A few weeks back I was contacted by Zandra and Karen of the blog Little Yellow Couch about participating in their podcast, Style Matters. As they say, the podcast is about “why developing a style that reflects who you are is a key component of happiness.” They are lovely and intelligent, and enthusiastic about design and decor for all the right reasons, and I jumped at the chance to talk with them.
Zandra and Karen of Little Yellow Couch
I am the kind of person who records an outgoing message and then never listens to it — hearing my recorded voice makes me contract in agony. Nonetheless, after Katie and my mother-in-law both listened to the podcast and told me I didn’t sound like an idiot, I got up the gumption to take a listen for myself. Thanks entirely to Karen and Zandra’s easy and welcoming manner, it turned out great, so great that I am actually excited to share it here. You can listen to it by following this link, or by finding the Style Matters podcast on iTunes. They also wrote a blog post about our discussion, taking something I said off hand and turning it into an interesting idea about the longevity of design.
Image from Little Yellow Couch
So take a listen, and be sure to check out the other Style Matters podcasts where Zandra and Karen interview design blog glitterati like Grace Bonney of Design Sponge, and Rachel Faucett of Handmade Charlotte. And stay tuned for a special holiday edition of the podcast, which includes a little Alaska holiday lore from yours truly!
Huge thanks to Karen and Zandra for including Red House West on Style Matters!
Great job, Mera!
My voice sounds awful to me. Doesn’t everyone think that? Well, maybe not Morgan Freeman.
That was very enjoyable and I didn’t know about Little Yellow Couch, so thanks for that!
Thanks Nina, and welcome back!
This is great fun to listen to Mera! Congratulations on articulating so well another take on why style matters. And I loved it that Karen and Zandra made a post from your comment about going bold. You and Katie belong with the listed luminaries!
Thank you Katy, and thanks for not being mad at me for talking about your house the whole time! xo
Thanks for telling us about this Mera. I listened to the podcast this morning as I was painting, and loved all the visual images that your conversation brought to my mind. I thought you sounded perfect, and love that your suggestion to “go bold” led to a blog post by Karen and Zandra. I think you’re absolutely right about that theory, and that it has certainly served both you and Katie well in your styles. And I also loved what you said about generosity. That was exactly the feeling I got the first day I walked into that little red (greenish at the time) house on H street in 1974 to have tea with your mother-in-law who I was meeting for the first time. I was totally at ease and comfortable and welcomed. It’s the things that make a house a home that are important.
What a lovely memory and a great illustration of the point, thanks Carol!
You sounded great Mera, though I know exactly what you mean as I cringe when I hear my own voice recorded. And your description of Katy’s house as “a warm embrace” was right on! I really like the concept of decorating and design being “generous”—this idea really pulls all the different aspects of decorating together in such a perfect and meaningful way. I hope to hear more podcasts in the future!
Thank you Michelle! xo
Thank you Michelle and Carol for the kind words about the red house in the old days – each of you have houses where an invitation to tea is comfort and pleasure for sure. And I always want to say that it feels really lucky, and has given me so much pleasure, to watch Mera make this red house her own – for her family in her time – to bring her smarts and style to it. And to write (and podcast) about it!