Did you know?  The outside of your home is a reflection of the inside. Those scruffy looking plants, that unkept lawn and all the stuff on your front porch...those are telling a story about your home.   Creating a home that you love coming home to doesn't just start once you open the front door, it starts when you turn into your driveway (or if we're feeling really philosophical - it starts in your mind and in your heart...we'll save that for another day).   When people talk about curb...

 Have you ever wondered how you can arrange your living room to look cozy?    Today's quick tip comes as a question from Elizabeth, a listener, who wants to know "what goes together and how to arrange a room to look cozy."    What goes together is determined once you know your personal design style. You can learn that here: Home Design 101   But how to arrange your living room to look cozy, however, starts with intentionality. There are five components that help create a cozy looking space...

 Is the thought of shopping for a new couch intimidating?  In today's episode I'm talking with Alex Back, CEO and founder of couch.com. He's worked extensively with partners such as Costco, Bed Bath and Beyond and Amazon and his work has been highlighted in many publications such as Forbes, CNN and HGTV, among others. Alex is delighted to bring his experience and authority on couches and the furniture industry to this platform, along with many of his industry colleagues who are helping him...

 Do you have too much stuff and not enough storage?    In this episode, I'm answering a listener's question who asks: How do I reduce visual clutter if I have minimal storage? Decluttering is always a a solution, but HOW do you declutter and HOW do you make sense of how much to keep and how much to get rid of? When we think of our home as having natural physical boundaries within each room, we can begin to compartmentalize the smaller areas within each room, helping us to create more physical...

 Do you wish your home looked more expensive?  Just because you are on a budget, it doesn't mean your home has to look budget. In today's episode I'm sharing ten things you can do to your home that will instantly elevate the look, making your home look and feel more expensive...and the best part? Several of these ideas are free! Understanding scale, furniture placement, balance, contrast, layers, texture are all part of today's conversation. It's a starting place - a Cliff Notes version - of...

 Do you ever wonder why it's SO hard to decorate your home?  In today's episode we're talking about 3 ways you could be making decorating harder than it has to be and what to do about it. Here it is in a nutshell...get help!  If you are wanting a home that looks different (no matter WHAT that different is) tomorrow than it does today, get help. Somehow it's second nature to ask for help when we need to fix our toilet, lose weight or do our taxes, but somehow it feels frivolous when it comes...

 What rules are you following when you're decorating  your home?  In today's podcast episode I'm speaking with special guest, New York Times Bestselling author, Myquillyn Smith about this idea that when it comes to our homes there should be suggestions and guidelines to follow - never hard and fast rules.  Myquillyn agrees that design is teachable and inside her new book (releasing April 24, 2024) House Rules, she shares the guidelines that will help us navigate this journey of creating homes...

 How does your home FEEL?  When it comes to decorating our homes, we often stay stuck in a place of reason. Understandably so, especially when it comes to making practical decisions based on budget, decisions surrounding big ticket items, long term choices, etc. But FEELING shouldn't be dismissed. Knowing how you feel about your home in it's current state affects how you want your home to feel. And that feeling should be a filter for making decisions, just as much as your budget and your...

 California Casual  Do you have a design style that you are trying to bring into your home, but don't know how? Your 'style' may not be California Casual, but you've heard 'fancy' designers call it something.    That's great, but how do you know how to make it come alive in your own home?    In this episode I'm answering Sofia's question about how to bring California Casual into her home. These 4 tips will apply to you if you are wanting to bring more (insert design style name here) into your...

 Did you miss the BACK TO BASICS BOOTCAMP?  If you missed the home decorating workshop, Back to Basics Bootcamp, you're in for a real treat today. I'm pulling back the curtain once again to share what it's like inside my workshop. What you'll hear is the start of a two day conversation surrounding: THE #1 THING YOU SHOULD DO WHEN YOU ARE WANTING TO LEARN HOW TO DECORATE YOUR HOME   We talk about the goals you have for your home, the things that are keeping you stuck from reaching those goals,...

Do you ever wonder...where do you START when you want to decorate your home or re-fresh a single room?   Starting BIG with a purchase could possibly be the worst thing you could do as you begin re-designing your home. So, put away your credit card and grab a notebook and a pen because you'll want to pay attention to the DETAILS.  Learning your design style is not just an important step. It's THE MOST IMPORTANT first step, so what details do you pay attention to? All of them!  Your style is...

 "I have decision fatigue!"  These were the words my Home Design 101 student, Susan, said when we were talking about her couch. Decision Fatigue is when you are so overwhelmed with the myriad of choices in front of you that you don't know how to narrow it down in order to make a design decision. Turns out, Susan does NOT have decision fatigue. She knows EXACTLY what she wants. Why? How? Susan is learning to understand her unique design style and she's applying that style to the decision...

 Have a messy husband? OR  Maybe you have a hubby who doesn't agree with your style?    In today's episode we're talking about this hot topic that happens in SO many homes. You may have the best solution for making your home beautiful and keeping it tidy, but the partner you share it with seems to sabotage your every effort.  In today's episode I'm teaching you the three steps to partnering together to reach the goals you have for your home. Do you get to have it all your way? Maybe...or...

 Have you started decorating for spring?    Decorating your home for spring doesn't mean you have to put out all the eggs, bunnies and carrots. Though those can be cute in vignettes, it can also cheapen the presentation of your home decorating. Instead of decorating overtly with spring elements, try decorating with the allusion to spring.  In this episode I share five tips that help you allude to spring in your decorating and by doing THAT, you immediately elevate the look of your home's...

 What's my design style?  It's the age-old question. What's my style? What name can I give it? What box can I put it in to make my job of decorating my home easier?  The hard truth: those home decorating style quizzes DON'T make your job easier. They make it harder...a LOT harder.  Your design style can be labeled, but it should be labeled by you and you alone. Why? Because you and I can both be looking at the exact same picture with the same design style label and interpret it two different...

 Live Organized by Design with Kimberly Armstrong    In today's episode I'm chatting with interior designer and home organization expert, Kimberly Armstrong of Armstrong Design Collective. We chat about designing a space based on functionality before beauty, the art of organized living and being conscious consumers so we know what we're bringing into our homes so we can live BIG even in small spaces.    Organization isn't just about everything having a place to call home, it's about...

 Do you want more COLOR in your home decorating?    Beige, taupe, white, and gray walls are fine, but what happens when you crave a bit more color in your home decorating? What happens when you want to add more boldness but are stopped from action because you are afraid of the change?  In today's podcast I'm answering listener Jen's question and easing her fear about putting more color into her home decorating. We first need to break through the barriers that are keeping her stuck, but then...

 Does the thought of decorating your home like Grandpa's house make you want to break out in hives?    In today's episode, I'm sharing the secret behind the home design style: Grandpa Chic. It's a timeless, sophisticated, artfully decorated, vintage inspired comfortable home decor style. Homes that are Grandpa Chic are non-pretentious, inviting, comfortable and layered with warm tones and lots of texture. Quality furnishings that span the generations are a highlight while timelessness trumps...

 How do you see the BIG PICTURE vision for your home's design? It starts in the unlikeliest of places and it starts very, very small!  When we think of creating a big picture vision for our homes, we immediately think about putting all of our favorite things into one place and most of us put those things onto Pinterest boards.    But using Pinterest in this capacity only confirms only one thing: that we know how to identify pretty pictures. That is a great start, but identifying pretty...

 Do you ever find yourself saying, 'I have NO time?'  I have no time for working out, no time for cooking healthy meals, no time for ...fill in the blank. So no wonder when it comes to creating time in your week to transform your home into a home that you delight in - you remain stuck.  In part 2 of the conversation I had with time management expert and host of The Busy Vibrant Mama podcast, Michelle Byrd, she shares 5 MUST DO time management tips for creating more efficiency throughout your...

 GET A SNEAK PEEK  at coaching inside Home Design 101. Wendy is wanting to know how to break up matching sets, how to bring more blue into a mostly white kitchen and how to have more seating available in a relatively small living room, but one that gets a lot of traffic.    We chat about ALL of it during Office Hours, a bi-weekly meeting we have when you register for Home Design 101. Home Design 101 has been created with YOU in mind - to give you design and decorating principles to learn with...

In this two-part series, I'm chatting with time management expert and host of The Busy Vibrant Mom podcast, to unlock the belief that 'we have no time' so you can get UNSTUCK in the process of learning to love your home. Our conversation was a long one...so long that it's extending over two days (be sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss part two, coming out next week). In today's episode we're talking about how to effectively, efficiently and with minimal expectations - manage your time as...

 Do you have a room in your home with low natural light?  When you have a room in your home with little to no natural light, you have three choices for decorating:  1. Leave it as-is and do nothing 2. Try to lighten it by highlighting the contrasts 3. Embrace the dark and create an intentionally moody, refined, cozy space   If you'd like to learn more about how to combat a naturally dark room in your home, go back and listen to Episode 224.  In today's episode we are embracing the darkness...

 10 design elements to design a timeless, classic and cohesive looking home    Do you ever get tired of seeing home design trends come and go? It's the nature of trends, that's for sure, but they're so quick that by the time you're ready to embrace it...it's gone just like that, then you're left wondering why you have the hot pink sofa with the bubble chairs and the retro lights. Why? Because Barbiecore was a trend two seconds ago but hasn't been seen since last summer.  It's time to learn...