Podcast, Ep. 160: designer Sean Scherer

Painter, shop owner, decorator, and author Sean Scherer joins the show this week. We talk about creating authentic interiors that tell a story, Sean shares the inspiration behind his new book, Kabinett & Kammer. We also talk about using scale and composition to keep balance and flow within a room, using small objects and bright colors to create a large impact, and why it’s okay to just go ahead and purchase that piece you’ve been eyeing up.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

  • In Sean’s new book, Kabinett & Kammer, he celebrates practical yet beautiful interiors in an honest and humble way. It’s all about taking the things we already have and love and displaying them in a new way to get a striking effect.
  • Sean’s mother was a collector, and by watching her reorganize and repurpose, he fell in love with the process.
  • We can play with scale to make smaller objects more noticeable, and also use smaller objects as a way to experiment with bright colors.
  • How Sean shops for the Kabinett & Kammer storefront and uses the shop as a form of artistic output
  • If you really love something, buy it! It’s all part of building a conversation in our home that shows what we love and who we are.
  • Ways we can take an object and successfully use it out of context, like a great taxidermy piece
Kitchen with red spiral staircase, antique island and brick floor, designed by Sean Scherer in his book Kabinett & Kammer

Photo: William Abranowicz for Vendome Press

Decorating Dilemmas:

Hello!

Love, love, LOVE the podcast! I look forward to it every week!

We are building our first home, yay! My dilemma is our wonderful ~budget~ for out exterior doors. We are building a brick, single-level colonial home. My heart is yearning for a mahogany door with two side lights as our entry door, and I am having trouble deciding on typical French doors or sliding for our back wall of our great room. What are your thoughts on French doors versus the newer sliding or folding doors? What is your go-to vendor for doors?

Thanks SO MUCH for your help!

Warmly,

Lydia

We would say if you are sticking with a traditional style, the French doors would fit better. Pick some French Doors over folding ones for a traditional feel, and just make sure you are working with wood interior and real divided light. Those little details do add up and make a difference!


Hi Ladies,

Thanks for being a bright spot in my socially distanced summer!

My mom has a dilemma: Her new house has a kitchen window you can see from the front door. The upper kitchen cabinets don’t go up to the ceiling, but the window over the sink is taller than the cabinets. It looks so strange to us! She doesn’t need a window covering for light or privacy, but we’re thinking it needs something to disguise the height. My mom was thinking maybe a white matchstick shade, lowered to the tops of the cabinets. Or a Roman shade? Is a valance too 80s? Or should the tops of the cabinets be styled differently?

Help and thanks!
Lisa

One trick Sean recommends is using paint as an amazingly inexpensive way to do a renovation. He suggests painting the back wall darker, such as a taupe or greige, and this will help the cabinets not look like they are floating. Restyling the cabinet tops will also help, you can use items such as tea tins or metal bowls that will create a line and give that extra touch.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

Happy Decorating!

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Caroline McDonald

Caroline lives for pairing together patterns, mixing furniture styles, and oogling over our newest furniture pieces. As you can imagine, her little 1920's craftsman is in a constant state of flux. Here on How to Decorate, it's her goal to help you turn your home into your own little slice of paradise.

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