Olivia Snow

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192 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Apr 2025 last heard Apr 2025

Olivia Snow’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Pop Apologists · 267: Celeb Interiors, Budget-Friendly Design, and Making Your Home YOU · 2 Apr 2025 podcast

And I was just starting my career. But as I kind of progressed, it just became more and more obvious to me that at some point someday I wanted to do it the way they did. I mean, they didn't work together. They had their own businesses. And that's something as a mother that I wanted for myself. And as I was thinking of a business name,

I think so much of the time, and it's great to designers name their businesses after themselves. And I think that's the story. But my story feels so rooted in that little bit of family history and kind of the way that I was raised. And yeah, I mean, my grandmother truly was always my hero. I mean, she was running her own business in the 1960s before you could even get a business loan as a woman.

Wow. And really, really such a success. I mean, you know, through the 60s, through the 80s, she was running one of the largest interior design businesses in the West. Wow. Her career was pretty, pretty special. And I mean, by the time I came around, she was retired. But... she was such a storyteller and she just would, you know, fill me in.

And yeah, it was, it was really, really formative and special, special childhood. And I feel like there's so much that they taught me that has just been distilled into me. And I think the most important thing is they had their own style, but they were so good at, at translating individual style.

I mean, they would look at me and my siblings and they would call out, you know, things that spoke to my brother, things that spoke to me. And I think it gave me this really well-rounded perspective of design to where I could appreciate a lot of different styles. And I understood the way that it was and I saw beauty in it. And I, I mean, everything they did was kind of, kind of amazing.

The way they wanted their home to feel, the way they welcomed guests, like the music, the candles, the pillows. And it just felt like them. It smells like I think it's such a immersive experience and it's done well. And I feel so lucky that that's the way I was raised and it makes sense.

Yeah, I think it honestly comes from an awareness of what your point of view is in the world and the way you want to make people feel. But yeah, I mean, candles lit, food, music, the way that pillows are. And again, it's this really personal storied home. And I think it's almost like a rare quality, right? Like to walk into a home and it feels like an immersive experience.

But I think it comes from just... having that strong point of view and sharing it. And I think that when there's stuff to look out and there's photos out and there's memories and it's, it tells your story. I mean, I think the true mark of a beautiful home is if someone were walking and you weren't there, what could they take away?

And I always want people like a stranger to walk into your home and have a good sense of who you are. I think that's the ticket. Yeah. Like they don't know you, but they could walk around your home and your home kind of tells the story. Yeah. I love that.

Oh my gosh. I think this is the hardest thing when you're starting out on a home and I mean, maybe you just bought it and you're going to be there for a while, but you want to get in there and you know, you need to make changes right away and you might be limited with your budget. I think there's a lot of smart things that you could do.

If you need to do renovations, I'm always going to say, do the renovations before you worry about buying a new couch. Just like Get in there, get the bones, get the stuff that's going to be a pain to deal with later on. I think so many people get excited by couches and beds, which trust me, like I get excited by new furniture.

But I really think getting in there first and, you know, even if it's a fresh coat of paint or redoing a bathroom, I think prioritize that stuff first. And then within that, when you're making decisions, there's clever ways that you can save money and be responsible.

I'm a sucker for a beautiful tile, but I'm smart enough to know that when I'm picking tile, if I need to save money or I need to be a little bit more aware of budget, picking a tile that has a corresponding trim piece is actually going to save you money. Can you explain a little bit more about that? What does that mean? I mean, this is where like construction kind of comes into it.

But I mean, that saves you on labor costs because the way that they have to cut and miter and things, it just takes up more time. Yeah. So if you're mindful with some of those types of selections, it can make a huge difference. I mean, inset versus overlay cabinetry is like a 20% savings. And then within, you know, so insets more expensive. Yeah. Overlay is going to be a little bit less expensive.

But there's ways you can make overlay cabinetry by like tightening seams. There's little tricks that actually can save you a lot of money. There's great things that are super affordable. Light fixtures, nothing has to be expensive. Yeah. And I think everyone really should try to be as open minded towards secondhand items as possible. Mm hmm.

There's so many amazing light fixtures that you can get secondhand furniture. People buy tile and things on Facebook marketplace. People will have extras. So I think if you're a little bit scrappy and then if you take the time to even ask your subcontractors, tell me how I can make your labor less. Interesting. And then go from there. That's a really great place to start. Yeah.

Because then hopefully you aren't falling in love with something that you're going to, you know, I always say sometimes you have to like kill your darlings. You don't want to kill too many darlings. Yeah. Right.

I think one, anytime you're making any sort of a decision from a place of fear when it comes to design is a bad headspace to be in. I think so many people are so worried about what they're going to think of something in 25 years that they end up with the most neutral place that just lacks character and lacks a little bit of charm. So I think first off, pay attention to what you've always loved.

I think you, everyone starts out with kind of like a mood board, right? Like we're going to put that together and, you know, collect your images, but then really study your images and figure out what it is in those images that you love. And then think about for how long you've loved it. Think about what feels really true to you.

I think anything that you have a visceral reaction to and you love is something you are going to love in 25 years. And I also think in 25 years, things wear out. Like there are inevitable things that are going to need to be replaced. You're going to want to refresh your home, but do it for the you now that's going to love it and build it as you go. And then cross that bridge when you get there.

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