Style Matters

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 her passion and soon it became her business. A global business because there are treasures to be unearthed in every corner of the world. She has a wonderful story and even better, she's a great storyteller. She's so generous in the way she shares it I know you're going to feel like you've got a new friend. I know I do.The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 that you can apply to your own situations. I hope this is helpful… let me know!The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 furniture to be sold direct to the public.  Ben's designs continue to be full of layered texture, color and a mix of references to the natural and built environments.  He's got a great analogy for us about how his brain is like a slide show to explain his creative process.  But I start by asking him about his background and his family business, the famed Mansour rug company.  Let's jump in.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 conversation.  Emily is a stylist and author of 4 books, her most recent called "Be Bold: Interiors for the Brave of Heart."  And in it, she talks a lot about this idea of using your home as a canvas the way an artist might paint something that reflects both what she sees and how she comprehends the world around her.  We cover a lot of ground in this episode so let's just dig in.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 work and her thoughts on why art is such an important piece of creating a meaningful home, no matter your budget.  And with that in mind, I want to take a minute to tell you about two articles I've written related to buying art that you can find on the show notes page of this episode.  One is my personal take on why art is such a critical component of any home, where to find it and how to get started.  It's called "How Not To Be Afraid Of Art Galleries."  And the second is a photo guide called "17 Ways To Hang Art," because once you get it home, you gotta know how it fits into the rest of your living space.  I share 17 examples of intere

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 company, she uses every aspect of her past lives. I love a good life story and Caroline's is so interesting!   I don't want to give away any more.  Let's get started.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 the mystical.  And what I mean by that is she connects our deepest desires with our intentions for our homes, and then, sort of magically, other areas of our lives get better. The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest 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 copies of her book to give everyone who comes to the Glamping Design Camp in Tulsa this October.  Since that retreat is all about using nature as inspiration in our homes, I'm using her book as a jumping off point for the entire premise of the retreat.  What I love about Erica is that she goes beyond just copying natural motifs in her designs.  While she does have some literal things like fern leaves in her wallpaper, she also looks to natural objects for abstract inspiration. Tree bark, seed pods, rippling water and even weeds are re-imagined as color palates, textures and patterns.  And that's what we're going to be working on during the Glamping Desig

This interview with Melinda McCoy of House 214 Design was originally aired in Oct of 2016.  What we so appreciated about Melinda was her understanding that just saying "your home should tell your story," isn't clear enough.  What does telling your story mean and how does that show up in your home and design choices.  Since then, Melinda has created a course and membership site that you should definitely check out.  But her core principles remain the same, making this interview just as helpful today as it was 3 years ago.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

This week I'm sharing our interview with Maxwell Ryan, founder of Apartment Therapy and author of several books on home and design.  We recorded this interview in 2015 when he was on a tour for his most recent book, Apartment Therapy Complete and Happy Home.  Even though this was several years ago, it's still one of our best interviews ever and I think you're going to get a lot out of it.  In this re-release from our archives, Karen Grant is co-hosting with me and she just asked Maxwell to tell us about his overall approach to design and making a home.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

On this episode of On The Little Yellow Couch I talk about the power of connections. Not the networking kind. But the power of feeling truly connected. To each other. And to the deepest reserves of strength and optimism we all have somewhere inside us. To encourage you and I to have real conversations where you get to actually speak with me instead of just listening to me talk, I hope you’ll take me up on my offer of some free consultation this summer! I’ve had the absolute pleasure of meeting some of you in person at one of our Style Retreats. And even though not everyone can make it to these special weekends, we can at least talk via email. I encourage you to subscribe to the Little Yellow Couch newsletter and send me an email about a decor or design dilemma you’re facing. I’ll get back to you ASAP (hopefully within 24 hours!) and we can work it through together to a solution. I look forward to hearing from you!  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

I am having two lovely friends back on the show with me today.  I call them "the Ashleys" for short because they are Ashely Daly and Ashley Palmer, co-owners of Retro Den Tulsa.  Today we talk about finding your true style by leaning in to who you are.  Let's get started.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

My guest this week is a designer who is local to where I live, which is in the Boston area.  We've now met at two design conferences and I feel so lucky to have met her in person!  She's a designer who really listens to her clients' frustrations and gives them a big bath of Calgon.  (If you don't get that reference, I want to know.  I want to know exactly how much older I am than you.  Just out of curiosity).  Anyway, Paige not only loves what she does, she truly loves her clients and her genuine desire to help them comes through loud and clear.   You'll see what I mean in a minute. The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

This week, pro stylist Becki Griffin talks with me about...well...style!  How she does it, what she uses, what she shops for and lessons she's learned on a photo shoot that can be used by all of us in our regular, every day homes.  She's been working in the interiors business for many years, styling covers and pages for magazines such as Country Living, as well as taking on her own clients for interior design.  Becki is super funny and easy to be with, which is a big plus for anyone who gets to hang out with her.  Which, by the way, could be you!  Becki is teaching the styling workshop during our Little Yellow Couch Style & Antiques Retreat that's happening in September at The Vintage Round Top in Round Top, TX!  As of this airing, early bird prices have just opened up so grab your spot so I can meet you in person!  But first, let's get on with my interview with Becki.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

This week I'm talking with Paige Hull of The Vintage Round Top, a beautiful retreat space in the heart of antiquer's heaven in Round Top, TX.  Pagie and her husband Smoot have put a lot of love and soul into it, starting with a gut renovation of the first house, "No. 1450," and then adding another they call "Boho," and most recently two small cottages named after their children, The Pierce and The Eisley.   This magical place is where you can join me on the next Little Yellow Couch style retreat so be sure to check that out on the website, but today, I really wanted to give Paige the floor to share why and how she designs her homes with antiques.  If you're a true vintage lover, this episode will naturally resonate with you.  But if you skew more modern, I'm particularly excited for you to hear what Paige has to say.  Because I think she and Smoot have really nailed it when it comes to incorporating a few chipped and scarred pieces in the most clean-lined, minimalist of

This week it's just you and me!  I'm going to share my process when overhauling a room design and then walk you through some ways in which I get myself unstuck if I hit a roadblock.  It's all about creativity -- where it comes from and how to cultivate it.  We're talking about problem solving in a way that feels great!  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

My guest this week practices holistic design.  And by the end of the episode you'll know exactly what that means to Laurence Carr.  She has taken her classical ballet training, her life lived on many continents and her passion for sustainability and translated all of that into a thriving interior design studio.  Laurence introduces us to three elements that show up in almost everything she creates: space clearing, interior realignment and sensory design.  Let's dig in.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

Brooke Milne is the travel blogger behind "Look It's Brooke!"  I met her at a conference in California and in getting to know her, and learn about her business, I realized she would be full of advice for us about traveling and how to incorporate your travels into your style at home.  The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.

My guest this week is Melissa Coleman, otherwise known as The Faux Martha. I'm sure you know which Martha that refers to and we'll get to why Melissa chose that name.  But first, I'll tell you a little bit about her, in case you don't know.  Melissa is a cook, a baker and a writer.  I brought her on the show so we could talk about kitchens, one of the most used rooms in our homes, and one that can fill us with dread.  It's often cluttered with too much on the counters and piles of dirty dishes and it's where we constantly go when we want to stare at shelving filled with a bunch of stuff that we don't know what to do with when its time to get dinner on the table.   Melissa also has a great eye for design, which is really helpful when getting our kitchens to work for us.  Oh, and full disclosure here, my kitchen is far from perfect so I'm using her book, The Minimalist Kitchen, to get it on track.   I'll be sharing how it's going over the next few weeks and if y

My guest this week is the sought after interior designer, Nicole Gibbons.  You might recognize her from the Oprah Winfrey TV show "Home Made Simple."  Or maybe you've seen her as a guest on The Rachel Ray show, or in the pages of any number of design magazines.  She's done it all!  But her newest venture, which has basically taken over her life, is a paint company she calls "Clare."   I wanted to know what made Nicole drop everything else and pursue a product based company when she's always been in the service sector.  And, to tell us the story behind the brand. The Style Matters podcast is now Slow Style Home! Click here for the latest episode.