Slow Style Home: Decorating Personal, Meaningful Interiors

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Hello and welcome to the Style Matters podcast, brought to you by Little Yellow Couch.  I'm Zandra, your host, and I'm so glad you're here, but you've caught us during a break!  We'll be sharing all new interviews starting May 4th, but in the meantime, stick around, because today you'll hear a re-released episode wit...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Breegan Jane and Carrie Locklyn are two awesome people who are also pretty humble, considering what they're doing with their lives these days.  They make up two-thirds of the design team behind HGTV's reboot of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  And I was really taken with how much they talked about feeling gratitude towards the people wh...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! This one is for all you history geeks out there... and for those of you who used to fall asleep during history class, today's episode will actually keep you interested in it for once.  My guest is author Amy Azzarito and her new book, "The Elements of a Home: Curious Histories Behind Every Day Household Objects, From Pillows to Forks,&q...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Joining me today are Jamie Watkins and Tom Kennedy of Divine Savages.  Together they produce lines of wallpaper and fabric that are both a bit outrageous in terms of color, pattern, and even subject matter, but with such attention paid to the smallest detail that when you look close there's a delicate beauty to their designs as well.  We&apo...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Many of you may already be familiar with my guest this week.  Melissa Michaels is the blogger behind The Inspired Room and author of many books, my favorites being "Love The Home You Have," and "Make Room For What You Love."  She has just come out with a new book, "But Where Do I Put The Couch?  Answers to 100 Other Home...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Nina Freudenberger of Haus Interior joins me today to talk all about books.  Now, if you're someone who reads voraciously, you're going to love this conversation.  I, for one, literally can't fall asleep without reading and when I finish a book and don't have a new one to start right away, I go into a slight panic.  I'm s...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! My guest is one half of the partnership behind Rockett St George, which is a fanciful interiors shop that has a home in Liberty's of London as well as an extensive inventory online.  Jane Rockett, along with Lucy St George, have taken their passion for all things home and written two great books on "Extraordinary Interiors," the ne...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! My guest today is Danielle Postel-Vinay, author of "Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home," which gives you a pretty good clue as to what we'll be talking about.  In Danielle's book, she encourages us to embrace the idea that our homes are our sanctuaries and a visual representation of who we are, which makes them...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! My guest today is Bea Pila, who, for over 25 years has been making the connection between design and the spiritual, emotional aspects of our well being.  We talk about her book, "Sacred Spaces" where she lays out the principles of she calls "design enlightenment."  Her creative process starts with functionality, specifically m...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Chrissie Rucker is the founder of London's The White Company, which sells affordable luxury linens, accessories and furniture, all in neutral colors.  She's just written her first book, For The Love Of White, showcasing people's homes where the predominant color palate is a mix of creams, whites and soft greys.  The rooms are not o...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Well, it's still January and I don't know about you, but I'm still bathing the glow of a new year, clean slate and my own motivation to make changes and follow through on some resolutions, before I lose steam!  In the spirit of setting goals for the year, I thought it might be helpful to walk you through my free worksheet on creati...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Monica Leed of Simply Spaced, a pro organizer and author of the new book, also called Simply Spaced, said to me that organization is not a once and done kind of thing.  And I think I've been kind of assuming it was.  In other words, I've been telling myself that if I set up the Right system, with the Right tools and the Right bins, file...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! FW8KIH3FhUMtEzwvklZ3 Well, everyone, this is the last episode of the season!  And we're going out with Rebecca Gardner, owner of the interiors and event planning company Houses & Parties.   She's known for her over-the-top events and her signature style of mixing high-end, top-of-the-line decor with a funny, unexpected playfulness t...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! I am delighted to introduce you to the woman behind the rug and linen brands Dash & Albert and Pinecone Hill.  Annie Selke is a true powerhouse of an entrepreneur and she's also a lovely human being.  I remember when I first started seeing her quintessential Dash & Albert rugs in the speciality home shops I was poking around years ag...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! I was introduced to this week's guest by my friend Susan Brinson of House of Brinson.  I had Susan and her husband Will on the show several seasons ago and their episode is definitely one to check out if you haven't already.  Anyway, I was talking to Susan about finding a venue for my next style retreat in NY and she said I absolutely h...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! I spend a lot of time in my retreats and on this podcast talking about how to be creative.  And I'm a big proponent of an expanded definition of creativity to include creative thinking and problem solving so that we stop thinking of creativity as solely belong to artists and crafty people who emulate Martha Stewart.  My guest on the show tod...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Windy Chien is an artist with several past lives which means she's one of those people you can relate to because her path in life hasn't been a straight line.  She's done many things, tried many things, had ups and downs, all before landing where she is today.  And speaking of straight lines, her medium as an artist has everything...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! I'm opening up the second half of this season with a dynamic woman. Toma Clark Haines, otherwise known as The Antiques Diva , has literally built an empire. Over a decade ago, living in Paris, she started helping other ex-pats furnish their homes from the flea markets and brocantes around the city. The thrill of the hunt was her hobby and he...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! This week I’m answering questions from the audience! All summer I offered free design & decor advice to anyone who wrote in. I loved all of the back & forth conversations we had about your homes. For this episode, I talk about a couple of big picture issues that came up over and over again. And then I dive into some specific questions tha...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! My guest this week is Ben Soleimani.  You may have come across his work through years of collaboration he's done with Restoration Hardware.  We talk about why they wanted him to elevate their rug collection to the highest quality it's known for today.  But Ben has recently moved on and has opened his own studio creating rugs and furnitu...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Ok, this one is juicy.  Emily Henson is back on the show after writing her 4 book.  I often say, your home is your autobiography.  Or at least, it's your chance to create one.  A visual autobiography that reflects who you are, where you've been and your aspirations for who you want to become.  And this is where Emily and I start our con...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! My guest is Tracy Kinnally and she has the really interesting job of advising people on how to start and build private art collections.  Her clients are looking for both great monetary investments as well as the acquisition of some stellar pieces of culture to adorn their homes.  I thought it would be interesting to hear about her background, her...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Creativity is elusive.  Where inspiration comes from is sometimes a mystery.  This week, artist Caroline Cecil take us through her creative proces and shares the story of the many jobs and many hats she's worn  before landing in her sweet spot as a designer, working for herself.  Since the opening of her eponymous textile and wallpaper compa...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! Kim Gordon is a designer, an artist, a businesswoman, and best of all, she's incredibly intuitive when it comes to creating dream homes.  Not the kinds of dream homes that are filled with expensive luxury items.  But the kinds that really fulfill us in an emotional, creative and even spiritual way.  Kim doesn't shy away from honoring th...

Text me your thoughts or questions on this episode! When Karen Grant was co-hosting the podcast with me, we both fell in love with Erica Tanov and her book, Design By Nature:  Creating Layered, Lived In Spaces, Inspired By the Natural World.  I knew this episode was one that I'd want to re-release and now is the perfect time because I'm excited to say that Erica has generously given me c...