Style Matters

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. Let's get started.

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.

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 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.  A few years ago, she took on a full time position with Magnolia Home. 

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 today you'll hear a re-released episode with one of my all-time favorite guests. But Lisa Borgnes Giramonte 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.

Breegan Jane and Carrie Locklyn make up two-thirds of the design team behind HGTV's reboot of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I was really taken with how much gratitude they feel 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 conversation goes way beyond talk of design, but it's rooted in the premise that all people deserve to live inside beauty. 

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.  Trust me, these historical bits of trivia are ones you'll actually want to share at your next party!

Joining me today are Jamie Watkins and Tom Kennedy of Divine Savages.  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 talk about their recent collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London. We'll also get a peek inside Tom & Jamie's home, which they use as a bit of a laboratory for idea

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?  And Answers to 100 Other Home Decorating Questions," which she co-authored with KariAnne Wood.  I had the pleasure of having her on the show awhile back and now I'm delighted to have Melissa. Let's get started!

Nina Freudenberger of Haus Interior joins me today to talk all about books.  I, like many of you I'm sure, read voraciously 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!  

My guest is Jane Rockett of Rockett St George. Together with Lucy St George, they've created Rockett St George, an interiors shop in London and written two books on "Extraordinary Interiors," the newest one being all about color.  In this episode, Jane explains the two things that make up color confidence: 1 is understanding how the color wheel works, and 2 is being true to yourself. I've included a color wheel and definitions of different schemes on the show notes page.

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 very special places.  I'm so excited to share this conversation with you today!  Here's Danielle.  

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 making sure that the furniture placement encourages a flow of energy between people and then she moves on to interpreting her clients' lifestyle into tangible design elements.

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 only beautiful and peaceful, they are full of personality.  We talk about how to achieve this by looking at all of the elements that go into the perfect mix of texture.  

In the spirit of setting goals for the year, I thought it might be helpful to walk you through my free worksheet on creating a Style Manifesto for yourself and your home. If you don't already have a copy just go to the homepage, which is littleyellowcouch.com, and click on "Your Style Manifesto." The purpose of the Manifesto is to figure out how your home can help you with your life goals. We're going to look at how your home is currently serving you, or not, and then figure out what changes you can make.

My guest is Monica Leed of Simply Spaced, a pro organizer and author of the new book, also called Simply Spaced. We cover things such as how a good decluttering is growth for the soul, how getting organized is empowering, how to agree with your spouse or partner on what "neat and tidy" actually means, and why style is critical to staying organized.  Sponsored by Shoptagr http://bit.ly/2rIMCYW