Sueb20 My DS and DIL have a 5 foot tall stuffed giraffe in their living room, too! Apparently it’s trending!

Also? (clearly I was into this video) I love love love this sofa.

I have spent the entire day searching for this sofa. Maybe Lee Industries 1573.

Lee

Love beyond all reason...

The fabric, or style? I think it's an English rolled arm

I think I found that fabulous fabric:

https://peterfasano.com/shop/fabrics/kali/

Jilly! You are amazing!!

Mtn: Both - yes, I love English roll arm sofas and have one I need to replace so I am looking. I think this one has such lovely proportions. And, while I usually stick with solid fabric on upholstery, this sofa has me all discombobulated. In the best possible way.

What she said.

I would have never considered a WHITE patterned sofa in my life, but that sofa? I want it.

Is the sofa by Lee, or possibly George Smith?

I thought we weren't supposed to talk about how the homeowners look or are dressed or how they talk but since others have mentioned the outfit, I will say that I get **angry bridesmaid ** vibes from her all-black pants, boots and ruffled shirt. This is the outfit of a woman who has been asked to attend a friend marrying for the third or fourth time, who doesnt like the groom and thinks the whole enterprise is a colossal mistake. She has been told by the bride (a friend from her Wall St. days whose kitchen she redid) to wear whatever she wants “as long as it is black” for the black and white themed wedding.

Yes, I have an overactive imagination. And yes, I do like her house, mostly. And if you ever see me in that outfit—which I thought was spectacularly unflattering on her and would make me look like the 2023 geriatric bride of Frankenstein—-please start Baker Act proceedings immediately as it will be proof positive that I have lost my mind!

I'll be the dissenter. I don't love her house except for her kitchen. I thought the plates on the desk were just strange? But, I did like her.

Hahah KSWL!

I'm sorry, but I just don't see this as a flattering look at all....dropped crotch, boot tops showing with floods (is that a ragged hem? Is that a pleat at the hem or a tear in the seam?), clunky boots, dolman sleeves rolled, blousing at the waist making her waist look even larger and her torso quite square. And I don't think she could make her legs look shorter if she tried.

And why I care is that, if she can't see proportion, massing, silhouette and fit on herself, how could I, as a potential client, trust her to see it in my room? I found her outfit so distracting that I only half paid attention to what she was saying. To me, especially for someone in design, what you wear should support or at least not detract from who you are as a designer. And it should help me want to trust your taste enough to get me to part with a big chunk of money. This outfit doesn't do that for me for sure. Especially since this video is a big potential ad for her business, I'd expect her to put her best foot forward. If this is it...

Hate to break it to you ladies but crabbing about her outfit is aging you!! THIS is THE LOOK of the day for young hip women. Feathers11 I agree but listen to the video SHE DOENS'T USE IT!! And hates that her husband does!!

The outfit conveys that she is hip and contemporary. The idea that clothing choices are dictated by what is ”flattering” is political among many younger women.Dressing to flatter presumes very narrow standards of beauty. She knows her legs look short. They are. She is rejecting the idea that that is a ”problem” to be hidden or ”fixed”.

Bear in mind none of us are her target market .

Fine if it's aging me...but I'm probably more typical of the client that can afford her than some 20-something who would appreciate that style.

But I've seen a lot of younger folks and I don't see them dressing this way. If so, I'd expect to see her wearing ugg-style bedroom slippers, not wellingtons.

Her target is probably 40s, and tho few 40 yo dress that way, they take cues and borrow trends from youth. Older households might have resources but they are also less likely to need or want her services.

Not saying i’d choose her outfit for myself but it is thought provoking how much women internalize what they “should” look like. It is at least worth being aware of and making a conscious decision about.

From her website: "Katie spent the first part of her life growing up in Tampa, FL and the last 20 years in New England, with both New York and California plunked in the middle. Katie herself is equal parts vintage and modern ― she is just as likely to wear clogs as Chanel flats and often on the same day. Never trendy and always comfortable, she brings this same sense of stylish comfort to her designs."

So I reject that she's that young to be making a politcal statement or being trendy...and if it's stylish comfort her outfit is supposed to project...well for me it doesn't project either. As far as her legs being short? I don't think they are....they just look it. If she's making a politcal statement, I wouldn't think her 30 min of fame would be the place to do it.

Here she looks more pulled together, and the next look of hers at least demonstrates her love of mixing disparate patterns as well as looks comfortable.

But we're not going to convince each other of anything so I'll leave it there.

But the whole point is that she doesn’t look hip and contemporary. She looks like she WANTS to appear hip and contemporary and has just put the wrong pieces of the puzzle together.

I did not even notice that she is short, per se. Rather, I noticed that her pants were flapping around the tops of her boots and that made them seem an odd length. The silhouette is broken into chunks that look like stacked blocks. I get that not everyone wants to look pretty but surely one can look hip and modern without looking like they selected their clothing at random with no regard to proportion? She may have had a stylist for this outfit, but it strikes me as a middle aged, cleaned up version of the 80’s grunge look that no one today seems to regard fondly.

The plates on the desk are an affectation, IMO. She doesn’t have to tell people she wasn’t trained in design, that speaks for itself. But I do mostly like her own house which represents her style and ability.

Tough crowd here! I feel I am pretty judgey and I always notice what hosts and subjects are wearing in these videos but it never seems to affect how I feel about the designer. Her personal style is definitely quirky. My takeaway is that she created a successful design business from scratch and now has a career she loves. And created in me a new obsession for a printed sofa...

ETA: I have an amateur's eye, but I took a look at her portfolio and found much to admire in her other work.

Some posters here like her look, and while i do not, i am not a good arbiter of hip and contemporary. ymmv

During a get-together with my group of friends, at least a couple would be wearing cropped pants with raw hems and a crazy shirt. I would think nothing of it. Those pants look sloppy on her but ... oh well. They wouldn't stop me from hiring her.

It may very well be that my personal opinion of what is NOT hip and contemporary actually defines the oeuvre 🙃

Ruby, I agree that her portfolio contains some lovely work.

(This space was previously occupied by comment that responded to a deleted comment)

Chinacat: he moves around the house but currently is hiding in the corner.

I already wanted a sheep like Allison’s, now I want a giraffe like Sue’s, too.

Sue, is your cute giraffe feeling sassy or curious? I can't quite tell by the tilt of his chin.

Jinx, well said. I deleted my snarky post about the jeans with worn knees, because really -- a woman can wear whatever she damn well pleases.

Ida, I didn’t see your post! I got distracted by an adorable giraffe. :D

Just trying to move away from the analysis of that poor woman’s outfit!

Dee, I’m gonna go with sassy.

I'd like to think she'd have a good laugh if she ever saw this thread.

Deegw, +1 !

I do like the frilly blouse - leather jacket combo. Just sayin.

Why are women so critical of each other's looks?? We can be our own worst enemies. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to what she's wearing, but the house. Perhaps I'm going against the crowd (and that's perfectly fine with me), but her clothing does not influence me on her abilities as a decorator. I have seen many "artsy" types who definitely march to the beat of their own drum in how they dress.

Okay on to something else, but I had to get that out!

The giraffe is adorable @Sueb20! @Jilly you should just have a home zoo! I can imagine your kitties crawling all over the stuffed animals LOL!

ETA: AND I AM WAITING TO SEE WHO BUYS THAT SOFA FIRST!!!

What Mtn wrote: The idea that clothing choices are dictated by what is ”flattering” is political among many younger women.Dressing to flatter presumes very narrow standards of beauty.

I'm noticing more of this approach to dressing among younger women, too. Judging and stereotyping are very natural responses we have as humans, often to make sense of something we don't understand. I do it all the time. But it's the second thought that jumps in my head that matters. I'm trying for it to be, "Well, if that works for you, go for it." And move on.

On this note, and regarding her decorating style, I think the "granny style" is so appealing because it's what so many have access to. Not everything has to match. And her target audience may be rejecting the idea of spending resources on a deliberate decorated look. She seems to have a mix of that in her work.

I agree that her style is (or at least looks) more accessible than ”high church” type interior designers, but neither does she seem like the kind of retail shopper / decorator at the other end of the spectrum.

Some of the Homeworthy videos are, well, not so interesting. This one, she seems to have a story and an imagination! I know exactly what she means about coming down the stairs in the morning to the landing with the juliette balcony, and the S-curve in the railing. I’d love to see what the house loks like when Homeworthy isn’t visiting, I’m sure it looks quite lived-in. Her house actually has personality, some of them just don’t.

The painted woodwork, I’m so torn on that. There is a tudor-y house I know where the flipper did that. The original architect is one of my favorites, and it was beautiful ”before”. ”After”, it is lighter, in look and in feel. (At least the flip got the house sold, and the owners are doing a wonderful job restoring the grounds.) I do like something left, like Katie did with the stair railings. (i like the runner on the stairs!) But she really took away from the tudor (or ”tudorial” as she said) aspect. I wonder what she did to the exterior?

I’m glad her husband stopped her before she got too carried away with the florals in the bedroom. I think she should have stopped before the lampshade, the other fabrics and wallpaper are enough. Those lamps in the dining room, just no.

What is with the fancy-looking rug in the kitchen, between the range and the worktable? Must be a washable ruggable? And if there is going to be a barrier island between the clean-up sink and the range, a sink next to the range is a good idea. But please, that kind of faucet handles just aren’t convenient there. You need to be able to turn the water off and on and adjust temo, all using the back of your hand because you are holding something.

I wonder what she would be like to work with? I’m sure she’d be fun to talk with!

I am in no position to talk about wardrobe choices!

Loved the staircase... and the landing with the swooped railing! I still miss our first house with a similar staircase that DH insisted we move from. Not that I'm bitter. There was something about her color choices in her soft furnishings that I wasn't enthused about.

I started skipping after the kitchen/kitchen TV room and somehow missed the reviled dining room lamps. Can we agree that her little white dog was adorable? Yes? No?

I liked her much more than any of the other HW hosts I’ve seen. She seems so more real and did not feel the need to re- fluff an already perfect pillow.

I do love her art collection. One landscape reminds me of a pice in Sue’s house. I would not allow her to choose fabrics for me but I also love the windows, drapes, stairs and runner, kitchen, and that green velvet chair!

Hate the gourd vase sitting next to what might be a pewter urn lamp. dislike all the blue lamps and their shades. Do not care for the macrame fringe on chairs and couch. Will send a cat to destroy it.

Because she addresses being judged for her personal presentation, dont want to go there but i would be happy to take her trouser shopping.

I think this was the first HW video that I was able to watching without muting the sound. I liked her, and really liked the house. I liked how she respected the quirks of a tudor while having just a little fun with it. The only thing I noticed about her outfit was that it was all black. Which I thought helped keep the focus on the home rather than her.

I had to go back to find a "fancy rug" in the kitchen. You'd be surprised how easy it is to keep a kitchen rug clean. I started out with a printed pattern sisal 30Yrs ago with three children and pets. Went to vintage rugs in our last house and using them again here.

I would love a pretty printed fabric sofa. Maybe next house.

Jilly, you NEED a sheep!

Will send a cat to destroy it.

LOL!

I will say this about her sartorial decision making--as Annie noted, she mentioned her style of dress in her bio, indicating perhaps she thinks there is a legitimate link between fashion and decor.

Not to derail the derailment, but I have a decor matter that I noticed. One, that is not an unfitted kitchen or really even an homage to one. Two, she mentioned that her family eats at the island every night. I don't care for sitting at an island to eat, but my first thought was ...uhoh ... time for the Gardenweb Island Overhang Police. It looked like no overhang at all on the 3-seat side, but maybe it was recessed enough. Still seemed skimpy to me.

It's an English kitchen, but far from looking unfitted.

There’s our sheep! 😍

My kitchen counter has an unusual, designed by me, crescent-shaped bar counter. One of my friends will sit at no other place in my small home. If she and I are having dinner here, this is her preference. There is a bit of knee space but not a ton of tabletop area.

Um. Allison? Where (hypothetically) would one purchase a sheep like that?

I bought my sheep on Etsy

Drucilla, that is such a cute and awesome picture!

@drucila did it come from St Petersburg, Russia? I think ours are siblings.

@Sueb20 I purchased on Etsy from "Rockinglamb". St Petersburg, Russia. He is not currently selling on Etsy, but he has a website now.

@drucila and your kitty seems to love the sheep! Too cute!!

Well perhaps it is the style...here is Sarah Richardson in a recent post...the frilly top, the shredded hem on the short jeans with the boots. But she does it better...at least her crotch fits, it shows she has a waist, and the light top is a little more interesting than the solid black and better fitting.