Podcast, Ep. 276: A Vision to Design with Stephen Sills

Stephen Sills book with Rizzoli books

Stephens Sills’ book, Stephen Sills: A Vision for Design

We have a major treat for you today, in the form of a great conversation with the dean of American design, celebrated interior designer Stephen Sills. You’ve seen Stephen’s work in your favorite design magazines including Architectural Digest, Town and Country, Elle Decor, and many more. Stephen walks us through his new book, a Vision for Design, and a few of the recent projects featured in the book, including stunning homes in Florida, New York City, and his own Connecticut home. 

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

  • Considerations when choosing a wallpaper. 
  • How dining rooms are becoming less formal and more usable. 
  • How to use boards to see the whole of the house, and work with layout and scale. 
  • What should you consider when choosing a shape and size for a sofa? 
  • What has changed in Stephen’s Connecticut home over the 30 years he has lived there. 
  • In Stephen’s work, how does he approach both beauty and functionality of the space? 
  • What’s next for Stephen now that the book is out? 
  • How Stephen curated certain moods and atmospheres in the different homes featured in a Vision for Design. 
  • How you can bring some of Stephen’s expert eye into your design decisions. 

Decorating Dilemmas:

Ladies of Ballard and distinguished guest,

Quick design dilemma for you today. My husband is 6’5 and I am 5’7 in a house with 8-9 ft ceilings. We were raised by attorneys, so there is no shortage of debate around the height at which art should be hung. Of course, my husband centering the art at his eye level effectively places the piece on the ceiling, and even when we compromise and hang it at an average between the two, I look at it and think about how “only amateurs hang art too high.”

We need an opinion to trump them all, and you and your guest will be our tie breaker. Should the art be hung mid wall where it looks fabulous for guests, or should it be hung centered at our monstrous eye-lines, where we can properly enjoy it.

Love the show very much, XO Mackenzie from Dallas

Ps – welcome Liz! and please tell Karen she is dearly missed.

Hello, and thank you for writing! First, when hanging art, it’s all about your choice and intuition. We think you should make a choice between a height that works for you, and a height that the guests can enjoy. Stephen agrees that it’s always nice to look up at art instead of just looking straight at it. The bigger the painting, the higher you can hang it. The smaller the painting, the lower it could be. Hope this helps!

Mentioned in This Episode:

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.

Happy Decorating!

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Caroline McDonald

Caroline lives for pairing together patterns, mixing furniture styles, and oogling over our newest furniture pieces. As you can imagine, her little 1920's craftsman is in a constant state of flux. Here on How to Decorate, it's her goal to help you turn your home into your own little slice of paradise.

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