. She's a great oil artist. And for me, I. A strong perfume will give me a headache. So oil is just not something that I can tolerate, and I respect those who can. Can use oil. Uh, so she's in my kitchen. Her. One of her pieces in my kitchen. Uh, my brother, Brandon Wilson, who. He went to tech. He's the one I was talking about went to tech. He's great. He's phenomenal. And I, I have one of his. He did a series for our entire family at Christmas, which was a six panel series. And we each got a panel. Oh, my gosh. So it's like a puzzle piece. And each puzzle piece is. Is at everyone's home, so.

[C]

Oh, that's so cool.

[D]

Yes. And it's of our family home away from home in Ocean Isle. It's the marsh. And it's just a nice. Really put them all together, they make this incredible landscape. So I have a chunk of that. But so I. I love to paint things that are important to me. And I've been known to walk by the dining room and see something that need to be tweaked and walked up to it with a paintbrush and tweaked it.

[A]

My gosh.

[D]

So I feel like I couldn't do that to someone. El but.

[A]

So you paint a lot for your. For your own self still?

[D]

Yes, I do. Yes. And I do a lot of commission work. If someone has a fabric they're working with in their home or they've got, or they're working with my husband and upholstery group and they need something to compliment it. Yes, I will do that. Now. I love florals. I do a lot of florals. I love landscapes. I love animals. I did a double panel for my brother who lives right outside of D.C. and his wife. And it was a two, two four foot square double panels that were together. And they were two deer and by. And they were deer coming out of the fog and sort of the dew in the morning. And when I finished the eyes, it was almost as if they were just staring at me. And it was. It was wild. I mean, it was just incredible. And then when I unveiled them for him as a gift, a surprise. He said he put them in his. His living room. And every time, he said, I had to move them to the dining because they. They would not stop staring at me.

[A]

But did too good of a job on the eyes.

[D]

He's like, the eyes are just. They're like, you know, feed us or something. I don't. But I love anything with life. Animals have life, landscapes have life. This chandelier, you can see life in it. So that's why those things feel more comfortable for me to paint. And I feel like that art is really a representation of the heart, you know. And landscapes, I love. One of my favorite style to do is a golf scene. And I love that because I feel like there's not as much out there for men in the world of art. We have a lot of florals that we will gravitate to. And what does a man want in his office? He doesn't want a hydrangea bush, you know, appreciates it. And so I love to paint golf scenes and I've done so many of those. But I love to add azaleas in there. And we know exactly what time of year those pop open and, and, and where it's going to be. Southern golf courses with azaleas. And that's sort of my favorite to do.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I believe we have some landscapes and some florals coming next spring. Yes. Yeah.

[D]

From your pieces. Yes. I'm super excited about those. And you know, the azalea, if you think about it, the. It only. Do you know how long an azalea stays in bloom?

[A]

Not long.

[D]

Only three to six weeks a year. So you have these beautiful bushes you grew up with. And the yards, you know, here in Atlanta, they're only going to bloom for three to six weeks. It's wild. It's wild. So really to capture that, I always tell my husband, you know, flowers die, diamonds never do. So we, we have to. We're painting flowers, you know, paint the.

[B]

Flowers to get them to stay. But diamonds are also good.

[A]

Absolutely.

[D]

What do you want for your birthday? That's the response. Diamonds never do.

[B]

So has it always been acrylic then, that you've done?

[D]

It's always been acrylic, Yep. Yes. And. And large brush strokes. So I really love the, the vast, the. The magnitude of something that's large and grand scale for me. And I also, you know, paint that way. I design that way in my home. I design light fixtures. The light fixtures in my home are gigantic. Yes. But I love, I love something with scale. Really? Yeah. I mean, you can probably walk into a space and say, okay, that feels underscaled. You know, if it's something that is. And you and I can do that because we're in the industry, um, and we see that all the time. But I think something powerful and meaningful needs scale.

[A]

I mean, it almost can never be too big. Like, unless it cannot fit.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Right.

[D]

But like, fill up the whole wall.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[D]

Love.

[C]

Go Drama.

[A]

Yeah. Be dramatic about it. I love that. Yeah. What do you. When you are creating pieces for yourself or even commissions, do you let. Do you feel like the painting needs to complement the room's color palette, or do you feel like they can kind of work together but not necessarily match?

[D]

I think it can work together. It does not need to, you know, exactly match. I'm thinking right now at the top of my head, I've got my laundry room. I have a six foot painting in My laundry room. And Greek.

[B]

Yeah, that's amazing.

[D]

Greek key wallpaper behind it, you know, and so. And I have the Phoebe light in there, that acrylic light in my laundry room. So it all sort of is. It's all working together. And I love. Now if I'm going to my living room, I'm starting with the rug laying that just. And rug. Rugs are artwork. I mean, a lot of people, you know, don't recognize that. But these are handcrafted, handmade. I mean, someone with their physical, you know, hands were. They sat down and made these. It's an art piece on the floor, just the same as we have art on the walls. And having spent a lot of time in the rug industry, I have a lot of respect for the artisans. But, you know, in my home in general, I. Of course, I have a lot of art everywhere. I do like to move art around. I think that's a fun thing to do. Yeah. If you. If you have color palettes that work together in room to room, if you are moving your art around, you know, it can be seen somewhere else fresh and look different, and the way the light comes into the room is different. But I do have sort of a gallery house. My house is all white except for the window trim is. And the mullions are. Are. Are dark. But inside the walls, they're all. They're all panda white everywhere.

[A]

So I love that.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And the art really shows.

[C]

Right?

[D]

Very nice. Yes. But I love. I love that, and I love rugs. Those two things are.

[B]

Those are your.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

And so your husband's into upholstery, so you guys are in fabrics together. You guys are decorating rooms together.

[D]

So. He's phenomenal with fabric. Always has been. He's. He's great. We love working together. It's one of those awesome. It's so nice because we're in the same industry, and we've been married for 28 years, and so we've just been able to do this together. And it's. It's really lovely to. To be able to say, hey, let's break. You want to go grab some lunch? Yeah. Yeah. It's really nice. It was very nice.

[B]

So we.

[D]

We do collaborate quite a bit, and he'll ask my opinion, I'll ask his. He's really great with construction and how things are made and built and really the. The. The way it's going to fit your body when you sit into it and all that. And I love. Like I said, I love seeing colorways come out early. I love being on the front edge of, you know, what's happening in the industry.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And seeing, seeing what's next.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

So you really have a pulse on.

[B]

It and to your point to affect your colors and what you're, what you're feeling too.

[D]

Absolutely.

[A]

What colors, you know, that are on their way in. Are you excited?

[B]

Hey, it's Taryn, your favorite host and designer at Ballard Designs. I'm excited to share with our awesome listener that more than 250 new designs are live on the website now. One of my favorite products I designed this season is the arena media console. It is this very super long console that works with any size tv. It comes in this gorgeous dark walnut finish and these textured front and these beautiful little turned delicate legs. M. It's so sweet. And not only is it just sweet, it's really versatile. It has two sets of cabinet doors as well as two drawers. So not only can you fit blankets, you could also fit small things like the remote, you know, the one that always seems to go missing. It's perfect. I'm really excited to finally share some of these wonderful products with you. So please visit Ballardesigns.com backslash new to see all the new beautiful product that we've worked so hard on and we can't wait to share with all of you.

[D]

I'm very excited about a teal. Now, when I was growing up, I was not quite as excited because everyone had teal walls and mob carpet, you know.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

You know. Oh, yes. And so that was really it. If you didn't, if you weren't drinking tab in your teal room with your mob carp, it, you really were not, you know, cool.

[B]

Amazing.

[D]

Yes. So, but really it's, it's, it's a different teal, but it is, it's really sort of fun. And I've already painted a couple of pieces with some dramatic, like, it just brings a lot of drama to the background of, say, some white flowers. Yeah, they really pop off of a teal background and I love it because right now if we're, we're looking at colorways for this fall, we're really sort of in the earth tones and we're going to see a lot of ochre and we're going to see a lot of, you know, browns and, and sort of that mixed metal to kind of mix us out of the grays and kind of warm us up a little bit. But then I feel like you're just going to be super excited about the wave after that, which is going to Be some rich colors, some, you know, teals. And when you're saying teal, are you.

[A]

Thinking like a jewel tone? Teal?

[D]

A jewel tone.

[A]

Like a peacock kind of.

[D]

Yes. Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Yes, yes, yes. Not the, not the lighter version, but more of that peacock feel. Yes. Love that. Love it. A deep rich. Yeah.

[C]

It's kind of amazing how that color teal will go with those ochres and those browns. It really kind of makes all of those sing together.

[D]

Yes. And think about the wood. Think about the wood that they'll pair with it. You know, I mean, the wood color drives a lot of the color in the fabrics too.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And I love the romance. The romance of the products that's really got. What got me hooked in the furniture business is just really talking about how things are made and what is really. I mean, I remember as a salesman at Broyhill Furniture in High Point and this, this man came out to teach us how to sell the wood products that we were selling. That was one of my first jobs. And he was in a three piece suit, he had a tie, he was all dressed up. He was, he was just to the nines perfectly. His shoes were shined. And he sat down and taught us about book matched cathedral cut mahogany tabletops. And we just were, I mean, we were salivating over the romance of the product. We were like, I mean, this is incredible. This is just an entire show that they. And. And they want me to turn around and sat and sell this.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And. And it was incredible knowledge. But the romance of the product is so important to just know that someone really did work and to design it this way. And let's appreciate the thought that went into this to make it so that it would be in your home, you know?

[B]

Yeah. You're storytellers, but you are. Because there is a story behind it. It's your point. And who made it. But that doesn't ever, you know.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Not front of mind. So.

[D]

I know, I know. My dream job would be to host a show on QVC and talk about all the things and the romance. Because there's so much behind just walking in and say, oh, I like a brown table, I'll take that. Or I need a, you know. Yeah. White chair or I need a white sofa or.

[A]

Right, yeah.

[C]

Well, we always talk about bringing the things that you love into your home. So knowing that story or understanding that story behind a piece just makes it more special.

[D]

It's so. It's so true. Yeah, it's so true. Yeah.

[A]

I feel like you're you and you're just going to connect more with something that, you know the story behind. And so I feel like when you have a connection to a furniture piece, you're. You're more likely to have it stick with you, you know, versus something that feels sort of like you can dispose of it and not, you know, and we all want. We all want pieces that we can have for a long time. I feel like the story behind.

[B]

I think that's why people like travel so much and like picking up things on travel, because it becomes part again. There was some usual story with it in general versus, again, just like something as small.

[A]

There's a memory. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

That's why I love hearing the story of your chandeliers, too, because now there's music playing behind it and there's people dancing.

[B]

Oh, I can hear glasses, right?

[D]

Yes. They're probably doing the beach shack, the foxtrot, the cha Cha.

[B]

I was gonna say, I can picture my shoes at cotillion as you said that. I can remember those shoes. And learning that box step.

[D]

Yes, yes. You know how many people don't know how to do the box step?

[A]

They probably don't need more. But I did take cotillion and ballroom dance.

[B]

Yeah, you probably do. You had to learn.

[A]

I might be able to pick it up quicker.

[B]

We both. I mean, yeah, we both grew up. That was. That was mandatory. Far for the core.

[D]

Yeah, sure. Everybody did it.

[B]

You had to do it. You know, it was one of those, like, everyone's doing it.

[D]

It's a rite of passage. Yeah, it was. It was. Yes.

[B]

And sisters took manners in Indiana.

[A]

She's like, what are you talking about? Yeah.

[B]

Wait, did you take manners classes, too?

[A]

No, I didn't take etiquette, but I did ballroom dancing. Oh, yes, But I had plenty of etiquette classes.

[B]

Oh, you have? Yes. Yes. Your mother is very form.

[D]

Yes. No, my mother taught the cotillion classes. So we at home, we were.

[B]

You knew your place setting.

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Do you know it? To this day, I know.

[D]

Yes, absolutely. Which way?

[B]

The knife.

[A]

Oh, yes.

[B]

Faces. I know. That was the kind of stuff that I was like, you know, you're teaching sixth and seventh, eighth graders, right?

[D]

And you're like, yeah.

[B]

What are you talking about? I'm not allowed to use that. Nice plate.

[A]

You know, I think we took ours in six, seventh grade. And like. Yeah, in seventh grade is when you're first starting to, like. It's like a. I don't know. It's very awkward because there's like, the early boy girl dynamics, and it's like.

[B]

And all the boys are still shorter than the girls at that point. I feel like that's such a coming of age. Yes, but to your point, I can. With the picture and its playfulness. And to your point, just being. Talking about it being a spring kind of formal thing where it's, like, beautiful dresses and like you said, the clanking.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

It feels so beautiful.

[D]

It's a long time.

[A]

It's such a, like, traditional icon, the crystal chandelier. But the way you've presented it has sort of a modern take to it because it's, you know, on its own.

[D]

Right, right.

[A]

So I love that dichotomy.

[B]

But then the one over here, I love too, because for me, this is my, like, my favorite thing, which is like a dinner party. Right. Like, that's what it reminds me of. And not necessarily that's what it is, but it's that lower lit and things spark the way. And I can picture myself in my dining room with, like, just the chatter.

[C]

I love that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So when you're doing these smaller pieces, like this one here that has. It has, you know, burgundies, and it has pinks, and it has this blue that's popping through the background that almost feels like a painted E cat. It's. So it's such a great background that you have on this one. What are the challenges that you're facing when you're doing smaller pieces versus larger pieces? When do you do a smaller piece versus? I mean, you know, we all know that you like to go big.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Right.

[C]

So where does this little one come into play?

[D]

So the little one is actually kind of a starting point for a commission that someone asked me to do for them. And I said, okay, I understand your vision. I see your fabrics. Let me show you what. What I would do. And so this is sort of my sample, if you will. Do you go into Ballard and you need a rug. You're going to get an 18 inch sample if you want to take it home and see in your space. Similar concept before we go big. And we spend weeks creating exactly what they'd like to have. So this was an example of that, of someone that wanted that sort of moody feel and they wanted to have a little more drama, and they wanted to feel like it was a night party. And so that's what I did. I created this, and you'll see around the edges of the chandelier, how it's lighter in that background, just to give off the. A little bit of a glow in it. And client loved it. Of course. And then I retained the sample for me just because I love to have a little bit of the, you know, the history on what put together. But yes, so we did, we did a large one for the client after, after she approved that particular small one. But that's where those come from. The, the larger scale ones are really where I focus now. If I'm doing an auction of, if I'm donating a piece, it's going to be a mid size, probably a 36 Max, but it'll still be a vertical piece. And from there I probably will get other folks who didn't win the auction, but they want a commission. I've gotten the second runner up. Call me several times.

[A]

That's great.

[B]

I was going to ask about commissions because I do think again, we're all about kind of empowering people to decorate their own home. What can people have prepared if they're thinking about doing a commission? Like they're, they haven't found what they want. What's the, what's the process for that?

[D]

So commissions really are. Because someone hasn't found exactly what they want. I mean you could search and search. Same thing when, when I created like pictures, couldn't find what I had in my head and that I really wanted. So it's really a process that, hey, I like this fabric. I picked these, this for my room. I, my aesthetic is either traditional or it's going to be a little bit more modern or, you know, seeing sort the space and then also talking with the client and knowing what they really like and their preferences. And from there we build, we build off that. But I definitely want the colors pulled from the room, from the rug or from their fabrics if they've already selected those other items so that we are complimenting that. But yes, I mean it's, it's a, it's definitely a collaboration. Yeah. And I love that. And there's, there's been so many that have said, you know what? I had this really great wedding reception and it was at this time of day and I, I want something to make me think about it. And here's some photos of the folks that were there. And so I can pull colors from dresses, I can pull, you know, the, the color from the, the sky. The, you know, just kind of make something really help them remember what, what was their experience, you know, so. And that, that makes it more personal.

[A]

Yeah, I love that as a wedding, as a wedding gift or like memory because, you know, I think we all like hang our wedding photos and but to me it's like. It's a little bit more subtle.

[D]

Yes. Right.

[A]

And you can put it, like, in a big scale in your living room or dining room. If it's a chandelier, you know, like something that was inspired by the wedding in a way that, like, I wouldn't blow up a huge wedding photo.

[D]

Right, right, right. Well, in my era, it was glamour shots.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

Oh, they were so glamorous.

[A]

I know that many people do it. I'm not opposed to it. It's more just like. It's a subtle way to kind of get that same memory, but without it being like, right, this is the wedding. You know, it's like, sort of inspired by it.

[D]

Yeah, totally.

[B]

A lot of. A lot of big things in life. There is. There's that kind of. How do you. Without it being so in your face. How do I give no to it and love on it without it being so actual, you know, like, it's a little.

[A]

It's. I feel like it has more timelessness to it than.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A photo which has such a. I think we can all look at a photo and be like, I know exactly when that was taken.

[D]

Yes, right.

[A]

Whether it's worse.

[D]

Right.

[A]

The sharpness of the camera or, like, the colors of the, like, you know, print or whatever. Or like the hairstyles, but. But like, you can't tell as much with, like a painting, you know, which I think is really. Yeah.

[D]

We have one wedding photo in our den. It's only about a. Probably an 8 by 10, 5 by 7. And the kids always say, dad, when did you have brown hair?

[B]

So at least it seems like my kids are like, you had hair.

[D]

So, you know, you would like.

[B]

You would like Karen, who was our other host because she only. I don't think she has any photos in her house. She's against photos.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

She's against personal photos.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So you're normal.

[D]

You're actually, you know, on par. Yeah, I'm against printed T shirts. So we all have our little.

[A]

Yeah. You all have our rules. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm anti bumper sticker.

[D]

We have our little thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's so funny.

[D]

Isn't that funny?

[A]

Well, one thing you mentioned about sizes, and I just wanted to mention that one of the nice things about your pieces that we sell are that you can order them in any size.

[B]

So.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

That's kind of nice. Because if you have a specific place that you're wanting to hang it, you can kind of size.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

With prints. That's the best part. Because to your point, sometimes it really is like I. Or you love a piece so much and you're just like, well, it doesn't work in this space, but maybe in this space, you know, so having that, like, flexibility is so nice.

[D]

Yes. The other great thing is the quality of the print. So I just, I wouldn't collaborate with someone who, you know, did not have standards. And Ballard has the best standards with qualities of print. So you can really. I mean, even the one behind me, this is manufactured by the same vendor that's reproducing the chandelier art. And, you know, Ballard buyers and Ballard merchants have always had a standard to, to create products. And that's great for the Ballard customer because you can. Can really be confident in your purchase. But I, I do love that when I researched which vendor to partner with because, you know, you all gave me several options. The vendor is so phenomenal. Even just the quality of the canvas, the quality of the framing, it's. It's phenomenal. So I'm really pleased. And this is a vertical orientation. The ones that are coming in the future, of course, you can get in all sizes, but we do have some horizontals. You have some squares and other. In the landscapes and, and florals. And then we have double panels coming, which is a really pretty marsh scene you're gonna love. And you can buy one of the panels or you can buy both and have both together.

[A]

Drama that you like.

[D]

Yes. So. And all of those originals are hanging in my mother's home, which is great. So she's getting to enjoy those originals.

[A]

Did you paint each of these new for. Or were some of these, like, things that you already had that you felt like would resonate? I. I didn't know what the.

[D]

Yeah, both. So I have a, A large collection and in sort of after, you know, all of these years of being in the furniture business, sort of know what works. Landscapes work works really great if you have a room with a lot of color other places. So if you've got a landscape with blues and greens and behind you and they're. They're really going to complement, say, your ginger jars in blue and white or they're going to complement your. On your pillows, it's not going to fight those. And what I love is that I was able to sort of pick up on that and bring you pieces that I knew would collaborate really well in those spaces. So I think you'll be really excited. And then there were. There is a floral that I did specifically for Ballard that is, you know, of course, all of these are original, so these have not been reproduced with anyone else. But the one I did specifically, I was able to look at some upcoming colorways that you're using and incorporate those into my color palette as I'm painting. So that's a great way to sort of collaborate together, you know, and have a product that comes out that's really going to be for the whole house and work in a lot of rooms because, you know, we're, we're sitting in a room now with several different fabrics, which all could be in different places in the home and they could be here. So I love that.

[A]

Yeah. You want some versatility?

[D]

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.

[A]

And I am always impressed by Archie Clays because I feel like you, like, you can't tell that there, there's not like a, a texture to it. And unless you actually. It blows my mind, really, because you can almost see like the shadow of the, the paint coming off the canvas and then you get up to it and you're like, oh, wait, that's actually. Yeah, yeah. It's hard to tell.

[D]

And that's when you know you have a really great vendor that's producing it. So it is stunning, the pieces, and they look great in the catalog. And it's being in an omnichannel company where you have the storefront, you've got the catalog and you have the online retail, that is such a phenomenal partnership. And that really also attracted me to working with Ballard.

[A]

Well, it's exciting to get to see your piece. The original chandelier, the original spring ball.

[D]

I'm sorry, there was no spring ball.

[B]

I just think our customer is going to love it.

[D]

Oh, I'm so excited.

[B]

It's so beautiful and happy and how I describe her.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So yes. And I mean, and this one that I'm talking about, that's a fabulous.

[A]

I love that. I kind of love the tiny size.

[D]

The little, tiny guy. Yeah, I know.

[B]

I like a little mini.

[D]

Be super fun.

[B]

So I guess one of my other questions I had was how your, your opinion on hanging art? Are you like what height? This is something I feel like everyone wants to know, like to gravitate on. Like what. Tell me where I should hang things.

[D]

You know, it's almost personal choice.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[D]

It depends how tall your ceilings are.

[A]

Yep.

[D]

How tall? You know, I live in a 10 foot, 10 foot tall ceiling house, so these grand pieces, I mean, they, you know, I'm just got chair rail, chair railing. Most places they're fitting above the chair. You know, it's. Then I have double stacked in my foyer, which is a 20 foot ceiling and two six foot stacked on top of each other. Oh, wow.

[B]

Okay. So you're doing a little bit of everything.

[D]

Yes. And it's based on the room and the style, so. So it's. For me, you definitely don't want to be too low. I think you, you could feel like your room size if, if you're, you know, if this painting were lowered to the back of this sofa, you're really bringing that ceiling down. You're really bringing it and making the room feel smaller. Yeah. It also depends on the color of your wall. If your wall is a dark wall, you're already feeling small. So, you know, from. For me personally, large scale is going to take up. Up the majority of the wall.

[B]

Yeah, you're gonna take your.

[D]

It is the wall. It is the wall. It is the wall.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

But I do love, let's say you're. You're going for something smaller. I do love adding something to the sides, like your brackets, your plates, your grandmother's china. There's something that's gonna just sort of tie all that in together and fill the width. You know, even if you're. You have a painting that's not gonna fill that space on your wall. Yeah, I love doing that. Every room that in my home has got something that I have a connection to. Instead of just going in and saying, okay, this room's gonna be blue. You know, you walk into my great room and that room is based on a vase from my grandmother's wedding that was from 1920. And it's a large. She's about. It's a woman, she's about this big, and it's this seafoam green vase and she's on a bracket protruding from the wall. It's. So the entire room is based around that.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So the art in there is a little bit more subtle because that's the centerpiece. You go to my study and I have my mother's childhood saddle. She rode western as a child. She also rode English, but I have her childhood saddle on a sawhorse. And the room is not casual. I mean, it's, it's, you know, we've got a leather Chesterfield sofa, We've got china, but that is what set off that room. And so the art is all equestrian art. Nice. Which I also love.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

So I think each room really revolves around something that is meaningful to you and that really makes your home so much sweeter and so much more of a connection to your home when you, when you go in, so.

[A]

Well, thank you for joining us. This was so much fun.

[D]

Thank you so much.

[A]

This is so much fun. Love getting to take a closer look at all your paintings and share them with our audience.

[D]

Well, thank you so much. I'm excited about the partnership and thank you. Just appreciate y' all having me.

[A]

Can you tell everyone where they can find you, follow you and see your work?

[D]

Yes. So ellenbergchair.com I have a landing page for art there. You can see my artwork there, of course. See it at Ballard Designs in person, online and just have got some future pieces coming into Ballard and I'm super excited. So stay tuned.

[A]

Yeah, we've got some up already and some on the way, so yes, absolutely.

[D]

Thank y'. All.

[A]

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

[B]

Send in a decorating dilemma, email your questions to podcastallarddesigns.net so we can help you with your space.

[A]

And of course, be sure to follow us on social media. AlardeSigns.

[C]

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.

[A]

Until next time, happy decorating.