Ep. 475: Best of Archives: Furniture Buying Tips

Summary

Podcast Summary: "How to Decorate" – Ep. 475: Best of Archives: Furniture Buying Tips

Date: July 21, 2026
Hosts: Caroline (A), Taryn (B), Liz (C), and (D) from Ballard Designs

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Main Theme & Overview

This episode, a "Best of Archives" favorite, centers on demystifying the furniture buying process. The Ballard Designs team shares practical advice, personal regrets, and tried-and-true strategies for choosing upholstery, shopping for sofas, handling fabric choices, measuring, balancing splurges with saves, incorporating vintage finds, and dealing with long lead times—so you can confidently invest in the right pieces for your home. Listeners come away armed with actionable tips to avoid regrets and create spaces that look collected, not “showroomy.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Approach to Furniture Shopping

• Furniture as a Long-Term Investment: Begin with honest self-reflection—know your lifestyle and how you wish to use your space. Comfort and function must dictate style, not the other way around.
• Quote, Caroline, 27:13–27:46:

  "When you're furniture shopping, especially for a sofa, knowing yourself... there are so many aesthetic choices you can make, but they're actually going to really impact the functionality. And you need to be really honest with yourself about how you live, what you like and what you don't like."

2. Sofa Selection—The Big Ticket Item

• Measure, Measure, Measure: Know your room and access points. Use room planner tools, graph paper, or painter’s tape to ensure fit.
• Cushion Options & Comfort: Decide on number of seat/back cushions, depth, and whether you want a tight back or loose cushions.
• Bench Seats vs. Multi-Cushion:
  • Pro: "Bench seats look tidier and are cozy for lounging, almost like a twin bed." (A, 30:53)
  • Con: Multi-cushions are easier to rotate or replace.
• Fabric Selection is Crucial:
  • Avoid quick decisions on fabric; test for durability, stain removal, and pet compatibility.
  • Quote, Caroline, 46:19:

    "People do not spend enough time worrying and fixating on the fabric... because if you get a fabric that's not really going to work for your lifestyle, then it's going to look bad, like, soon enough..."

• Visit Stores & Test Everything: Sit, lounge, and bring other household decision-makers.
• Account for Pets and Kids: Fabric, structure, and ease of cleaning must work for your real life.

3. Fabrics & Construction

• Performance Fabrics: Sunbrella and similar options are resilient against stains and fading—ideal for everyday or sunny areas.
• Specs Matter:
  • Kiln-dried wood frames for durability.
  • Eight-way hand-tied springs are "gold standard" but not always essential with new tech (D, 36:16).
  • Fabric "rubs" determine longevity. Order a yard to live-test at home (A, 48:27).

4. Measuring & Planning

• Always Measure Multiple Times:
  • Get input from others.
  • Carry tape measure and room dimensions (B, 59:30).
  • Use physical aids like painter’s tape or cardboard for layout visualization (D, 83:24).
• Plan Traffic Patterns: Use a room planner or draw layouts to avoid cramped spaces (A, 60:11).

5. Dining Sets & Tables

• Know Use Cases: Daily eaters with kids? Opt for cleanable, wipeable chairs (leather, Sunbrella, wood/metal seats).
• Slip Seats & Flexibility: Chairs with slip seats or slipcovers allow easy refreshes (D, 63:20).
• Durable Table Surfaces: Quartz or porcelain tops are virtually indestructible for heavy use (A, 66:00).

6. Making It “Collected” Not “Showroomy”

• Mix, Don’t Match:
  • Vary legs, arms, and skirt styles across upholstered pieces (A, 71:58).
  • Add something old, something sparkly, something living for character (B, 72:47).
  • Don’t match all the woods or metals—variety adds depth and prevents a dated look (A, 73:17; B, 74:34).

7. Where to Splurge & Where to Save

• Splurge on Upholstery: Sofas or main chairs worth investing in, as they anchor comfort (“You will never be comfortable in that room ever"—A, 75:12).
• Budget: Itemize all needed pieces and decide where to save (window treatments, occasional chairs, cheap lamps, etc.), then stick with your plan even if it means buying in phases (D, 75:44).
• Quote, Liz, 76:55:

  "...write down every single thing that you're going to need... the list will make it more tangible and less overwhelming."

8. Coping with Lead Times

• Long delivery windows are the norm; order as soon as possible, but don’t settle for immediate gratification at the expense of getting exactly what you want (A, 57:07).

9. Overcoming Regret & Purchasing Traps

• Don’t accept hand-me-downs or “deals” unless you love them; letting unwanted pieces in “will always keep you from buying something you really love” (B, 90:51).
• Avoid buying cheap sets or “starter” lamps/dishes you’ll soon outgrow.

10. Tips for Working with Sales Associates

• Ask everything: specs, fabric rubs, performance, popular options, and in-store opinions (B, 67:44).

11. Honest Lessons Learned

• Prioritize function and how pieces work with what you have—“You’re not shopping in a vacuum” (A, 95:52).
• Observe where guests gravitate and adjust layouts for conversation and comfort, not just looks (D, 55:00).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Buying for Real Life:

• “Figure out comfortable to you and take the other person that lives in your house that has a strong opinion.” (B, 31:33)

On Fabric & Sample Testing:

• “Order a yard... wrap it around your dog's favorite spot in the sun... spill some coffee on it... test drive it thoroughly before you order.” (A, 48:27)

On Regretful Purchases:

• “If you hate it now, you will always hate it. Don’t let it in the house.” (B, 91:00)

On Making it Collected:

• “Remember Ashley Whitaker said she thinks every room needs something grimy... something with patina.” (A, 73:00)

On Budget:

• “Line item all of the things that you’re going to need...if you’re not comfortable with that big number, make adjustments. You don’t need to get the whole room all together at the same time.” (D, 75:44)

On Planning & Patience:

• “Start with your upholstery that you need... start with a rug and then you’re going to add all those little layers in later.” (A, 101:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [26:35] – Sofa Shopping 101: Where to Start
• [30:53] – Bench Seat vs. Multiple Cushions
• [46:19] – The Crucial Role of Fabric Selection
• [49:13] – How to Test Fabrics at Home
• [59:30] – Measuring, Room Planning, and Handy Tips
• [63:20] – Dining Chair Strategies and Table Surfaces
• [72:00] – Making Your Home Look Collected, Not Showroomy
• [75:12] – Where to Splurge/Where to Save
• [83:24] – Visualizing Your Layout with Tape/Cardboard
• [91:00] – Regret Traps: Don’t Accept What You Don’t Want
• [99:52] – Don’t Shop in a Vacuum: Room Context Matters

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Practical Takeaways: The Ballard Designs “Big Five”

1. Be Honest: Know your preferences, your lifestyle, and family needs.
2. Plan & Measure: Use diagrams, lists, and tape — over-communicate with others in the home.
3. Test Fabrics & Comfort: Order big samples, spill on them, live with them; visit stores and test pieces.
4. Forget Showroom Matching: Mix legs, arms, finishes, and eras for a collected feel.
5. Buy for the Long Haul: Don’t rush for immediate delivery—invest in what fits your real life, even if it means waiting.

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Final Wisdom & Invitation

• “Take your measurements, take your colors, make a budget... and be realistic about how you live.” (D, 101:07)
• Shop thoughtfully and patiently; your home should support your life, not stress you out. If in Atlanta, the team invites you for an in-person tour to help test and choose!

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Listen for more details, practical anecdotes, and to hear the team’s full lighthearted and supportive banter.

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.

[D]

I head of the creative team. 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

[D]

forget to email [e-mail] now on with the show.

[A]

Hi listeners. Welcome back to the show. Quick heads up that we are taking a short summer break from recording new episodes, but in the meantime, we're sharing some of our best and most beloved conversations from the archives. These are ones that we really think deserve a second listen. And today we are re airing our all time most listened episode and it's about furniture shopping. Of all things, buying furniture is one of those decisions that we know feels overwhelming. There are a lot of options, a lot of price points and a lot of things that can go wrong. And this episode was produced with the intention of really helping you figure it all out. We get into how to think about furniture as a long term investment, how homes and our needs within them have been changing, how to work with antique and vintage pieces, how to approach the whole process with the design eye. And some really practical things that you just need to know about construction and fabrics. And if you've ever bought a sofa and regretted it, this is an episode that you want to listen to. So let's get to the show.

[D]

Okay, guys, it has been so long

[A]

since we've done trials and triumphs. I have not done one. I am so back from maternity leave, so I'm excited.

[B]

I miss talking about myself and I miss hearing about y'.

[C]

All.

[B]

It's just so good. And I know everyone missed hearing, you know, of our real lives.

[A]

You know, there is a definite split in the how to Decorate fandom between people who hate and people who love

[D]

the trials and triumphs.

[A]

All right, so if you're among the group that hates the haters, use that fast forward button, go straight to the guest. We won't, we will not judge. But there are, there's a very vocal

[D]

group that loves trials and triumphs and

[A]

does not ever want it to go away.

[D]

And in fact, when we don't do one in a while, they email us and say, hey, Fill us in on your life.

[A]

So that's what we're going to do today.

[B]

All right, Carolyn, why don't you just, like, tee us up? What have you been up to? What are some highlights in low lights? Are you putting it in highlights or in the low light?

[D]

Kidding.

[B]

I feel highlight. I'm totally.

[A]

But it's really easy. It's easy for me to say that

[D]

now because I'm in a really good.

[A]

I'm in that really good age. We had a little girl in October and her name is Birdie and she's

[D]

now four months old and she started school and she's laughing and she's sleeping through the night, which is great.

[A]

Mostly amazing and. But yet she's also stationary, which is amazing. Which is a really sweet spot.

[D]

That is a good stage. That's a good.

[A]

Yeah, it's like the sweet spot for babies. So. So, yeah, we're just doing baby stuff. We've had a sweet spot. So we haven't really been doing much around the house. But now that Will is working from home more and I'm obviously working from home. So sometimes we need two home offices at the same time where getting back to our basement home office. So we've kind of just. It's been like a. Y' all can sort of see back here. But it's been sort of just like a storage catch all room. But I want to make it a proper office. So guys, I just ordered our Hutton collection

[C]

pretty.

[A]

Just a little. It's. We really don't have room. We could do like. We're just gonna do one desk. So I have just like the two cabinets with the desktop. But I'm excited about that. Ordered like a proper office chair.

[B]

Look at you, Taryn.

[A]

Okay, I have a question for you. Well, actually both. Both of y'. All. I feel like y' all might. We have a lot of paper storage, like watercolor notebooks, big pieces of paper that are like art projects. Do y' all have a good solution for that? Like, what do you store yours in? Because it doesn't fit in a regular drawer.

[C]

I keep mine in a cabinet and I found a stacking. An open stacking file inbox for just from Goodwill. And I keep that inside a cabinet and have everything in that that's letter sized. For bigger stuff, we have.

[D]

We have file drawers.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

For that. Like flat files.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay. So I'm even more organized. I have a large stack of, you know, of just all the different paper, starting with the biggest pad to the smallest pad shoved under a guest bed. On top of some Tupperwares of shoes. And then I have the other stack of that under an armoire where there's a little bit of a cutout leg. It's perfect. Organized. I'm just the goddess of organization. But can I note that we do actually. We have developed a flat file from. For our OHO collection. Ballard did. So I made sure to specifically make sure if it's my watercolor paper, my arches because that's my favorite paper to use. And I know it's. I'm sorry that Taryn.

[A]

I'm sorry but she didn't.

[C]

She didn't choose oho. She didn't choose original home. I did not change.

[A]

And you didn't tell. I didn't know about this.

[B]

It's being developed right now. So I hope that that will help you in the future.

[A]

But.

[B]

So it should be a pretty flat. That's what I wanted for myself too. I was like, I want just like a. Because they. They're industrial, right? Liz? Like everything you kind of find are very like, you're an architect. Here you go. And you're like, what if I'm not an architect and I just have a home that I want big paper. So that's what it's for. Sorry, bad solution. You can do the stacked paper under the bed. The guest bed. It's fully worked.

[C]

Totally works. Truth be told, Darren, I have that.

[D]

I have that as well.

[A]

That's what we currently have. So I'm trying to solve that. But I did get some Ikea Alex like cabinets if you like Google like I will architect's office or like craft paper storage. It's like the only somewhat decent looking one that's not industrial. So I got a couple of those. So I don't know. We'll see.

[B]

Oh, I see you've seen them before.

[C]

It's not.

[A]

Frankly, it's not big enough. I would really like something more like 30, 36. It's only 26, but that's kind of all.

[B]

It'll at least help with some of those bigger pads of paper. For sure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. So you're organizing that into your. And you bought a desk. So what else do you need down there? Just a lot of like juice.

[A]

Just organizing all of the. We just have so much, you know. And also I've been trying to think through like, okay, how are we going to start storing like kids stuff like the photos that come from school and the papers that you want to say.

[B]

Trash can. I'm kidding. No.

[A]

You know, I'm pretty ruthless about Things.

[B]

I know you are, but there are

[A]

the random things that you want to keep, and, like, how are you going to store it in a way that is manageable? So I haven't come up with a solution, but I'm working through it because it all has to go in the same room with the desk.

[B]

I like your frozen face and the

[A]

peloton and all the things. So it's like our magical room that has to fit everything like a Mary Poppins bag. Liz, you had used that great line, like your zoom background as your new power suit. And I have been thinking a lot about my zoom background, and I need to step it up a notch because down here in the basement, it's not ideal. So that's what I've been.

[B]

You just need. Andrew needs some lighting. Are you working on lighting down there?

[A]

Well, yes, actually. We have better lighting. I just. You don't want. Right now because Will was working down here, and, you know, he doesn't.

[B]

He's like, oh, he doesn't care.

[A]

Yeah, my lighting needs to be good.

[B]

David's the same way. Yeah. Doesn't get the lighting plan right. He just knows when it feels good.

[A]

Well, okay. I'm sorry. So back to the. To the art storage, Taryn, because I know that in your house, your new house, you have a whole art room. So what do you have, like, any kind of storage system you're creating in that room or is. Are you going to deal with that

[D]

at a later date?

[B]

That's a later date, Taryn. Problem. I have taken the house projects as just chunk by chunk, which I know is not the way to do it according to designers, so they're probably all rolling over. But I. Because I'm doing all of it, I just chunk by chunk. I do hope to get. I'm thinking right now that I'll get two of those ohos and put them side by side is my hope, because if I can do just two big flat files side by side, that will be a ton of flat storage. And then David had made me a cubby little thing years ago. It has a bunch of teeny drawers and that I've used for years for just paint supplies and brush supplies.

[C]

And.

[B]

And it's been perfect. So I hope to put that in there. So I'm probably gonna have a bunch of, like, little system lining the walls. But, like, it's a whole room for that. You know, like, it's an office.

[C]

Slash that.

[B]

So it's. But I haven't honestly spent two. Oh, and it has four cubby door or, sorry, it has four, like, attic doors, like, the little. You know what I'm talking about, that go into the eaves. There are four of them. So I'm gonna drywall all each of those in two. So I'll have four little places to literally put boxes or anything. Yeah. So I haven't figured out what's best yet, but yeah.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

Tbd.

[A]

Guys, I'm excited to learn more.

[B]

Yeah, I'll tell y', all, like, in a year from now.

[A]

Well, yeah, that's all that. That's all that I'm doing because I'm not doing much to the house these days.

[B]

All right, Liz. Yeah, tell us. Yeah, take it away. Trial or triumph first?

[C]

Okay, well, let's just. Let's just start with a trial because. Okay, so here's a little story.

[B]

Okay, continue.

[C]

Okay, so the other day, I was making lunch in my kitchen, and I hear a beeping noise. And so I'm like, oh, okay.

[D]

What?

[C]

What's that? So I'm running around the house trying to find this beeping noise. I'm running into my kids room, trying to find it. Eventually, like, I'm running all over the house. Like, I went into the basement, could not find this beeping. Finally, I find it, and it's a carbon monoxide detector. Yeah, in. No, in my kid's room. Like, that was, like, under a bunch of things, right? And so, like, I'm running all around, I find it. By this time, I'm feeling a little lightheaded. I'm like, oh, my gosh.

[D]

What do I do?

[C]

It's like, beeping four times. I'm like, what does that mean? Because it's just like, one of those that beeps. And so I called my husband. I'm like, find the instructions online. Like, what's going on? He's like, okay, is it five beeps or four beeps? Oh, my God. So I'm like, I don't have time for this. I take the cats, I throw them on the front porch. I lock that up. I run to Lowe's around the corner, I get a new carbon monoxide detector that has, like, an led, like, monitor, like, listing that says basically GTF out of the house right now.

[B]

It's like the pregnancy test that's like two lines versus the one that says, you are.

[C]

I don't know, is that four beeps in a pause or is that five beeps and a short pause?

[D]

So, yikes.

[C]

So, yeah, so everybody out there, go get some good carbon monoxide detectors in

[B]

the middle of the night.

[C]

Oh, My gosh. Right, well. And so I'm testing it and it comes out fine. Levels are totally fine. But I'm still feeling. Feeling lightheaded. I'm like, what the heck? Turns out my new sports bra was too tight. All that running around.

[B]

I was like, was it running around?

[C]

It's not good for me.

[A]

It's not good for me. Yeah.

[B]

So you exercised.

[A]

Oh, my God, that's so good.

[B]

And found out it was not good for you.

[D]

So that is my mess of a life.

[A]

Oh, that's pretty good. The darn sports bra.

[B]

So the triumph is not the sports bra. So what is your triumph this week?

[C]

Well, okay, so I'm super excited about this. We had our first impromptu party at our house.

[D]

We haven't heard of those.

[C]

I know, right? We moved in two years ago this weekend, right before everybody sheltered in place. And, you know, it was always my dream that we would have this house that was kind of centrally located to all of our friends and it would just be an open door policy until a pandemic and. Yeah, but, but so we opened up. It was nice enough here in Atlanta the other week that we. So we opened up our, our back porch, our backyard, and my husband said, hey, I've got a couple people that are just going to come by. And it turned into a dozen. And it was awesome. And it made me so happy to entertain.

[B]

Okay, what was like, Was it the food? Was it the music? Or just like having people?

[C]

Literally just having people. Yeah.

[B]

Sitting, talking to people. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. Like we. We used to do. We lived in Los Angeles for many years and had a very small 600 square foot house but a huge yard. And so we would. We would be the ones to host baby showers and Christmas and Thanksgiving for all of our friends who didn't have family around. And I really missed that. And I'm really looking forward to doing that more here.

[B]

That's awesome.

[A]

Yeah, I feel like entertaining just like fills you up with that warm feeling inside, you know?

[B]

Yeah, it does. It feels. It's like extra special now. It was always special, but now it feels like what did. Like, this is what we've been missing. I'm so glad, Liz.

[C]

It made me happy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm sorry that it took two years to realize that dream. That

[C]

I'm just glad we've got the outdoor space to do it now.

[B]

That's awesome. That's so great. Yeah.

[A]

We've been having, like, sort of weirdly warm.

[C]

It's fall, spring here in Atlanta.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's been so nice.

[C]

Right yeah, it's gonna freeze next week. It's fine.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. And then come April, when it's a hundred out, we'll be like, I love being here. No, but right now is wonderful. Like this 70s weather. I love, love.

[C]

So, Taryn, how's the house going?

[B]

I don't know where y' all want me to. I don't even know where my last update was. I am still building a house. I do not have an end date. Guys. I know it has been asked because things seem to be moving along, but I'm too scared to ask at this point. We're just saying summer. We're just going to say summer. And that will kind of group a whole bunch of months together, hoping early summer. But it's not really up to us. As everyone knows, between supply chain and then just even workers, it's been. There's been more pauses than usual, I think.

[A]

And I don't know about where everyone else is, but it seems like everyone is building in Atlanta.

[C]

Like.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. There's just. There's just so much commercial, residential everything.

[B]

So, you know, I'm in the mix. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I'll go over hardware. How about that? So, guys, we spent, I don't know, two, three weeks just stressing over hardware. And by us, I mean me. My husband was like, I could just pick one and be done. And I'm like, absolutely not. Cabinetry, hardware, door hardware. And then, like, are we doing the exterior doors a certain color? Because all of the exterior lighting was picked before. Was picked when the first. First thing, kind of. So you're like, okay, so I know I'm going to do white siding. Okay. So we're doing. There's not that many finishes for outdoor, as y' all know, just for outdoor lighting because of being wet and powder coating's the best. And so black is usually what you see for a lot of outdoor lighting because that's what you need for it to endure the weather. So we did black out there. So then you're like, well, do I do black hardware too then for the outside? And then there's companies that will do your exterior doors where they'll do the outside a finish and then the inside a finish so that I could have a brassy finish on the inside and have a black finish to match the lighting on the outside. But then David had bought me for Christmas a lion head door knocker, just as a gift from. For the front door of the house. Love it.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

And so then I'm trying to pick the door handle Guys, this is. And y' all would all do the same where you're like, all right, so now I have this black lantern dropping down on my little porch. Cause there's a little cover over the port front little stairs. So I have a black lantern coming down. But now I have this gold lion's head. And so I go back to the company online. I'm like, all right, are you antique brass or are you unlacquered brass? Because David, of course, doesn't know what he ordered. And I'm like, can you please look? Because this is making me decide if I should do an unlacquered brass on the front door. Am I going to do antique to match years? And then, of course, it's not made by the same company. So, like, how it will really look. So I still don't know how it's really going to look, guys, is the actual answer. But we did front door. I did antique brass. And the inside. All the interior downstairs doors, I did an antique brass. So I hope it comes in and looks pretty. I really wanted to do unlacquered brass, but it just. It was a price thing. It was just double for that. And I'm doing some of the cabinet hardware on lacquered brass, so I will get to have that really warm hardware that patinas. But for the actual doors, I did settle on antique brass. Just again, because I got to pick and choose, like, at this point. But the main point of me telling the story was we ended up. We wanted to do a keypad door on the side doors so that, like, again, we could let in certain people during the day and different people can have different codes and you can like, anyway, so that has come a long way technology wise. So that's great. But those definitely don't come in, like a beautiful, unlucky. You know what I mean?

[A]

I'm sure they.

[B]

Sorry. I'm sure they do for a certain price. But we just did a slog schlage, whatever the. Like that brand that does hardware polished brass for the side, which. But again, you'll never. They'll never see each other. So hopefully no one but come over and be like, oh, gross. And then on the back side, though, we have a bunch of different lanterns. And we have three French doors in our living room. So on those, we have done black powder black on the outside to match the lanterns that will be right next to it. And then we did the inside antique brass. So we had to custom order those because the inside's one color, the outside's One finished. But I didn't want the big black plates because they have big. They had big plates on the back and then the knob itself. So it's a lot of look. So I was like, I don't want it to be a big black if I have no other black. And, you know, we've talked to a hundred designers about, you know, mixing finishes, and you just have to make sure that it's somewhere else across the room or, you know, like to blend it in. And anyway, I don't know, guys. There's a lot of decisions I had no clue I had to make. And then does the door open to the left or the right? Where, like, if we're going to do levers or actual round door knobs. And the dog used to open lever doorknobs. And then my sister said it in a positive light. She was like, oh, I love having them because the kids can open them easily. And then I had another friend who said it in a negative light of, oh, kids can open those easier. And I was like, maybe I want around knobs because some of those levers are really pretty. Like, they have little, like bead detail and stuff. But we ended up doing just a plain old round knob. And then upstairs, we ended up with a shiny. A shiny brass set of 20 for like 200 bucks off Amazon for the doorknobs. Because that's just. I wanted all my money downstairs. So instead of like doing the same knobs, that's where we've had, you know, and. And I'm just being real with everyone because it's the truth. It looks so pretty because there's certain things that are gorgeous, but you just, I. I have to.

[A]

You have to draw the line somewhere.

[B]

Yeah. So, yeah, upstairs, where none of y' all are gonna be. Guess what? You're not gonna touch those knobs. Pretty much.

[A]

So.

[B]

And it's something again, later, you can. I can do them. Like, it's not like I've decided to light like, oh, this is never. I can't change out a doorknob. So that's a great place at later too. If I picked a ten dollar knob, guess what? Mama can save and buy herself a pretty knob. So that was a big one recently that I made a lot of decisions. And I know that didn't sound like that much, but that took forever to tell you all about. So.

[A]

No, I'm excited too, about your floors. I feel like you can post them on Instagram.

[B]

They did put the hardwoods in. Super exciting. And then I again, just truth of the matter again is looking at budget. And I was like, david, can you just please ask them to quote the front hallway and hair, like to do a herringbone pattern? Like, I just want some kind of moment because the entry is your kind of presentation of your home. And so I was like, I just want to make that like a little special. And so David asked and it really, it was. It was honestly a lot cheaper than I thought for them, especially the labor. When you see the guy sitting there like literally chopping all the 14 inch pieces and you're like, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry.

[A]

But you know, he's probably sitting there being like, thank God this girl only wanted me to do the front hallway.

[C]

Right?

[B]

But it could have been the whole

[A]

bottom, you know, downstairs.

[B]

And then the best part about being the owner again is you're like, I want a herringbone. And you kind of look at pictures and then they call you because they're working on it, and they're like, do you want 14 inch, 12 inch, 18 inch pieces? Like which, like which size? And I was like, so I like drive over. Thank goodness I live nearby because that's how I'm doing. It is. I'm like, just hold. I'll be there in 15. And I was like. And he had like kind of demoed out a few pieces to show me what I thought was a better size. I was like, I think because the width of the hallway, so we went with a 14, and then I wanted a double edge border around it. So then we talked through that. But it looks beautiful, so I'm excited we added that. So that was a kind of fun detail. And then the tile is currently being put in. So so far I haven't hated anything, thank God, because it's already purchased. The powder room we did in a pretty tile. It's just a mosaic. And so that was super fun. And then the guest bathroom we did in a marble mosaic that would got some black in it to go with the black vanity or the black stone top vanity. So that was put in and they were working on the master yesterday. So lots of fun. But it's been funny to just see what has made decisions for us versus like making all these wild decisions. Guys, like, again, the tag, I was like, where do you want the niches and what size? And I was like, I don't. In the showers, I don't. What do you mean? What size are they usually? And then he's telling me how I have to go between. You know, it's easier to go between your framing. So, so then you're stuck between studs. So then your, your width is kind of. So you're supposed to have framed out all the stuff before, but my architect didn't do any plan drawings of that. So if you're working on a house, even think through the niches and the benches because you will be asked. And then because the plumber that has already come and put up the plumbing. Now again, I could say, yes, I want a huge niece that's super wide and goes right in the middle. So move all my pipes around it and come in and have a framer. But of course I'm like, how much is that worth it? You write, had I planned it, it would be one way, you know, it would have been.

[A]

Did you do, did you ever watch Amy Vermillion's bathroom? She always does a foot niche.

[B]

Oh, she does. A lot of people mention that. I did do, I did do the foot niche in our guest bathroom because it's a, it's a three sided tile with one big piece of glass side and it was too teeny for a bench.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If you have a bench. I like a bench because you can just, you can, you can sit, you can whatever. But I, yeah, so that one, I did do a toniche anyway, so hopefully, yes, you have a bench.

[A]

You don't need that. Yeah.

[B]

So I take, I measured and taped up where I wanted certain boxes in hopes that there's not studs there because I can't see past all the stuff that's on the wall to be like stuff so tbd, guys. But it is fun. Just lots and lots of decisions I never even thought through. So yeah, okay, that's enough of me. I have tons more. I have tons more. So we'll just keep talking about it.

[A]

But yeah, we have. We'll do some more.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I think it's probably time, though.

[B]

Oh, my God, please.

[A]

So stay tuned next week for more Saga from Saga.

[B]

The Saga. The Saga.

[A]

Well, we are back again today with an exciting, topical episode that I think we're all eager to chat about. And we are going to be talking about furniture shopping and all of our best tips. We've circled the wagons, we've asked, we talked a little bit to our senior vice president of merchandising and product design, sky, who's been on the show. We have asked some questions on Instagram. I know, I posted it on my Instagram just like a little question box and got some great suggestions. So we're going to just talk it out. What should you keep in mind, what do you need to know before you start shopping? Say you bought a new house and you've got lots on your list to buy, and you don't want to make a mistake. What's our suggestion? What are our suggestions for not regretting your purchases? All right, ladies, I feel like y'

[B]

all love everything around you. Good, Good point, ladies.

[A]

I feel like the vast majority of questions were about sofas in particular, so I feel like that's the best place to start.

[B]

Sofa. Yeah, because she's your, like, main stage in a living room, you know, I feel like she's your big purchase. You think about. You kind of have to have. Because you could go without, like, a carpet, but you're not going without a sofa.

[A]

You know what I mean? Right, right.

[D]

And it's a big investment, for sure.

[A]

Totally, totally. Yeah. So we. Liz and I were sort of interrogating. I don't know if that's the right word.

[C]

Picking the brains.

[A]

We're picking the brains of. Yeah.

[B]

Did y' all leave her any? Did she have any left when you were done?

[A]

She shared it all. She gave us lots. Lots of things to talk about. And. And I do feel like it's something we've sort of talked about on the show, but not necessarily in this context. And it all really comes down to when you're furniture shopping, especially for a sofa, of knowing yourself, that was something that we really talked a lot about because there are so many aesthetic choices that you can make, but they're actually going to really impact the functionality. And you need to be really honest with yourself about how you live, what

[D]

you like and what you don't like. Yeah, exactly. But so let's. So let's maybe start with some of the things that we have as options to choose from. So, okay, first of all, knowing your space and measuring your space and knowing the size sofa you want, super important.

[A]

Right.

[D]

It seems very basic.

[B]

Right. Might need to fit, maybe.

[D]

But then also, like, how many cushions do you like? How many pillows do you like? And really kind of examining how you like to sit in your sofa and how you. How you want people to sit in your sofa. Do you want a bunch of pillows in the back? Kind of like our Tate sofa that has a bunch of cushions, loose cushions all around the back. Well, do you like that? Or is. Do you. When you sit down, are you moving those cushions out of the way?

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

To make room.

[A]

Do you get annoyed when your cushions are not fluffed? And do you want to be fluffing your cushions? Or do you not care? Some people. What.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Want it to look nice all the time, and so it drives them nuts when the cushions are all askew.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

You need a tight back cushion.

[D]

A tight back sofa. Yeah. Something that doesn't have those cushions.

[A]

Yeah. I think that that was something we talked a lot about. It's kind of like what's comfortable for me is different from what's comfortable for you, Liz. What's comfortable for Taryn? Like, we all have.

[B]

What do you have, Caroline? What's, like your main sofa?

[A]

So, okay, well, this was another question we got. So I. It was about, what do you regret and why now?

[B]

About 10 years ago, this is what comes up. Okay.

[A]

Well, no, no, I think this is sort of when I learned this lesson. Ten years ago, I bought a sofa at an outlet. It was a. It's a big. Not. Not Ballard. This is before I worked at Ballard, and it is a big chain known for very large furniture. And at the time, it. It was a big splurge for me. It was by far the most expensive piece of furniture I'd ever bought. And I definitely made some mistakes. It was. It's way too deep for me. Like, I'm pretty petite, and I just. It was too. It sat too far back for me to be comfortable. It was in a linen fabric. The linen. You know, linen stretches, so it kind of gets that great. Like, depending on your point of view, it kind of stretched a little bit. It has that lived in look, you know, and you have to. You have to really like that. It drove me nuts. I also had it in a big window, and it got a lot of sunlight and immediately started to fade. It just always looked messy, and I always hated it. And so I went into my most recent sofa purchase knowing, okay, I need to backtrack a little bit here and not buy the same thing I already bought, you know, So I got something, like, a little shallower. I love a bench seat for a couple reasons. One, I feel like it looks tidier. I also love, Like, I just think it's so much more comfortable to lay if you're laying. Like you might when you're watching a movie, because there's no.

[D]

There's no cushion. Cushion seams for your butt to fall through.

[B]

Exactly.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

It's almost like a twin bed, which I love.

[B]

That's a great point. No, it's a good.

[D]

I do like a bench seat that. It's. Yeah, just that one long seat that goes all the way across. It's really nice.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then this is another thing we'll probably have to dive into more. But it has a little bit more foam and less down, and so it doesn't require quite as much constant fluffing. And when we were talking to Sky, Liz and I, that was one thing she suggested. Go into a furniture store. It doesn't have to be where you end up buying, but just go in somewhere and that has a bunch of options and just sit on every single thing you can find and you're figuring

[D]

out what you like. Yeah.

[B]

Figure out comfortable to you and take the other person that lives in your house that has a strong opinion.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

If it's your partner of any sort and he's going or she is going to poo poo on your eye. I mean, like, you two need to discuss like, oh, I hate, like, you know, you always find out what the other one hates after you purchase the fact, and then you're. Yeah. So.

[A]

And who, who. If you're, if you're both like something and they hate that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Who, who, who are you gonna go with? But I think that when you go into the store, you'll start to realize that the light, you know. Okay. I like a down wrapped phone foam seat. And that is when you ask the salesperson to help you understand what it is you're sitting on. Like, do you want it to be 45 inches deep where you're like, where, you know, if you're like six, five. Yeah, you probably do. If you're five feet. No, you probably don't because your feet won't touch the floor. Understanding what you need is a very personal choice, and that is going to determine the comfort and what you think is comfortable. Because just because someone else says on a review that it's not comfortable, well, maybe it's not comfortable for them.

[B]

Yeah, Right. And it could be totally different for you. Yeah.

[D]

And, you know, going, going into a furniture store, and it's really any furniture store just to kind of get. Get that idea of what you like and what you don't like. Figure out, like, do you sit down and start moving the cushions around? Well, then maybe that's not the right one for you. Or maybe you do, like, just, you know, personally, I do start moving the pillows around and then I start cuddling on the pillows, and that's how I get comfortable, you know?

[B]

Or if you need pillows, you're like.

[D]

Or if you hate pillows, you know.

[B]

Yeah. You love a big arm because you like to set things on it or you like to rest your head actually on the arm versus On a pillow. And you know, all of that really, again, is so, so many another one is pets, y'. All.

[A]

Because does your. Is your. Is your sofa gonna go in a window? Is your dog gonna want to sit on the back of the sofa and look out the window?

[B]

Well, you're might want to tie it back. My big dog is not getting up there. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. That was my other dog.

[C]

My.

[A]

That was my dog's favorite spot on our other couch. But so then all the cushions are always, like on the floor. So that's when you want to type back.

[B]

That's a great point.

[A]

And I know this probably maybe this confuses people more than it's helpful, but just get to know yourself.

[D]

Be honest and get to know. Get to know what the variables are because. Yeah, you know, because once you start to. To figure out what those variables are like and what the depth, the seat depths are that you like, then you can take that information and start going online and finding other styles that you like that kind of match within that, that then match into your price point too. And then every furniture store is really going to have a lot of information online in their specs or they should. And if they don't, that's not really where you want to buy your sofa. It's not a good sign. It's not. It's. You're not going to get great quality. You might get a decent price point, but you really don't know what it is that you're. That you're buying.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Look for somewhere that is really transparent like us just saying, just about, you know, like, what it is, what quality products. And there were a couple things that you want to look out for. Skyes. Number one was kiln dried wood as the frame. If it doesn't say kiln dried, it's kiln dried. That is so hard to say. Kiln dried.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's more likely to crack and break. Gold standard used to always be the eight way hand tied, but there's so much tech, you know, technology, and that's

[B]

just the way the springs are. For those who, again, don't speak upholstery, it's just.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The springs in the bottom of the sofa so that you have some bounce to it. And the eight way hand tied is just. Yeah.

[A]

You know, I want to say that we talked about this with Kelly.

[B]

We did.

[A]

In our Pick the Perfect Chair episode. If you want to go back and listen to that, that's another good one. And she talks all about, like, the pitch, the suspension, the Springs, all that stuff.

[B]

All the nitty gritty.

[D]

Yeah. Kelly's our upholstery merchant and she's the expert.

[A]

She knows it all. Yes.

[B]

And what's the name of that episode again?

[A]

It's how to pick the Perfect Chair.

[B]

Perfect.

[A]

It's probably about 2020.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Fall of 2020, I would say.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

So.

[B]

No, I just think that's not right.

[A]

I think that's about right. Look in that time period, let me

[D]

see if I can find. I don't know anything about springs and innards and all of that kind of stuff. So I need to listen. Yeah. So my, my ears were. Well, my ears were perked up, you know, when we were. When we got the opportunity to talk about this. And I thought it was really interesting that sky was telling us that it's the not as important right now because there's been so many technological advances in how the innards of the springs of the sofas are made. So I thought that was really, really cool. So for a layman like me, who is gonna probably focus more on my seat depth and the number of cushions if I don't have to worry about the inner structure, I'm good with that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Episode 159, in case y' all need to go. Thank you. Yes, I agree to your point, Liz. It's like for me, it needed to be as simple as like, do I trust this brand? Can somebody help me? A sales associate. Tell me what's best fabric. Tell me which sofa people are liking the most and why. And that's the kind of stuff I ask. Just because I'm always like, well, what's everyone else buying? Like, because is there and why? Like, why are they buying this? And then back to my personal. What were my personal needs? How do I want to live on this sofa? We bought sofas a year ago, David and I did. Yeah, two years ago now. They. It took a year to come in and we went and laid on a bunch and sat on a bunch and discussed all the details in. Far too much. Took far too long. But the bench seat was one thing that we. We were kind of like, do you like this? You know, here's the pro and con list to it. The other part though is there was this pull out sofa. It like pulled out and it popped up. So it became literally a queen size bed. I think is what it was. It once it pops up. But David was like, oh, if we buy these, I'm keeping it out. I probably told you all this. But like, he's like, no, we're keeping it out all the time so we can just like have movie night all the time. And I was like, so first off, we don't watch movies every night, so where in what world are you? And two, I'm not keeping the pop out all the time.

[A]

So I want a queen size bed in the middle of our living room all the time. Yes, essentially. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. And I was like, yeah, so let's take the whole living room space and just be. Be sofas, literally is what it would be. So I literally was like, I'm gonna have to nix this now because he is, I bet he is like gonna keep it out all the time. So I had to take back. I thought it was a great idea for like an off, like one off occasion. Like Christmas time or I don't know. No, I had to be like, nope, not happening. Locking this decision down. We are not going with the pop up section anyway. That was one of my examples.

[A]

Well, but that, that's also something to consider too, because that sofa. I know which one you're talking about. It's this cut called the Somerset. It also has a much firmer seat.

[D]

Then it's a much firmer seat.

[B]

Much firmer seat than I think it's a tight seat. It doesn't have a cushion. Like, it's a tight.

[D]

It's. It's a tight seat.

[B]

It's not a removable cushion.

[D]

Yeah, but it's not. It's not necessarily a sofa that you would plop down and like feel in. Yeah, because. Because of the pop up bed. And I know this because my sister has it in her playroom, which is actually a great place for it because it becomes like the video game Pop it Out. Everybody chill out.

[B]

So I just gonna end up over there.

[D]

David's gonna end up over there and party up. But it's also a great place if she has extra guests. Yeah, yeah. So.

[A]

Oh, but totally has its application.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

It's an awesome sofa. That's an awesome sofa. But it is, but it is a lot firmer. So again, like, note going back into like, are you plopping into your sofa at the end of the day and just saying, that's it, I'm done.

[B]

Is this room used as a guest room?

[D]

Right.

[B]

Because I don't have another bedroom or anyway, do I need to have this as a bed? Because then again, what a fantastic decision that it turned into a queen bed, you know?

[D]

Right.

[B]

If that's a need you have. Yeah. Because you're spending thousands people. So like everything we're Saying you have to do your research and then you have to get the swatches and touch and feel. Even just the fabric too.

[D]

I've always lived in small spaces. Before moving to Atlanta, we lived in, in a 600 square foot house. It was teeny, teeny. And so we just. Wow. Yeah, it had a great outdoor, so that made up for everything. But like, so we just had a little IKEA sofa and that was perfect for what it was for the time that we were there. And I definitely felt like we got what we paid for with it. But it didn't make the trip. It didn't make the trip. It would, you know.

[B]

So wait, how transparent. How much was it? Do you remember how much you paid for it and how long you used it?

[D]

Okay, well this was a good, a good while ago. Oh, you know what? I think I even got it off of, I got it off of Craigslist. So, you know, I mean, even better.

[A]

I mean like $50.

[D]

It was, it was seriously, it was seriously like 150, 200 bucks. I was like, great, throw it in here. I recovered it, got a slipcover. It was great. So then when I moved to Atlanta, I purchased my first real sofa. And that's been about nine years ago now. And I'm ready for a new one. And so I'm totally thinking about all of these different things.

[B]

Do you say that you're ready for a new one because it doesn't fit your lifestyle or is it just a crappy sofa or is it just won't change?

[D]

No, it's a, it's a decent sofa. I like the, the mid century mod vibe of it. It's for my family room and I really want to have a sectional. Because of the layout of our room. I would really like to be able to sit next to my husband and watch a movie.

[B]

That's like

[A]

fair understandable because right now

[D]

we've got like, you know, a small apartment sofa and this regular size 86 inch long sofa. So.

[B]

No, absolutely. You have moved recently too, which changed your layout, which might have changed your

[D]

need of your sofa. It totally changed our entire vibe of everything.

[A]

Yeah, I feel like that's also something to consider. We've talked about like the eight way hand typing, the gold standard. That's if you're going to keep this for forever and you want to keep it for 50 years.

[B]

That's a great point.

[A]

Yeah. But if you're going to move probably every five to seven years and when you move into a new space, you're more than likely going to want to. It's going to have different needs. So that's something to consider. I mean, you don't necessarily need it to last 20 years.

[B]

That's true.

[D]

Okay. Speaking about sofas lasting that long, okay. Remember we had a. We had a Baldwin sectional sofa in the creative department.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

And it was there for just about 20 years. And I have got to tell you, that was the most comfortable sofa.

[B]

I love that sofa.

[D]

We would have never meetings, and no one would ever leave. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. That was a sinker. That was like.

[D]

That was a sinker. But, I mean, I was so amazed that it lasted for that long. And was that good?

[A]

See?

[C]

Okay.

[A]

It was comfortable, but I always felt like it was too cushy to me, like.

[B]

Oh, that's the thing. Almost.

[A]

You almost, like, couldn't get out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I always felt like it was overstuffed with pillows, so it was very soft.

[D]

It did have a lot of.

[A]

But I just. I always remember feeling like I'm a little uncomfortable having a work meeting in here.

[B]

Like, it didn't give off work vibes. It did not.

[C]

You're right. It did not give up work vibes.

[B]

Gave off vibes.

[D]

It was definitely, you know, kick off your shoes and let's have a casual creative meeting. But the seat.

[A]

That's our point. Like, you have to figure out what is comfortable for you, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Clearly, I like something a little further.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I remember trying out one at Restoration Hardware that was literally, like, the deepest. Most pillowist. Like, I think they called it the cloud or something. Y' all probably listening. Know, I was like, if I needed a, like, nap. Like a. If I had a dreamy nap room, this would be it. Like, but if I watched a movie in this, I would never stay awake. Like, hands down, done. It was like a pillow or like a. Like, they said, a cloud.

[D]

Well, I was telling Caroline this morning that we. We have a new sofa that's coming out in May by Suzanne Kasler. And it is so amazing. It's so low. It's so deep. And I was telling Caroline that I sat down in it, and I immediately. My eyes started to close. Like, it was an instant sleeper. It was an instant sleeper, but it's so super comfortable.

[A]

You don't put that in your. In your, like, living room. You put that in your, like, family TV room. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, it's not where you put your grandparents. No.

[D]

They'll never get out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, and then, I mean, there's so many. Again, to your point, it's like Do I do something tufted? Well, is that more formal? Are you sitting it on every day? Will you.

[A]

Are you eating snacks? Because if you're eating snacks on that sofa, you do not want tufting.

[B]

Just saying what happens. What happens?

[A]

Crumbs. Oh, all the crumbs catchers. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, in the. In the seat of it. I was thinking in the back. Yes, you are.

[A]

Oh, well, I mean, like an ottoman. Same for an ottoman. Like your ottoman in your. In your main. In, like, your comfy tea room where all of your kids are going to eat goldfish. No, you don't want tapping.

[B]

I was gonna say this is such a comical view. Or, like, because Caroline and I are so deep in 80, like very young children.

[D]

Listen, goldfish, don't go away. My teenager is still. Still chomping on the.

[B]

She's still deep in the goldfish. All right. Yeah, that's fair.

[A]

I mean, let's be honest. Adults have as many snacks and make

[D]

as many crumbs right.

[A]

As kids. So, you know.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

We just get to blame it on them.

[B]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

Perfect.

[D]

So that's. But that's a great point to, like, start thinking about the type of fabric you. You would want on your sofa. And I feel like we talk a lot about performance. Do we want to get into, like, talking a little bit about the difference between the performances or what?

[B]

I think we should.

[A]

I think we should talk about fabric, because here's my theory on fabrics, especially for something like a sofa. I think that people do not spend enough time worrying and fixating on the fabric. I feel like the fabric is going to determine the longevity of your sofa, more so than the cushions and the. And the quality. Because if you get a fabric that's not really going to work for your lifestyle, then it's going to look bad, like, soon enough to where it's. It's not even worth having a really good quality sofa because you're going to have to. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, it's gonna age it faster than the actual inside.

[D]

Yeah. And definitely, like, thinking about, like, the linen. The linen that you had on your sofa and, like, how that got, like, saggy knees, you know, like, you'd wear tights when you were a kid and, like, your knees would just sag out.

[A]

Like, that's.

[D]

Oh, that's so awful.

[A]

Well, and, you know, linen is that feeling.

[D]

Just talking about that feeling. That makes sense.

[A]

It wears a lot faster, too. So if it's, you know, arms get a hole in it. The other thing, too, is, like, I Said it was in a sunny window. And so it was just sort of a charcoal gray sofa, but in spots, it looked brown because it had gotten so, like, sun bleached.

[B]

But that will happen with, like.

[A]

Well, but not with Sunbrella.

[B]

I mean, correct. Yes. Not with the performance fabrics, but any.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, true. I mean, it will, but. But no going into it.

[D]

You know, one thing that I. That I wish I knew about my sofa before I bought it, the one that I'd like to kick to the curb, is the number of rubs. Because. Because the fabric pills. So it's. It's like a basket weave. Yeah, it's. And I wish that I would have known what, like, what the rub content is of the fabric. And the higher the rub. Rub content, the more it's going to hold its structure and not hill on you.

[A]

Yes. Or rub through or whatever.

[D]

Right, right.

[A]

Here's what I tell my girlfriends. Order a yard of the fabric. I don't know. Not every retailer does this. I know you can At Ballard, anything that we upholster our furniture in, you can order a yard of that. So order one yard and wrap it around your chair cushion on your sofa that you're living on every day. Wrap it around your dog's favorite spot in the sun. So that. Or wrap it around your freaking dog bed. That works, too.

[B]

And, like, what, is your dog tire behind your car?

[A]

No, but, you know, what is your dog hair gonna look like on it?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Spill some coffee on it or whatever your favorite drink is. And your kids. Apple juice or orange juice or milk. Can you get it out? Live with it, Lay on it, put it on.

[B]

Put it.

[A]

Like, just rub it on your face. Like, do. Figure out what, you know, test drive it thoroughly before you order. I think that's because.

[D]

Such a great idea.

[A]

Yeah. Because it's like I said, if. If you don't. If you're not happy with the fabric and you cheap out on the fabric or make the wrong decision, then no matter how great a quality the actual sofa is, you're going to want to get rid of it or recover it. And yes, recovering it is always an option, but it's still going to be two grand to recover once you order the fabric and pay for the labor. I mean, it's not. It's not cheap. It's not something you want to make a mistake on. So splurge on the fabric.

[D]

I love that idea, too, because. Okay, so I have swatches all over my house as I, like, try to figure out what fabric to put on a sofa. And what colors to paint the walls and do I really want grass cloth wallpaper and all of those things? So they're all over, I know they're all over my house. So we offer swatches on all of our fabrics and they're about 3 by 3 inches or 4 by 4 inches, which is awesome. But getting a full yard of the fabric, if you're able to do that, will really help you see what the repeat is. And to really understand do you want that pattern or that color that to that extent in your house? Like, I feel like that's. Yeah, yeah. So I think that's where I'm at.

[A]

Well, and I'm not saying to order a yard of 10 different fabrics. I'm saying get your 10 swatches that are three by three. Feel like, okay, this is, I'm almost positive this is what I want. Then order one yard of that. Yeah.

[D]

But in the scheme of things, like one yard of fabric versus, you know, thousands of dollars to get a sofa, that then you're questioning for sure. Yeah, it's, yeah, no, that's great.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I did when I ordered our sectional. I, I, I spilled my coffee on it. Spilled my, ran it through. I did a load of laundry, put it in the laundry, used some dawn soap, see if I can get stuff out. I mean, really don't leave that stuff to chance. You know, you don't want to fund out once you've already stuck, spilled that. It's not going to come out because.

[D]

Right.

[A]

It's too late.

[B]

You just don't enjoy life if you're stressing about it every time somebody sits on it or gets near it or jumps up on it.

[D]

So but to the other end, like, if you know that not a lot of folks are going to be sitting on it or you're putting it in more, a more decorative space or your formal living room, then maybe you do go with a more special non performance fabric.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yes, absolutely. But I do feel like those great color fabrics, those are perfect for a, occasional chair. Ottomans, pillows, drapes, like. Yeah.

[D]

A bench. A bench. Or extra seating that you can pull around and. Yeah, I think that's great.

[A]

A great chair that's in the corner of the living room that doesn't get sit on every day.

[D]

But in talking about like occasional chairs where, you know, someone might not be sitting very often, I've been noticing when I have people in my house, because I'm starting to have people in my house every now and again and, you know, testing out the layout of My. Of my house. I'm watching really closely where people sit and where they want to sit and where they're gravitating toward. And then I'm also kind of taking note, like, why are they sitting there? Like, we had someone over the other day who sat in a very structured side chair, leaving me to sit on kind of the comfy sofa. But it was almost like you didn't want to sit on the sofa. Why? Like, why. Why didn't you want to sit on that sofa? Like, I don't know.

[B]

Funny. Did you just work out? I don't know. Was there a cat? I mean, I'm not a cat person.

[D]

There's always a cat. There's always a cat.

[A]

Well, I think that sometimes has to do with psychology and not how comfortable you're. Sometimes I do think it comes down to how comfortable and inviting is your room, you know?

[D]

Right.

[A]

Someone feels like they come in, and they plop down on your sofa and slide their shoes off. Then you. It's success, you know? But isn't that person. Like, that was one of the first times you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hung out with him, so maybe he just was feeling a little, like, okay, I'm not gonna take the best seat in the house. I'm gonna be polite.

[D]

But it makes me question, like, does my layout work? Does that chair work? Like, what's. Yeah.

[A]

Where does your sister come? One of your sisters sit when they come?

[D]

Honestly, we have such a different flight pattern, and I. And I definitely mean flight pattern. Like, we run from room to room to room, so.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

All right.

[A]

All right. There you go.

[D]

Barely sit, but it's always standing in the kitchen.

[A]

No, but I do think that's a great lesson, like, just observing your guests and seeing who is. Where do people gravitate towards in terms of seeds? And then trying to figure out, like, why is that? Is it because it. It looks extra soft because of the location? You know, whatever.

[D]

Yeah. I mean, in our. In our old place, people used to gravitate towards sitting on the floor, and it totally weirded me out.

[A]

And I have a door sitter. I'm a floor. Yeah. No, my whole family. Yeah, we're all floor sitters. Like, we. There will be empty couches, and we'll just all be sitting on the floor. It's weird. I don't know.

[B]

Why. Why do you pick the floor?

[D]

Okay.

[A]

I don't know. I'm just comfortable sitting on the floor, especially if it's, like, a real comfy rug. And I don't know. Okay, so especially now with Kids. I do. I, like, really sit on the floor a lot.

[D]

Okay, so then do you get four pillows? No. No, you're just.

[B]

You're just.

[A]

This is probably why I love my memory foam pads so much that I talk about every episode.

[B]

This could be why. Yeah, yeah, it's a good.

[A]

It's all coming out.

[B]

No, I feel like I wear too many dresses for a lot of floor sitting, if that makes sense.

[A]

That's fair.

[B]

I wear a lot of dresses, so I feel like I'm usually on eight.

[A]

Don't take offense. If I come to your house and I sit on the floor, it's not because your furniture isn't comfortable.

[D]

Hey, no, go for it. I'm gonna totally rethink my entire layout. But, you know, go sit my.

[B]

Yeah, but she might hint. Yeah, she might hint you need the memory foam rug pad. But, like.

[D]

No, I'm sure that I do. No, but it's really interesting to kind of think about that, though, and. And think about what kind of additional seating you might need, Like.

[A]

Yeah, that's true.

[C]

Because that.

[D]

Because that is something that I'm thinking about. And I ended up going out and getting a bench. Like, a little bench that I can move around. So then I moved it closer to the sofa so that it becomes a little bit more intimate. So, yeah, I guess that's that. I guess that's another tip for buying furniture is like, figuring out what. How you want to make your guests comfortable and how you want to guide conversation within your house through seating.

[A]

Yeah. I also find, too, when. When we're entertaining, I like to have a little bench, like a. Something backless or a small chair. Because, you know, if I'm hosting, then I'm usually, like, kind of getting up and, like, flitting around. And so I want something that's, like, easy to pop in and out of, and I can kind of come to from any direction. So I always used to say, like. Like, make all my guests sit in, like, the real furniture. And then I would just kind of sit on a little stool and then. Because, you know, I'd be going to the kitchen or, like, doing whatever. And so that was something I always just like to have around handy.

[B]

That's a good one.

[A]

Speaking of entertaining, should we talk about. Oh, yeah, hold on. One thing that we did not speak to and someone specifically asked about is lead times. So, guys, this is not something that we really want to chat about because it is a sore subject for everyone at Ben right now and anyone in the furniture industry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Unfortunately, lead Times are long, so that just is what it is.

[D]

So don't. Don't wait to make. To.

[A]

Don't wait to order.

[D]

Yeah, don't wait to order. They're not going to get better for a little while. Things are so backlogged. Things are so.

[A]

But also wait. Also wait in the sense of not wait to order, but commit. Like, don't make the wrong choice because it'll get delivered immediately. You know what I'm saying? Like, wait for the right thing, even if it's going to take a little longer versus picking something that's not really what you want because you'll have it sooner. That is like the fastest way to be unsatisfied.

[D]

And then even if once you place the order, it's gonna. Time goes so quickly. I mean, we're already through two years of a pandemic. Yeah, that time went so quickly. Delivery time on a sofa is just gonna be such a sweet surprise when it arrives.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

It's Christmas.

[B]

I just love these silver. The silver linings. The way you guys are painting it. I will say no, you. There's nothing you can do. Get in. Like, we.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Just everybody is in the same need. We all need it. So, yes, there's going to be a long lead time and somebody is hand making that. So yes, it's going to take that person some time. So my sofas took 11 months and I am so. I was even more grateful when they came. So, yeah, to your point, it was just like, thank you, beautiful sofa. I am so glad. And I love you.

[A]

I love you, and I love you. But don't let the lead time discourage you from picking what you really, really need and want. That's a good one.

[D]

Okay, now this. So when we were talking about lead times with sky and our little sidebar conversation, this I thought was really funny because I was like, okay, that's great. Lead times, place the order. What do you do in the meantime if you don't have a sofa? And her.

[A]

Sit on the floor.

[D]

Sit on the floor. No, but her. Her response was so funny. She was just like, get an air sofa from Amazon and just go for it. I was like, wow. Oh, that just sounds so crazy. But I guess make do.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And.

[D]

And it's all gonna be okay. And just, just think how fabulous it's going to be when it finally arrives.

[A]

I do feel like we haven't given quite enough lip service to measuring. So just, people measure, measure again. Have your spouse measure and then have your best friend measure, like measure four times.

[B]

Yeah, you measure and then we've said this too. You literally measure spots where you need something. You put it in your phone. You literally give yourself a note. That way, when you're at a random antique store or at a random store and you see something you love, like, you make sure it fits. Do not just buy it, because that is how you waste the money. So definitely, like, being proactive to say, hey, I need a new dresser in this room. What would fit well? And carrying this measurements around with you will. You'll be grateful. You'll be like, oh, this looks great. Will this work? Let me look at my dimensions and a tape measure. A lot of places have them, but I have one of those little ones, and I love having it in my purse. I'll measure anything.

[A]

Use a room planner tool or some graph paper. Whatever you need to do. Draw it out. Come up with a layout. That's really the first thing that you should do. Before we talked sky, we talked about this with sky, too. That's really the first thing you should do before you even decide what size sofa you need.

[B]

What else?

[A]

You know, how many people do you want to sit in your room? Do you want, like, what are your traffic patterns? Come up with the actual layout of your room first and then figure out what sizes you need. Our room planner tool is great. You can Google it or go to our blog to find it. We'll also put a link in our show notes or you can use some graph paper. There are also lots of other room planner tools out there. But whatever you gotta do to measure and lay out your room, that's what you should really do first.

[B]

Man. That's where I'm struggling to be honest with you guys right now, because I'm building a home and everything I'm talking about is how I want to live in the new space. And it's really hard. I think I've planned it for how I want traffic to flow. It's being realistic with who I am and, like, how I live as well as what I already own and what fits here. But I will say just across the board, everything I'm deciding, I'm like, well, I would like to live said this way. Like, they're like, well, here's the pantry design. And I'm like, I've never had a pantry. Please tell me more. What am I lacking? Where do I. Where do you put things? Tell me more. So anyway, as you said that, you made me think of that, so I understand, guys. But I did pull out the planners. And again, just to measure where I Wanted before we picked out the sofas. So I have a plan. We'll see if it works is my why I said that. What about dining and kitchen kind of stuff? Like, what about dining chairs, tables? What do we need to know before I buy those?

[A]

I think it all comes down to wipeability, in my personal opinion. Like, how wipeable do you want it to be? You know, like, being realistic. I mean, goes back to that. Being realistic to your lifestyle. Is it a breakfast room where you're eating every single day? Is it a formal living or a formal dining room? I will say for our dining room, I don't. I don't have a formal and informal. I have one dining room. And so I knew it would be where we had like every single dinner. Homework's happening, crayons, markers, all that stuff. So I wanted it to be as cleanable as humanly possible. But I also love to have. To entertain. I love to have dinner parties. I didn't want a wood chair or I wanted something really comfortable too, because I want to have like a long, lingering dinner party kind of thing. So I did just a Louis chair, but then I put a wipe up purple leather on it. So you did a poster.

[B]

Okay. Yes.

[A]

That's kind of my thought there.

[B]

Like, I just. So that I could easily. Like, if this fabric gets messed up, I'm gonna go buy a few more yards and I'm going to rewrap it. But I put in a fabric I liked and I. It's not a performance. It's just a pretty fabric. But I knew going in that, like, this will last until you're disgusting and then I will get a new last

[A]

couple years and then you'll.

[B]

Yeah, that was. Yeah. But I went in knowing like that

[D]

I do like a slip seat on a. On a dining chair. That's what I have too. And I like being able to. To change a color or change a vibe.

[B]

Yeah. If you're that kind of person who likes a little like, I like the flex it up. The flex that I can do. Yeah, for sure. But I do love the look and upholstered for as well. So. That's a good point.

[A]

And. And I will say there are. There are lots of ways to get to have things be cleanable. You know, like, leather is one into the spectrum. So it's like a metal seat or something wood that you can just spray off. But then, you know, a sunbrella or something is a great option too. I mean, that takes a little bit more. I mean, for mine, like, I can literally just Spray some all purpose cleaner and just wipe it with a paper towel. You can't do that with a sunbrella cushion. But a toothbrush and some dawn, you can pretty much get anything out. So.

[B]

You know what I hate is my mother in law has rush seats on her dining chairs. And those little babies will squish some avocado deep in that rush. Not a good. Yeah, that's worth the life phase right now where I'm like, that rush seat is not ideal. Gorgeous. But like, can't. We're just not adult enough around here.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[D]

I don't think anything gets smushed avocado out too. Like.

[B]

Yeah, that's a hard one.

[D]

That's a tough one.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Gross.

[A]

And it's not just smushed avocado, it's like smushed avocado with like everything else that was on the plate. Like, you know, and like drool. It's. You know what I mean?

[B]

It's like, life is beautiful and we are clean people.

[D]

What about tables?

[B]

Do y' all want to note? I mean, for me it's more of like, do you need it to extend? Are you having do you. Again, are you like Caroline, where it's going to need to be the end all table for everything. Every event. So super durable and extendable. Or is. Do you have multiple and. And then how many people are seating do you like around so that you can be more open with conversation? Yeah, because I know Karen. Karen who was on the podcast, she like had switched out for a 60 inch round and she loved it just because it opened up conversation for her family where just spatially a rectangle is the only thing that will work in our space. And six chairs right now is our dining table.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like you again, it's like knowing yourself and really paying attention to your needs. I am like not a coaster person. I don't know if it's laziness or what. So I know that like I can't have a nice wood table. I'll just have rings all over it. So. Know thyself. So you have a marble and your

[D]

family, I think, right?

[A]

Yes. Well, it's actually quartz.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

So it is indestructible. And I mean, so far I've, you know, used a magic eraser and gotten all manner of art supplies off of it. Yeah. I've been beyond thrilled with it. I will say we have a really cool product that we didn't sell when I bought my marble table or my quartz table. And it is called Le Monde. And it has a porcelain top, and it is also virtually indestructible. You can put a hot casserole dish on it. Kind of same idea as the quartz. It's essentially a countertop material. It's rectangular. Has a real pretty kind of faux marble pattern to it. Glossy little gray finish. Actually, there's a walnut, too. Anyway, that's a great table. Did not exist when I bought mine, and it was not quite the right size for what I needed, but I probably would have done that if had it, you know.

[B]

Yeah, that's really pretty.

[D]

It is really pretty. And I. I love things that do double duty or have those extra features. So that's. Yeah, just being able to, like, put a hot dish right on there and not have to worry about a trivet or, you know, damaging the surface at all if it's pretty awesome.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We do have still a bunch of questions for Instagram that I kind of felt like maybe we can just run through some of them.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

One of the questions, because we already kind of spoke to what. When some one person asked. What are the right questions to ask a sales associate? I feel like we kind of everything a little bit.

[B]

You ask them everything.

[D]

Yeah, they're. They're really there to partner with you versus, like, yeah, trying to sell. Just sell you something. And if you're getting a bad vibe from somebody, go talk to somebody else. But yeah, you know, they're the ones that are going to help you grab samples and check to see depths and dimensions and additional colors. Something might come in. Fabrics.

[B]

Their job is to know the stuff, guys. So, yes, ask everything. Yeah, anything you're thinking of. They're going to give you their opinion even again, like, hey, what's. What is everyone buying and why? Like, let's do it. Yeah, ask everything you want.

[A]

Yeah, y'. All. Liz spends an outrageous amount of time putting together materials for training our store employees. So they know lots of training and that. I mean, like, like you said, that's their job and ours do not make a commission. I mean, we can't speak to any other. Other stores, but. But, yeah, yeah, they're not. They're gonna get paid whether you buy it or not. So, you know. But I do feel like they're. They're great resources when you are trying to figure out that thing like we spoke to where, like, do you want a bench seat? Do you want a three cushion, two cushion? Do you like down wrapped foam? Do you want pure down? Do you want just foam? You know, all of those things. Like, they're Going to be able to guide you well.

[D]

And once you start the conversation with someone in, in a showroom like that, have them take you around to all the other sofas that might be a little bit different or you know, something similar. And rather than you kind of wandering around the store aimlessly, I mean.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Make them your tour guide.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Take a notepad.

[B]

Bonjour, welcome to Ballet. Take me around, show me the settings.

[D]

Oh my God. If anybody runs into me in the Atlanta store, I will totally give you a tour.

[A]

Yeah, we'll talk your ear off.

[D]

I love. I, yeah, I actually go end up going up to people especially.

[B]

I have lots of reasons why things look and are shaped the way they are. So I have some good stories, guys.

[A]

So find me well, I do. Okay. One thing we did talk about is here is just the reality of the situation. Most large, well known furniture brands use the same, have the same quality, even maybe use the same manufacturers, same vendors. So you're probably going to get a pretty consistent quality, you know, in that big box kind of store. What each person does like, what each brand does differently is what you kind of have to figure out. So if you've decided that you need, you want a tight back, you know, Charles of London roll arm with two cushions, then you can kind of go shop around and figure out exactly which one you want and which one, you know, looks right and has meets all those criteria and is in your budget and offers and offers the fabric that you want that I think that's the biggest is your, that's honestly going to

[B]

be probably the biggest different. Well, shape and fabric will be different.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Like if you like the way a tight back two cushion seat sits, then you're probably gonna like that across the board, you know, versus so then you can have some confidence shopping online having not sat in it.

[D]

So and again, if you are shopping online just making sure that you read all the, all the specs and you kind of take the take notes of what you like and what you don't like. And sometimes figuring out what you don't like is even more important than what you like because then it just crosses those things right off the list.

[A]

Yep, yep. You can just skip right over them. Yeah. Okay, here's one that I really liked. How to select furniture that makes a space feel collected and not show roomy. My thought on this comes down to legs and arms and skirts. My kind of thought is you want to put furniture pieces together in a room that have a variety of. But all are maybe similar. So for example, Maybe you want stuff to be more clean, lined. You know, you can do square arm and an arm. You know that maybe that's an exposed leg and then a skirt. So I feel like when you get into that showroom, feel is when it all matches. And you have something, like, across the board where, you know, you've got the chair version of the sofa, and it's.

[D]

And they all have the skirt, and they all have.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And then you get the cardboard table that has the matching side tables. And so now you have everything as part of a suite versus just a singular item.

[A]

So just mix up your. Your chair leg and your. And your arms a little bit. Like, have a. So have something armless. Have something with a square arm, have a turned leg, have a skirt. Kind of bring a couple different shapes in. That's, to me, the. Like, the kind of the easiest way to do that.

[B]

Yes. And like, we've said every time, bring in something living, something that sparkles and something that, you know, make sure there's texture in there. These are all the things that help. And then definitely don't go into a store and say, I would like this. Yeah. Whole room packaged up. Let's go.

[A]

So. Yeah.

[B]

And getting something old. That's what it was. I couldn't think of something old.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Something glittery, something old, something living. All helps to make a room not feel like you just walked into a showroom. Yeah.

[A]

Remember Ashley Whitaker said she thinks every room needs something grimy. Wasn't that what the word she is? Grimy or. Yeah, like, you know, a real chippy paint finish or kind of a. Something that just feel like maybe it's woven. That's kind of.

[B]

You need some patina.

[A]

Something with patina.

[B]

There you go.

[A]

Yeah. Another great question. Was wood on furniture, do all of the woods in your room need to match? And I'm gonna say no.

[B]

No. Yeah. That goes back to the showroom thing.

[A]

Yeah. Here's my thought on it. Like, I kind of chose, like, light woods in my. In our living room. And so everything is kind of a light wood. They're not all matching. I mean, there's some is. Some are slightly warmer, some are slightly grayer, some are slightly lighter, some are slightly darker, but they're all kind of like a lighter finish. It's not all, like, mahogany. And then I do have, like, a random dark wood in there, but I feel like it's something that you worry a lot about when you're shopping, but it's not gonna make a huge difference when you're living in your room. Do y' all agree? I don't know. That's my thought on it. I've never walked into someone's living room and been like, well, their woods don't match. This room looks terrible.

[D]

No, but you know what? I have walked into rooms in Graceland, and I've been like, you know what? This is really way too matchy.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

I mean, like, so having matching woods can make things feel dated.

[A]

That's true. Like, they can all be dark or all be light or be a mix, but they don't need to be. But you can tell when it's exactly the same.

[B]

Yeah. You know, they say that about metals, too. Like, you. You don't need every single metal to match. And we've said that too, so. Right.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Where to splurge and where to save. I feel like everyone would have a different answer for this, but I do feel like upholstery is kind of your.

[D]

Your upholstery is the splurge.

[A]

Yeah, I would say upholstery and then pick, like, one or two other things. No, I feel like you have to splurge on upholstery or you don't have to, but you should splurge on upholstery, whatever. Splurge means within your budget. That can mean a variety of things, because that is what you're sitting on day in and day out. That is, you do not want that to be uncomfortable because there's no chance. If you have an uncomfortable sofa, you will never be comfortable in that room ever.

[D]

Right.

[A]

But I feel like it is nice to kind of pick maybe one or two other things to splurge on. Whether that's a great piece of art or an amazing rug. It doesn't have to be across the board, but just pick one or two special things that you are super excited about and you love. And that also can serve as your jumping off point for the rest of the room. You know, if it's a great rug and you work all the colors around it or a great painting and you work all the colors around that.

[D]

You know, I think we need to talk about budget for just a hot second.

[C]

And.

[D]

Yeah, take and take a. Take consideration. Like, are you going into a blank space? And if you're going into a blank space, make sure that you have a budget set aside for that room. One of the tricks that sky was telling us about in our sidebar conversation was about, okay, well, line item, all of the things that you're going to need. So you're going to need a sofa, you're going to need a coffee table, you're going to need maybe two accent chairs and a console. So if those are the things you need, put a range of what you're comfortable spending on each one of those things and then tally it up and see if, I mean, it's gonna be a big number at the bottom, but see if you're comfortable with that big number. And if you're not, like, go make adjustments here and there. And then the other thing is that you don't need to get the whole room all together at the same time. So really kind of figuring out where your budget is, what pieces you want to start with, and then keep moving from there.

[A]

Yeah. And I mean, you know, window treatments, rugs, the rug pad, accessories, paint, artwork, lighting, you know, make.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, don't just consider your big furniture pieces and like, pick, write down every single thing that you're going to need.

[D]

The list will make it more tangible and less overwhelming. And then you can start to develop a game plan from there too.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

So then you've got your game plan, you've got your measurements, you know, you can go out and find pieces here and there.

[A]

This is what I've always done for a room. Make your layout figure out. You know, have one inspiration piece. For example, my living room, it was the rug. Usually it's kind of the rug is your. My inspiration. And then just have that rug, like every single time you want to make a purchase for your room. Think, okay, does this match back to my inspiration piece or like my focal point? Like, do the colors match? Does the vibe match? Is it going to fit? And so you can just have that thing as your touchstone for every choice going forward so that you don't get off track and you don't make an oops purchase that you then regret because you've, you've had this game plan from the get go. You've had a, you know, you've had a plan that you're working towards.

[D]

Okay, here's something else about rugs is that. And Caroline, you and I have talked about this before, is that getting a rug is a big. Getting a large, like 9 by 12, that's a huge investment. Right. So if you're not certain about it, see if there's a two by three available in that same style and go ahead and get that smaller version of it. I've done that in my own house and gotten a two by three, and I'm so glad I did because the color is different than what I Thought it was going to be online and it totally clashed with our media console, so I ended up not going with it. But it worked great by my front door, so. And that was a small investment for me to just kind of make a no decision on.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And I get like, you know, even if you have to return it and like pay $20 return shipping, I know how. I am one of those people that's like, well, I have to pay $3 in shipping. I guess I'm not going to get it. But it's gonna be worth it if you don't store. Yeah. If you're in near store. But yeah, I love the two by three idea. I think that's so smart. And again, you can much easier to

[D]

return a 2 by 3 than it is a 9 by 12.

[A]

Does it clean? Like there's your. Yeah, there's your thing again. Is it going to clean your tester? Yeah. So I, I think that's so smart.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What do you do when you love a piece but you don't have a place for it? You get rid of something. Yeah. I mean, there's really no other. I think that's another choice. I think if you conduit.

[B]

Right. Yeah.

[A]

If you truly, truly love something, then you will. Then you need to get it and you just get rid of something else.

[B]

Or you have a room around it. Like if you've changed your whole direction and that's like love, then you change the whole direction of your room and redecorate or.

[D]

Okay, I've got a story on this.

[B]

I'll get and say bye. Okay.

[A]

Okay, tell us your story.

[B]

Was there a question?

[D]

No. So when I first started on the podcast, I think I talked about like, you know, the big blue whale in my dining room. I bought a Nolan bench, which is a curved bench that goes around our 60 inch dining table. And it was so. It felt so big in our dining room. There was definitely space, but it felt technically it fit. Technically it fit, but it was, it was snug. And I've got to tell you, like, having this bench has totally transformed the way our guests feel. The way that I feel about having my morning coffee, like, it's just fantastic. It makes me feel like I'm going to a cafe in my own dining room. It's awesome. So I had to figure out what wasn't working in that room. And what wasn't working was this Queen Anne console that is a beautiful antique from my parents. And I had it in my dining room because they had it in their dining room, and it was fantastic, but I had to move it out. So I moved it out and I moved some narrower book. They're not bookcases, they're just kind of cabinets. But they're narrower cabinets that I put together to make a longer console. And they're not. They're shallower, they're not as deep. And now I can move around this piece that I love, and I can move the piece as I need to, and it makes the whole room. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I think keep the pieces you love and move things around.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I feel so many times we've had. Had sort of that, like, if it's a. If it's a one of a kind thing, especially you have to get it, you know, assuming you're not like, you know, wiping out your kids college fund or, you know, selling a kidney, like, you get it.

[D]

Don't do that.

[A]

Yeah, don't, don't. I'm definitely financial distress, but because at

[D]

the end of the day, it's furniture.

[A]

Okay, well, so this was. This was. It's so good you told that story, Liz. Because someone asked. I've purchased things that technically fit, but they look off when I get them home. How to know when to look right and not just fit right. Okay, do what Liz did, which is maybe you need to shift some other things around to really make it work. One thing that I like to do, and y', all, out of the three of us, I am, like, not a drawer. Liz and Taryn.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They can do a beautiful sketch for you. That is not me. So you do not need great artistic skills to do this. But I'll just do, like, think in shapes, and I'll just look at a wall in as, like a flat surface and just draw what I'm putting in the room. And I feel like that does. That can really help you understand what you're gonna see when you look into the room. You know, like, stand in, you know, kind of picture yourself in where you're gonna be looking at the room most often. And just. And I did this for our dining room. You know, I drew a little pedestal table, did six chairs with a round back. I drew kind of my chandelier and just kind of get a feel for the shapes. Because I do sometimes feel like even if something technically fits, if you're not considering, you know, what angle you're looking at it from or what's it in front of or what's next to it, then you can make some mistakes in terms of whether it works versus whether it fits.

[D]

The other thing is to like tape things off.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

You know, before we, before we moved, before we moved in, I mean, honestly, there was so much stuff in our house from the previous owner that I didn't even know if I could fit a sofa in my living room because I couldn't see past. There were, there were two to three spinning wheels in every room. It was, it was fantastic. So wild. Yeah, it was, it was wild. But so when I finally got the space empty, I was like, okay, well let me grab some cardboard and some tape and I started taping things off and I, you know, grabbed some folding chairs and put them around and just kind of tried to figure out that way. But yeah, painter's tape can be your friend.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then consider ceiling height. Just because as I am now entering a place with new ceiling heights, it has changed a lot of things as well. So just being totally knowing that your eye needs to move around a room, so if everything's low and your ceilings are high, it's going to feel dwarfed. Or if you have a very low ceiling and you've picked very tall pieces, again, it's just going to, it's going to feel off. So being. Recognizing that the amount of light, the amount of noise, all that will help you just, you know, to think through a purchase versus just being like, I need to buy curtains, I need to buy sofa. Like.

[A]

Yeah. And I think that height thing is something really important to consider too, about furniture and sofas. So for example, I. Our house is pretty low ceilings at like 8ft. And I was gonna put like, for my layout to work, I was gonna have to put the sofa in front of a window. And I was considering our Mathis sofa, which both of y', all. I know Taryn has a Mathis sofa and I know Liz wants the Mathis sofa, but. And it's a gorgeous sofa.

[D]

It is.

[A]

I mean, that is actually eight way hand tie, but.

[B]

Oh, it is.

[A]

It's a.

[B]

It is.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

It's so fancy.

[B]

I just liked its bench seat.

[D]

See?

[A]

Yeah, well, but, but here's the thing about it. It has a really high back compared to a lot of other ones. And so, you know, kind of trying to picture that sofa in a window, it's going to block light coming in and it just. I felt like it would make the. It would, it would not work as well as a. And so I ended up getting the Hartwell sofa, which has a much lower back and it's still like your normal 18 inch seat height, but it just, it scaled Better for the location. And I think that's something, you know, that's really important to consider too. Like, are you going to be looking over it? Is, are you, are you putting it caddy corner to like, is it floating in the middle of the room? Those are all things to consider. That's kind of why I say, like, try to draw it out and figure out. Or use your measuring tape, use your painters tape.

[D]

Pay attention to all the measurements and even think about, about the height, the back height. That's. That's a good one.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, pay attention when you're looking at designers photos too. Like, what tricks are they doing to bring your eye up and down? And that's part of what you need to put into your room. Like, if something doesn't feel right, like it's not tall enough, maybe it is a plant stand or like a big column with a plant on it. And that's what designers are doing is bringing that elevation of up, down and your eye moving. So it might not be the fact that the sofa is just off. It could be that you haven't added in the other stuff. You haven't put a good sized lamp next to it. You haven't. So that's again, scoot stuff around your house. Scoot things you have. See how they feel. If you don't feel right, try to figure out why. Like, answer that question for yourself. Like, why isn't this working? And then that will help you to figure out. Even if it's not the right color lamp, then you can go buy the right size lamp that's the right color.

[A]

Yeah. And, and I mean, scale is like the number one mistake I think people probably make. And, and even designers make this mistake. We've had designers on the show say they, they do this too. But there are tricks that you can do to, to kind of fix something. If, if your side table is a little bit too small, get a really big lamp or a really big piece of art and you can kind of counter balance the scale in different ways.

[D]

You know, it's one thing that I did when I did one of my rooms is I took color swatches around with me everywhere I went because I knew that I was going to be well, because I knew that I was going to be shopping, like, okay, I'm at home goods. Like, am I going to find like a random vase that's going to tie into the room? And so I carried these, these pantone swatches around with me. But if you don't have pantone swatches,

[B]

like their fabric Swatches.

[D]

Your fabric swatch, even. Okay, there are your hoarder bag of things right there. There are apps. Take pictures. Like, oh, yeah, I have your color palette. And take your color palette with you everywhere because you never know when that. That random piece is going to find you.

[A]

Yeah, I kept it in my car console, my glove box.

[B]

That's a good.

[D]

Oh, just Good one.

[A]

One wallpaper swatch, one fabric swatch, or like two. Probably like three or four fabric swatches and just leave it in your car.

[D]

Oh, good. Now I'm going to have swatches in my car too.

[A]

You only did keep the good swatches.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

The one.

[A]

The one I saw.

[D]

Gotcha.

[A]

All right, we have a few more questions and we'll wrap up. I just thought these were such good questions we had to answer them, so I already answered it, but I'm gonna let y' all two answer. A furniture purchase each host regrets and whys. Mine was my sofa. My old sofa that I had to get rid of. Just didn't think it through.

[D]

I don't know that I have regrets necessarily. Like, I think I did have regrets on that big curved bench for a hot minute until I. Until I was able to move things around. I have made some more oddball purchases, I think, on upholstery. When it comes to benches and seating, I'll find something at an outlet or find something. You know, this is just so quirky

[C]

and I love it.

[D]

And I bring it home and I'm like, well, that doesn't go with anything. So I feel like. I feel like those kind of purchases I try to keep to small objects that I can either keep on moving or. Or pass on to somebody else.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, that's smart.

[B]

That's too good of an answer. Mine, I regret most. And you all know this is these darn leather sofas that have followed me from college.

[A]

Wait, they're more. There's more than one?

[B]

Oh, sorry. You didn't know there was a matching club seat with it. You didn't know there was two big leathers.

[D]

There was a club seat.

[A]

No, I just. I knew there was the sofa. We've talked a lot about the sofa. I didn't know there was a matching chair.

[B]

Yeah, they're still with me. They hit like they were my brother in laws. I've told you this. And his bachelor pad before being with my sister. He was just getting rid of them when David moved into an apartment. David took them. I thought that's where they would die. And they still are here with me.

[D]

And I'm Going to the new house. Are they going to the new house? At least maybe to the base.

[A]

Oh, David doesn't listen.

[B]

Oh, never mind. Never mind. David doesn't listen. No, no, they are not making the trip, David. Someone is gonna accidentally place mint needs them. And I'm like, david, the middle of the leather cushion, like, the middle one is literally ripped from the backing. Like, there's stuffing. Like, you can see stuffing now. Like, can we let this die? That's my biggest regret. I should have never, ever connected them and be like, we'll take the. David.

[A]

Never have let it in the house.

[B]

So it's not a purchase, per se, but like, something I let in the house. So anyone listening? If you hate it now, you will always hate it.

[D]

Don't let it in the house.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. Don't let it in the house is. Is.

[B]

Yeah, that's true.

[A]

I feel like we're all probably guilty of having those things that, like, whether it's an outfit, you know, something in your closet or something's to you, and you're like, it's perfectly functional, like, pattern.

[D]

But yeah, yeah, it's gonna keep you

[A]

from buying something that you really love because you just are keeping it around in its. Yeah, right up space.

[B]

Right. Other things I regret are like a set of four dishes where you're like, at the time it seemed real cute. And then you're like, I don't need just four of these dishes. And you're just random and. And I just need you out of my life. Or like a cheap lamp. That's another. But those are all smaller things where I'm like, why did I buy these cheap lamps? They look terrible. You can tell they're cheap. I should have just gotten what I wanted the first time and not. Yeah, yeah, now I need to buy twice of same caliber.

[A]

Yeah, I feel like that is a good one. You know, that is kind of like everyone's. We learned buying something twice. Twice that you could have just bought once.

[B]

But we all have to do that to learn our lessons. So each of us out there listening has done this and been like, why did I. Why I should have.

[D]

Right?

[B]

No, I shouldn't have settled.

[A]

Get exactly what you want, even if it requires saving up and being patient.

[D]

Even if it's at a great price on Facebook, Marketplace, or it's a hand me down piece. Really think about whether you want.

[A]

Yeah, okay. Well, here's another one. Sort of the flip side. What? Each host's favorite piece of furniture in her home and why.

[D]

Oh, that's easy. For me, my favorite, favorite, favorite piece of furniture is a vintage card catalog. I love it. Okay. So I'm. I'm just a huge book collector and love everything about libraries. And I have a card catalog from an old university that my mom found and got for me, and it's fantastic. And I actually use it for storing batteries and storing, like, 3M hooked. Do you have a labeled? I used to have it labeled when I was in my 20s and had, like, quirky things in it. And I would just, like, label, like, you know, label, like, how do you know where the bad fun or animals are? Now I've had it for so long that I just know I keep them,

[A]

you know, the battery short. Okay.

[D]

Honestly, I kind of just. My hand just goes to a drawer and I'm like, okay, yeah, that's the. There's another one that has all, like, sunglasses and things like that. And because it's right by our front door, it became totally utilitarian during the pandemic because we have drawers full of masks. And so as you're walking out the door, you just grab.

[A]

Grab what you need. See, I'm picturing like a hundred teeny, tiny little drawers. And then you need a battery, and you're like, I have to open, like, all hundred drawers to find.

[D]

No. And I have it organized. Small batteries in one drawer.

[A]

Okay, all right.

[D]

Bigger batteries. Other ones. I. Oh, I definitely have a system.

[A]

There you go. Yeah, that's awesome.

[D]

Honestly, I don't keep it labeled now mostly because sometimes it's just fun to open the drawers and see what you got.

[A]

Yeah, that's pretty fun. Choose your own adventure.

[D]

I used to keep. I used to keep, like, little plastic animals in it in my 20s and like, all these, like, funny, goofy things and because when you need 3D glasses, you open this drawer.

[A]

You have a drawer for that?

[D]

I have a drawer for that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I can answer what mine is currently probably is. I finally just got again the bed. I wanted a king bed and a fully upholstered. I didn't. I just did it. And I'm so happy. It just. Every time I sleep in it, I'm so happy that I just did it and it wasn't fun purchasing. I will say I use it every night and I'm wildly happy.

[A]

Teryn, I think we have the same bed.

[B]

Oh, do we?

[A]

I think we do.

[B]

We got to start shopping.

[A]

So we're not.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

But the thing is, is that I think about that bed all the time. It is so pretty. It is so pretty.

[A]

Well, here's One thing that I, I do fully support after living with one is the fully upulsion rails. Because I find a bed skirt to be so, so flipping annoying. It never looks right. It gets dusty. One side is hanging lower than the other side. Then it gets wrinkled and it just, it's. Anytime you change the sheets, it all gets askew. I just, it's horrible. So I love the neatness that an upholstered bed rail provides. And I could never have a place

[B]

for your foot too. I like it.

[A]

So. Yeah, this is a hard one.

[B]

Well, yeah, I could be. I have some sentimental pieces, but they won't.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like in, in terms of pure practicality, it's probably my, my quartz table just because, I mean we eat three meals a day at it every, you know, Will paints all of his paintings there. We do art projects like it.

[B]

Oh my gosh, is. I'm so impressed.

[A]

A workhorse in our house.

[B]

I didn't know he, it wielded his art there too. That's why I said it like that.

[A]

Well, I tried to set him up in the basement, but the light upstairs is just really pretty. And so he's like, this is better. So. And it just functions exactly how we need. So it was, it felt very scary to splurge on that. But yeah, no regrets at all. Okay, here's our last question. What do you know now about furniture that you did not know before working at Ballard? Well, Taryn does everything.

[B]

Yeah, I went to, I went to school to learn a lot about furniture and then I've just learned a lot of practical, like, I don't know, like what materials go well on a. You know, just when you're using it all the time. Right. Like in school it was like design the coolest. You know, that was more of like the open minded thinking and being, you know, working here, you're like, well, what's durable?

[A]

What's gonna, you know, what are people gonna buy?

[B]

But then like what's a really expensive. And you know, even I, I, because of what I do for a living, know how to make something more expensive versus not right. Like think. And you guys know this. The more drawers there are, guess what? Drawers cost more because drawers are hard and there's more material and there's more labor. Like so yes, something with more drawers is going to cost you more money. And so I feel like it has helped me to be very realistic about prices and understanding why and what you're getting. So I just think I'm more understanding.

[D]

I really am so impressed with the functionality that you and your team put into all of the pieces that you design. Because I don't know if our listeners know this, but like 90% of everything that we offer is designed by.

[A]

In house.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. By Taryn and her team. And they're so. Everything is so thoughtful. And I. That's something that I'm. That I'm super impressed. For me. Thank you. It's just a plug for Taryn.

[B]

My PR team's doing so well. No, I mean, it is true. I mean, that's the part that I, I love about my job is we really are like, okay, so this is your nightstand. So what are you putting in your nightstand? What did you, you know, like, I was just doing a side table today and my boss and I were talking and she's like, well, what if we put glass in the front of this drawer? And I'm like, this is your side table. Whatever's in that drawer, you're hiding. And we're having those conversations. We're not, you know, you're like, well, because we're thinking about the function and, you know, how it looks. So it's definitely a two way street. And then, okay, so if we add another drawer, is it going to get too expensive that she's going to look at it and not see the value? There's like, things like that that, you know, you want to. Are we gonna have to really tell a story of why, you know, or is she charging something here? Is there going to be cords here? So, yes, we definitely are always trying to think of, is this going to be hard for her to open? Is she going to. Yeah, so we're always thinking about it.

[A]

No, I think you're right, Liz, about Taryn. It's probably obvious for you because you're the one designing it, but I think coming in to Ballard, you're like, oh, wow. That so much thought and care is put into every single product. It's. It's actually kind of wild.

[D]

So, yeah, and I think we all know I was buying off Craigslist. So, yeah, I was buying IKEA off Craigslist at one point in my life. So I learned, you know what, we've

[A]

all been buying off Craigslist at some point in life.

[D]

Facebook, Marketplace. Yes, man.

[B]

But I've seen the artists and the manufacturers working. And you're, and you, you get like watching them cut and, you know, and put together wood and, and, and sew together things and, and tuft, you know, rugs. You're like, well, yes, this should cost money. I've seen the person making it, which gives you value, too, which, again, gives me a totally different perspective because I worked at Ballard. So.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, here's something that maybe not everyone is going to agree with, but I do feel like I've learned, especially since doing the podcast and just making a lot of furniture purchases, some that have stuck around and some that haven't. But just because something is attractive doesn't mean it's going to work in your space. So kind of going back to that first conversation, you're not buying something in a vacuum. You have to actually put it in your room. It has to go with what else you have, and it has to work in the space that you have. So just because it's attractive on the showroom floor or in a picture or it was in looked great. And someone's house on Instagram that you saw does not mean that it's going to work for you and in your house. And even it's not, it may not even look good in your house, not because it's not an attractive piece, but because it just doesn't work with what you already have and the space that you have. And so that is something you should consider. Now, you could probably make anything work if that's your jumping off point. And if you really, truly love it that much, you can work your room amount around it. But, yeah, you're not shopping in a vacuum. Like, you consider what you have and the space that you're. You're shopping for.

[D]

So take your measurements, take your colors, make a budget, take your samples, keep them in your glove box, and be

[A]

realistic about how you live.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And your needs.

[B]

We probably could have just done that, said that, and they would have been fine. They could go out. Those are our big tips.

[D]

Go to the world.

[B]

I think I just saw this meme that I'm gonna share because it made me laugh. And I'm sure all of you who are designing homes get this. They're like, I wish they'd have a price tag attached to some of these spaces, you know? Like, so when you, like, saw a beautiful room, you'd be like, oh, so to do all of this was okay. You know what I mean? Because sometimes we're like, wow, this is just beautiful. I can make it happen, you know? So being realistic is very important.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, but also be patient. Like, do it over time, you know? Like, it does not have to happen overnight. And really, it probably shouldn't. So start with your upholstery that you need. You know, start with a rug and then you're gonna add all those little layers in later. So.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Hopefully we've helped people.

[D]

Yep. Thanks, everybody, for listening to all of us. Yeah.

[A]

If you've made it to the end shopping, thanks for sticking it out, you

[D]

know, and if you find yourself in Atlanta, give me a call. I'll meet you at the store and give you a tour.

[A]

Oh, man. We would. You might not make it out of there in a timely fashion, but we

[B]

should offer that just like a podcast. Come drink with us and we'll. We'll talk. We'll talk through every little vignette here. I'd attend. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I feel like it's the. Go sit on. Go sit on a lot of stuff. That's kind of like. Start there. Go sit on a lot of stuff.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Alrighty. Please let us know if you found this episode helpful. We hope you have. If you have more questions, you can email podcast Ballardesigns.net for sure. We will answer. We also, it's so funny, we got an email from someone. I'm blanking.

[D]

Was it just two days ago?

[A]

Kathy Cali, I want to say it started with a C, but she emailed us literally two days ago and was like, I need help. I need tips for buying furniture. So we're like, you are just you ready? So we. We do try to answer your questions as best we can. So send them in. 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.

[D]

And please leave us a review.

[C]

We'd love to hear your feedback.

[A]

Until next time, happy decorating.