Advertise on podcast: Thoughts on Design - featuring Kim Carroll Interiors

We recently visited Steele Mansion in Painesville, Ohio, and asked the proprietor, Carol Shamakian, to describe how she and her family came to own this place. She told us that her husband went to the grocery store one day and came home to say, “Honey, I bought a mansion.” Unfortunately this once grand home, built in the 1860’s, had been deemed unsalvageable and was slated for demolition. Only the vision of this plucky family could see the possibilities in restoring the home. Listen as we learn how they brought Steele Mansion back to life, and created the gracious inn that it is today. #interiordesign #restoration #mansion #remodeling #interiordesignnortheasternohio #steelemansion

We recently sat down with Ron Nandor, who owns Eastwood Furniture. This company has three locations in Ohio and works very closely with local Amish craftspeople. Over the past twenty years, he has seen furniture adapt from very basic designs, with limited choices in wood and finishes, to highly customized pieces, which now offer various wood species, a wide variety of stain and paint colors, and highly customized designs. Eastwood Furniture also fabricates custom cabinetry and furniture created from reclaimed barn wood. Please join us as we discover a new source for local custom furniture that is beautiful, locally made and environmentally responsible.

In this episode, we meet Chris Bores, a neighbor of Mark Goode. Chris and his wife Erin moved to their 100-year-old home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 2018, along with their two young daughters. They knew when they moved in that they would be doing some repairs, starting with the bathrooms. Since Chris had done a lot of hands-on improvements at their previous home, he planned on doing a lot of the work himself. After several plumbers recommended a complete renovation and he had started listening to this podcast, Chris and Erin decided to hire Kim to help them with the re-design of their two bathrooms. We are going to follow along with them during this project. Please join us as we discuss their priorities, needs, style preferences, sourcing of materials, and how to carve out every extra inch in these two small bathrooms.Contact Kim at [email protected]

In this episode, Kim and Mark get to know Rob Windhorst, an area representative for Kravet. Rob describes his background, from going with his seamstress mother to fabric outlets, to learning about fabrics and window treatments in a drapery workroom, to managing a home store for JC Penney. Rob has worked for Kravet since 2007. This 104-year-old company offers a wide range of fabrics to designers and their clients. Over the years Kravet has also added other brands, such as Lee Jofa, Brunschwig et Fils, Donghia, Creation Metaphores and Holland and Macrae. With charm and humor, Rob gives us an introduction to the diverse styles of Kravet.

With a background in fine art, Ann Monroe is the owner of a showroom at the Ohio Design Centre in Beachwood, Ohio. Ann represents various manufacturers and displays samples of their products. In her showroom, one can sit in a chair, feel the texture of a fabric or see the finish on a custom table. In this episode, you will discover how she works with designers and clients tocreate a personalized custom design, as well as the changes she has seen in the industry, and how she gets energized at the Furniture Market in High Point, North Carolina. Originally, Ann had no specific plans for a career in the business of interior furnishings. She worked in her brother in-law’s showroom for 15 years, though, and learned a great deal about fine fabrics and wall-coverings, custom upholstered furniture and case goods, and unique accessories. When he decided to sell his business, she “went for it” and became the owner of a showroom at the Ohio Design Centre in Beachwood, Ohio. #interiordesign #interiordesigner #annmonroeshowroom #ohiodesigncentre #wallcoverings #interiordesigncleveland

Art consultation, framing and installation are very specialized professions, as we discovered when we spoke with Eileen Roth and Bebe Boyle. During her 40 years of experience as an art consultant to large corporations, as well as interior designers and their clients, Eileen has developed relationships with national and international artists. Working in close collaboration with Eileen, Bebe brings her own 30 years of experience in custom framing and art installation. This project-driven pair work closely with clients, making suggestions while respecting the overall vision for the space. In this episode, Eileen and Bebe discuss installation techniques and challenges, high-quality framing and preservation of fine artwork. As you listen to our conversation with Eileen and Bebe, you will also learn about the changes and trends that they have seen in the world of art collecting. #interiordesign #artwork #artinstallation #artframe #artconsultation #clevelandart

In Episode 16, Mark Goode introduced us to the basics of smart lighting for the home. Now in Episode 18, he goes further into the use of smart technology, cautioning that is more complex to set up than the manufacturers would have us believe. Mark leads us through a history of the development of this technology, offering a visual graph that is available on my blog (kimcarrollinteriors.com, Episode 18, blog entry dated 21 February, 2022). In his discussion, he explains how manufacturers have used Zigbee, wi-fi and bluetooth to enable consumers to control devices in their homes. He describes the use of intelligent speakers and natural language processing. Mark also touches on the pros and cons of the three major manufacturers, as well as the newer radio wave form protocal called “Thread,” which works across all three platforms. Finally, he gives us an idea of what the future of smart homes will be. #homeautomation #smartspeakers #applesiri #googleassistant #amazonalexa #intelligentspeakers #smartlighting

Phillip Jeffries is an innovative wall covering company. Utilizing many different organic materials, such as grasscloth, water hyacinth, banana leaves, and wood veneers, the design team at Phillip Jeffries creates beautiful paperbacked coverings for walls. Sales representative Crystal Brown takes us through the beginnings of this leading-edge company, describing how the two brothers (Phillip and Jeffrey) have focused on working with in-house artists, as well as artisans all over the world, to create their unique wall coverings. In addition to hundreds of standard designs, they hand screen custom prints, made to order, on any of 30 available grounds, with standard or custom colors. Woven paper designs, with the look of natural fiber or fabric, are installed to look virtually seamless on walls. Phillip Jeffries also has a “Pure Imagination” program, using three dimensional printers, to customize a wall mural of anything from a photograph to a piece of art to a child’s drawing. Phillip Jeffries designs can also be printed on vinyl, for a wall covering that is a beautiful, scrubbable alternative in a child-friendly space or a commercial application. We’re sure you’ll enjoy listening as Crystal Brown explains the many wall covering options Phillip Jeffries can bring to your interior space. #wallcovering #interiordesign #phillipjeffries #podcast #wallpaper

When arriving home on a dark evening, it is reassuring to be able to turn on the lights before you even open the door. Technology built into our cellphones and smart light bulbs enables us to control the lighting in our homes. We can turn lights off and on, vary the intensity and even change the color of the light! In this episode we discuss the beginnings of home automation, the convergence of technologies that allow the human voice to interact with computers and how to “put your toes in the water” with smart lighting. Kim can be reached at [email protected]. Mark can be contacted at [email protected] #interiordesign #smartlighting #smarthome #bluetooth #wifi #interiorlight 3h3fzpDKSIndlE4lZOlT

In our first podcast show recorded “on the road,” we sit down with Thom Capretta, manager of Atelier Lapchi, a custom rug company with a showroom in the Ohio Design Centre and its factory in Nepal. We learn how, in this day of technology and automation, Atelier Lapchi weavers use Tibetian wool and silk to create custom rugs in both traditional and contemporary styles. Each hand-woven rug is a unique work of art. Because they own the factory, dye their own wool, employ the weavers (no child labor), and ship in their company containers, Atelier Lapchi avoids most supply chain issues. Their process goes from initial design to fabrication to delivery in a few short months. Thom shares with us the collections of Atelier Lapchi, color trends, fibers and textures, care and cleaning of fine rugs, as well as some great stories.You can reach Thom at [email protected] #nepalrugs #customrugs #atleierlapchi #interiordesign #kimcarrollinteriors #handwovenrugs

In this episode, Kim Carroll discusses three lighting options: ambient, task, and accent lighting. She discusses the the many different fixtures available to us, as well as a few “Lighting Atrocities” that can make our lives really uncomfortable. The human eye has evolved in natural daylight since the humans first lived on earth. We are finely tuned to the ways that it comes into our homes, from a bright summer afternoon to the soft grey of a winter morning. But we all need artificial light to make our way through a dark house, prepare supper, read a book, write a report, or find a lost toy. Well-placed lighting can set a mood and focus our attention, but how do we plan for good lighting? Ambient lighting, such as a ceiling fixture, illuminates an overall space, while task lighting, like pendants over a kitchen island, focuses the light where we need it. Accent lighting can call attention to the fixture itself, such as a Tiffany lamp, or pull someone's attention to a focal point, like a light over a painting. #interiordesign #interiordesigners #clevelandinteriordesign #interiorlighting

In Episode 13, Kim discusses window treatments, why they are needed, and the many options you can choose from. Did you know that the word “window” comes from the Old Norse words for “eye” and “wind,” or “the eye of the house through which the wind comes through”? What happens to this romantic notion when too much wind comes in, or too much rain or hot sunlight? Over the centuries, people have created many different ways to control light and heat, as well as prying eyes. As Kim discusses in this episode, in addition to being purely practical, window treatments become an integral part of the design of a room, whether they are simple roller shades, elaborate draperies, or classic wood blinds. In this episode, Kim discusses these hard and soft treatment options, and includes a few “window atrocities.” #window #windowtreatments #woodblinds #shades