logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
1h 8m

Ep. 310: The Elegant Life with Alex Papa...

Ballard Designs
About this episode

We welcome celebrated New York based interior designer Alex Papachristidis, known for elegant and timeless spaces who's work has been featured on the Architectural Digest 100,Veranda, Elle Decor, House Beautiful and more. Alex founded his Manhattan based interior design firm in 1987 and has had projects all over the world from Colorado to London, Saudi Arabia to Texas. In this episode, he talks about his now available second book, The Elegant Life: Rooms that Welcome and Inspire, and the inspiration behind the homes he chose and the ways in which it showcases his abilities to do modern interiors with the same sort of grandeur of traditional interiors. Alex also talks about his love of soft goods, picking colors that represent you, and why we shouldn’t try and hide from the ugly things, but instead make them prettier. 

 What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

  • The importance of actually being able to live in your living room. 
  • Creating interiors that are reflective of who you are and how you want to live. 
  • How Alex gets his clients to tell him what they like. 
  • How to not be afraid of color. 
  • Alex’s love of a challenge: how did he do his sister’s home in plaster, white, gold, and silver? 
  • How to pick colors that are going to be timeless and that you will love for a long time? 
  • More about Alex’s colorful and layered home in the Upper East Side. 
  • What does Alex mean by trying your paint finishes dry and wet? 
  • Alex’s love soft goods to give a room extra coziness. 
  • When taking on a project yourself, make sure you don’t downgrade and that you keep things all sort of the same level but just tweak it to make it new and fresh. 
  • When you start collecting, go to the best dealers, stores, and museum exhibits for inspiration. 
  • What was it like working with Greek contractors in Athens? 


Mentioned in This Episode:


Decorating Dilemma 

If you could, Alex recommends dropping the ceiling enough to bring crown molding into the room. This would open the room and create a panel that would complete the kitchen as a unit. He would also define the kitchen in another color, for example, paint it in white so it stands out and creates some delineation between rooms. Alex reminds us that if you have something ugly, just try and make it look pretty rather than trying to hide it. 



Up next
Jul 8
Ep. 421: Relaxed Elegance with Brittany Bromley
Caroline and Liz welcome New York-based designer and author Brittany Bromley to the show, known for her ability to blend traditional aesthetics with a modern twist. Brittany shares the inspiration and stories behind her new book, "Relaxed Elegance," and details her design portfol ... Show More
1h 1m
Jul 1
Ep. 420: The Secrets of Timeless Design with Miles Redd
In this delightful episode, hosts Caroline and Liz welcome back the charismatic and imaginative Miles Redd to the show, renowned interior designer and Ballard Designs product design partner. Known for his signature blend of traditional elements with a bold, fantastical twist, Mil ... Show More
46m 51s
Jun 24
Ep. 419: Design Reimagined with Corey Damen Jenkins
Caroline and Liz welcome Corey Damen Jenkins to the show, principal and CEO of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates. Renowned across the industry for his exuberant use of color and pattern, this episode offers listeners an exclusive look at his upcoming book, "Design Reimagined," as ... Show More
1h 7m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
096: When to Hire an Interior Designer
Ever wondered when to approach an interior designer for your home renovation project? Let us, Dee and AlijJa, guide you through this often daunting process. In this lively Tea over Interiors episode, we chat about how a designer can breathe life into your ideas, provide exclusive ... Show More
22m 38s
Oct 2021
63. Drawing creepy monsters to become Instagram famous, with Alex Gamsu Jenkins
Alex Gamsu Jenkins is an illustrator and cartoonist from south London who graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 2015 having studied Illustration. Since then, he's worked for everyone from Adobe and Vice to The New York Times and Netflix, building quite the reputation and f ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2019
Living In A State Of Play with Alex Weber
In the words of artist and graphic designer Paula Scher: “If you’re not in a state of play, you can’t make anything.” As creatives, the moment we take our work too seriously and lose our sense of play is the moment we hit artist’s block. The world is your playground; emotions are ... Show More
46m 37s
Jul 2020
71 — Christopher Alexander — 2/2 — Pattern Language
In our second episode on Christopher Alexander, we discuss 'A Pattern Language', the book he wrote with Murray Silverstein and Sara Ishikawa, published in 1977. The text proposes a list of patterns, derived from experience, imagination and vernacular traditions, from the scale of ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2023
DBE 0140: Shedding Identities and Embracing Change with Alex Najarian
In this episode of the Digital Business Evolution podcast, Jess is joined by Alex Najarian. Alex shares her journey from feeling the need to rely on external sources for success to realizing that she is the true architect of her own achievements. She dives into the transformative ... Show More
42m 17s
Dec 2023
A Conversation with Alex Cattoni
https://media.blubrry.com/thesuccessfulmindpodcast/ins.blubrry.com/thesuccessfulmindpodcast/TSM_Episode_613_Alex_Cattoni.mp3   Today my guest is Alex Cattoni, founder of The Copy Posse, “the raddest baddest crew of copywriters and entrepreneurs on the internet.” Alex helps copywr ... Show More
35m 12s
Oct 2022
140. Alex Morgan: Believe in Your Own Greatness
1. How the Abby+Alex sisterhood began, how hard it was for Alex to watch Abby suffer at the end of her career, and how friends can build each other up.2. How to get back on the field – in life and in sport – after crushing defeat.3. The way Alex’s mom helped Alex fulfill her drea ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 2022
Episode 121: Industrial designer and founder of Reef Design Lab Alex Goad talks about the amazing things you can do with coral reef restoration technology
Alex Goad is passionate about using design for marine restoration and the role it is playing to communicate research to the wider public. His work is focused on combining digital fabrication with traditional techniques to create economically viable habitat solutions that respond ... Show More
29m 12s
Jun 2023
Olivia Cognet - Designer et artiste-céramiste : de la mode à la céramique, l'épanouissement d'une artiste sans limites
Présentation de l'invitée : Olivia Cognet est une designer et artiste-céramiste française au parcours professionnel extrêmement riche, passant des podiums de la mode aux ateliers de céramique. Originaire de Nice, sur la Côte d'Azur, elle a rapidement découvert sa vocation dans le ... Show More
2h 14m
Mar 2019
How to Have a Point of View | James Victore
My guest today, James Victore, has been described as part Darth Vader, part Yoda, prolific storyteller, designer, provocateur, artist, activist and teacher. James Victore is the designer and creative thought leader whom people look to find clarity and purpose in their life and wo ... Show More
1 h