This week I’m joined by special guest Paulina DuPain, who has been on previous episodes of the podcast. She has been in several different aspects of interior design in her career of over 10 years, so I thought she would be the perfect person to answer some of your questions with me about the business side of interior design. This episode, we discuss… [2:03] Paulina’s background in interior design [3:50] The most challenging and rewarding parts of the interior design industry (Millicent) [12:31] Working on boundaries and setting them with clients (Wendy) [16:00] Getting your clients on board with your vision (Sarilou) [19:20] Advice for those who dream of pursuing interior design (Pam) Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
It’s officially official now - I’m engaged, and the contract has been signed on the beautiful Connecticut house with 15 acres! My husband has now finally seen it and thinks that it is spectacular. The place definitely ticks all the boxes, but now I’m in this phase where I have cold feet. Did we make the right decision, or am I suffering from a typical case of ‘house fomo’? I’m trying to squash those thoughts, especially by getting rid of all communication with real estate agents in both areas we were looking to buy and getting rid of notifications about new listings online. I am avoiding buyer's remorse at all costs, and things are starting to get exciting now! However, I am a bit nervous because we closed on our current house on June 25th and move into our new home on August 17th. That leaves us with a considerable gap, and I can solve that problem, except there is one bigger issue. I have fully designed the new space, taken measurements, and have everything listed out, but nowhere to ship items. I’m in limbo between both spaces for now, so let’s jump into answering some of our questions from the mailbag. This episode, I answer questions about… [6:39] Narrowing down a new style for a hallway (Nicola) [17:27] Recent move into a rental home space that needs more style (Erin) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
This week I’m joined by special guest, Andy Ciccone, host of The Poor Prole’s Almanac podcast. He has lots of interesting ideas, and I’m so excited to have him share his knowledge and philosophy about land. This episode, we discuss… [1:48] Andy’s background and his podcast [4:07] Culture and identity [10:05] Land stewardship [16:34] Native species vs. invasive species [20:35] Reading the landscape [23:08] Historical homes [25:06] Representing your house or your land [27:56] Learning about your soil [31:25] Forest bathing [33:05] An urban cage vs. a native habitat [36:07] Learning from your community Connect with Andy: Website Instagram Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
I’m officially engaged to the lovely house from Connecticut with 15 acres! The caveat is that we don’t have a date yet, so I don’t know when to break up with my current partner - or house, that is; even though we've sold the house, things are still up in the air for now. The beautiful dream house is everything I could have asked for. I can't believe we got it after looking for a year and a half and losing no less than six places with astronomical bids. Again, I can't believe we've got a home, but there's a catch. We made the offer with no contingencies and no inspection. After having the inspector show up as my cousin for my second visit to the house, he said the house looked phenomenal. So the offer has been accepted, and we have signed the paperwork, but we are waiting for the current homeowners to sign the contract. What an exhausting process this has been. In the meantime, let’s dive into some of your fabulous questions from the mailbag before all the noises of my neighbors’ leafblower, and jackhammer begin again! This episode, I answer questions about… [5:42] New layout for a living room that was once a dining room (Alicia) [18:15] Flooring decisions for a kitchen and dining room (Ranae) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
Thank you, everyone, for bearing with me as I am still getting over Covid after having it three weeks ago. This stuffy and congested feeling has me struggling as I’m not back to normal yet. The brain fog is so real. Others have had it worse, so I’m grateful for being able to taste and smell. That would be a problem for me because I am a food lover! Bear with me as I muddle through the remaining side effects. Let’s dig right into the mailbag because I have had so many delicious questions come through. This episode, I answer questions about… [2:45] Storage options for a small master bathroom (Ranae) [14:04] “Feeling” words for Scandinavian style and how to apply both together (Katherine) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinte...
If you have been following along on my house hunting journey, then you know what I mean when I say that I have a new online boyfriend and just had my first date. That’s a house, of course. It’s this beautiful yellow house with teal shutters and a cottage in the backyard in the Connecticut area. I’m obsessed! I wasn’t allowed to go see this house for two weeks, but I have finally been able to take a look inside. We just got over covid, and with it being Memorial Day weekend, I decided to pack up the kids to hike a nature trail right by the beautiful yellow house to take a peek at it. My boyfriend looked amazing, but the catch is that we couldn’t look at one room inside the house. No one is allowed to look until it is sold. Who knows what I’m getting into with this whole online dating thing, but I’m planning to put an offer in on it tomorrow even though my husband hasn’t seen it yet. That’s just how I roll! To help keep my mind off of my new boyfriend, let’s answer some of the questions you’ve sent me in the mailbag. This episode, I answer questions about… [8:20] Finishing a basement with shelving or decorative paneling (Brenda) [14:49] Creating a cozy open concept space to piece everything together (Justine) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
As you know, the mailbag is running a bit low so as I wait for it to be refilled, I still wanted to make sure to get out an episode for you. This episode is going to be a bit of a design TMI. I am currently working on a handful of projects so I’m going to share with you what I’m working on wit clients and challenges I’m having along the way. If you’re watching this on YouTube, you may notice that I’m looking down a little bit and that’s because I’m referencing my client questionnaires to make sure that I’m remembering things correctly. This episode, we dive into: [3:12] Restaining floors in a large apartment [12:10] Completely overhauling a fixer upper [16:40] Designing an eat in kitchen nook To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign
You might be wondering why my episodes have been a little all over the place this month. That’s because of two reasons. One, after this episode, I am officially out of questions as the mailbag is now empty so make sure to go submit your burning questions over at affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast. The second reason that my episodes haven’t been consistent is because well, life has been pretty chaotic lately. We have been house hunting like crazy and coming up empty. Both my daughter and husband also caught COVID within the last two weeks so my son and I booked a hotel room for a week because with my line of work, I cannot afford to get sick. Both of them recovered and were feeling great then we had a death in the family and my husband flew to LA to attend the funeral. Once in LA, he started feeling sick again and turns out COVID struck again. I appreciate you sticking with me while I release episodes on an irregular schedule. This episode, I answer questions about… [6:07] Choos...
I’m still going through real estate options online, and it’s starting to remind me of online dating. As I scroll through pictures, I’m trying to imagine myself in this house. Is this my forever house? Maybe I get a big crush on the house, or I find deal breakers. I’m trying to enjoy the ride, even though it’s an emotional roller coaster. Thankfully, you have sent me some questions to distract me from my home search! This episode, I answer questions about... [8:59] Adding color and creating a TV wall in a living room (Heather) [19:38] Making a tiny living room cozy (Veronica) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://...
Spring is here, and my mood is lightened - even though things are getting intense! We have a move-out date and no new house. Although we have focused in the New York area, we may be considering some other options. If you’re from Richmond or Charlottesville, VA, I’d love to hear your experiences! This episode, I answer questions about... [4:44] Guidelines for curtains (Gonie) [13:46] Adding character to a blank canvas home (Donna) To see the accompanying pictures, make sure you head over to affordableinteriordesign.com/links and check out the YouTube channel or our social media pages. Links: Website: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com Book: https://www.betsyhelmuth.com/my-book Become a Premium Member: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Submit Your Questions: https://www.affordableinteriordesign.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableinteriordesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AffIntDesign