Ep. 102: designer Susan Jamieson

Susan Jamieson, award-winning interior designer out of Richmond, VA, joins the show to talk about her brand Bridget Beari, her new line of wallpapers, and how her Southern upbringing gave her a foundation for the warm and imaginative style we see today. Susan also talks about the importance of knowing the mood you are trying to create, why we shouldn’t be afraid to use different whites, and her effective and practical steps of mixing patterns together.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials of a $600+ power bill, boxwood hedge trimmers, and a broken dishwasher.

• Triumphs of outsourcing yard work, an outdoor bench, and dish towel upgrades.

• How Susan’s business Bridget Beari has expanded from design to home furnishings to paint and wallpaper.

• Wallpaper is having a major moment, and Susan gives her thoughts on why it’s here to stay and not something to be afraid of.

• Susan’s line takes the guesswork of picking the right color for the client’s specific design and needs.

• Susan loves pushing boundaries and making each project unique to the client based on their taste and the architecture.

• How growing up in the south affected her taste and gave her a foundation of working in a Southern style with warmth and hospitality.

• How to use texture and contrast when working without color, and why it’s okay to not match whites.

• Why neutrals can sometimes be harder to work with than color, and the three main things to think about before you should even pick the color.

• The importance of identifying the mood one is trying to create when picking a direction for fabrics, textures, and colors of a room.

 

Mentioned In This Episode

Harringdons

Alys Beach

Bridget Beari

Bridget Beari Colors

Susan Jamieson

@bridgetbeari

Ballard Designs

 

Decorating Dilemmas:

Susan thinks a round entry foyer is amazing, and she would put a round rug and a beautiful lacquered table in the middle with an even larger statement chandelier. She also suggests making it even more Spanish, and adding some jewel box color with crisp white trim to give it even more umph.

 

Susan would start with balancing the light on both levels, including a lamplight and light in the foyer. She would add a surface fixture outside the front door and maybe a pair of lamps depending on your mood. We love the idea of several fixtures that are grouped together.