Podcast, Episode 4: Designer & Blogger Sherry Hart

On this episode of the podcast, we sat down with interior designer and blogger Sherry Hart. She’s a master of styling bookshelves, can make a neutral room feel fresh and modern, and is going through her own bedroom makeover. She gave us the whole rundown of how she turned her home renovation into a successful interior designer business, what her husband thinks of her constant decor updates, and how to make your home look cohesive.

What You’ll Hear on the Show:

• Karen’s latest progress on the guest room she’s redecorating
• The baby shower Karen recently hosted where the food was baby-themed
• How Sherry caught the decorating bug and her first published space
• How her style has changed over the course of her career
• Why she loves decorating with white
• Her biggest decorating pet peeve
• Bad advice for decorating when there’s someone else in the mix
• Her approach to styling bookshelves

Decorating Dilemmas

“What are some really great tips to help pull a room together to go from average to amazing. I can easily pick out beautiful things but putting those beautiful things together with paint colors, fabrics, and deciding on scale are the hard parts.” -Jennifer

Look at the styling in your favorite catalogs — whether it’s a bookcase or art — there’s a formulaic arrangement. Sherry suggests using a pyramid as your guide, creating different heights and building tiers. This rule applies to both your console table and your room overall — you want different heights throughout your room.

I think that three things can take a room from average to amazing — a rug in the right size (chances are your rug is too small), fantastic drapery, and art. Unlined drapery panels that aren’t full enough feel wimpy in most rooms. Look for lined panels that are at least 2x the width of your window, and if you can’t find the proper width, have your dry cleaners sew multiple panels together.

“How can I pull off a his and hers office” -Monica

If you won’t be working in there at the same time, consider a partner’s desk where you both can sit. If you’ll both be working in there at the same time, you may want to have two different desks that aren’t facing each other. In terms of decorating, come up with a color palette you both like and let that be the cohesive element to unite the pieces you like and the pieces he likes.

“How to decorate but maintain practicality. For example, where is the printer in this room that should be easily accessible?” -Janet

First of all, printers are Wifi, so you can put that in the closet! Look for high wearing pieces like performance fabrics. They’re a little more expensive, but they’ll stand up to wear and tear and you won’t need to worry. You don’t need to try to hide everything, some things can be hiding in plain sight. ‘Hide’ your TV on a gallery wall so it blends in with art pieces. I hide my cable box in a stack of books. Sherry hides hers in a basket with a throw drapped over it. In her master bedroom, she’s painting her walls Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze so her TV will disppear!

Notes from the Show:

• Karen is building her space around our Taza Rug which she’s had in her basement and finally has a space for!
• Karen mentions the drapery panels in her bedroom — they’re our Madeleine striped panels.
• The climbing rose I’m growing on my house is the Buff Beauty I ordered from Antique Rose Emporium
• Check out Sherry’s One Room Challenge on her blog, Design Indulgence

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

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