Ep. 138: Skye Kirby Westcott Ballard’s Senior VP of Merchandising and Design

04/21/20 • 62 min

We’ve been waiting to get her on for a while, and this week we sit down with Skye Kirby Westcott, Ballard’s Senior VP of Merchandising and Design. She talks with us about her impressive tenure in design industry and how she seamlessly blends different styles. Skye also shares where she finds inspiration for new products and what trends she is excited to see come (and go) in the future and at Ballard.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

Skye is responsible for much of the vision of Ballard, and she pulls her inspiration from many things including her travels around the world. She has an extensive background in design and merchandising and a love of interior design.
Yes, it is possible to blend the eclectic and colorful with the modern and contemporary. Skye talks about the different styles within her homes in Atlanta, Connecticut, and even her “tree house” in LA.
Skye’s time as an exchange student in Sweden introduced her to how the culture took time and thought to decorate their home, and she soon fell in love with their design style and IKEA. She talks about working for IKEA and how it still inspires her today.
Skye gained a ton of experience from working on the team that developed the first Anthropologie store, and developed more skills while at Lillian August in New York.
We can learn a lot from asking customers about what they don’t like.
Tips for creating a card catalog of inspiration while traveling, and to have an eye out for art and design elements that you will forever appreciate from your travels.
What product design trends Skye is looking forward to going away.
Why Skye believes we should finish one room at a time to build our confidence and sense of accomplishment.
Skye discusses where Ballard is headed visually, including the influence of Scandavidian design.
Get excited for some color in upcoming Ballard bedding collections!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Skye Kirby Westcott

Vern Episode

@skykirbywestcott

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

Skye is responsible for much of the vision of Ballard, and she pulls her inspiration from many things including her travels around the world. She has an extensive background in design and merchandising and a love of interior design.
Yes, it is possible to blend the eclectic and colorful with the modern and contemporary. Skye talks about the different styles within her homes in Atlanta, Connecticut, and even her “tree house” in LA.
Skye’s time as an exchange student in Sweden introduced her to how the culture took time and thought to decorate their home, and she soon fell in love with their design style and IKEA. She talks about working for IKEA and how it still inspires her today.
Skye gained a ton of experience from working on the team that developed the first Anthropologie store, and developed more skills while at Lillian August in New York.
We can learn a lot from asking customers about what they don’t like.
Tips for creating a card catalog of inspiration while traveling, and to have an eye out for art and design elements that you will forever appreciate from your travels.
What product design trends Skye is looking forward to going away.
Why Skye believes we should finish one room at a time to build our confidence and sense of accomplishment.
Skye discusses where Ballard is headed visually, including the influence of Scandavidian design.
Get excited for some color in upcoming Ballard bedding collections!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Skye Kirby Westcott

Vern Episode

@skykirbywestcott

Previous Episode

Ep. 137: design firm Toledo Geller

Virginia and Jessica, who own the boutique design firm Toledo Geller, join the show this week. This design duo who were just named House Beautiful’s “New Wave Designers” talk about the interesting way they met, how their styles compliment one another, and a home should be designed to fit your lifestyle.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode

The intention behind the way they design spaces
Yes, it is possible to meet your next business partner on Craigslist. Virginia and Jessica are perfect examples.
How their different styles compliment each other
Each of their signature design go-to’s when working on a project
Why both women believe we can work around anything, and examples of how they found solutions in challenging times.
Projects where they worked holistically and made sure the decor was perfectly trimmed and tailored to the space.
Ways that we can work with the architecture and blueprint of the home to decorate it in a way that really brings out how it was meant to be presented.
Why we shouldn’t be scared of everyday wear and tear because they are memories and part of experiencing life.
More about Jessica’s New Jersey Home and the inspiration behind all the beautiful patterns and textures.
How we make a room feel happy and joyous using colors and a play on patterns.
Why Virginia and Jessica ask their clients what they wear when they entertain, and what the answer tells them about their clients.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Toledo Geller

House Beautiful

Casa Bohemia

Next Episode

Ep. 139: designer Alexandra Kaehler

This week, Chicago designer Alexandra Kaehler chats with us about editing, when to know a room is finished, and how to make a meaningful antique feel chic. Alexandra also talks about her love of sourcing art, and how we can use art and wallpaper together in a way that works with the scale and intention of a room.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

Trials and triumphs including the obvious of working at home with young children, painting projects, outdoor lighting, and some moss-some yardwork.
Alexandra talks about her own home being featured in Luxe Magazine, and how she went into it knowing that she had to take on her own space with the same detail oriented nature in which she works with her clients.
Ways in which we can use traditional pieces mixed with the modern and chic to create a beautifully edited space.
How Alexandra knows when the space she is working on is ready to be done, and why we can always go in and add more or change things around as time goes on.
Alexandra sees less edited collections when working with her younger clients, however, creating a tradition of collecting a certain thing over a long period of time can be fun and add to the meaning of the decor.
Ideas for taking an heirloom or antique and repurposing it make it feel chic and contemporary.
Tips for working with brown furniture to make it feel chic and not outdated, and incorporating multiple wood finishes in one room.
What to know when working with wallpaper according to the scale of the room.
Alexandra loves the “grandma look” but mixes it with contemporary to make it feel fresh and clean.
How Alexandra shops for her art and mixes it together in a room, and some suggestions on where to find great art that won’t break the bank.
Using pillows for color and pattern in a room is an inexpensive way to add fun and experiment with different looks.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Alexandra Kaehler

@alexkaehlerdesign

Decorating Dilemma:

By moving the sofa to a different area in the room you can open things up a lot. Alexandra envisions putting the sofa on the right side of the room up against the window and a pair of chairs on the other side with a bench for more seating. If you put your TV across from the couch, it will be off-center but will create a nice flow in the space. Adding some nice drapes could bring in more warmth and texture, and if you don’t use the blinds we suggest getting rid of them! It looks like your vibe is modern and simple so it could be an opportunity to add some color or black and white photography, but not pack the walls and overwhelm the already beautiful light space.