February 11, 2025 • 35 mins
Today on Boulevard Beat we get to know our third host, editor Krissa Rossbund. Krissa has spent her career as an editor, writer, and tastemaker in the luxury design arena and reports on today's modern homeowners—how they decorate, how they entertain, how they live—to shape each issue of Traditional Home. Her range of expertise covers merchandising, showhouses, entertaining, and most important, families with beautiful, timeless, and welcoming dwellings. Krissa frequently speaks to readers and designers at showrooms, design centers, retail venues, and luxury-themed events and programs both domestically and internationally about traditional design and how it absorbs great ideas from a variety of sources, styles, and eras and gives new verve to the classics.
Street Style Takeaways:
• Figure it out.
• Focus on small luxuries.
• Exposure is key.
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15! Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/ Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Street Style Takeaways:
• Figure it out.
• Focus on small luxuries.
• Exposure is key.
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15! Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/ Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast we're life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom along with my co hosts, editor
Chrissa Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast focuses
on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with
taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style.
You constrol one street at a time, boulevard Beat proves.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
The one you should take.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome, CHRISA. Here we are episode three, and I am
so excited for our listeners to get to know you
and learn more about your history and who you are
and all the wonderful things you do.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Thanks Meghan, Episode three. It's been really great to take
this journey with you and Liz.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
As you know, we're always going to start this podcast
by asking our guests about the street that they grew
up on. I am excited to hear your story.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
A lot of people would say I had a great
growing up experience because I grew up on an acreage
with lots of land around me. It wasn't a farm,
but we did have lots of animals. Unfortunately, I was
more of an indoor girl. I had a horse, and
I loved my horse, but the other animals not so much.
I just really didn't care about it. The one thing
(01:26):
I will say is I was always a little envious
of the kids who grew up on a could a
sac because we had so much space in between the
houses where I grew up. I couldn't just walk out
the door and join in on a ballgame or kids
riding their bikes or playing. It was just too far
of a distance, so my parents had to take me
(01:46):
and drop me somewhere, or somebody's parents had to drop
them at my house. So I was always a little
envious of that. But you know, we always want what
we can't have, So.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I was just going to say that, I think that's
so true. You're seemed to have a horse too. I mean,
every little girl's dream to have that. That's so fun Well.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
It's funny because you know, when I say it was
more of an indoor girl. The good news about the
horse as it came with accessories, right, It came with
a saddle and a game with a blanket, and then
you could put ribbons in the main. So I think
that's very much my affinity with the horse, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's fun. So you were creative already at an early
age dressing up your horse. Tell me a little bit
more about your earliest memory of creativity.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
You know, I don't think there's anything particularly special about
my earliest memory of creativity. I suppose I did all
of the things that most kids do, craft projects, art projects,
that sort of thing. I always loved fashion from a
very early age, so that was a lot of fun.
You know. I always wanted to make things a little
(02:49):
more pretty, and I think I remember in your episode
you talked about rearranging the furniture, being the first to
volunteer during the holidays, and I was always really excited
when my mom and I would rearrange the living room.
I always thought it was fun to put a piece
of furniture in a different, different place. But the word
creativity is an intriguing one to me. Even though I
(03:11):
am in what people consider to be a creative field,
it's not necessarily the first word that I would use
to describe myself because even within the magazine, we work
within somewhat of a formula, and so you know, my creativity,
My challenge with that word is figuring out how to
(03:32):
be more creative. Within those confines. But I think for
anybody who's listening out there, if you don't consider creativity
for any any career field that you're in, you really
are paralyzing yourself. Because creativity isn't about art. I don't
consider myself an artist, but it's really about thinking about
(03:52):
outside the box and sometimes inside the box. Whether you're
a teacher, a doctor, or an artist, you still need
to be creative.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, that's so true, because you're just always wanting to
come up with a new way of thinking about things,
and in your own profession of being creative that way.
So that's such a good point. I think your career
is so fascinating, and I know your job encompasses so
many parts of that creative world. I'd love to hear
more about your position as an editor.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Well, Megan, it's really my job to have my finger
on the pulse of creativity and then translate that to
our audience through words and imagery. Regardless of the subject matter,
a journalist requires a certain level of curiosity to be effective.
The outcome is the same for the projects that I cover,
usually a beautiful environment, whatever that means. It could be
(04:44):
an entire home, it could be a collector of a
certain type of antique, or an artist, or even somebody
who loves to garden. The difference though, is how each
homeowner and each designer crosses that finish line. That's the
different part. And it's so fascinating to observe people in
their own environments. I think that's something that we share.
(05:08):
You certainly have to do that when you are learning
about your clients.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I imagine, oh, for sure. Yeah, you're always kind of
taking it in and how you can translate it into
a design and make it perfect well.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
And I think what's interesting too is you're going into
the most intimate spaces for these people and you're opening drawers.
I mean, I have to do that to style, you know.
I know you're doing that as well to figure out
how people live, and you know, you there's a trust
in there.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
There is such a trust, and it's also one of
those things that you don't always think that you would
know or learn so much about people, Like you said,
like you want to know how they get ready in
the morning, and where they want their tooth brush stored,
and how their low dryer and things like that are
going to do as well as the kitchen functioning and
the office and the living room. It's everything, you know,
just to make it all more beautiful.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, and what's great in the end is once you
establish that trust, you oftentimes become friends with these people
and friendly and you know, I have relationships that have
spanned now for twenty years from some homeowners whose homes
I've been in for photoshoots, and that's always lovely.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Absolutely, that's actually my favorite part is just the connecting,
like the relationships you make and the friendships, as you said,
just whether it's I continue to work with them or
we just get together for coffee down the road just
to catch up on their life. It's what we all
want as humans is to connect with people. So you know,
I'm sure too. As you are an editor, you always
(06:34):
kind of have to have your eyes open all the
time searching for the next story. And there's so many
different categories of design. Is there one in particular that
speaks to you more than another?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Oh? Yes? Within the home, the dining room is by
far my favorite space because of what it represents, and
that is time together with family and friends. And I
think what's important about the dining room is, you know,
we think of you hear the phrase making memories quite
often in this business and just around and you know
(07:06):
marketing lexicon, if you will. But sometimes those memories aren't
always happy ones. You know, they can be the first
time that you get together after somebody in the family
has passed. And so I love the dining room because
it's about time together with family and friends. But sometimes
(07:27):
those aren't always good times. Sometimes it's really truly about
comforting the other people that you're with, and I think
that's important. Getting to the design part of it, what
I love about the dining room is that there's so
much semmetry involved. There are multiple chairs, multiple place settings,
and so it delivers this wonderful aesthetic equation of numbers
(07:47):
and geometry and style mixed all together. So that and
I know, something that you and I share is our
love for tabletop accoutremaw. That definitely falls into my bucket
of a dick because I just can't stop buying dishes.
But I'm not even going to pretend to stop not
going to But I love a beautiful tablescape, and I
(08:08):
know that you do as well.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
I know it's so fun putting one together, using your
creativity to do it. And then just the experience your
guests get to have and appreciate it and the little
small touches that go along with it, creating those memories
of whatever that dining room experience looks like.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, and you get that with a dining table. You
get that, you know, blank slate, and it's there for
the duration of the event, the meal, and then you
can take it away. So it's it's sort of a
it's not a huge commitment as far as creativity and
pulling out your inner artistry because you can start over
the next time.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
And I also really love in a dining room you
can take it so many directions. You can make it
very formal, casual, eclectic, colorful, you know you can. You
can dress it up or dress it down and really
have some fun with the space to both with the
walls and the furniture as well as that table scape.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I agree. I think that there's an episode of entertaining
specifically in our future. I can feel it so more
to come on that audience. I will say, back to
my favorite categories, There's not really any part of design
that moves me more than architecture. And I think about
(09:25):
architecture a lot, and the words that are used to
describe this body of design, words like graceful and elegant,
robust and arresting, respectful. Architecture is man made poetry at
the most epic level. It's a language that represents unbridled confidence.
It's a depiction of possibility because it's really the largest
(09:48):
thing that we create, these structures. I'm always intrigued by
architecture's ability to take an already stunning piece of land
and enhance it in a manner that makes it even
more or so to have the vision to design and
then build a structure. It's just so big. So architecture
(10:08):
is very important to me, probably the most important part
of design. Well.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And you just think as you drive up to a property,
and as you slowly drive up and see it, you
get to embrace it and take in all that beauty
of it on the outside, and then get to experience
it on the inside on a whole different level, with
the details of the bones of the architecture of a
good home and what they do for each space.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I think that's so true. Also, when you look at
a skyline, I think there's a you know, a city skyline.
There's so much wonder there because you're always thinking who
you know? Where the light is on floor fifty four
of a building, you know who is there? Is? Somebody working,
is somebody living. There's just the sparkle of the lights.
I'm thinking about in New York specifically right now, and
(10:53):
there's just so much.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Wonder Well, it's so beautiful. How you said that architecture
being like poetry. I've never really of it that way before,
but you're so true. Just has the movement throughout it
and the different styles and shapes and structures and how
that all works together poetically. All right, So trend the
all encompassing word, and kind of I would say frequently
(11:16):
when I tell people I'm a designer, they want to
know what the latest trend is or what's going on,
And I would say, your job it's to know the
latest and greatest all the time and to be able
to share it with your readers. How do the new
trends affect your own personal style? And what would you
say your personal style is?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Well, it's funny, yes, that word. I don't know why
that's always the first question that everybody I know, right,
design community, but it is, I guess people they always
want to be in Vogue, which I get to answer
your question. The trends don't really affect me. I'm not
a big fan of trends. I'm a bigger fan of
(11:59):
learning and considering what your personal style is because I
think once you develop a personal style, it's equally important,
if not more, to know what you don't like, because
that helps you edit. And I think when you have
a blueprint to know what you are attracted to esthetically,
it makes the choices better and it gives you clarity.
(12:23):
I think about you know, collections. Right now, you're asking
about my personal style. I'm a traditionalist. I love anything
that's classic, and while I appreciate modern style, I am
a traditionalist at heart. So at the moment, I have
this affinity for French landscape paintings. That's that's my latest love.
(12:45):
But you know, once you know that, there are always
the design surprises that creep in and things that you
didn't know you love. So I think it's always important
to keep an open mind when it comes to weaving
a new piece, a new object into your style. And
that can be for the home, and it certainly happens
in fashion. You know when there's a clearance sale and
(13:07):
we think we need something and we bring it home
it's like, oh, maybe that's not really my style. But
I think it's just important to keep that open mind
and develop your style, know what you love, but then
have a little bit of you know, maybe ten percent
of room for play to incorporate something new and you
know the moment that's the surprise. But anything traditional, you know,
(13:31):
American flags, old books, walnut, twelve needle point pin stripes,
that's what I love.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yes, you are a traditionalist. I love it. And it
takes time sometimes to figure out that personal style, and
sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong.
And that's part of the fun of the journey is
to kind of figure that out too, and just keep
sticking with what you love and use that ten percent
of play and kind of help figure that out right.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
And I think that's what happens a lot when we're
in our twenties, when you have that first apartment or
first home you get into, you know, you sort of
want to do things right. You're hungry to know what
is good and what is bad. And the thing is,
in design, there's not really any such thing. It truly
is an art form. So it's about making your style
work for you, but that takes a lot of exposure,
(14:17):
I think to develop that style. It doesn't just come.
You have to study books, magazines, travel. I know we're
going to talk about travel a little bit later, but
exposure is the key.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I've always said that, to just study with your eyes
and what works and what doesn't work, and just train
them a little bit more to refine that style. Well,
Chris design is often thought of as being very glamorous,
and to me, the magazine world and an editor seems
really glamorous. You get to travel to all these wonderful destinations.
(14:48):
You get to go in these beautiful homes and meet
all these lovely people and learn about their lifestyles. What
are some of the highlights and downsides of your job?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Well, I like joke that the name of my memoir
should be My Life in bubble Wrap and pnuts, because
packing peanuts are stuck to me everywhere usually, and you know,
the bubble wrap is just you know, another another protector.
There's so many great things about my job, but keep
in mind, it's my job to say no. That's that's
(15:19):
what an editor does. They say no a lot, so
that's that's sort of the downside is I feel like
sometimes I'm crushing people's spirits designers in particular when they're
sending me projects, because it's not a two plus two
equals four sort of industry. There's not always an answer
that I have because a lot of people who are
(15:40):
new to the design world, whether they're just starting off
after college or if they've come to design as a
second career, they oftentimes will say, well, you know, what
are you looking for? And I really can't articulate that
because at the end, we're really looking for beautiful spaces,
And just to put some numbers around it, we receive
(16:01):
about two hundred and fifty two hundred and seventy five
projects a year and we take twenty, so that's less
than ten percent. It's very very difficult to be published,
so I'm usually turning people down. That's the downside. On
the flip side, there's so much good. We've already spoken
about the great people in this business, and I feel
(16:22):
like everybody's really supportive of each other. Everybody's look is
a little different, and I think we're great about sharing
sources and just making sure that we play into everybody's success.
But the other good part of my job that I
love is the discovering new talent. That's really so much fun.
(16:44):
I can honestly say that the magazine has played a
significant role in giving notoriety to so many designers and
new businesses vendors of new products over the years, and
that's really especially gratifying because you feel like you've played
a part in so many success and that's again what
we want for everybody.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
That's so fun to be able to see some of
those early creators and product designers and see them rise
up and become super successful. That journey's pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And then the one last thing I will add that
is probably the most favorite part is the feedback from
our readers. It's special when we receive correspondence from our
reader and a project that we've shown has inspired them to,
you know, attempt to copy a piece of that in
their own dwelling. And not everybody's home is the same,
(17:34):
so it's interesting to you know, when they send images
to see how they have executed what inspired them that
we've shown.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yeah, that's such a fun touch just to know that
your work makes a difference, even on the small scale too.
So design's always changing. There's always, like we talked about trends,
different things coming onto the market and editing different things
as well. What's exciting you right now in the world
the design.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
This is a funny one because people right now are saying, oh,
there's this return for traditional. Well, traditional never went away
in sort of by definition. The point of traditional is
that it's always around and has staying power. So I
don't know that it went away, but I understand the
sentiment because, for you know, a good decade design was
(18:23):
very edited, clean lines, clean silhouettes, everything was very streamlined.
Even palettes were very streamlined, and we didn't see that
wonderful layering that I think is so editorial to use
one of my terms, and what draws us to certain
design so much so it's exciting to see those, you know,
(18:44):
carving and scrolls and little ruffles and scallops and details
I guess have more prominence because again I don't think
they ever went away. I don't care whether it's in
or not in. I'm never going to turn down a
ruffle or a scallop. Those are of those little feminine
dressmaker details, especially on upholstery. The thing about traditional design
(19:07):
is it harkens back to that idea of nostalgia and familiarity.
And familiarity is something that I think is so important
in this industry because people want to go home to
something that they know, a place where they feel comfort
and embraced, and that happens when you sort of develop
(19:27):
a routine. And that's what I love about design, is
because you're creating that familiarity for somebody with that whole
idea of traditional design. There's been a huge uptick in
antiques over the last few years. Some of that was
sparked by the pandemic, which we I think are all
(19:48):
trying to forget about at this point, but it really
did affect the accessibility of furniture because you just couldn't
get your hands on certain things. But I'm a major
antique collect I love it. Put me in a shop
with European antiques. I'm one happy girl. And I love
(20:08):
texture and patina and dings and dents I am. I
don't like a world that's perfect. I don't like things.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want my
things to be damaged either. But I love the idea
of antiques bringing imperfection into your home because they do
(20:28):
have a scratch and where there's a scratch, there's a story,
and you're adding another chapter to a whole volume that
has lots of chapters in it already and will continue
to have more chapters after you're gone. So that's what's
exciting to me right now. And design tradition and antiques.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
That's so exciting and for me it's been fun. Even
in my career so far, I hadn't really gotten to
use fringe on the bottom of a sofa, and now
I'm able to start doing that because people are asking
for it. So it's fun to bring that traditional trend
back into the marketplace. And it's a beautiful touch.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oh that bull Yon friend. Yes, fun to run your
fingers through that, for sure, I.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Know right, definitely. Well, Chris, anyone who follows your Instagram
account knows that you're on the road quite a bit.
You've had a great start to twenty twenty five with
some wonderful travel to Paris Design Week and most recently
to Palm Beach as well. What are your thoughts on
travel and how it affects design for you.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I equate travel to college courses. I think that there
is I'm the biggest booster fan of the university of
planet Earth. It's just another form of education. In my opinion,
it's the best form of education. I know we're going
to talk about travel in an episode to come, but
(21:50):
there's really no better way to get to know people
and again observe people in their own environments, in their
own communities, and an in person experience is unmatched by
a Google search, although it's fun to search on Google
too and Pinterest and definitely think about all the places
where you want to go, But it's so important that
(22:11):
we understand people. And oftentimes we are forced to learn
about somebody in a situation after conflict has ensued, and
that's not super organic. So much more can be learned
by pausing and observing people in their everyday lives. I've
been so fortunate to travel to many places all over
(22:31):
the world, and it's just fascinating to see how, especially
in other countries, people are so different and then we're
exactly the same all at the same time. And you know,
if you open your eyes and focus on kids especially,
I think it's so fun to watch children. And I've
maybe said this to you before, but what I've realized
(22:54):
is no matter what one's origins are, children love sugar,
and they like to get their way. It's the universal
link of human of mankind. I guess it doesn't matter
which language you speak. You want sugar and you want
your way. So and from a design perspective, a question
that I never ask as a journalist because I think
it's a really bad question. I never ask a designer
(23:18):
where they draw inspiration from, because I think they should
draw inspiration from everywhere. I think you shouldn't wait until
you go to Paris or Italy to find something beautiful.
I think you should find something beautiful in your own yard.
But I think travel certainly gets the creative juices going
and does open your eyes more because it's something that
is unfamiliar. So that's good. Paris was great, Palm Beach
(23:41):
is great. I love again architecture, all of the intricacies
and design nuances of Paris. And you know, Palm Beach
has those things in great weather too.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I wonderful. Yeah, especially this time of year.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
And you know, I think just too, even the color
that you get in different cities that you travel to,
and how regions have different palettes that kind of can
inspire you and kind of take that back into your
own design as well.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
That's so true. And you know, living where we live,
where we have a lot of grain going on, it's
such a different experience than you know. I remember the
first time I visited the Grand Canyon and seeing all
of these wonderful rusty oranges and all of those desert
colors they just don't exist here. Or when I went
to Tuscany and you see these pops of green trees
(24:27):
with these Spanish tile roofs. Every destination does have its
own palette, and it's fun to identify those.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Chrisy, you asked me this question, but I'd like to
get your perspective as well. It seems as if almost
everyone wants to try their hand at design at times.
How do you look at professional designers versus people who
want to take a stap at design on their own.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Well, first of all, it's great when people want to
channel their inner creativity, for sure. And I think what
we've seen over recent years is people who maybe are
in more number sorts of jobs and they really and
I think that's a great thing about platforms like Pinterest.
You know, you go through and pin all of these
(25:09):
ideas that you want to attempt yourself, and I think
all of us are guilty of maybe pinning more than
our eyes are bigger than our time, our hands and
everything that we can achieve during the day. But I
think that we want to be creative. I think if
you go back and you know, in history, to the
Egyptians and telling their stories on the side of a
(25:30):
pyramid or whatever the situation may be, through a quilt,
that's such a piece of history where people have been creative.
We want to play artists in some way, shape or form.
But when it comes to doing your own home, this
is what you're missing the soul. I think that designers
(25:52):
have researched, they have that education where they understand the history,
and as I just alluded, so much of design its
origin is in some sort of historical reason, historical purpose
for it. It's not just for the sake of being beautiful.
And oftentimes, especially with social media now, I think it's
(26:15):
so easy to partake in what I call sort of
copycat design, where you just are replicating something that you've
seen in a post and there's nothing wrong with that.
That's completely okay, and don't I certainly don't want to
criticize when people are doing that, but it's those academic
principles and again the history of the research, the exposure
(26:38):
that allows you to do that wonderful layering again that
we're also attracted to. That's what makes design so interesting
is when you can combine things that are sometimes alike
but sometimes very disparate and put them together and just
again create this visual poetry. It's super exciting and it's
(26:59):
a skill though, and I think you know it comes
with time, it comes with practice, and it's not just
shopping for your home. I think people want to shop
for their home or put their home together and call
themselves a designer, and that's that's not what a designer is, right.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
I think it can be easy sometimes just to spend
a couple hours searching for a barstool on their own.
And while that is what designers do as well, they
also can be taking in different accounts of like the
color and the scale and just how those materials work
with all the other materials in the space too, and
make a difference that way well.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
And I think what's important and you know this because
you live in a very historic home, but there's nothing
more exciting to me when we receive a submission of
an existing home, a house that. You know, we feature
a lot of properties that are in say New England,
and some of these houses are one hundred and fifty
(27:56):
years old, and the effort that's put in to again
understanding the history of them, it's very, very different than
a new build. Not that there's anything wrong with a
new build either, because sometimes in some architects I've had
the pleasure of writing about, they go to the effort
in a new build too, But to have every single
(28:17):
little detail researched and where it came from and considered
is very different than deciding, honey, let's find new living
room furniture. It's just not the same thing, Chris.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
You know, as we have this podcast, we want to
learn more about people's little luxuries or little things that
they can take into their life that make their life
that little bit more beautiful. What are some of those
little luxuries that you incorporate into your daily life.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Time is not only my biggest currency, it's everyone's big
biggest currency because we can't create more of it. So
the little luxuries that I love are things that I
can commit to. We're not super far into the new
year here, and I'm not the biggest span of you know,
the new year's resolution. But I think that simple is
(29:06):
always better. If ideas and intentions are grandiose, they become
difficult to weave into a routine. So to me, it's
about those little things. It's about the hot tea that
I drink every morning and every night before I go
to bed out of a beautiful piece of French porcelain
that I've had for years that i's that's my mug,
(29:26):
that's my that's what I use, and I love it.
I need that ritual. It's very soothing to me. I
don't do this every day, but I always look for
every excuse to get out my stationary collection and write
a note. I'm a bit of a paper nerd, for sure,
but I think it's a bit of a lost art
form and I don't think that it should be. I
(29:48):
think it should be an absolute standard. And there's just
something so meaningful about note writing. And you know, choosing
your stamps. I love to choose my note card and
then I have my array of stamps and I sometimes
it's just the little American flag, and then sometimes it's something,
you know. I remember when Oscar day Lorna had a
(30:09):
collection of stamps. I don't know, seven or eight or
so years ago, and I bought a whole bunch of
them from the USPS because everybody was going to get
an Oscar Day Lorna stamp on their birthday card that year.
So but it's just such a tactile and such a
better experience, I think, and fun to open the mailbox
and muscle through a beautiful envelope to that note card
(30:31):
that somebody has handwritten for you. So that's something that
I get a lot of satisfaction out of being able
to do is when I have an excuse, And sometimes
there shouldn't be an excuse either. Sometimes you should just
do it, and that can be hard. Sometimes sometimes you
need the excuse to prompt you. But I do love
getting out my stationary collection.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
It's very so sweet. There's really nothing better when you
get a little note out of the blue that doesn't
have a lot in it, but it just knowing that
someone thought you. I love that. That's a great habit,
So thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
And then nature too, I think nature is always a
good one just to get outside every day.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Mother Nature's the most beautiful canvas, that's for sure. Christ
we are going to kind of finish off each of
our episodes with some similar questions for each of our guests.
So I would love to learn this about you as well.
The beat of your life doesn't just happen on its own.
It requires the right tools to make it successful. What
is the tool that you have that's made the beat
(31:30):
of your life work?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
My ability to figure it out doesn't matter what it is.
You know, we talk a lot about, I think, especially
when it comes to careers, about resumes and education, and
again I use the word exposure earlier. I think that
nothing that you know matters if you can't figure things out,
and everything you know matters if you use that you
(31:54):
know bank of knowledge that you have to figure something out,
but you've got to make it work, and there's not
always an answa, and that's what excites me. I think,
you know, from a creative perspective, I love marketing. I
love that broad scope, solution driven level of creativity because
I like to figure things out, and so that's what
(32:14):
keeps me going. I think it's so important to be
able to gives you some independence and a little extra
kick in your step. When you've achieved something.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
That's a wonderful beat, you're the ultimate problem solver, and
that's a good one to have for everyday life. For sure.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Sometimes I cause problems to I'll do right. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
And lastly, what does the perfect boulevard look like to you?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Anything that conjures nostalgia in our techie world of being
perhaps two connected. I love the idea of just slowing
down and pausing. And you know, I think of old
bakeries before you bought your baked goods in the super market,
(33:00):
which is where we sometimes do it now. Oftentimes, I guess,
you know, just the independent bakery that I remember as
a kid, where you'd go in and they would have
all of the decorated cookies, and you know, my dad
would we'd go there for donuts and that sort of thing.
A small bookstore, antique shops, lots of trees. Just nostalgia
because I don't know that we experienced nostalgia so much anymore,
(33:23):
because the memory is always right there, it's at our fingertips.
We can just google what happened yesterday or what happened
last year, and it's more fun to have those little
moments that pop into your head that are little surprises.
And sometimes I think it's too easy for us now,
so That's the perfect boulevard to me is taking a pause,
slowing down and nostalgia when things were quieter and more
(33:47):
peaceful and a little more slow.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Well, I love that nostalgia as well, because it's just
that element of like embracing what you're doing right now
and not really looking forward ahead or thinking about what
happened or worrying about other things. It's truly living in
the moment and having that peace of mind.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Yes, yes, well, Chris, this.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Was so fun talking to you, getting to know you.
As we go down the road and talk with other
guests that they get to know you more as well,
and we'll share lots of wonderful conversations. So thank you
for having this conversation with us today and look forward
to many more.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Banks Megan, and I'm excited as next episode we're going
to start talking to some of our guests. Yes exciting,
Oh yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Boulevard Beat.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow along and leave
a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
so you never miss an episode, and of course, follow
your hosts on Instagram at Megan bloom Interiors at CHRISA.
Rosbund and at Liz Legit. We'll be back next week
as we take a stroll down another boulevard
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast we're life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom along with my co hosts, editor
Chrissa Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast focuses
on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with
taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style.
You constrol one street at a time, boulevard Beat proves.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
The one you should take.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome, CHRISA. Here we are episode three, and I am
so excited for our listeners to get to know you
and learn more about your history and who you are
and all the wonderful things you do.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Thanks Meghan, Episode three. It's been really great to take
this journey with you and Liz.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
As you know, we're always going to start this podcast
by asking our guests about the street that they grew
up on. I am excited to hear your story.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
A lot of people would say I had a great
growing up experience because I grew up on an acreage
with lots of land around me. It wasn't a farm,
but we did have lots of animals. Unfortunately, I was
more of an indoor girl. I had a horse, and
I loved my horse, but the other animals not so much.
I just really didn't care about it. The one thing
(01:26):
I will say is I was always a little envious
of the kids who grew up on a could a
sac because we had so much space in between the
houses where I grew up. I couldn't just walk out
the door and join in on a ballgame or kids
riding their bikes or playing. It was just too far
of a distance, so my parents had to take me
(01:46):
and drop me somewhere, or somebody's parents had to drop
them at my house. So I was always a little
envious of that. But you know, we always want what
we can't have, So.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I was just going to say that, I think that's
so true. You're seemed to have a horse too. I mean,
every little girl's dream to have that. That's so fun Well.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
It's funny because you know, when I say it was
more of an indoor girl. The good news about the
horse as it came with accessories, right, It came with
a saddle and a game with a blanket, and then
you could put ribbons in the main. So I think
that's very much my affinity with the horse, for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's fun. So you were creative already at an early
age dressing up your horse. Tell me a little bit
more about your earliest memory of creativity.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
You know, I don't think there's anything particularly special about
my earliest memory of creativity. I suppose I did all
of the things that most kids do, craft projects, art projects,
that sort of thing. I always loved fashion from a
very early age, so that was a lot of fun.
You know. I always wanted to make things a little
(02:49):
more pretty, and I think I remember in your episode
you talked about rearranging the furniture, being the first to
volunteer during the holidays, and I was always really excited
when my mom and I would rearrange the living room.
I always thought it was fun to put a piece
of furniture in a different, different place. But the word
creativity is an intriguing one to me. Even though I
(03:11):
am in what people consider to be a creative field,
it's not necessarily the first word that I would use
to describe myself because even within the magazine, we work
within somewhat of a formula, and so you know, my creativity,
My challenge with that word is figuring out how to
(03:32):
be more creative. Within those confines. But I think for
anybody who's listening out there, if you don't consider creativity
for any any career field that you're in, you really
are paralyzing yourself. Because creativity isn't about art. I don't
consider myself an artist, but it's really about thinking about
(03:52):
outside the box and sometimes inside the box. Whether you're
a teacher, a doctor, or an artist, you still need
to be creative.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, that's so true, because you're just always wanting to
come up with a new way of thinking about things,
and in your own profession of being creative that way.
So that's such a good point. I think your career
is so fascinating, and I know your job encompasses so
many parts of that creative world. I'd love to hear
more about your position as an editor.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Well, Megan, it's really my job to have my finger
on the pulse of creativity and then translate that to
our audience through words and imagery. Regardless of the subject matter,
a journalist requires a certain level of curiosity to be effective.
The outcome is the same for the projects that I cover,
usually a beautiful environment, whatever that means. It could be
(04:44):
an entire home, it could be a collector of a
certain type of antique, or an artist, or even somebody
who loves to garden. The difference though, is how each
homeowner and each designer crosses that finish line. That's the
different part. And it's so fascinating to observe people in
their own environments. I think that's something that we share.
(05:08):
You certainly have to do that when you are learning
about your clients.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I imagine, oh, for sure. Yeah, you're always kind of
taking it in and how you can translate it into
a design and make it perfect well.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
And I think what's interesting too is you're going into
the most intimate spaces for these people and you're opening drawers.
I mean, I have to do that to style, you know.
I know you're doing that as well to figure out
how people live, and you know, you there's a trust
in there.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
There is such a trust, and it's also one of
those things that you don't always think that you would
know or learn so much about people, Like you said,
like you want to know how they get ready in
the morning, and where they want their tooth brush stored,
and how their low dryer and things like that are
going to do as well as the kitchen functioning and
the office and the living room. It's everything, you know,
just to make it all more beautiful.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, and what's great in the end is once you
establish that trust, you oftentimes become friends with these people
and friendly and you know, I have relationships that have
spanned now for twenty years from some homeowners whose homes
I've been in for photoshoots, and that's always lovely.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Absolutely, that's actually my favorite part is just the connecting,
like the relationships you make and the friendships, as you said,
just whether it's I continue to work with them or
we just get together for coffee down the road just
to catch up on their life. It's what we all
want as humans is to connect with people. So you know,
I'm sure too. As you are an editor, you always
(06:34):
kind of have to have your eyes open all the
time searching for the next story. And there's so many
different categories of design. Is there one in particular that
speaks to you more than another?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Oh? Yes? Within the home, the dining room is by
far my favorite space because of what it represents, and
that is time together with family and friends. And I
think what's important about the dining room is, you know,
we think of you hear the phrase making memories quite
often in this business and just around and you know
(07:06):
marketing lexicon, if you will. But sometimes those memories aren't
always happy ones. You know, they can be the first
time that you get together after somebody in the family
has passed. And so I love the dining room because
it's about time together with family and friends. But sometimes
(07:27):
those aren't always good times. Sometimes it's really truly about
comforting the other people that you're with, and I think
that's important. Getting to the design part of it, what
I love about the dining room is that there's so
much semmetry involved. There are multiple chairs, multiple place settings,
and so it delivers this wonderful aesthetic equation of numbers
(07:47):
and geometry and style mixed all together. So that and
I know, something that you and I share is our
love for tabletop accoutremaw. That definitely falls into my bucket
of a dick because I just can't stop buying dishes.
But I'm not even going to pretend to stop not
going to But I love a beautiful tablescape, and I
(08:08):
know that you do as well.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
I know it's so fun putting one together, using your
creativity to do it. And then just the experience your
guests get to have and appreciate it and the little
small touches that go along with it, creating those memories
of whatever that dining room experience looks like.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, and you get that with a dining table. You
get that, you know, blank slate, and it's there for
the duration of the event, the meal, and then you
can take it away. So it's it's sort of a
it's not a huge commitment as far as creativity and
pulling out your inner artistry because you can start over
the next time.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
And I also really love in a dining room you
can take it so many directions. You can make it
very formal, casual, eclectic, colorful, you know you can. You
can dress it up or dress it down and really
have some fun with the space to both with the
walls and the furniture as well as that table scape.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I agree. I think that there's an episode of entertaining
specifically in our future. I can feel it so more
to come on that audience. I will say, back to
my favorite categories, There's not really any part of design
that moves me more than architecture. And I think about
(09:25):
architecture a lot, and the words that are used to
describe this body of design, words like graceful and elegant,
robust and arresting, respectful. Architecture is man made poetry at
the most epic level. It's a language that represents unbridled confidence.
It's a depiction of possibility because it's really the largest
(09:48):
thing that we create, these structures. I'm always intrigued by
architecture's ability to take an already stunning piece of land
and enhance it in a manner that makes it even
more or so to have the vision to design and
then build a structure. It's just so big. So architecture
(10:08):
is very important to me, probably the most important part
of design. Well.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And you just think as you drive up to a property,
and as you slowly drive up and see it, you
get to embrace it and take in all that beauty
of it on the outside, and then get to experience
it on the inside on a whole different level, with
the details of the bones of the architecture of a
good home and what they do for each space.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
I think that's so true. Also, when you look at
a skyline, I think there's a you know, a city skyline.
There's so much wonder there because you're always thinking who
you know? Where the light is on floor fifty four
of a building, you know who is there? Is? Somebody working,
is somebody living. There's just the sparkle of the lights.
I'm thinking about in New York specifically right now, and
(10:53):
there's just so much.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Wonder Well, it's so beautiful. How you said that architecture
being like poetry. I've never really of it that way before,
but you're so true. Just has the movement throughout it
and the different styles and shapes and structures and how
that all works together poetically. All right, So trend the
all encompassing word, and kind of I would say frequently
(11:16):
when I tell people I'm a designer, they want to
know what the latest trend is or what's going on,
And I would say, your job it's to know the
latest and greatest all the time and to be able
to share it with your readers. How do the new
trends affect your own personal style? And what would you
say your personal style is?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Well, it's funny, yes, that word. I don't know why
that's always the first question that everybody I know, right,
design community, but it is, I guess people they always
want to be in Vogue, which I get to answer
your question. The trends don't really affect me. I'm not
a big fan of trends. I'm a bigger fan of
(11:59):
learning and considering what your personal style is because I
think once you develop a personal style, it's equally important,
if not more, to know what you don't like, because
that helps you edit. And I think when you have
a blueprint to know what you are attracted to esthetically,
it makes the choices better and it gives you clarity.
(12:23):
I think about you know, collections. Right now, you're asking
about my personal style. I'm a traditionalist. I love anything
that's classic, and while I appreciate modern style, I am
a traditionalist at heart. So at the moment, I have
this affinity for French landscape paintings. That's that's my latest love.
(12:45):
But you know, once you know that, there are always
the design surprises that creep in and things that you
didn't know you love. So I think it's always important
to keep an open mind when it comes to weaving
a new piece, a new object into your style. And
that can be for the home, and it certainly happens
in fashion. You know when there's a clearance sale and
(13:07):
we think we need something and we bring it home
it's like, oh, maybe that's not really my style. But
I think it's just important to keep that open mind
and develop your style, know what you love, but then
have a little bit of you know, maybe ten percent
of room for play to incorporate something new and you
know the moment that's the surprise. But anything traditional, you know,
(13:31):
American flags, old books, walnut, twelve needle point pin stripes,
that's what I love.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yes, you are a traditionalist. I love it. And it
takes time sometimes to figure out that personal style, and
sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong.
And that's part of the fun of the journey is
to kind of figure that out too, and just keep
sticking with what you love and use that ten percent
of play and kind of help figure that out right.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
And I think that's what happens a lot when we're
in our twenties, when you have that first apartment or
first home you get into, you know, you sort of
want to do things right. You're hungry to know what
is good and what is bad. And the thing is,
in design, there's not really any such thing. It truly
is an art form. So it's about making your style
work for you, but that takes a lot of exposure,
(14:17):
I think to develop that style. It doesn't just come.
You have to study books, magazines, travel. I know we're
going to talk about travel a little bit later, but
exposure is the key.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I've always said that, to just study with your eyes
and what works and what doesn't work, and just train
them a little bit more to refine that style. Well,
Chris design is often thought of as being very glamorous,
and to me, the magazine world and an editor seems
really glamorous. You get to travel to all these wonderful destinations.
(14:48):
You get to go in these beautiful homes and meet
all these lovely people and learn about their lifestyles. What
are some of the highlights and downsides of your job?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Well, I like joke that the name of my memoir
should be My Life in bubble Wrap and pnuts, because
packing peanuts are stuck to me everywhere usually, and you know,
the bubble wrap is just you know, another another protector.
There's so many great things about my job, but keep
in mind, it's my job to say no. That's that's
(15:19):
what an editor does. They say no a lot, so
that's that's sort of the downside is I feel like
sometimes I'm crushing people's spirits designers in particular when they're
sending me projects, because it's not a two plus two
equals four sort of industry. There's not always an answer
that I have because a lot of people who are
(15:40):
new to the design world, whether they're just starting off
after college or if they've come to design as a
second career, they oftentimes will say, well, you know, what
are you looking for? And I really can't articulate that
because at the end, we're really looking for beautiful spaces,
And just to put some numbers around it, we receive
(16:01):
about two hundred and fifty two hundred and seventy five
projects a year and we take twenty, so that's less
than ten percent. It's very very difficult to be published,
so I'm usually turning people down. That's the downside. On
the flip side, there's so much good. We've already spoken
about the great people in this business, and I feel
(16:22):
like everybody's really supportive of each other. Everybody's look is
a little different, and I think we're great about sharing
sources and just making sure that we play into everybody's success.
But the other good part of my job that I
love is the discovering new talent. That's really so much fun.
(16:44):
I can honestly say that the magazine has played a
significant role in giving notoriety to so many designers and
new businesses vendors of new products over the years, and
that's really especially gratifying because you feel like you've played
a part in so many success and that's again what
we want for everybody.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
That's so fun to be able to see some of
those early creators and product designers and see them rise
up and become super successful. That journey's pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And then the one last thing I will add that
is probably the most favorite part is the feedback from
our readers. It's special when we receive correspondence from our
reader and a project that we've shown has inspired them to,
you know, attempt to copy a piece of that in
their own dwelling. And not everybody's home is the same,
(17:34):
so it's interesting to you know, when they send images
to see how they have executed what inspired them that
we've shown.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yeah, that's such a fun touch just to know that
your work makes a difference, even on the small scale too.
So design's always changing. There's always, like we talked about trends,
different things coming onto the market and editing different things
as well. What's exciting you right now in the world
the design.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
This is a funny one because people right now are saying, oh,
there's this return for traditional. Well, traditional never went away
in sort of by definition. The point of traditional is
that it's always around and has staying power. So I
don't know that it went away, but I understand the
sentiment because, for you know, a good decade design was
(18:23):
very edited, clean lines, clean silhouettes, everything was very streamlined.
Even palettes were very streamlined, and we didn't see that
wonderful layering that I think is so editorial to use
one of my terms, and what draws us to certain
design so much so it's exciting to see those, you know,
(18:44):
carving and scrolls and little ruffles and scallops and details
I guess have more prominence because again I don't think
they ever went away. I don't care whether it's in
or not in. I'm never going to turn down a
ruffle or a scallop. Those are of those little feminine
dressmaker details, especially on upholstery. The thing about traditional design
(19:07):
is it harkens back to that idea of nostalgia and familiarity.
And familiarity is something that I think is so important
in this industry because people want to go home to
something that they know, a place where they feel comfort
and embraced, and that happens when you sort of develop
(19:27):
a routine. And that's what I love about design, is
because you're creating that familiarity for somebody with that whole
idea of traditional design. There's been a huge uptick in
antiques over the last few years. Some of that was
sparked by the pandemic, which we I think are all
(19:48):
trying to forget about at this point, but it really
did affect the accessibility of furniture because you just couldn't
get your hands on certain things. But I'm a major
antique collect I love it. Put me in a shop
with European antiques. I'm one happy girl. And I love
(20:08):
texture and patina and dings and dents I am. I
don't like a world that's perfect. I don't like things.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want my
things to be damaged either. But I love the idea
of antiques bringing imperfection into your home because they do
(20:28):
have a scratch and where there's a scratch, there's a story,
and you're adding another chapter to a whole volume that
has lots of chapters in it already and will continue
to have more chapters after you're gone. So that's what's
exciting to me right now. And design tradition and antiques.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
That's so exciting and for me it's been fun. Even
in my career so far, I hadn't really gotten to
use fringe on the bottom of a sofa, and now
I'm able to start doing that because people are asking
for it. So it's fun to bring that traditional trend
back into the marketplace. And it's a beautiful touch.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oh that bull Yon friend. Yes, fun to run your
fingers through that, for sure, I.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Know right, definitely. Well, Chris, anyone who follows your Instagram
account knows that you're on the road quite a bit.
You've had a great start to twenty twenty five with
some wonderful travel to Paris Design Week and most recently
to Palm Beach as well. What are your thoughts on
travel and how it affects design for you.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
I equate travel to college courses. I think that there
is I'm the biggest booster fan of the university of
planet Earth. It's just another form of education. In my opinion,
it's the best form of education. I know we're going
to talk about travel in an episode to come, but
(21:50):
there's really no better way to get to know people
and again observe people in their own environments, in their
own communities, and an in person experience is unmatched by
a Google search, although it's fun to search on Google
too and Pinterest and definitely think about all the places
where you want to go, But it's so important that
(22:11):
we understand people. And oftentimes we are forced to learn
about somebody in a situation after conflict has ensued, and
that's not super organic. So much more can be learned
by pausing and observing people in their everyday lives. I've
been so fortunate to travel to many places all over
(22:31):
the world, and it's just fascinating to see how, especially
in other countries, people are so different and then we're
exactly the same all at the same time. And you know,
if you open your eyes and focus on kids especially,
I think it's so fun to watch children. And I've
maybe said this to you before, but what I've realized
(22:54):
is no matter what one's origins are, children love sugar,
and they like to get their way. It's the universal
link of human of mankind. I guess it doesn't matter
which language you speak. You want sugar and you want
your way. So and from a design perspective, a question
that I never ask as a journalist because I think
it's a really bad question. I never ask a designer
(23:18):
where they draw inspiration from, because I think they should
draw inspiration from everywhere. I think you shouldn't wait until
you go to Paris or Italy to find something beautiful.
I think you should find something beautiful in your own yard.
But I think travel certainly gets the creative juices going
and does open your eyes more because it's something that
is unfamiliar. So that's good. Paris was great, Palm Beach
(23:41):
is great. I love again architecture, all of the intricacies
and design nuances of Paris. And you know, Palm Beach
has those things in great weather too.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I wonderful. Yeah, especially this time of year.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
And you know, I think just too, even the color
that you get in different cities that you travel to,
and how regions have different palettes that kind of can
inspire you and kind of take that back into your
own design as well.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
That's so true. And you know, living where we live,
where we have a lot of grain going on, it's
such a different experience than you know. I remember the
first time I visited the Grand Canyon and seeing all
of these wonderful rusty oranges and all of those desert
colors they just don't exist here. Or when I went
to Tuscany and you see these pops of green trees
(24:27):
with these Spanish tile roofs. Every destination does have its
own palette, and it's fun to identify those.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Chrisy, you asked me this question, but I'd like to
get your perspective as well. It seems as if almost
everyone wants to try their hand at design at times.
How do you look at professional designers versus people who
want to take a stap at design on their own.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Well, first of all, it's great when people want to
channel their inner creativity, for sure. And I think what
we've seen over recent years is people who maybe are
in more number sorts of jobs and they really and
I think that's a great thing about platforms like Pinterest.
You know, you go through and pin all of these
(25:09):
ideas that you want to attempt yourself, and I think
all of us are guilty of maybe pinning more than
our eyes are bigger than our time, our hands and
everything that we can achieve during the day. But I
think that we want to be creative. I think if
you go back and you know, in history, to the
Egyptians and telling their stories on the side of a
(25:30):
pyramid or whatever the situation may be, through a quilt,
that's such a piece of history where people have been creative.
We want to play artists in some way, shape or form.
But when it comes to doing your own home, this
is what you're missing the soul. I think that designers
(25:52):
have researched, they have that education where they understand the history,
and as I just alluded, so much of design its
origin is in some sort of historical reason, historical purpose
for it. It's not just for the sake of being beautiful.
And oftentimes, especially with social media now, I think it's
(26:15):
so easy to partake in what I call sort of
copycat design, where you just are replicating something that you've
seen in a post and there's nothing wrong with that.
That's completely okay, and don't I certainly don't want to
criticize when people are doing that, but it's those academic
principles and again the history of the research, the exposure
(26:38):
that allows you to do that wonderful layering again that
we're also attracted to. That's what makes design so interesting
is when you can combine things that are sometimes alike
but sometimes very disparate and put them together and just
again create this visual poetry. It's super exciting and it's
(26:59):
a skill though, and I think you know it comes
with time, it comes with practice, and it's not just
shopping for your home. I think people want to shop
for their home or put their home together and call
themselves a designer, and that's that's not what a designer is, right.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
I think it can be easy sometimes just to spend
a couple hours searching for a barstool on their own.
And while that is what designers do as well, they
also can be taking in different accounts of like the
color and the scale and just how those materials work
with all the other materials in the space too, and
make a difference that way well.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
And I think what's important and you know this because
you live in a very historic home, but there's nothing
more exciting to me when we receive a submission of
an existing home, a house that. You know, we feature
a lot of properties that are in say New England,
and some of these houses are one hundred and fifty
(27:56):
years old, and the effort that's put in to again
understanding the history of them, it's very, very different than
a new build. Not that there's anything wrong with a
new build either, because sometimes in some architects I've had
the pleasure of writing about, they go to the effort
in a new build too, But to have every single
(28:17):
little detail researched and where it came from and considered
is very different than deciding, honey, let's find new living
room furniture. It's just not the same thing, Chris.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
You know, as we have this podcast, we want to
learn more about people's little luxuries or little things that
they can take into their life that make their life
that little bit more beautiful. What are some of those
little luxuries that you incorporate into your daily life.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Time is not only my biggest currency, it's everyone's big
biggest currency because we can't create more of it. So
the little luxuries that I love are things that I
can commit to. We're not super far into the new
year here, and I'm not the biggest span of you know,
the new year's resolution. But I think that simple is
(29:06):
always better. If ideas and intentions are grandiose, they become
difficult to weave into a routine. So to me, it's
about those little things. It's about the hot tea that
I drink every morning and every night before I go
to bed out of a beautiful piece of French porcelain
that I've had for years that i's that's my mug,
(29:26):
that's my that's what I use, and I love it.
I need that ritual. It's very soothing to me. I
don't do this every day, but I always look for
every excuse to get out my stationary collection and write
a note. I'm a bit of a paper nerd, for sure,
but I think it's a bit of a lost art
form and I don't think that it should be. I
(29:48):
think it should be an absolute standard. And there's just
something so meaningful about note writing. And you know, choosing
your stamps. I love to choose my note card and
then I have my array of stamps and I sometimes
it's just the little American flag, and then sometimes it's something,
you know. I remember when Oscar day Lorna had a
(30:09):
collection of stamps. I don't know, seven or eight or
so years ago, and I bought a whole bunch of
them from the USPS because everybody was going to get
an Oscar Day Lorna stamp on their birthday card that year.
So but it's just such a tactile and such a
better experience, I think, and fun to open the mailbox
and muscle through a beautiful envelope to that note card
(30:31):
that somebody has handwritten for you. So that's something that
I get a lot of satisfaction out of being able
to do is when I have an excuse, And sometimes
there shouldn't be an excuse either. Sometimes you should just
do it, and that can be hard. Sometimes sometimes you
need the excuse to prompt you. But I do love
getting out my stationary collection.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
It's very so sweet. There's really nothing better when you
get a little note out of the blue that doesn't
have a lot in it, but it just knowing that
someone thought you. I love that. That's a great habit,
So thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
And then nature too, I think nature is always a
good one just to get outside every day.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Mother Nature's the most beautiful canvas, that's for sure. Christ
we are going to kind of finish off each of
our episodes with some similar questions for each of our guests.
So I would love to learn this about you as well.
The beat of your life doesn't just happen on its own.
It requires the right tools to make it successful. What
is the tool that you have that's made the beat
(31:30):
of your life work?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
My ability to figure it out doesn't matter what it is.
You know, we talk a lot about, I think, especially
when it comes to careers, about resumes and education, and
again I use the word exposure earlier. I think that
nothing that you know matters if you can't figure things out,
and everything you know matters if you use that you
(31:54):
know bank of knowledge that you have to figure something out,
but you've got to make it work, and there's not
always an answa, and that's what excites me. I think,
you know, from a creative perspective, I love marketing. I
love that broad scope, solution driven level of creativity because
I like to figure things out, and so that's what
(32:14):
keeps me going. I think it's so important to be
able to gives you some independence and a little extra
kick in your step. When you've achieved something.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
That's a wonderful beat, you're the ultimate problem solver, and
that's a good one to have for everyday life. For sure.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Sometimes I cause problems to I'll do right. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
And lastly, what does the perfect boulevard look like to you?
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Anything that conjures nostalgia in our techie world of being
perhaps two connected. I love the idea of just slowing
down and pausing. And you know, I think of old
bakeries before you bought your baked goods in the super market,
(33:00):
which is where we sometimes do it now. Oftentimes, I guess,
you know, just the independent bakery that I remember as
a kid, where you'd go in and they would have
all of the decorated cookies, and you know, my dad
would we'd go there for donuts and that sort of thing.
A small bookstore, antique shops, lots of trees. Just nostalgia
because I don't know that we experienced nostalgia so much anymore,
(33:23):
because the memory is always right there, it's at our fingertips.
We can just google what happened yesterday or what happened
last year, and it's more fun to have those little
moments that pop into your head that are little surprises.
And sometimes I think it's too easy for us now,
so That's the perfect boulevard to me is taking a pause,
slowing down and nostalgia when things were quieter and more
(33:47):
peaceful and a little more slow.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Well, I love that nostalgia as well, because it's just
that element of like embracing what you're doing right now
and not really looking forward ahead or thinking about what
happened or worrying about other things. It's truly living in
the moment and having that peace of mind.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Yes, yes, well, Chris, this.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
Was so fun talking to you, getting to know you.
As we go down the road and talk with other
guests that they get to know you more as well,
and we'll share lots of wonderful conversations. So thank you
for having this conversation with us today and look forward
to many more.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Banks Megan, and I'm excited as next episode we're going
to start talking to some of our guests. Yes exciting,
Oh yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Boulevard Beat.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow along and leave
a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
so you never miss an episode, and of course, follow
your hosts on Instagram at Megan bloom Interiors at CHRISA.
Rosbund and at Liz Legit. We'll be back next week
as we take a stroll down another boulevard
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