September 6, 2025 • 28 mins
How to choose the color of your baseboards when designing your space? Hint: It's not just about the shade -- it's also about sheen, Queen!
Plus, Dean answers a listener question regarding navigating multigenerational family trauma, and moving back into a family house that still holds past trauma while trying to break that cycle and turn the space into a trauma-free home.
Plus, Dean answers a listener question regarding navigating multigenerational family trauma, and moving back into a family house that still holds past trauma while trying to break that cycle and turn the space into a trauma-free home.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Good morning
and welcome home, my friend. I am Dean Sharp, the
House Whisper, Custom home Builder, custom home Designer and as
(00:21):
always your guide to better understanding that place where you live.
What does it mean to be a house Whisper? Well,
you know what, I'm still trying to figure that out,
I really am. It's a nickname that was given to
me over the years and we're still trying to piece
that together. But I'll tell you this, it's a lot
like helping somebody become a healthier person. It means finding
(00:44):
a way to overcome the design carelessness in a home,
repair the traumas that have been done to it, and
the abuse that a house has suffered, and then connect
it to the best version of itself and to the
land that it's built on, and to the best life
of its inhabitants. And that is, in my opinion, when
a house truly becomes a home. And so there you
(01:07):
go today on the show Saturday Morning. As always your calls,
let me give you the number right now because the
phone lines are open and we are waiting for you
to tell me what the show is about. The number
to reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean eight
three three the numeral two, ask Dean eight three three two,
(01:31):
ask Dean. It's just that simple. And as the calls
start to roll in, we will go to the phones.
Whatever's got you scratch in your head about your home
design issues, construction DIY, questions inside the house, outside, landscape, hardscape.
We got you. We'll put our heads together, you and I.
We will get it figured out. All right, let's say
(01:54):
good morning to our fearless crew. Good morning Sam on
the board. How's it going, Dean? I'm doing well. How
are you, my friend? I'm good. I have to ask this.
I have to tell you this.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
You said that, you know, you're talking about how a
lot of people like undo trauma through their homes. There's
occupational therapists that show people how they like their mental
health relates to their work. You very much are like
a home therapist. You show people how their home relates
to their mental health. So good on you, man, Well, well,
thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah. I mean the interesting thing when I say we're
still trying to figure it out, is that this is
just something that I've always gravitated toward as far as
being called in to help homes and and because the
you know, I didn't start out saying, you know what
I'm gonna do, I'm gonna be a house whisper. In fact,
you know, I was just watching a documentary about the
(02:46):
horse whisper, not not the movie Robert Redford movie, but
the guy that the movie character is based on, and
he felt the same way. He doesn't call himself a
horse whisper. He's like, I get called that, and he says,
but this is what I do. This is what he does,
(03:07):
and it's very many. They're the parallels are kind of
striking as far as just the way that he wants
to kind of undo what's been done to these animals,
and as a result, people are shocked, they're amazed at
what can be done, because he doesn't actually approach, you know,
a horse with a training agenda like most trainers do.
(03:27):
They're like, all right, we're gonna give this horse to
get this, this, and this. He's like, no, it's going
to figure out where this horse is at and then
in the fewest number of steps get it from point
A to point B and that's very much how we approach,
at least not new designs, of course, because these are
not traumatized houses. I would like to think the ones
(03:49):
that I designed from the ground up. But the houses
that already exist where people are scratching their heads are like,
you know what, I just I don't know. I don't
know how to get past this. Uh yeah, So well, yeah,
I appreciate that, Sam, that that is in a lot
what we do. There was a quote in this movie
that I really loved. He said. He said, you know,
(04:09):
most people call me and assume that that you know,
I'm working with people with horse problems. He said, I
I think of it the other way. Most of the time,
I find myself I'm working with horses that have people
problem and so so you know, that's why, that's why
(04:31):
I treat everybody with kid gloves. But it's probably true
on some level or another. Is that Heather Brooker in
the newsroom.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
It is good morning, good morning, my friend, welcome home.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Are you in tomorrow too? But I am, yes, I'll
be here all right. Well, you know, as you know
tomorrow's show. Because we're simulcast in San Diego, I can't
talk to you on the air, but I will be
also in Burbank to tomorrow another round day.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Thank you for the heads up, sir.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
For another round. Heather was like last week when I
popped in, She's like, oh my gosh, I dressed so
down for this. I was barely not in my pajamas.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I was literally wearing a T shirt that said I'm
not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Because I was like, no one will be here, you know, no,
It'll all right.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Well, you know, as far as I'm concerned, you don't
have to change a thing. But you just seemed a
little uncomfortable with that. So I'm just letting you know
because you were dragging some other guests into the studio tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
So well, I'm excited. Thank you for the heads up.
I appreciate that. Every every lady knows it's nice to
want you want to put your best foot forward when
you have guests. You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I get it. I get it,
I get it. You know, I didn't come in my pajamas,
but you know, tempted, it's tempting.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
It's tempting, to be honest. We get here so early.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You guys know, you wake up early, so it is
tempting to want to just stay in your cozy pjs
ll us.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
No one sees you when you do the news, so
who knows, They don't know what. We'll just leave them
guessing with what I'm wearing.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Who knows? Yeah, that's right. Everybody just gets to imagine
that was such a great show.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Ye what words? Oh my gosh, can you imagine the
calls will get? I think, Yeah, that's a different show.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
That's a different show. That's a different show.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
That was such a great show last weekend.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
By the way, I meant to tell you that I
really really enjoyed having having you here and having the
American Vision people here.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
It was that was a really fun show.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah. I guess a little bit more to say on
that in just a bit, but we better actually do
our jobs here, so fair, fair, fair, appreciate working with you.
But as always, sitting across the table, you just heard
her giggling in the background. My better half, my design partner.
I've talked a lot here, so we just got a
rock and roll. But my best buddy in all the world,
(06:50):
Tina is here. Welcome home, good morning. We'll talk more.
Just a bit to break all right, more of your
calls on the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here to
help you take your home to the next level. Hey,
just a reminder, actually a reminder. I haven't even said
(07:12):
this yet. This morning, later today, American Vision Windows is
celebrating their twenty fifth year and moving forward from that.
They've completely remodeled their Seem Valley showroom and we're going
to be out there today. They're having a big event
(07:32):
celebrating that, lots of food and fun, food trucks, fun
prizes from eleven to three in See Me Valley, the
American Vision Headquarters, the showroom and See Me Valley the
big Win. And I'm going to be out there. Gary
Hoffin's going to be out there. Tim Conway is going
to be out there. All three of us dudes are
going to be around. I'm not exactly sure when the
(07:54):
other guys are arriving, but I'm going to get there
around New Nish and hang out with y'all. So come
on down, come on down, give me a hug. Say hi,
Let's talk about your home. Let's talk about windows, talk
about anything you want because we're just there to have
a great time and get some FaceTime with you. So
just know, any if you live within eight hundred miles
(08:15):
of the Seam Valley Showroom for American Vision Windows, I
think you're legally obligated to come eight hundred miles. It's
an eight hundred mile range. I think it's the law.
It's the law, so you should just you know. I
don't want you to break the law. I want you
to come down and see it's all there. Oh, by
the way, even if you're thinking, you know what I mean,
I would love new windows for my house, but that's
(08:36):
not in the budget for this year. Get this. You
should come for sure, because once you get there, it's
only people who check in in person. You can enter
to win a whole house full of windows. You can
just get them all for free. How's that pretty good deal? Anyway,
I would love to see you over there, going to
be there today. I'll remind you about that in a
(08:57):
little bit. All right, we're taking calls as we do.
Let's go to the phones. I want to talk to Karen. Hey, Karen,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
Thank you for taking my call.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
You're very welcome.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
How can I I have a.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Question about baseboards. Recently you talked about them, and do
you explain that they need to be wide? And I
understand that, but the color is flum mixing me. I
have a home that is middle aged, fifty years old.
It has beautiful medium dark wooden cabinetry and all of
the door frames, all of the window frames, most of
(09:35):
the doors, and all the baseboards match the cabinets. So
now I'm getting new flooring and the baseboard's got to
go because they're two inches wide and they're unattractive and
they're not going to I'd rather not reuse them. But
I'm getting all kinds of answers as to what color
the baseboard should be. Should they match the woodwork, should
they be match the walls, which are now the whole white,
(09:57):
Should they be white? Should they be some other color?
And it seems like it's an easy question that I've
gotten so many different answers. I was hoping you could
help me cone down on the right way to go.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Okay, all right, yeah, no problem. And you know, the
reason you get a lot of answers is that most
people are very confused about baseboards when it comes to
color choice. They just a lot of folks just don't
even think about it. They just keep going with the
color that they are. But when you're really facing it,
and kudos for you, Karen for actually thinking, you know what,
I'm going to make a conscious decision. This is where
(10:32):
good design comes into play in the house, when people
start making conscious decisions about what to do next. So
here's the thing. It's always a matter of opinion, and
that's why you're gonna get different opinions. There's no absolute
rule for this, but I can tell you what the
tendency is, what we normally where I would say usually
(10:53):
do or most often do if we've got and I
don't worry about baseboards matching flooring. That's one thing that
I almost always never do, by the way. Okay, so
let's say people put in a brand new hardwood floor
and they're like, oh, and I'm also going to do
a matching base Yeah. I don't like that. I don't
like it. As a designer, I actually don't want the
floor climbing up the wall. Okay, as far as far
(11:16):
as the look is concerned, all right, I want that
floor just just on its own plane set apart contrasting
with the wall and the baseboard, have no doubt is
part of the wall, not part of the floor. And okay,
all right, So here's the thing. Because I talked so
much first break, we're running a little bit behind. We're
going to make this up now. So Karen, if you will,
(11:37):
my friend, allow me to pop you on hold. We're
going to get through this next break, and when we
come back, w'all be lined up with time, and I'm
going to give you a thorough answer so everybody can
solve their base board color problem. Is that okay with you?
Speaker 5 (11:52):
It would be my pleasure to wait.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
All right, you just hang tight and we'll address it
right on the other side. Quick break and then more
of your calls. Your Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here
to help you transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home.
(12:18):
Thanks for joining us on the program today. It is
an all call Saturday morning. As we do, I'm going
to get back to Karen. Had Karen on the line here? Karen,
you still with me? Or did I hang up on you?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
You bet you? I'm still here waiting Nia. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
All right, Karen is here. So Karen just had a
question about baseboards, and it's a very basic question, but
it is a toughie. It's a little tough question because
most people kind of unconsciously just kind of stick with
whatever they got as far as the color, picking the
color of baseboard or let's just say, trim inside a room.
(12:54):
So and as I was telling you Karen before the break,
there's no hard and fast rum, there's no law about this.
It's one of those areas where you know you've got
some freedom to get creative, but you want to be
careful because there are some moves that I definitely I
tend not to make that Tina agrees with. And Tina
is the Queen of color, and so she's backing me
(13:18):
up on this one. So one thing that I already
mentioned is when we've got like a new hardwood floor
going in, I do not, ever, ever, ever do baseboards
the color of the floor. Like I don't put a
stained grade baseboard down next to a stained hardwood floor,
because the floor is the floor and the baseboard belongs
(13:39):
to the wall. And I mean that in all seriousness.
A wall is essentially from an architectural perspective, a wall
is a column, okay, like you would imagine a column
like you know, like in a Greek temple or something
like that. It's a column, okay, it's a flattened out
you know. If we were to unzip a column and
lay it out flat, that's a wall. Okay. If it's
(14:01):
a tall enough column, it's got a all sorts of
stuff going at the top that we would call crown
molding or something like that. But even when we don't
have crown molding, which I don't recommend in rooms that
have lower ceilings like eight foot ceilings. You know, I'm
not a big crown molding advocate when it comes to
that height of ceiling because I don't want to draw
(14:22):
attention to the heights of the ceiling. But even when
we don't have the top okay of the column the capital,
we still have the base of the column, and that
is the base board essentially. That's what the functional the one,
which is why I'm always begging people if you're changing
out your baseboards, go taller, make it stronger. You'll never
(14:44):
regret even in an eight foot ceiling situation. But then
the question is what color Okay, So if we've got
a door in a wall with casing around it, and
that door is a stain grade or like a wood door,
then I don't have a problem taking the casing around
(15:05):
that door and making that match up with the door,
the casing the surrounder of the door. But still I
set the base board apart, and the question is lighter, darker,
same color? That's always the debate. Okay, if we're doing
a really dark feature wall or a very interesting feature wall,
(15:26):
I will either go the same color with the baseboard
there against that feature wall, or if it's just one
wall in the room, then I'll keep the baseboard consistent
with all the lighter, you know, white walls and allow
that to trim across the bottom of a darker, beature wall.
Some people elect to take a baseboard and notch it
(15:48):
a little darker, just a tone or two darker than
the wall, or a tone or two lighter than the wall.
I'm okay with that too. I just think it's unnecessary
and so generally speaking, and here's the point that I'm
getting to, I would say, probably nine times out of ten, Tina,
correct me if I'm wrong. Nine times out of ten,
we're gonna paint the base board the same color as
(16:09):
the wall. The key is this, though you're painting the
baseboard a different sheen than the wall. The wall is
going to be flat or a matte finish, very very low,
as low reflectivity as you can possibly get and still
have it functional to clean. Okay, So that usually means,
(16:31):
you know, these days, what we would call a matte finish. Okay,
not one hundred percent flat, but matt so we can
get a little wipe down on it without messing things up.
But the base board down below is going to be
a satin or a semigloss at the most. I don't
do high gloss because high gloss is a mistake unless
(16:52):
you are planning on everything about that thing being perfection,
because the higher the reflectivity, the more it shows any
in perfection. What's But the point is, because light bounces
off a matt finish versus a shiny finish differently, the
baseboards are going to stand out and they will appear
(17:13):
to be their own color, even though in fact they
are the same color as the wall. So that little
bit of pop that we're looking for, with a good
set of base boarder casings, we can achieve just by
changing the sheen of the color. That is one percent
of the time safe, the safe design move to make
(17:35):
because it's the most common. Now when I say that,
I don't want anybody to roll their eyes and say, oh,
you're advocating safe like boring, Not at all. It's very
very classy, it's classic, and that's the reason why most
of the time we handle it that way. Of course,
of course, there is an opportunity if you want to
fiddle around with the baseboard color or trim inside a room.
(18:00):
I've walked into some rooms where the owner or the
designer somebody has decided to paint the baseboards very dark
and the casings that wrap up around the doors, and
it can be dramatic, but it can also be aggressive.
I mean aggressive in the sense that, wow, that's a
lot of eyeliner on this wall. It's a lot, and
(18:22):
you know, and it's like coming at you. And again,
if there's crown molding in the room, now we're finding
a room that now we're outlining literally every corner, every
line in this room. It's a bit much. And so
because I as a designer, I work in layers. Okay,
I don't I'm not looking for the one thing in
(18:45):
the room that's going to define its very essence. I
like to layer in design in a room, so I
don't need one component to be, you know, the scene stealer,
and as a result, I don't run into usually the
the risk of overdoing one element. So if you're asking
for my recommendation sight unseen, then I'm going to give
(19:08):
you a qualified paint the baseboard the same color as
the wall, but a different sheen, definitely different than the floor.
Don't worry about the cabinets or anything else that's in
the room, which is essentially furniture and fixtures. Allow the
wall to be the column that it is, even if
it's a feature wall with a bold color. You can't
go wrong keeping the baseboard the same as the rest
(19:31):
of the walls in the room. But do you have
the option of judging it up a little bit if
you want to take a risk. Sure you do, but
that would probably be like a ninety ten scenario. And
I do that as well, But I would say in
ninety ten scenario, So the best thing I can tell you,
Karen is just give you the averages and tell you
that most of the time we're doing baseboard the same
(19:53):
color of the wall, but a different sheene, and that
higher reflectivity makes them pop. Is that an okay answer
for you?
Speaker 5 (20:01):
It's awesome. I am so grateful for your health. Thank
you so very much.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
You are so very welcome. Sometimes it just takes explaining
the theory of a thing out in order to allow
everybody to kind of process through and say, oh, okay,
I get it, I get it. And of course, once
you explain a rule, then you're free to break it.
But I'm a huge advocate. You got to know the
rules first in order to break them the right way
(20:27):
if you decide to break them, But you got to
know them first. All right, y'all more of your calls
when we return. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper. Good morning, my friend, Dean Sharp, the
house Whisper at your service, here to remind you, when
it comes to your home, design matters most Yes, it does.
I know, I know you haven't been trained culturally to
(20:49):
think that way, but it is absolutely true if you
are going to take on redesigning your home. Everybody knows
that about if you know, if you're can have somebody
design you a brand new home. But when it comes
to transforming the home that you've got. Okay, it's not
just about the pretty new countertop. It's not just about
this color or that color. No, No, it is the
(21:11):
design of the whole thing. The design of your home
matters most. It is the key to unlocking a transformation
of your home. All right, we're taking calls as we do.
It's Saturday morning. Let's talk to Let's talk to Shannon. Hey, Shannon,
welcome home. Hi.
Speaker 6 (21:31):
That is kind of a big question, and I'm trying
to figure it. I tell you that it's about homes
and trauma and families that live in them with trauma.
And I tried to write it down as I was
listening to your baseboard explanation that I'll have to go
back in here later because I didn't get to process
it as I'm processing my question, which is, okay, all right,
(21:52):
how do you recommend that families with their own trauma
move in and out of spaces that have seen, sometimes
create and certainly hold trauma in these multi generationals, so
especially now where families don't look like the families these
(22:13):
places were built to house comfortably, right, Does that make
any sense?
Speaker 5 (22:18):
So far?
Speaker 6 (22:19):
And so that Okay, So how do you do that
while still living in the space with each other trying
not to traumatize each other, especially right so you're not
because everybody knows that cycle of trauma that you can
kind of go back to when you get the space
is traumatizing the people and the people traumatizing the space.
And then we think when Heather talking earlier about or
(22:44):
you gave her the heads up for when you're coming
in or something, it was a kindness that you did.
As moms, we have to be ready and well, I
actually don't know if it's true, not speaking for anybody myself.
As a mom of teenagers, you want to be ready,
and you want your home to be a space that
they can come to and you can absorb, you know,
(23:06):
all the mess and the drama, and it can be
a safe place for them. But if it's also a
place where you, as a mom work or try to
be a person, you know on your own, how do
you be ready for whatever trauma or your kids are
going to bring so you can handle it, But then
have a staging area, a place that you can retreat
to within this same space so that you can continue
(23:28):
to put on your own oxygen. Mask first.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Okay, Well at the end, that's a good question. That
is a question, that's a biggie, that's kind of like the.
Speaker 6 (23:37):
Hole it is I write it down. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I appreciate you though for asking the question, and you know,
I don't know how much service I can give to it.
But all right, So here's the thing, you know, one
of the things that you know, we we we've used
word trauma a lot this morning, and I'm going to
(24:02):
continue to using actually, by the way, next weekend, next
Sunday's show. Uh, if if things go as they as
we plan, I think I'm going to be doing the
entire show talking about this house whisperer thing. Okay, And
it's kind of explaining it at a little bit more
in the hopes that in the hopes of equipping people
(24:25):
to whisper their own houses a little bit, okay, And
I don't want, I really, I really don't want anybody
who's listening for the first time to think, what is
he talking about? Is this guy actually communicating with houses? No,
that's not That's not what we're talking about. So we're
just talking about designing a house so that it reflects
the authentic life of the people who live in it,
(24:48):
and and so so houses go through trauma just like
people go through trauma. And the the okay, so if
we take trauma is a good metaphor that I use
because it's not really so much the trauma itself. Okay,
that when this thing happened, right, it is the you know,
(25:12):
what I call post traumatic design disorder that most houses
are go through. And the reason I use that metaphor
and compare this to PTSD. Okay, and sand could help
you with this because he has experience in these areas
of therapy too. But PTSD. The real problem with PTSD
(25:32):
is not the initial trauma, of course, that's what sets
it off, but it's the fact that you know, days
and years and years later, instead of it being dealt
with head on, being faced again and tried, you know,
attempts to resolve and to heal around it, PTSD is
(25:53):
just that trauma that just keeps revisiting us and ambushing
us and these kinds of things. And so that's that's
in part what happens to a house. Something goes wacky
with it, somebody does a bad remodel, or sometimes you know,
quite honestly, a house could have have a design disorder,
you know, trauma. You're just right out of the box.
(26:15):
Because a tract home, by definition, is not a house
that is designed specifically for the lot that it's sitting on, right,
And so it's yeah, exactly, Well that's because.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
It's not the people who actually live in it.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Okay, yeah, so yeah, but if you live in a
tract home, if you live in a tract home, for example, uh,
then that house appears, you know, twenty other times in
your neighborhood. Okay. Uh. Sometimes it's facing north, sometimes it's
facing south, sometimes east, sometimes west. Sometimes it's at the
end of a call to sack. Sometimes it's in a
(26:50):
row right along the street. Sometimes it's out on the corner.
The windows, the doors, they haven't changed position at all,
because that house was not designed for that lot. It
was designed in an architectural studio somewhere without reference to
the environment that it's sitting in. And that in and
of itself means that the house isn't really fit well
(27:11):
to the property. That's not custom, that's tracked, and as
a result, it has its own kind of trauma that
it suffers through. Now here's the thing we make do,
and this is our great strength. And it is also
the great trouble spot when it comes to home design
(27:31):
and the homes that we live in is the fact
that we're resilient human beings and that we make do.
And why is that a problem? Well, I'll tell you
what I'm up against the break at the top of
the hour, and I want to explain that. And so
if you can hang tight, Shannon and everybody, just have
you on the edge of your seat. What does he
mean making do? We'll talk about that right on the
(27:54):
other side of the break. Can you hang on with me, Shannon,
shann it's still with me? Yes?
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Oh, okay, yes, I absolutely can.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah, all right, yeah, good, all right, you hang tight,
and uh we'll pick this up right on the other side.
You're Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer. You're listening
to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI a
M six forty
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Good morning
and welcome home, my friend. I am Dean Sharp, the
House Whisper, Custom home Builder, custom home Designer and as
(00:21):
always your guide to better understanding that place where you live.
What does it mean to be a house Whisper? Well,
you know what, I'm still trying to figure that out,
I really am. It's a nickname that was given to
me over the years and we're still trying to piece
that together. But I'll tell you this, it's a lot
like helping somebody become a healthier person. It means finding
(00:44):
a way to overcome the design carelessness in a home,
repair the traumas that have been done to it, and
the abuse that a house has suffered, and then connect
it to the best version of itself and to the
land that it's built on, and to the best life
of its inhabitants. And that is, in my opinion, when
a house truly becomes a home. And so there you
(01:07):
go today on the show Saturday Morning. As always your calls,
let me give you the number right now because the
phone lines are open and we are waiting for you
to tell me what the show is about. The number
to reach me eight three three two. Ask Dean eight
three three the numeral two, ask Dean eight three three two,
(01:31):
ask Dean. It's just that simple. And as the calls
start to roll in, we will go to the phones.
Whatever's got you scratch in your head about your home
design issues, construction DIY, questions inside the house, outside, landscape, hardscape.
We got you. We'll put our heads together, you and I.
We will get it figured out. All right, let's say
(01:54):
good morning to our fearless crew. Good morning Sam on
the board. How's it going, Dean? I'm doing well. How
are you, my friend? I'm good. I have to ask this.
I have to tell you this.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
You said that, you know, you're talking about how a
lot of people like undo trauma through their homes. There's
occupational therapists that show people how they like their mental
health relates to their work. You very much are like
a home therapist. You show people how their home relates
to their mental health. So good on you, man, Well, well,
thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah. I mean the interesting thing when I say we're
still trying to figure it out, is that this is
just something that I've always gravitated toward as far as
being called in to help homes and and because the
you know, I didn't start out saying, you know what
I'm gonna do, I'm gonna be a house whisper. In fact,
you know, I was just watching a documentary about the
(02:46):
horse whisper, not not the movie Robert Redford movie, but
the guy that the movie character is based on, and
he felt the same way. He doesn't call himself a
horse whisper. He's like, I get called that, and he says,
but this is what I do. This is what he does,
(03:07):
and it's very many. They're the parallels are kind of
striking as far as just the way that he wants
to kind of undo what's been done to these animals,
and as a result, people are shocked, they're amazed at
what can be done, because he doesn't actually approach, you know,
a horse with a training agenda like most trainers do.
(03:27):
They're like, all right, we're gonna give this horse to
get this, this, and this. He's like, no, it's going
to figure out where this horse is at and then
in the fewest number of steps get it from point
A to point B and that's very much how we approach,
at least not new designs, of course, because these are
not traumatized houses. I would like to think the ones
(03:49):
that I designed from the ground up. But the houses
that already exist where people are scratching their heads are like,
you know what, I just I don't know. I don't
know how to get past this. Uh yeah, So well, yeah,
I appreciate that, Sam, that that is in a lot
what we do. There was a quote in this movie
that I really loved. He said. He said, you know,
(04:09):
most people call me and assume that that you know,
I'm working with people with horse problems. He said, I
I think of it the other way. Most of the time,
I find myself I'm working with horses that have people
problem and so so you know, that's why, that's why
(04:31):
I treat everybody with kid gloves. But it's probably true
on some level or another. Is that Heather Brooker in
the newsroom.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
It is good morning, good morning, my friend, welcome home.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Are you in tomorrow too? But I am, yes, I'll
be here all right. Well, you know, as you know
tomorrow's show. Because we're simulcast in San Diego, I can't
talk to you on the air, but I will be
also in Burbank to tomorrow another round day.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Thank you for the heads up, sir.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
For another round. Heather was like last week when I
popped in, She's like, oh my gosh, I dressed so
down for this. I was barely not in my pajamas.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I was literally wearing a T shirt that said I'm
not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Because I was like, no one will be here, you know, no,
It'll all right.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Well, you know, as far as I'm concerned, you don't
have to change a thing. But you just seemed a
little uncomfortable with that. So I'm just letting you know
because you were dragging some other guests into the studio tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
So well, I'm excited. Thank you for the heads up.
I appreciate that. Every every lady knows it's nice to
want you want to put your best foot forward when
you have guests. You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I get it. I get it,
I get it. You know, I didn't come in my pajamas,
but you know, tempted, it's tempting.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
It's tempting, to be honest. We get here so early.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You guys know, you wake up early, so it is
tempting to want to just stay in your cozy pjs
ll us.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
No one sees you when you do the news, so
who knows, They don't know what. We'll just leave them
guessing with what I'm wearing.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Who knows? Yeah, that's right. Everybody just gets to imagine
that was such a great show.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Ye what words? Oh my gosh, can you imagine the
calls will get? I think, Yeah, that's a different show.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
That's a different show. That's a different show.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
That was such a great show last weekend.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
By the way, I meant to tell you that I
really really enjoyed having having you here and having the
American Vision people here.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
It was that was a really fun show.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah. I guess a little bit more to say on
that in just a bit, but we better actually do
our jobs here, so fair, fair, fair, appreciate working with you.
But as always, sitting across the table, you just heard
her giggling in the background. My better half, my design partner.
I've talked a lot here, so we just got a
rock and roll. But my best buddy in all the world,
(06:50):
Tina is here. Welcome home, good morning. We'll talk more.
Just a bit to break all right, more of your
calls on the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here to
help you take your home to the next level. Hey,
just a reminder, actually a reminder. I haven't even said
(07:12):
this yet. This morning, later today, American Vision Windows is
celebrating their twenty fifth year and moving forward from that.
They've completely remodeled their Seem Valley showroom and we're going
to be out there today. They're having a big event
(07:32):
celebrating that, lots of food and fun, food trucks, fun
prizes from eleven to three in See Me Valley, the
American Vision Headquarters, the showroom and See Me Valley the
big Win. And I'm going to be out there. Gary
Hoffin's going to be out there. Tim Conway is going
to be out there. All three of us dudes are
going to be around. I'm not exactly sure when the
(07:54):
other guys are arriving, but I'm going to get there
around New Nish and hang out with y'all. So come
on down, come on down, give me a hug. Say hi,
Let's talk about your home. Let's talk about windows, talk
about anything you want because we're just there to have
a great time and get some FaceTime with you. So
just know, any if you live within eight hundred miles
(08:15):
of the Seam Valley Showroom for American Vision Windows, I
think you're legally obligated to come eight hundred miles. It's
an eight hundred mile range. I think it's the law.
It's the law, so you should just you know. I
don't want you to break the law. I want you
to come down and see it's all there. Oh, by
the way, even if you're thinking, you know what I mean,
I would love new windows for my house, but that's
(08:36):
not in the budget for this year. Get this. You
should come for sure, because once you get there, it's
only people who check in in person. You can enter
to win a whole house full of windows. You can
just get them all for free. How's that pretty good deal? Anyway,
I would love to see you over there, going to
be there today. I'll remind you about that in a
(08:57):
little bit. All right, we're taking calls as we do.
Let's go to the phones. I want to talk to Karen. Hey, Karen,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
Thank you for taking my call.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
You're very welcome.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
How can I I have a.
Speaker 5 (09:13):
Question about baseboards. Recently you talked about them, and do
you explain that they need to be wide? And I
understand that, but the color is flum mixing me. I
have a home that is middle aged, fifty years old.
It has beautiful medium dark wooden cabinetry and all of
the door frames, all of the window frames, most of
(09:35):
the doors, and all the baseboards match the cabinets. So
now I'm getting new flooring and the baseboard's got to
go because they're two inches wide and they're unattractive and
they're not going to I'd rather not reuse them. But
I'm getting all kinds of answers as to what color
the baseboard should be. Should they match the woodwork, should
they be match the walls, which are now the whole white,
(09:57):
Should they be white? Should they be some other color?
And it seems like it's an easy question that I've
gotten so many different answers. I was hoping you could
help me cone down on the right way to go.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Okay, all right, yeah, no problem. And you know, the
reason you get a lot of answers is that most
people are very confused about baseboards when it comes to
color choice. They just a lot of folks just don't
even think about it. They just keep going with the
color that they are. But when you're really facing it,
and kudos for you, Karen for actually thinking, you know what,
I'm going to make a conscious decision. This is where
(10:32):
good design comes into play in the house, when people
start making conscious decisions about what to do next. So
here's the thing. It's always a matter of opinion, and
that's why you're gonna get different opinions. There's no absolute
rule for this, but I can tell you what the
tendency is, what we normally where I would say usually
(10:53):
do or most often do if we've got and I
don't worry about baseboards matching flooring. That's one thing that
I almost always never do, by the way. Okay, so
let's say people put in a brand new hardwood floor
and they're like, oh, and I'm also going to do
a matching base Yeah. I don't like that. I don't
like it. As a designer, I actually don't want the
floor climbing up the wall. Okay, as far as far
(11:16):
as the look is concerned, all right, I want that
floor just just on its own plane set apart contrasting
with the wall and the baseboard, have no doubt is
part of the wall, not part of the floor. And okay,
all right, So here's the thing. Because I talked so
much first break, we're running a little bit behind. We're
going to make this up now. So Karen, if you will,
(11:37):
my friend, allow me to pop you on hold. We're
going to get through this next break, and when we
come back, w'all be lined up with time, and I'm
going to give you a thorough answer so everybody can
solve their base board color problem. Is that okay with you?
Speaker 5 (11:52):
It would be my pleasure to wait.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
All right, you just hang tight and we'll address it
right on the other side. Quick break and then more
of your calls. Your Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here
to help you transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home.
(12:18):
Thanks for joining us on the program today. It is
an all call Saturday morning. As we do, I'm going
to get back to Karen. Had Karen on the line here? Karen,
you still with me? Or did I hang up on you?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
You bet you? I'm still here waiting Nia. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
All right, Karen is here. So Karen just had a
question about baseboards, and it's a very basic question, but
it is a toughie. It's a little tough question because
most people kind of unconsciously just kind of stick with
whatever they got as far as the color, picking the
color of baseboard or let's just say, trim inside a room.
(12:54):
So and as I was telling you Karen before the break,
there's no hard and fast rum, there's no law about this.
It's one of those areas where you know you've got
some freedom to get creative, but you want to be
careful because there are some moves that I definitely I
tend not to make that Tina agrees with. And Tina
is the Queen of color, and so she's backing me
(13:18):
up on this one. So one thing that I already
mentioned is when we've got like a new hardwood floor
going in, I do not, ever, ever, ever do baseboards
the color of the floor. Like I don't put a
stained grade baseboard down next to a stained hardwood floor,
because the floor is the floor and the baseboard belongs
(13:39):
to the wall. And I mean that in all seriousness.
A wall is essentially from an architectural perspective, a wall
is a column, okay, like you would imagine a column
like you know, like in a Greek temple or something
like that. It's a column, okay, it's a flattened out
you know. If we were to unzip a column and
lay it out flat, that's a wall. Okay. If it's
(14:01):
a tall enough column, it's got a all sorts of
stuff going at the top that we would call crown
molding or something like that. But even when we don't
have crown molding, which I don't recommend in rooms that
have lower ceilings like eight foot ceilings. You know, I'm
not a big crown molding advocate when it comes to
that height of ceiling because I don't want to draw
(14:22):
attention to the heights of the ceiling. But even when
we don't have the top okay of the column the capital,
we still have the base of the column, and that
is the base board essentially. That's what the functional the one,
which is why I'm always begging people if you're changing
out your baseboards, go taller, make it stronger. You'll never
(14:44):
regret even in an eight foot ceiling situation. But then
the question is what color Okay, So if we've got
a door in a wall with casing around it, and
that door is a stain grade or like a wood door,
then I don't have a problem taking the casing around
(15:05):
that door and making that match up with the door,
the casing the surrounder of the door. But still I
set the base board apart, and the question is lighter, darker,
same color? That's always the debate. Okay, if we're doing
a really dark feature wall or a very interesting feature wall,
(15:26):
I will either go the same color with the baseboard
there against that feature wall, or if it's just one
wall in the room, then I'll keep the baseboard consistent
with all the lighter, you know, white walls and allow
that to trim across the bottom of a darker, beature wall.
Some people elect to take a baseboard and notch it
(15:48):
a little darker, just a tone or two darker than
the wall, or a tone or two lighter than the wall.
I'm okay with that too. I just think it's unnecessary
and so generally speaking, and here's the point that I'm
getting to, I would say, probably nine times out of ten, Tina,
correct me if I'm wrong. Nine times out of ten,
we're gonna paint the base board the same color as
(16:09):
the wall. The key is this, though you're painting the
baseboard a different sheen than the wall. The wall is
going to be flat or a matte finish, very very low,
as low reflectivity as you can possibly get and still
have it functional to clean. Okay, So that usually means,
(16:31):
you know, these days, what we would call a matte finish. Okay,
not one hundred percent flat, but matt so we can
get a little wipe down on it without messing things up.
But the base board down below is going to be
a satin or a semigloss at the most. I don't
do high gloss because high gloss is a mistake unless
(16:52):
you are planning on everything about that thing being perfection,
because the higher the reflectivity, the more it shows any
in perfection. What's But the point is, because light bounces
off a matt finish versus a shiny finish differently, the
baseboards are going to stand out and they will appear
(17:13):
to be their own color, even though in fact they
are the same color as the wall. So that little
bit of pop that we're looking for, with a good
set of base boarder casings, we can achieve just by
changing the sheen of the color. That is one percent
of the time safe, the safe design move to make
(17:35):
because it's the most common. Now when I say that,
I don't want anybody to roll their eyes and say, oh,
you're advocating safe like boring, Not at all. It's very
very classy, it's classic, and that's the reason why most
of the time we handle it that way. Of course,
of course, there is an opportunity if you want to
fiddle around with the baseboard color or trim inside a room.
(18:00):
I've walked into some rooms where the owner or the
designer somebody has decided to paint the baseboards very dark
and the casings that wrap up around the doors, and
it can be dramatic, but it can also be aggressive.
I mean aggressive in the sense that, wow, that's a
lot of eyeliner on this wall. It's a lot, and
(18:22):
you know, and it's like coming at you. And again,
if there's crown molding in the room, now we're finding
a room that now we're outlining literally every corner, every
line in this room. It's a bit much. And so
because I as a designer, I work in layers. Okay,
I don't I'm not looking for the one thing in
(18:45):
the room that's going to define its very essence. I
like to layer in design in a room, so I
don't need one component to be, you know, the scene stealer,
and as a result, I don't run into usually the
the risk of overdoing one element. So if you're asking
for my recommendation sight unseen, then I'm going to give
(19:08):
you a qualified paint the baseboard the same color as
the wall, but a different sheen, definitely different than the floor.
Don't worry about the cabinets or anything else that's in
the room, which is essentially furniture and fixtures. Allow the
wall to be the column that it is, even if
it's a feature wall with a bold color. You can't
go wrong keeping the baseboard the same as the rest
(19:31):
of the walls in the room. But do you have
the option of judging it up a little bit if
you want to take a risk. Sure you do, but
that would probably be like a ninety ten scenario. And
I do that as well, But I would say in
ninety ten scenario, So the best thing I can tell you,
Karen is just give you the averages and tell you
that most of the time we're doing baseboard the same
(19:53):
color of the wall, but a different sheene, and that
higher reflectivity makes them pop. Is that an okay answer
for you?
Speaker 5 (20:01):
It's awesome. I am so grateful for your health. Thank
you so very much.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
You are so very welcome. Sometimes it just takes explaining
the theory of a thing out in order to allow
everybody to kind of process through and say, oh, okay,
I get it, I get it. And of course, once
you explain a rule, then you're free to break it.
But I'm a huge advocate. You got to know the
rules first in order to break them the right way
(20:27):
if you decide to break them, But you got to
know them first. All right, y'all more of your calls
when we return. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper. Good morning, my friend, Dean Sharp, the
house Whisper at your service, here to remind you, when
it comes to your home, design matters most Yes, it does.
I know, I know you haven't been trained culturally to
(20:49):
think that way, but it is absolutely true if you
are going to take on redesigning your home. Everybody knows
that about if you know, if you're can have somebody
design you a brand new home. But when it comes
to transforming the home that you've got. Okay, it's not
just about the pretty new countertop. It's not just about
this color or that color. No, No, it is the
(21:11):
design of the whole thing. The design of your home
matters most. It is the key to unlocking a transformation
of your home. All right, we're taking calls as we do.
It's Saturday morning. Let's talk to Let's talk to Shannon. Hey, Shannon,
welcome home. Hi.
Speaker 6 (21:31):
That is kind of a big question, and I'm trying
to figure it. I tell you that it's about homes
and trauma and families that live in them with trauma.
And I tried to write it down as I was
listening to your baseboard explanation that I'll have to go
back in here later because I didn't get to process
it as I'm processing my question, which is, okay, all right,
(21:52):
how do you recommend that families with their own trauma
move in and out of spaces that have seen, sometimes
create and certainly hold trauma in these multi generationals, so
especially now where families don't look like the families these
(22:13):
places were built to house comfortably, right, Does that make
any sense?
Speaker 5 (22:18):
So far?
Speaker 6 (22:19):
And so that Okay, So how do you do that
while still living in the space with each other trying
not to traumatize each other, especially right so you're not
because everybody knows that cycle of trauma that you can
kind of go back to when you get the space
is traumatizing the people and the people traumatizing the space.
And then we think when Heather talking earlier about or
(22:44):
you gave her the heads up for when you're coming
in or something, it was a kindness that you did.
As moms, we have to be ready and well, I
actually don't know if it's true, not speaking for anybody myself.
As a mom of teenagers, you want to be ready,
and you want your home to be a space that
they can come to and you can absorb, you know,
(23:06):
all the mess and the drama, and it can be
a safe place for them. But if it's also a
place where you, as a mom work or try to
be a person, you know on your own, how do
you be ready for whatever trauma or your kids are
going to bring so you can handle it, But then
have a staging area, a place that you can retreat
to within this same space so that you can continue
(23:28):
to put on your own oxygen. Mask first.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Okay, Well at the end, that's a good question. That
is a question, that's a biggie, that's kind of like the.
Speaker 6 (23:37):
Hole it is I write it down. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I appreciate you though for asking the question, and you know,
I don't know how much service I can give to it.
But all right, So here's the thing, you know, one
of the things that you know, we we we've used
word trauma a lot this morning, and I'm going to
(24:02):
continue to using actually, by the way, next weekend, next
Sunday's show. Uh, if if things go as they as
we plan, I think I'm going to be doing the
entire show talking about this house whisperer thing. Okay, And
it's kind of explaining it at a little bit more
in the hopes that in the hopes of equipping people
(24:25):
to whisper their own houses a little bit, okay, And
I don't want, I really, I really don't want anybody
who's listening for the first time to think, what is
he talking about? Is this guy actually communicating with houses? No,
that's not That's not what we're talking about. So we're
just talking about designing a house so that it reflects
the authentic life of the people who live in it,
(24:48):
and and so so houses go through trauma just like
people go through trauma. And the the okay, so if
we take trauma is a good metaphor that I use
because it's not really so much the trauma itself. Okay,
that when this thing happened, right, it is the you know,
(25:12):
what I call post traumatic design disorder that most houses
are go through. And the reason I use that metaphor
and compare this to PTSD. Okay, and sand could help
you with this because he has experience in these areas
of therapy too. But PTSD. The real problem with PTSD
(25:32):
is not the initial trauma, of course, that's what sets
it off, but it's the fact that you know, days
and years and years later, instead of it being dealt
with head on, being faced again and tried, you know,
attempts to resolve and to heal around it, PTSD is
(25:53):
just that trauma that just keeps revisiting us and ambushing
us and these kinds of things. And so that's that's
in part what happens to a house. Something goes wacky
with it, somebody does a bad remodel, or sometimes you know,
quite honestly, a house could have have a design disorder,
you know, trauma. You're just right out of the box.
(26:15):
Because a tract home, by definition, is not a house
that is designed specifically for the lot that it's sitting on, right,
And so it's yeah, exactly, Well that's because.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
It's not the people who actually live in it.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Okay, yeah, so yeah, but if you live in a
tract home, if you live in a tract home, for example, uh,
then that house appears, you know, twenty other times in
your neighborhood. Okay. Uh. Sometimes it's facing north, sometimes it's
facing south, sometimes east, sometimes west. Sometimes it's at the
end of a call to sack. Sometimes it's in a
(26:50):
row right along the street. Sometimes it's out on the corner.
The windows, the doors, they haven't changed position at all,
because that house was not designed for that lot. It
was designed in an architectural studio somewhere without reference to
the environment that it's sitting in. And that in and
of itself means that the house isn't really fit well
(27:11):
to the property. That's not custom, that's tracked, and as
a result, it has its own kind of trauma that
it suffers through. Now here's the thing we make do,
and this is our great strength. And it is also
the great trouble spot when it comes to home design
(27:31):
and the homes that we live in is the fact
that we're resilient human beings and that we make do.
And why is that a problem? Well, I'll tell you
what I'm up against the break at the top of
the hour, and I want to explain that. And so
if you can hang tight, Shannon and everybody, just have
you on the edge of your seat. What does he
mean making do? We'll talk about that right on the
(27:54):
other side of the break. Can you hang on with me, Shannon,
shann it's still with me? Yes?
Speaker 6 (28:00):
Oh, okay, yes, I absolutely can.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Yeah, all right, yeah, good, all right, you hang tight,
and uh we'll pick this up right on the other side.
You're Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer. You're listening
to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI a
M six forty
Home with Dean Sharp News
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.