Style Matters

My guest is Jessica Reilly the blogger behind Domicile 37.  She have an incredible eye for design, but here's what I want you to take away from this episode: you have to be willing to try things and fail in order to figure out what you love and how to execute it.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

My guest this week is designer Heather Jorde, who also writes the blog, Restless Oasis.  We talk about design philosophy, moving houses, incorporating sentimental objects into your decor and how to personalize a cookie-cutter new build.  To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

I'm inspired by people who are just really good at making their homes their own, without any training.  Tiffany Brown is my guest today and she's the blogger behind My Eclectic Nest, When you hear her talking, the joy she experiences is so infectious, I want all of you to feel the same way in your homes!   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

My guest this week is Sarah Ramirez of Found & Collected Design and her inspiration comes mostly from traveling, taking in the colors, patterns, textures, landscapes of the places she visits and bringing those cross cultural experiences into her work once she's back home in California.  To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

Emma Carole Paradis is one half of the design power-duo, Impeccable Nest.  But her other half in the case, isn't just a business partner or a spouse, it's her mom, Kimberly Carole!  And you're about to hear their story.  You'll also hear us talking a lot about art.  And rugs.  And art.  Because it turns out, both Emm and I belive that rugs and art are key to pulling a room together!  There's so much in this interview that I resonate with, in fact, it was kind of surreal as we were talking because Emma kept saying things that are perfectly aligned with the master the mix course!  Obviously, I've found a kindred spirit.  Let's go!  To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

Erica Bauermeister usually writes fiction.  She's the author of novels such as "The School Of Essential Ingredients," "Joy for Beginners," and most recently, "The Scent Keeper."  But she's also just written a memoir about a house.  One she bought quite awhile ago and has been working on ever since.  Or, as you're about to hear, the house has been working on her.  It's called "House Lessons: Renovating a Life," an inspiring story because she's used her home to help her become who she's wanted to be. To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead met as professional actors in London.  And we talk a bit about their careers in that world, which is really interesting.  But then they made a big life change, together, to enter the world of design.  And their book, Making Living Lovely: Free Your Home with Creative Design is about exactly that.  How to free yourself up from any expectations of perfect homes so that you actually create a home that works very specifically for you.  As I say in the beginning of our conversation, there just aren't that many design books out there talking about this stuff and really connecting the goals you have for the kind of person you want to be with the interior of your home environment.  And as a side note, their sweet dog, Buckley, makes an appearance a few times.  So yes, you'll hear some barking.  But hey, we're all working from home these days with dogs and humans who aren't usually in our space, so I figured you'd just roll with it.   To use the Slow Style a

Today I'm talking with Melissa Parman of The Slower Home.   Her beautiful photographs of simple, every day pleasures drew me and I encourage you to follow her on Instagram and check out her website.  She and her husband live in a small home in north Texas into which, she has brought many practical things made beautiful by the hands that have created them.  In particular, Melissa talks about how using and working with handmade objects allows time for meditation and gratitude.  Let's get started.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

My guest today is someone who I can't take my eyes off of when I'm on Instagram.  Designer Natalie Papier of Home Ec has one of the best profiles on IG because her designs are so arresting.  She really does combine things in ways you're not expecting with beautiful results.  I'll share some photos on the show notes page at https://www.littleyellowcouch.com/blog/natalie-papier, as well as a link to her Instagram account.  And speaking of the show notes page, you'll also find a list of some of Natalie's favorite artists, whom you can follow and buy from online.  I mention this because Natalie is an artist herself and so we talk about the importance of bringing art into our homes.  Let's jump in! To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

This week is an episode of On The Little Yellow Couch (OTLYC) where it's just you and me.  I'm going to share my Slow Style philosophy, which I've developed as a framework for you to create a beautiful, meaningful home.  I'll explain what Slow Style means to me, and introduce 3 Pillars of Slow Style.  They are:1. Style Evolves2. Creativity Leads to Confidence3. Life Informs Style If you want to know the best way to get started with Slow Style based on your particular situation, take my free quiz calledWhat's the #1 Mistake You're Making in Your Home? To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

You might know Myquillyn Smith as “The Nester,” or as the author of “The Nesting Place,” her first book, and the name of her popular blog. She has long subscribed to the belief that “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful,” to which I say, Amen! Well, she’s just come out with her second book, “Cozy, Minimalist Home,” in which she promises that you can still have plenty of style, but with less stuff. You may already love how she writes, but once you hear her voice, you’ll instantly feel her warmth and generosity of spirit. We laugh a lot during this interview and I hope you’ll feel like you’re right here in the room with us! Myquillyn shares how she went from being a maximalist to a minimalist, but still kept her home from feeling slick, soul-less and cold. And, best of all, she gives us several of the guidelines she uses when making big decisions such as buying furniture, to small decisions, such as what to put on your mantel. So, after you get on board with the philosophy of embracing imperfection, ge

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!  That doesn't mean you should tune out, though, because during this break, I'm re-releasing some of my all time favorite episodes from the archives!  And today, you'll hear from someone who really helps us understand why and how to bring original art into our homes.  Danielle Krysa is an artist herself, she's also written several books about art and creativity, and she's the magician behind the very popular blog, The Jealous Curator, where she introduces us to and champions other artists, many of whom, you might want to bring into your home yourself.  This episode was first released in 2016 and included my co-host, Karen Grant, so you'll hear her voice along with mine and Danielle's.  If you're interested in checking out what she does, you can find links to her sites on the sho

Today's re-released episode takes us all the way back to 2015, but it is still so good and absolutely relevant right now.  You'll hear the voice of my good friend, Karen Grant, who is no longer co-hosting with me, along with our guest, professional photo stylist, Hilary Rose Walker.  At the time of our conversation, Hilary was writing her blog and podcasting under the name Our Style Stories.  Her clients include Sunkist, Samsung, Behr Paints, and Loloi Rugs and A few years ago, she took on a full time position with Magnolia Home.  She is still styling for brands, living and working in Texas.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

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 with one of my all-time favorite guests.  Now, this one took place several years ago when my good friend, Karen Grant, was still co-hosting with me, so you'll hear her voice along with that of our guest, Lisa Borgnes Giramonte.  Actually, Lisa isn't just one of my favorite guests on the show.  She's also one of my all time favorite authors when it comes to design books.  Hers is called Novel Interiors: Living In Enchanted Rooms Inspired By Literature.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (

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 whose homes they are transforming, as well as a deep sense of purpose and connection they are experiencing with their team and the volunteers who help them in every town they visit.  This is such an uplifting conversation that goes way beyond talk of design, but it's certainly rooted in the premise that all people, regardless of life circumstance, deserve to live inside beauty.  On a side note, their 3rd partner on the show, designer Darren Keefe Reiher was supposed to join us as well, but was having tech difficulties so we, unfortunately missed hearing his voice in the conversation.  But when you watch Extreme Makeover, you definitely see how integral he is to the

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," is the most entertaining history book I've ever read.  We talk about how knowing some of the stories behind how people used our everyday objects enhances our appreciation and enjoyment of them, and might even spark some ideas of how you might display antiques in your home.  I think you're going to love it.  Let's get started.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

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'll talk about the patterns themselves and their recent collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London, the first time ever that the Museum has sold wallpaper based on their rarified collection.  We'll also get a peek inside Tom & Jamie's home, which they use as a bit of a laboratory for ideas.  I'm now dying to meet these guys in person because you can tell they'd be fabulous hosts and we'd have a lot of fun together.  I think you're going to want to meet them too!   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need t

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 Decorating Questions," which she co-authored with KariAnne Wood.  I had the pleasure of meeting KariAnne at a conference several years ago and then had her on the show.  So I was delighted to see that she was pairing up with Melissa Michaels.  And since I've wanted to have Melissa on the show for years, I was thrilled when we got he on the calendar.  Let's get started.   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

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 sure many of you can relate!  So I was super excited to find Nina's new book, "Bibliostyle: How We Live At Home With Books," because she marries two of my personal passions: reading and home.  In her book, she answers the question, does the way we display our books tell as much about who we are as the books themselves.  I think you're going to love it!   To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).

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 newest one being all about color.  In this conversation, Jane explains the two ingredients that make up color confidence: one is understanding how the color wheel works, and the other is understanding color theory rules so that you can break them intentionally if needed, to be true to yourself. I've included a color wheel and definitions of different schemes on the show notes page. To use the Slow Style approach in your home, start with this free guide on how to create a vision that sets you up for every design decision you'll need to make!Sign up here to receive the free guide (and lots of suppport along the way).