← How to Decorate
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- [00:02]
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. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer.
- [00:13]
B
I'm Liz. I head of the creative team.
- [00:15]
A
We're your hosts. 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]
B
We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us@podcastallardesigns.net now on with the show.
- [00:34]
A
Our guest today is an artist, a product designer and the visionary behind the Athens, Georgia based design studio Hable Construction, which she founded with her sister Catherine. Known for her bold hand painted patterns, incredibly joyful use of color, she's been partnering with her sister brand Garnet Hill for 20 years and today we're going to talk about her latest collection, her product design business and how art is the heart and soul of all her product collections. Welcome Susan Havel.
- [01:00]
C
Thank you. Thanks Liz. Thanks Caroline.
- [01:03]
A
We're so happy to both Liz and I have been fans of yours for so long.
- [01:07]
C
That is so sweet. Thrill makes me sound like an old dinosaur, but I kind of am, so I'll take it. Thanks. I know I've been doing this business, this has been about 27 years and I was driving here today thinking what has happened? 27 years, that's actually, that's a long time. I mean like if I said to somebody I've had a business for 27 years, that's, that's substantial.
- [01:32]
A
It is, yeah.
- [01:33]
C
That's kind of crazy.
- [01:34]
B
Anyway.
- [01:34]
C
Yes.
- [01:35]
A
Just set us up like if our listeners aren't familiar with your work.
- [01:39]
B
Okay.
- [01:40]
A
You know, we obviously mentioned you have a product design or a product line with Garnet Hill. But you Habel Construction does, you know, lighting, furniture, textiles, you sell art, you are working on a jewelry collection. So you're, your product design business is really multi category and I, and it all sort of stems from your artwork. So what I want to start with is how you got like where, how did you get into the product design world? Where was that something that you, you know, kind of planned for or did you fall into it?
- [02:19]
C
Like how did it come to planning? I mean, I'm going to be really honest. This is the part that I, well, I will, I am very honest. I'm kind of an open book sometimes if you hit me on the Right. Day. That's every day. But I am not. My story is not that unique in that, you know, I've always been an artistic. I was an artistic child. There were. I grew up in a small town. There were few opportunities, but I got. I had two really incredible opportunities. There were two different women in town. They're both still living and are vibrant. One was a watercolorist named Morgana Harwood, and the other was an oil painter and incredibly, Sandra Dowd. Incredible for both of their skills. I mean, they were known. And so I got to spend. I got to have lessons with Morgana. And then I took a painting class at the junior college in town when I was in high school. And I would also help when Sandra would have classes in her studio and I'd clean up, and I was the. I was the helper. So I got to be around as much art as there was. You know, my mother would always see to that. I think they knew that they were not artistic. My mother had kind of more of a craft. She still is making pressing flowers, and she still makes things and takes a lot of pleasure. She's a big gardener. So I have. And then her mother had fabulous taste. So I always kind of reference back to my Mimi in some design. Some designs that I do. I do always go look back at what Mimi did, because it was not any. She was not schooled in the arts. It was. It was definitely not what she did for a living. And being an artistic person would have not been in her vocabulary. So she just happened to have really fabulous taste. But so I grew up. They didn't know what to do with me. They would kind of joke. My sister has always joked that if I was hanging upside down naked from a flagpole, my parents would point and say, look at our creative daughter. And if my sister did that, she'd be grounded all summer. You know, she'd be working, like, washing dishes somewhere. I mean, which. It's not that extreme, but I do think I got a lot of hall passes because I was special, you know. But then when I wanted to go to art school, that was not only a no, but a hell, no. You're going to kill yourself if you go to New York. So we're going to force you into a small little box, and you're going to pick from this little piece of the world, and you get to choose that. So, anyway, moving through that whole time, I felt that all I could do to get into a world. I worked for some small businesses out of college, but I knew that if I Did not find a commercial application for whatever I was doing, drawing, painting, then that was my only entrance into the world of design. I didn't know. It was beyond me. I had worked for two jewelry designers I had gone to. I thought I was going to be a jeweler. I had gone to school in Italy. But after working for those two people, I was like, no way. Never touching jewelry again. But I've always just loved it and obsessed over estate pieces. I just think the Victorian time, the Georgian time, so incredible. So I always have these secret passions that have kind of followed along through all of these gigs that I've done these jobs. But my business with my sister started. I had gone on my very first trip to India. I have a friend's mother who was completely kooky and wonderful, and she had been to India seven times and had a store in San Francisco. I had, after I did, finally send myself to Parsons for just. I thought, oh, I'll be a shoe designer. I mean, literally, I was grabbing at straws. Shoe designer. I took an accessories design program there. And it. I think it was because I literally was kind of throwing. You know, there's that expression, I hate it, but it's like throwing spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks. I've had a couple people in my career tell me that, and I've, like, followed along with that. And it's not the best idea. I'll just go ahead and tell you, don't do it.
- [07:13]
A
So you go to India, and then how do you start your business with Kathryn?
- [07:16]
C
So I bring home a duffel bag of fabric, and I start washing it in the sink, and it bleeds. Because as they do, most fabrics have come home from India from. They were literally taken from, like, the printer. And I didn't know, you know, they weren't fixed. They were some natural dyes, some not, but they bled. This is kind of a wacky thing, and I'll just keep this short, but I had some weft, which is the fabric that you put inside your lapels in a suit, which gives it body. And I had some of that. I was just playing around. I like to collage, and so I was playing around with collaging that the ink got on that, and that has enough natural fiber in it to tint it. So I started making these crazy big scarves. Like, I was asked to do one for Mick Jagger. Rolling Stones were coming through San Francisco, and I was making these huge. They were like theatrical drapes. And somebody said, oh, you know, the woman who did my sewing, her Husband had worked for a famous old blues artist. He was the roadie. And I guess he was backstage and he said, I'll make sure Mick gets it and he'll love to come out on the stage in this. And of course I'm like, yes. But we started with this crazy idea. But with this idea, I got our first order with Barney's.
- [08:41]
B
Wow.
- [08:41]
C
Because it was so unique. And my sister and I. My sister was in Chicago, I was in San Francisco. And we really decided at that point we were going to come together. She was moving back to the city with twins and she was cross eyed from Sesame Street. And I was, it was time for me to go. And I had a couple breakups that were like, get me out of here. And I scooted back to New York and then we started this company and the rest is history. But the mostly the most. I think the funniest thing was I have had dreams and this has happened over the course of our business. But I had a dream after. So my body was hurting. I was ironing this weft onto this organza. I mean, it was just this whole thing. Catherine was beating, we started beating on top. I mean, she was having her third child and she had this scarf in the room at St. Vincent's Beading. And I said, what is that doing here? That's so gross. And she was like, well, I had to get this one finished before I shipped. I'm like, does that say anything about us? We're crazy. But okay. So I dreamt that I was painting this huge flower and it was turning into a print. And so the next day I called Kathryn. I said, I had a dream. Oh my gosh, we have to figure out how to screen print. And she goes, okay. And I said, I don't know anything about it, but I think this is the way we're going to be able to make production and change this flow. And so that is really what moved us in a different, you know, direction. So it started with textiles, but I am not a trained textile designer. So that's how this commercial application happened. And then it just, you know, we did that for probably the first 12 years of our business. And we had retail stores in New York. Store in New York, yeah. And so that was fun because, you know, so I think in a 27 year old business, I think it's safe to say, I don't know if this is for everyone, but we've had different faces, different times where we were wholesale driven, we were retail driven, you know, ebbs and flows with the culture, with Our world. Right.
- [11:26]
B
Yeah.
- [11:27]
C
So this was all before. This was like back in caveman, you know, as we say, before the interweb, before the Internet. And people would have their magazine, and they'd come to the shop, and they would say, I saw this, and they would find us. It was sweet, like a treasure hunt, which I do. I mean, you know, I take the present. I take whatever comes, but those were really sweet times.
- [11:52]
A
Well, there was definitely a phase where y' all were sort of like darlings of the home editor. Like, y' all were in all the. The shelter magazines.
- [12:02]
C
Yeah, you know, I know.
- [12:05]
A
So.
- [12:05]
B
Right.
- [12:06]
A
And. And it was Hable Construction, and it was your store in New York. So what were sort of the early products? I mean, I think the beads is probably what most people would have seen.
- [12:16]
C
Oh, yeah.
- [12:16]
A
And we still fabric, so probably still
- [12:18]
C
our number one seller. I mean, it's not probably. It is.
- [12:22]
A
Yeah. You got towels still from Garnet Hill?
- [12:24]
C
Yes.
- [12:24]
B
They're so great.
- [12:25]
C
I love these towels. I know. I'm kind of like, hey, Garnet Hill, let's have a 12 color range, you know? But, yes, I love those. That is still an important pattern. And I think, you know, some people work, like, their whole career to get one or have that one thing that clicks.
- [12:47]
B
Mm.
- [12:49]
C
I mean, once we've done it now, I do kind of always think, is this gonna be one of those items? You know, I do. That does go through my mind. But there has to be some, like. It's almost like a lightning strike time. So the shelter magazines, the reason I think that that was the way it was is because our war, our rule, was if somebody picks up the phone from press, answer it, and we will send any samples that they need. We didn't. We couldn't afford pr, so that was the choice. If we wanted the PR we had to send. And, you know, back in those days, I mean, we could just throw our pillow in a sack or a tote bag in a sack, and then a courier would come by and pick it up, and then off it would go, even in a day's notice. So it was. It was a wonderful time for that world.
- [13:47]
A
Yeah.
- [13:48]
C
And then all of our friends who are assistants grew up to be the editors, you know, and we kind of all grew up together, and then it has all shed, you know, so such is. Such is life, right?
- [14:02]
A
Yeah. People might know your beads print. It's sort of. It was inspired by beads, and it's sort of a circle pattern, like circular, linear pattern, I guess.
- [14:12]
C
I think that's what it it's organic, but it's a small pattern. So it's great for a seat. You know, the size of a seat or the size of a pillow. You get a lot of the pattern. And what I have found from. From my experience, as many patterns as I may draw or paint that are these wonderful big expressions. I feel like people. There's some calming effect of small pattern. It's almost the repetition. I mean, that's why I think when I've traveled the world, you know, you. Like, if you look at all the patterns you see around the world in Egypt or, you know, in India, I. I see it often in block printing. That tighter repetition is. Has some magic about it. And of course, yes, it works. I think there's a pattern by Sister Parrish. You know the one.
- [15:19]
A
It's like a. It almost looks like a bird footprint, like a petal or an acorn or something.
- [15:26]
C
A little tiny tree or. Yeah, but it. To me, I mean, I think more people have tried to copy that. I'm sure they have, because they've tried to copy the beads, but it's just like, you can't really copy it. It's just so solid. I mean, just go for the real thing.
- [15:42]
A
Yeah, yeah. Well, there's like, you know, the Meromecho. Like Meromecho or.
- [15:48]
C
Well, I love. I grew up on Mirror Mecco.
- [15:52]
A
But it has that graphic quality. Yes.
- [15:54]
B
And big scale and really bold. But. Yes, but the smaller prints like you're talking about, like, they just add so much texture.
- [16:01]
C
Yes.
- [16:02]
B
Ground, no matter where you use them.
- [16:04]
C
Yes. And I. You know, when we started, I wanted to paint really big things because they weren't in the market. Well, come on. They weren't in the market because it's hard to use those things. So, of course we did it. You know, we wanted to do something different. But there's a reason why there's not a lot of that in the market. It's, you know, it's almost like having that dress that is so incredible, but once you wear it, you really need to. If you're gonna wear it again. It's gotta be on another coast now with Instagram, I mean, or photos. There's no way that dress can go to another. If you're a person. That's. That people are watching.
- [16:46]
B
Yeah.
- [16:47]
A
Right. So your beads are like more of like a little black dress or a trench coat kind of situation.
- [16:52]
C
I say the beads is more a white shirt. It's our white shirt.
- [16:55]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [16:56]
C
The gap is the white shirt and the jeans. It's our White shirt.
- [17:00]
A
Yeah. Like, you can put it on a tote bag. You can make it into a seat cushion. You can put on towels.
- [17:08]
C
It's on the clothing for this new collection this summer with Garnet Hill.
- [17:12]
A
Yep. Tell them what it's on. Like a two piece kind of.
- [17:15]
C
It's a two piece number. It's so cute. As my daughter says, it's a set, mom. And I'm like, yep, it is a set. So we made a cute tote bag, a little headband, and this. Oh, well, the dress, actually, I'm thinking we have it in the dress. We have this darling dress that has a nipped in waist. And then it's in this set, which is a super cozy, but you could still actually go and have lunch with somebody in this pant with elastic waist.
- [17:47]
A
The linen.
- [17:47]
C
Yeah.
- [17:48]
A
Trouser tunic and a little wide leg pant.
- [17:52]
C
Yeah.
- [17:52]
A
Yeah. It's super cute and sort of a.
- [17:56]
C
You could be your couch. You could be your sofa.
- [18:00]
A
Yeah. Well, that's. That's kind of the beauty of the. Of the beads print. But you're still designing fabrics today and you and everything still kind of dovetails out of your artwork. So.
- [18:11]
C
Yes.
- [18:12]
A
What are you sort of getting your initial inspirations from? And what is like the foundational medium for you? Is it painting? Is it drawing? Watercolor?
- [18:27]
C
Oh, my gosh. That's a loaded question. When I'm making art, I literally, with the exception of oil painting and I have an oil painting show up, which when I paint with oils, I really can't stop. It has to be like, I had to paint consistently for months to achieve that work. When I'm working in my other mediums, in the water mediums, I can hop into different mediums into different mediums. With oil, I really struggle. It's almost like it's an itch that is constantly needs to be scratched. So I'll come back and I'll see problems and then I'll try to work those problems out. It's almost like. It's like the most complicated. I love puzzles. It's the most complicated puzzle ever because one brushstroke and the whole thing shifts. So I would.
- [19:27]
B
Okay, but I have to. I have to interject a little bit because I just stopped at your show before this recording. And it's at Spot Balding Nicks Gallery in Atlanta. And it's a wonderful show. And they're all oil paintings. So it's really interesting for me to hear that you spent so much time and go back and really kind of struggle with different Things. Because there's such joy and immediacy that comes through in the paintings, which is really just fantastic. And they're. I encourage everybody to check them out. They're so beautiful. They're so colorful and. Yeah, they really just are so joyful and, like, move through the space really well. It's a really great show.
- [20:14]
C
Thank you. You know what? I finished painting, and when it got to the show, the first thing that I thought was, oh, my gosh, I still have joy. I could see it. But it wasn't until it left my studio. I mean, it was.
- [20:32]
A
Whoa.
- [20:35]
C
Until it got out of my studio, into that clean space without the wrapping on them, that I could literally just wipe my brow and think, oh, my gosh. Because, you know, there's. Well, this has been a very interesting year. And I say interesting because that's the most innocuous word I can think of. It doesn't define anything. It's just. It's been a very tricky year for me. And I didn't know. I didn't know what was going to happen. And I am. Internally, I am a very joyful person. I feel very fortunate to do what I get to do. And, you know, and I can slip in. I mean, I worked, like, I don't know, the last day I've had a day off. The la. I should say, I don't know the last day off that I've taken, honestly. And so I'm not sure how that translates. You know, it's like I lost sight and I kept. I would have these moments where something would come through and, like. I don't know. Did you see the painting with the bonsai and the legs behind it?
- [21:48]
B
Yes. Oh, my gosh. It's great.
- [21:52]
C
So, thanks. So that was basically a self portrait. But I was thinking about that painting on the way over here, because I was thinking, you know, that's actually not. That is not really a self portrait. It's a portrait that anyone can see themselves in.
- [22:09]
B
Yeah.
- [22:10]
C
Everyone hides behind. That's a banzai. Because I went to Japan, and if I could move back tomorrow, I would. I. It was kind of this murky blob of a person. You see the feet, and the feet are actually walking, almost like Egyptian feet. You know, they're moving, but they're also
- [22:33]
B
very kind of stylized, comical pink legs and feet that are coming out of this. Out of the base of this tree.
- [22:42]
C
Yes.
- [22:43]
B
That you would think in some instances, like, is that the trunk of the tree is like, what's going on? So there's definitely a Humor in all of your work?
- [22:54]
C
No, I'm glad because I have, like, a little bit. Well, we have a couple things in my family. Number one, we have a little. There's a little depressive side that my father calls purple curtains and violins. So there's always that. But then I have kind of a sick sense of humor and I can totally go down the dirty road for sure. But I. But I don't know, I just think it's kind of like Lucille Ball humor, you know, it's just like if somebody trips and falls. I mean, bless my girlfriend's heart, but I can still picture. I have this friend who I adore in Athens, and she fell down one day and we had. Our children were little and we were going for tacos and she had this big skirt on and the thing freaking blew up like a mushroom. She was wearing some espadrilles, which are so southern. When I say this, it's like she had a skirt and espadrilles and she busted going to the taco. And I. She still kills me over this. I bent over and I laughed so, so hard as my poor girlfriend. I mean, she wasn't hurt. She would have been. You know, she yelped, but she wasn't in agony or anything. So I am, like, bad. Like, I laugh at funerals. I mean, everything to me gets to be funny. It's terrible. It's terrible. This whole pew will shake, you know, like, everybody will look and it'll be me. It's like I have these crazy. You could explain something in my mind, like I am making the picture of what you're explaining to me all at the same time.
- [24:38]
B
Your visual mind is just rampant.
- [24:40]
C
Oh, 100%.
- [24:43]
B
I love that.
- [24:44]
C
Like a picture just comes and most of time it's like, oh, that some of his pants will be around their ankles. I mean, it's just there's some. Something that happens to me. I don't know who that came from. I mean, both my parents are kind of funny in their own way, but not, I don't know, sick, sick humor or something. But I'm glad you could see that because nothing is that serious. Let's be honest. We're here on this earth, there's so much tragedy. We have to have levity in humor and we have to find our joy. And that sounds so, you know, like I just snatched it off of Instagram. Finding your joy. You know, deep thought. I always say this when I go to India and I've tried to explained this to the people that I work with. But I always use that. Did y' all ever watch Saturday Night Live when they would say deep, deep thoughts by Jack Handy? And I will literally say that. And they. Now they laugh because they understand, but, like, deep thoughts. And it's because, like, I'll say something that I think is really deep, but then it's so ridiculous. I'm like, oh, God. You know, that's an eye roll. I don't know if anybody can see this podcast, but there's a lot of eye rolling going on to myself. Anyway.
- [26:00]
B
Okay.
- [26:01]
C
I'm sure I'm off track. Just keep going. I'll try to get back on the street.
- [26:07]
A
Well, I do want to talk about the Garnet Hill, like, partnership, because it is. We. We mentioned, like, it's a. I think it's 20 years old, and I think
- [26:18]
C
it may be more than.
- [26:19]
A
Maybe more. Okay, but 20 plus something. It's been a long partnership. But how did it come about initially?
- [26:26]
C
Like, we're always. We used to. We used to sell them product before they made it. So we made these amazing tote bags,
- [26:34]
A
which I'm still obsessed with, and I
- [26:35]
C
wish I could find some ebay. They come up.
- [26:39]
A
Ebay, Susan. But okay, I'm just.
- [26:40]
C
Put the search on. Yeah, yeah, they come up. It's funny notification. Yeah. And okay, so I actually. I remember you saying you wanted a bushel and a. Supposed to ask for you. So I've got to remember to do that. I've got a few in my house, but I don't know.
- [26:57]
A
She's got these laundry baskets in her house, and I was like, that is. I need one of those. Okay. So you first started out as a vendor.
- [27:06]
C
So we started out as a vendor. My sister had worked for Kate Spade. They were friends of ours, and she. Katherine, developed their whole Japanese business.
- [27:20]
A
Wow.
- [27:21]
C
And so she is always. She's a salesperson extraordinaire. That's her. I mean, that's her bag. And so she did that for a showroom in New York, and Kate Spade was one of the brands, and so she developed that whole program. And so she actually knew people, new buyers in the industry. So she just picked up the phone. Like, we usually. And we still do that. We pick up the phone. I've always called people, like, when I felt back into a corner, you know, I'll call. And the rule now is ask for what you need. And literally, it has worked, because even if they say no, you've at least asked. And if that road is not available to you, you know, then to take another path, you Know what I'm saying? So like if you sit there and just do on things, you'll never. I mean it goes for most everything in life. We just have to. And that's a difficult thing oftentimes for Southerners, Southern women is saying what we really need or asking for help. Right. So I've had to. I've had to just do it, you know, and when it's come to my business, so interesting. When it comes to my business, I've been able to ask more clearly and more focused than I probably would if it was asking something for myself. So anyway, so that's how we started with Garnet Hill. And then we just became part of the family. And we then started making. We actually made Christmas stockings for Barney's and Bergdorf Goodman. And then when they had run their course, because as things do, we did some for Neiman's and then we went to Garnet Hill and we knew that it was time because they obviously have that category, that whole Christmas. Christmas is a huge category, I'm sure.
- [29:24]
A
Yeah. As well. Obviously. Yeah, yeah.
- [29:28]
C
And so it really worked because, you know, just like the legs and the painting, I. I can try to paint like an impressionist, but that's at the end of the day, that's just not how my people come out. You know, they're a little funny and realistic, but then not
- [29:55]
A
your collaboration with them was definitely was way before people. You know, now every brand has collaborators and brand partnerships. But this was really kind of a new thing when you were doing it. What were some early kind of learnings you had and favorite or favorite products?
- [30:16]
C
Oh my gosh. Well, you know, we started making bedding for them and we have literally done. You name it, we've tried it, we have made. I mean this was back in the day when Garnet Hill was in Franconia. And there is one light at the cross at 1 4. Four stop. Is that what y' all would call that in the time. Yeah, the four way stop. One tiny little town. And I, I did get to go there a few times. It was really special. But they had brought in a designer who, you know, I've been through. Oh gosh, I don't even know how many, many. How many designers that have passed through those doors. But, you know, some better fits than others, obviously. And this guy, I think I had made cactus sheets and you know, they were so cute. But I just don't think people. And even in the textile world, people don't want to sleep under a thorn or a cactus.
- [31:26]
A
Shocking.
- [31:28]
C
But you know, they were so cute. But, you know, like a saguaro cactus at the arms, you know. No, nobody's interested. Actually, people have been asking me at those paintings, saying those bonsai are cactus. I'm like, no, no, no, that's a bonsai. But, yeah, cactus thorns.
- [31:47]
A
Maybe it's the Texas in you.
- [31:50]
C
The Victorians. The Victorians. I did a painted surface one time of this thorn pattern was. That was a total trend in the Victorian times. But of course, it went out of style because of the pointy. The pointy thorns.
- [32:07]
A
Right.
- [32:07]
C
So I studied all about that. So often times when I'm making textiles, I think you had asked this before, and I just went straight past it. But if I haven't been somewhere that I could reference, I have a library that I've created because when I left New York, I mean, we used to go to the New York Public Library, and back in those days, you could research and then make photocopies. And then I had a whole file cabinet of tears. Yeah, right. And I still have a few of those tears. I just, you know, just couldn't stop using them. But I. When I moved to Athens, which actually turned out to be probably one of the best moves for my artistic life, I just have collected books every time I go on a trip or see something, some show that's happening that maybe I'm not going to be able to make it to. I just want to support the artist or. Or, you know, I have. Or learn about a country and even garage sales and estate sales. I love. There was a professor from UGA that had the most. He lived in Japan half the time, and he had the most incredible library. And of course, most of the books went to the school, but they. I. I was able to buy some, and those things are out of print. And I have a couple of friends who have the same love for books like this. And I'll photograph them, and then oftentimes, if they're out of print, I'll just go on the used books. I don't mind if they're marked on or torn. I just kind of think it shows this that they've been used. So I still love physical books. I don't really love the Internet for that. I mean, if you have to, you have to. Yeah, but I think there's. There's a. Harvard has this. I want to say it may be an Emily Dickinson pressed flower library. Anyway, there are things that you can find online that I. That would never be a published book. So it's worth digging just to see what's out there. But typically I just go back to my books.
- [34:30]
A
Your library.
- [34:31]
C
Then I learn.
- [34:32]
A
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- [34:33]
C
I learn about the culture, which I think is then important, you know.
- [34:37]
B
Yeah.
- [34:38]
A
Tell everyone about your move to Athens. We just shot your house tour, which they can watch on our YouTube channel. But it was not necessarily planned.
- [34:49]
C
Oh, right. My husband bought my house. My husband bought the house without telling me he was going to buy a house. It wasn't even. We weren't even looking. No. And it was a town that was a plane ride away that had no body of water or mountain to go hike.
- [35:09]
B
So what was it about Athens that drew him there? Where were you living before?
- [35:13]
C
So I was in. We were in New York. I had a woman who worked for me named Lucy. She's now she's Lucy Allen Gillis. She lives in Athens. She has a sister in law that lives here in Atlanta. And then her sister Wren is a fine art photographer. And at the time, we hadn't even started photographing. I mean, that was. We were so new. And Lucy was doing. She was doing PR for us, really. She was doing many things for us. But she would help with samples. And so I said we didn't have a PR person. But I would say that Lucy was a jack of all trades. We kind of really only hired jack of all trades types people, you know, we were so. We were like, we need people that were like octopuses, I mean, or octopi.
- [36:09]
A
They're both correct. Yeah.
- [36:10]
C
Are they?
- [36:11]
B
I think so.
- [36:12]
C
Oh, thanks for that.
- [36:14]
B
Sure. I'll be your grandma, girl.
- [36:17]
C
Hey, I'll take it. Because oftentimes my husband will correct me and it makes me give him an eye roll. But I know it's out of love because he's such a wordsmith. But anyway, he bought the house because I had. We started going there for photo shoots.
- [36:33]
A
To work with Wren.
- [36:34]
C
To work with Wren. She came to New York a few times. But then we were like, wait a second. We're not. We may live here. And yes, we are New Yorkers in quotation marks, but our brand is not. Our brand is. Our brand can live in many different types of homes. And we just didn't want it to feel slick and maybe hard. And often the flowers would be blooming in Athens when it would still be icy in New York. So we could ship things down. But we went down the first time and I had my sweet two year old, if y' all can imagine. It was warm. Actually was hot. We were in a moving van. We had upholstered all kinds of Furniture and all of these different people in town had offered for us to do a photo shoot at their house. The back door's open or I'll be at the grocery store, don't worry about me. You know, I mean literally that easy. And when I had something in New York, it would be okay, that's a fifteen hundred dollar fee for two hours in my apart. So we just knew, you know, we knew what we could do and what we couldn't. So I kept having these experiences, these fabulous experiences. Really great, interesting people flying in, flying out, living there part time. I had this big idea that I could live in two places. Well, if I were a rock star maybe, you know, or if I was a traveling like a commercial photographer maybe. But that wasn't the situation. But anyway, it didn't stop Pete from going there after I had been going on about this place and how wonderful the people were and oh my gosh, this couple came in from LA and they're half, they're living half in Athens and half in la and oh, these are half in New York and half in Athens, you know, so it wasn't that odd. But then when he actually bought the house, I was just kind of like, okay. But then I, I thought how are we going to do this? You know. Anyway, I didn't think about it too much. I had a tiny baby maybe at that point. No, yeah, at that point I had just had my second child so I wasn't really focused on what he was doing. I was just like, okay, sure, that sounds great, you know, but yeah, questioning the whole thing. So we wound up renovating it. I mean literally stripping it down to studs pull, lifting it up on jacks, pouring the foundation, building this thing. And then the bottom fell out of this of the market. 2008 came and so we chose to move in 2009. You know, we just thought things are just, I mean we lived next door to the stock exchange so it just was a really ugly time. And it was so immediate for us. We always say the rest of world didn't have to catch on thankfully for at least six to eight months. But it was just, you couldn't get away from it. And so, so this house then became a refuge and an option and so.
- [39:59]
A
And it's spectacular. And I'm shocked by how little you've changed or you so many things that you picked at this point almost 20 years ago that you know, wall colors and lights and that's true, I haven't really. You made really enduring choices, I guess.
- [40:16]
C
Oh thanks. I always say that's probably my grandmother, because she. I do have this a little bit of the old lady touch. My sister's more of a modernist than I am, and most people can't believe that when I tell them, but I do. There's something about. And not really traditional that just sounds tired to me. But, I mean, I love an antique. I love a patina, but I do love modern things. So I live in a mix.
- [40:52]
A
Yeah.
- [40:53]
C
You know, I'm a big. I'm a big believer. And just buy the things that you love and live with them. And then a coat of paint is a coat of paint, and reupholstery is always an option. And now my back porch is an incredible homage to Ballard.
- [41:13]
A
Seriously, you got a porch swinging back there.
- [41:16]
C
My daughter came home from college yesterday and she said, this is where I'm going to be every single day. She's a big reader.
- [41:23]
B
That's wonderful.
- [41:25]
C
And she. I mean, she got up in there and she said, hmm, I may need a few blankets. And she was just, just. Well, she also loved the umbrella, of course.
- [41:37]
A
Yeah.
- [41:37]
C
She said, mom, that is so wonderful. And I. Now my roses are so full and they're this intense red, and I have that darling parasol that's the white and green with the scalloped edge. It's just so sweet. It's like a carnival ride, you know? It is. It's its own kind of fun party happening.
- [42:01]
A
Well, you have an absolutely gorgeous, you know, yard and garden and.
- [42:07]
C
Thanks.
- [42:08]
A
Lots of roses. We were there on a beautiful April day, and so we got to capture it in all its glory. So. But. And I'm sure our listeners will not be surprised, you have an incredible art collection of things you've done, other artists, your travels, even student art. Student art. So tell us about how you're, you know, your kind of philosophy on art. Do you move stuff around? Do you keep it in the same place? How do you know what to buy?
- [42:32]
C
That's a good question. Well, you know, art is. Is from the heart, truly. And my husband and I have different tastes in art. I mean, we both totally respect each other's viewpoint. I do have a big painting that is by a friend of mine that I don't think is his favorite. There's a lot of pink on it, but, you know, sometimes those things happen. He, you know, he may have some of his own favorites, and I have mine, but we do come together and we bought things together also. But I am also, like I said, I'm a believer in buying things that you're that speak to your heart. So I have student art from UGA shows and also I had some, you know, kids in New York and I bought art from them and I'm sure I paid their rent for the month, you know. And I also sold paintings when I was in college and I remember how impactful that felt. It was scary. I did a commission for a friend of my mother's and it was a huge canvas and that was terrifying to deliver it because she really trusted me. And she still has that in her bedroom and she talks about it constantly and she wants. She built a room around it. I mean, I'm telling y', all, it's. It's a magical. That's a wonderful feeling. So in my own home, I, I have sculpture. I love sculpture because I love to make sculpture. I love photography and I love painting. I love. Well, there's really no rule. And I kind of feel like that's how you should build a collection if it's all just strikes you at a certain time and sometimes you do need to go home and sleep on it. I'm a believer in that too. If it's expensive, you know, I do think there's a way, you know, you don't have to just buy spontaneous, like be the spontaneous human. I mean, that's fun too, but you can make a mistake.
- [44:47]
A
Yeah, I think that's what I, I struggle with. And I'm sure some of our listeners. It's easy to know something that you like, but it's hard to know, okay, am I gonna like this for a long time or am I gonna. Or am I just liking it right now in the moment because of it's a beautiful day and I'm on a trip or I, you know, happen to like orange right now. So how do you know how to trust your instincts and when to move forward on them and when to maybe let them pass?
- [45:15]
C
Well, I think knowing the artist is a huge thing. I think knowing about the artist, seeing if they align, maybe just with. Maybe just gardening. Say you have a shared interest in gardening. And that artist paints the most incredible flowers. You know, I think all those things affect. I just know when I've sold things, people really want to meet me. And I understand that because I want to meet the people whose art that I buy. So there's something, something tangible. It's like, oh, does this person have a good vibe? Do I want their work living in my home? I mean, that sounds woo, woo. But that it's, it's real for me, you know, and it's kind of like you saying about joy. If you felt joy in my art, you know, what kind of art do you want to have in your home? Something that's gonna make you. Yeah, like, I have done work. I'm just thinking of a client in particular where I knew the work was for her bedroom. And so for me, and I asked these questions, but for me, I want serenity in my bedroom. I mean, that's the first word that comes to mind. And I would think most people would want that. And this person in particular did. And her palette was similar to what I would probably use for my own palette. So I could dip into. I mean, sounds personal, but it kind of is a little bit. I don't know. I think that's the important part. And then that energy goes into that work.
- [47:03]
A
So you mean shopping, like, shopping for art as an emotion, not as a visual. Or maybe as much of.
- [47:12]
C
As much.
- [47:12]
A
Yeah. Obviously, you want to like how it
- [47:16]
C
looks, but then aesthetics. I mean, come on. Sometimes it's just. Just the coolest, and you get it, and maybe nobody else does, but it just. There's something about it that lights your fire, or I've fought something before when I was with somebody in particular, and it made me think of that person, and there was something about that person that I thought was so special. So it's hard because I see people shopping, like, bring their friends along and to shop for art. Like, when I'm in the gallery, and I now have my own gallery in Texas, so I see that side and the gallerist side. I know how hard it is to sell a piece of art to somebody. But I also know. I mean, now I see full circle, all of the wonderfulness, but all of the challenges.
- [48:15]
A
So do you think it's a bad idea to shop with a friend? Is that what you're.
- [48:18]
C
I think your friend, I think.
- [48:21]
B
Is your friend going to influence you?
- [48:23]
C
I think oftentimes I've seen the friend influence. It just depends. If the friend, you've got to really trust that friend's taste.
- [48:32]
B
It's true.
- [48:33]
C
Because. Well, yeah, you just have to trust. Because if you are heavily influenced, I mean, you know, a lot of people can't. That kind of. That is overwhelming to actually buy a piece of art, you know, to say how that makes you feel.
- [48:55]
A
Well, but I get what you're saying. If the goal is to listen to your own perspective and how you really feel, then having someone else that you know, having your partner who you live with, that also has to live with art, maybe that's one thing. But a friend who doesn't really care.
- [49:11]
C
I mean, but then I have friends.
- [49:13]
A
That's just gonna confuse your.
- [49:15]
C
But I have some friends that are. Have fabulous taste, and I'm okay shopping with them. They also, you know, you. You have to say, you know, this is what I want to spend, and this is my goal today. I'm just gonna look with you, and then it's kind of fun to go just have an informational art walk. But, yeah, it's a lot to go to step into a gallery. I mean, this is what I'm finding. I've never thought it was hard, but now I do see the other side of it. And some galleries just can feel really icy. And so you. That feeling comes across before the art. The art has to really speak to you and kind of like wrap its arms around you. I mean, this sounds so kooky, but it is so emotional. I do. I'm asked this quite often. How. The question that I'm asked is, how would I. Tell people how I have collected art number one, just like you asked me, and. Yeah, how do you not buy trendy art, you know, when it's around you often? I think there's so many wonderful options now that are not originals. I mean, we have a whole collection of art, and I think I know people that have coveted their prints, and there is nothing wrong with that. And then you're actually spending less, and that you may not feel as, you know, attached to this painting that wasn't $20,000 or 5,000. Let's just. I mean, 5,000 isn't like there are these numbers that you're like, oh, if it goes to 5,000, you know, so you can oftentimes find something that you can live with for a while just to see.
- [51:17]
A
Right. There's nothing.
- [51:17]
C
And if your mind. If your mind doesn't. If it doesn't leave your mind. You know, I've never. I will say this. I've never regretted one of my art purchases, even if it was over my budget. And I've had to, like, in my case of my hot pink painting, I mean, it's not all hot pink. It just has these dots on it. And I paid for it in increments. My friend, the artist, I mean, I'd just be like, can I pay you this to. You know, and she was happy as a clam. And I have. You know, I've had friends do that. That's what they want, and they want to pay for that because they're gonna live with that. And it means so much to them. So I don't know.
- [51:59]
A
Who are some artists that you look to and love?
- [52:02]
C
Oh, gosh. I've always wondered what I would say if somebody asked me this question.
- [52:07]
A
Even just, you know, other designers or artists, artistic influences, I guess, on you.
- [52:13]
C
I was bowled over the other day when I saw at the Royal Academy of Art a show by the first woman to have a show in the gallery in London. Her name is Rose Wiley. I bought her book. She's 90 something years old. Finally, the woman cracks the ceiling of the Royal Academy of Art. And her work is so funny and wonderful and whimsical and I've never heard of her, but I got completely. I went straight online and I bought her book because I thought, okay, I'm not sure how much, how much money that Rose will get from my purchase, but I want to support her. So it's just wonderful. I love seeing she gets a lot of her inspiration from movies and probably even just fashion magazines and paparazzi. I mean, it's just funny. And also her history. So I think just. Just seeing how she just slathers the paint is so wonderful to me. There are a couple of funny people out there in the world. And one, his name is David Shrigley.
- [53:41]
B
Oh, he's so funny.
- [53:44]
C
I had bought postcards at a shop before I knew that he was an artist. He is so funny and it's so snippy and great.
- [53:54]
B
Yeah, it's a very. His sense of humor is very kind of snarky and a little dry. Very dry. And then pears the hand painted words with, you know, a silly drawing of a penguin or, you know, it's like something else that there's a juxtaposition there that's really funny.
- [54:17]
C
So I have.
- [54:18]
B
So we like a good sense of humor.
- [54:19]
C
Yes. There's also an artist in New York named Leanne Shapton and she sells her work. I think her handle is Shaptonia. And she does a lot of the illustrations for the New York Times for T Magazine and maybe the New Yorker. I love what she does. She also sells these books in quotation marks. She basically takes these. That just reminded me of another artist I want to tell you all about. She takes these square blocks and she'll paint them with a book cover, a fake book cover.
- [54:53]
A
Oh, I love that.
- [54:54]
C
And then I have those mounted on the wall. But John Darien sells them in his shop and they're fabulous.
- [55:00]
A
They are great. And you're, you're great. You're longtime friends with John Derrien which I think is so cool. He had a ton of John Derrien in your house.
- [55:07]
C
Oh, my gosh, he's a dreamboat. No, he's in every. He's everywhere. I mean, come on. He's everywhere. The art I was going to also tell you that I adore is a woman in Philly. Her name is Martha Rich. And I.
- [55:23]
A
You were telling me about it.
- [55:24]
C
All of the eyes in my bathroom. I have all these woodcuts. I have a woodcut knife, and I have. She does these snakes. She does all these crazy, funny things, and word bubbles. So, like, I have a photograph that a friend of mine who. I adore her work. It's Christy Bush. She's an Athenian. And she. This fabulous photograph of this darling girl with this pink wig. And I did Martha Rich's word bubbles out of her mouth that say. I don't even know, like, stop patriarchy or some. You know, funny thing. I have one in the kitchen that says chump change and another one that says mullet. I mean, in this little tiny green head with these big word bubbles coming out. And anyway, my sister and I have collected her work. I just think she's so irreverent and funny, too. So I like work. I mean, I have some serious art, for sure. There's an artist named Louise Belcourt. Oh, my gosh. I don't think I. I didn't think I could remember all these. My husband is dear friends with her, and she paints these incredible gouache hedges. So we have. We have a few pieces of hers. It all just makes for this menagerie. And that's what I think an art collection is all about. I mean, you could stand in my hall probably for a couple hours and just look at the work.
- [56:54]
A
It was fabulous. And, well, I want everyone to go watch the house tour because there's so much more detail that we go into. But you have the most incredible hallway down the center, and it's like its own room. And all of your artwork is displayed. So it's. It's fun to.
- [57:10]
C
Yeah, it's.
- [57:11]
A
Walk down it very slowly so you can.
- [57:12]
C
A feast for the eyes.
- [57:14]
A
Exactly.
- [57:15]
C
Yeah. I tried to buy friends, all of my friends that are artists, I've tried to buy something from them. And then, of course, I've been fortunate enough to have art shows now in Corsicana, Texas, that is of. For all these friends, because I think they're so incredibly talented. And, you know, Carol John, Rin Allen, we have a show up right now. Karl Martin, I mean, he's been collected at the MoMA. I mean, I'm just telling you, his
- [57:45]
B
photographs are so incredible.
- [57:46]
C
Aren't they insane? They're so incredible. Have you seen any of those pictures that I've posted? They're architectural, but they're different. They're so special. Anyway, I'm tickled that you know his work, Liz.
- [58:04]
B
Yeah.
- [58:04]
C
So do y' all have. Are y' all big art collectors? Do you have work that you've bought? And so, I mean, do you have your own opinions about buying art?
- [58:17]
A
Yeah. Well, you go. You're married to an artist.
- [58:19]
B
I am. I am. So, yes, we have. Yeah. You were in a show with my husband.
- [58:25]
C
Yes. Liz. Stephen.
- [58:28]
A
Yeah.
- [58:29]
C
Those incredible tree ring paintings.
- [58:32]
B
Yeah.
- [58:32]
C
How bizarre is that, that we were in a show together? How many years ago was that?
- [58:37]
B
It seems like forever ago.
- [58:38]
C
I think it was forever ago.
- [58:40]
B
I think. I think forever ago is. Is the timeline. But, yeah, it. So.
- [58:45]
C
Oh, my gosh. His work is incredible. What is he doing now? Well, I know y' all have a gallery, a space.
- [58:52]
B
Yeah, he.
- [58:53]
C
He's.
- [58:53]
B
Yeah. I don't want to turn this into the Steve show, but he's.
- [58:56]
C
No, come on.
- [58:58]
B
He's got a gallery here in Atlanta called Day and Night Projects. He's been awarded the Working Artist prize this year from Mocha Ga. So he's gonna have a big show in November, so he's rocking it. He's killing it. So, so proud of him. And, you know, I mean, we've been together since art school, so it's great to see, like, his trajectory. But our art collection is really just a mishmash of friends of things that we've gotten from art auctions. Don't sleep on art auctions. For real. I feel like that's a really big kind of tip. Look to different schools that might have art auctions or. Or different organizations that will have art auctions within your town, because those are great places to collect local art.
- [59:58]
C
That's a great idea. I have one that I buy from in Provincetown. I go to. Speaking of John, I go to visit him, and there is a gallery there that is incredible. And they have auctions all the time. Very good, Baker.
- [60:19]
B
It's a really great way to get exposed to local artists and to help a great organization, too. Yeah. And a lot of times, you're getting them at a really great price because they've donated the work to the organization. So.
- [60:37]
C
Yeah, that's a. That's a wonderful idea.
- [60:41]
B
Yeah.
- [60:42]
C
I like also older art things. Maybe the people are gone, but, like, I, you know, I didn't realize that at the Cape, there was. I mean, P Town was an art colony. And so the work in some of the galleries have been. There are artists that are, you know, Milton Avery. You can buy a Milton Avery there and. Or many. I mean, they're expensive, mind you, but you can buy them in a gallery there. Yeah, but that. He spent a time. I mean, that was the focus of his work. So. And I have. Actually, those are. I have a great Milton Avery book. I mean, that's the other thing. If you can't. If you can't buy a piece of the artist's work, I'll buy the book of the artists.
- [61:32]
B
Yeah.
- [61:32]
C
You know, and I have done that. There's an artist, He. He recently passed away named Otis Jones, and I love his work. I could not have a piece of his work, but I'm sure plenty of incredible people own them. But I, I he. His gallery put out a really beautiful book, and so I was able to have that.
- [61:58]
A
Yeah, I love that idea.
- [62:00]
B
Yeah.
- [62:02]
C
But it's not the Steve show. But I do want to catch up with what Steve's doing.
- [62:07]
B
Come on.
- [62:09]
A
Okay. Before we wrap up, though, let's go back to the Garnet Hill. Well, we can. We can chat off camera, but.
- [62:17]
C
No, this is fun.
- [62:20]
A
Well, I want to go back to the Garnet Hill collection because you didn't tell us about how the patterns. We talked about the beads, but there were a couple other patterns that were used that were based off your paintings. So tell us about those particular ones. They're very floral.
- [62:35]
C
Yes. So I do paint these. I just call them gardens, you know, and they're. They are literally just. They're mostly from my imagination. I did paint one, and we have it at the gallery in Texas. It still. It didn't sell. It hasn't sold. I thought it was going to go for a client, but I did walk out into the garden, and there was. I had gotten a couple years ago, some anemone from my neighbor and dropped them into the ground. And they're really easy to grow. Well, she said that. But they have formed these incredible lumps of gorgeousness. They work in Georgia, so highly recommend anemone. But what's cool is I walked out there and I thought, oh, and oftentimes I'll do this. I'll just go into my garden. If I'm kind of like, what am I going to do today? And I'll take a walk, usually with clippers in hand. I'm always pruning something, and I looked at it And I thought that would probably be really beautiful because I like when the shapes. When there's a skinny stem and, like, a big, fat. I like the juxtaposition of, like, a big floppy flower and a little tiny stem or a big dripping down. Like, I love plants that I love, Gaura. You know, it just. It's like waves, and a big carpenter bee will sit on the end, and it'll just be, like, bouncing. And I just. Those are the kind of things I love in a. In a garden. And I also have tried, because the house was built in 1905, I tried to create a garden that had the same elements that a Victorian garden would have. And there used to be. Caroline, I think I mentioned this to you, but there was a garden center. It's closed now because my friend passed away who ran it. But it was a very, very special place. And all I would say to Rick was, it was called Goodness Grows. And most Atlantans would know it if they're gardeners. But I would say, rick, I need some old timey something that's real floppy. You know, I would just tell him, and he would say, oh, you need this in your garden, and you need this and this. And so, I mean, I. I would throw my children in the car. He would pop popcorn, and he had chocolates in a dish in this little side house. So the kids were completely happy there. They'd ride with me, and then when they were coming back, they had their, like, car seats and their boosters, and there would be plants literally over their shoulders coming through the back of the car. I mean, I have more pictures of that with the kids and kind of looking miffed, like, this is bothering me, mom, you know, and maybe like, hang on. Just hang on. But I. You know, that was kind of always my thing. And when. And I have these plants that I know exactly when I got them, because they were to be this loose, army, kind of floppy movement, drippy plant that most always has a tight border right in front. I don't know. I love that. So when I'm painting. Okay, so back to the garden painting. So I went out. So I painted these anemone. And I love this painting so much. I think maybe I should just keep the dang thing.
- [66:20]
B
But
- [66:23]
C
anyway, I. The other paintings that went straight, almost straight onto some of the bedding and the clothing, which is the first time I've ever done clothing for Garnet Hill.
- [66:35]
A
Oh, I didn't know that.
- [66:36]
C
Yeah, it's a new. New thing for me. But the garden part wound up on the Clothes, too. And on the bottom of the sheets. So it's fun. And then there's a pattern where we basically deconstructed one of those paintings. And it's a tossed pattern in all these beautiful pastel colors. And it's on this linen. I don't know where actually most of the things are made in Portugal. But this fabric that they sourced is incredible. And the clothing is made of it, I believe. Also. It's just. It's just so soft and there's a heavy drape to it. So just what. Just what you would want, actually, in both things. You know, duvet. It's not sheeting. It's duvet. And the pillows and. Yeah. And the shams. And then two sets. So there are two different. The deconstructed one and then the. The Blue Garden.
- [67:41]
A
It's very pretty. I love the. Well, I love the palette of the tossed pattern. But the blue and white. It's very reminiscent of your art. But I. Yeah.
- [67:52]
C
And you know that Rick rack that's on the mixed one is my shout out to the 70s.
- [67:58]
A
Yeah.
- [67:58]
C
I have some pajamas that has Rick Rack on it. My husband always. And they are just like a little girl pajama. It's hilarious. And every time he sees me, he says, those are the cutest pajamas. And I know that if they were shrunken in kids form, he would probably say the same thing like, you know, when our children were small. But it is. They have a Peter Pan collar. I just need to make some because I can't get them anymore.
- [68:24]
A
But it sounds like you've got an end.
- [68:26]
C
I am telling you. I need to talk to those Garnet Hill folks. They're so cute.
- [68:35]
A
They make a cute pajama.
- [68:37]
C
That would make.
- [68:38]
A
They make a cute. They. I mean, they already. They make lots of cute pajamas.
- [68:41]
C
But they do. And cozy. I've always asked. Please. I did. We've done children's pajamas there for several years.
- [68:49]
A
Yeah.
- [68:49]
C
Which. But I'm always. I want to do the adults.
- [68:52]
A
Well. I feel like. I feel like pajama sets are having a real moment. Like, they're everywhere.
- [68:58]
C
Is that because everyone wants to. To lounge out?
- [69:01]
A
I think it's just cute. It's fun to wear a cute matching set.
- [69:05]
C
No, there was. There was a time when I looked at my pajamas and I thought, this is sad. I want. And I threw everything out. This was literally.
- [69:14]
A
Yeah.
- [69:15]
C
This is probably. I was sniffing out the fact that this trend was coming and I threw everything out. I was like, this is ridiculous. I'm a grown woman. With this terrible. And I'm married. My poor husband. He doesn't care, you know, whatever. But he likes a set.
- [69:34]
A
Yeah.
- [69:35]
C
I mean, we're kind of like June and Ward now.
- [69:38]
B
I. You know what? I did just buy a set.
- [69:40]
A
Well, it's kind of like, you know, people are always telling you, like, you spend half your life in bed, so you need good sheets and a good mattress. It's kind of the same for PJs, like.
- [69:50]
C
It's true.
- [69:52]
B
It's true.
- [69:52]
A
Wear a cute set, you know?
- [69:55]
C
Yeah, Yeah, I know. Well, I'm here for it. I'm here for it. And anyway, back to the Rick rack. There's this darling pale yellow Rick rack going around as the detail trim on the mixed floral.
- [70:11]
A
Yeah. On both the dress and the. The sheeting or the. The duvet. Right.
- [70:16]
C
Yes.
- [70:16]
A
I think it's on the dress, too. It's very cute. Susan, we could sit here all day with you.
- [70:21]
C
I know we have. And I feel like, though I'm the only one that's talked. I didn't think podcast, but that's what you're here for, anyway. Well, yeah, I. I can. I can talk. I have to be interrupt. I need somebody to interrupt me. I hate to say it. I mean, I try to get social cues, but y' all just let me ramble.
- [70:41]
A
Well, we were enjoying it, but tell everyone where they can find you, follow you, and see your work.
- [70:45]
C
Oh, well, our Instagram account is Hableland. It's all encompassing. And then I have my own. My sister has her own Susan Hable and Kate Hable. So, I mean, I think you can pretty much learn. The gallery has its own Instagram account, too. We have too many Instagrams. But at Hableland, you can pretty much get all the good stuff and all the tips on Garnet Hill and. And the darling products that we make for them. And then, hey, when is the YouTube gonna come out?
- [71:27]
A
Hopefully around the time of this podcast. That's great. Hopefully people can go watch it right after they listen to this.
- [71:35]
C
Great. I can't wait.
- [71:36]
A
I'm excited. It was just the best day, so.
- [71:39]
C
I know we're lucky. I'm lucky that. That we're close. I mean, this.
- [71:44]
A
Truly. It was.
- [71:44]
C
I mean, maybe you want to travel further, but I liked you being able to just come over for the day.
- [71:50]
A
Yeah. That's wonderful.
- [71:51]
C
Liz, Caroline, thank y' all for having me.
- [71:57]
A
Thank you for being here.
- [71:58]
B
This is really fun.
- [72:02]
A
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 podcastallarddesigns.net so we can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media. Alardesigns don't forget to subscribe wherever you
- [72:18]
B
get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback.
- [72:24]
A
Until next time, happy decorating.