The Install: Life & Design with Paloma and Caroline

Hot Takes, Lost Lotions & The Great Scallop Reckoning

Paloma and Caroline catch up on a chaotic week of puppy parenting, jet lag, birthday prep, travel recovery, and one truly tragic Charles de Gaulle skincare confiscation before diving into the latest design news, including Mark Sikes’s J.McLaughlin collaboration and The Hedges’ David Netto refresh. They also compare wellness routines—from lymphatic drainage to Caroline’s heroic everything-but-the-kitchen-sink smoothie—before getting into listener-submitted design hot takes on gallery walls, trend fatigue, faux chateau cosplay, scallops, baby blue, zellige tile, trim on sheetrock, recessed lighting, off-season travel, linen sheets, and chunky platform heels. Chapters -- Time Stamps 00:15 — Travel Recovery 01:09 — Puppy Drama 03:48 — Dog Wisdom 06:31 — High/Low 07:05 — Lou’s Return 08:20 — Lotion Loss 17:13 — Mark’s Collab 18:14 — The Hedges 21:26 — Wellness Overload 23:09 — Smoothie Era 27:41 — Creatine Gummies 29:13 — Hot Takes 29:48 — Gallery Walls 31:40 — Trend Fatigue 31:55 — Chateau Cosplay 35:16 — Scallop Backlash 35:31 — Baby Blue 36:13 — Wallpaper Fatigue 39:25 — Zellige Overload 41:27 — Sheetrock Trim 43:28 — Recessed Lighting 46:13 — Off-Season Travel 48:21 — Linen Sheets 52:18 — Platform Heels 54:35 — Outro Hot Takes Smoothie Recipe: Powders: IM8 [https://www.im8health.com/TheInstall10] Essentials Pro + Longevity Stack in Flavor Lemon/Orange Kion Creatine [https://a.co/d/0caJxumg] Gramms Clear Whey Protein Lemonade [https://a.co/d/029MOGEm] Veggies: Handful of frozen chopped kale 1/4 c shredded carrots 3 cubes frozen ginger from Trader Joes Frozen fruits: Handful each of blue berries, pitted cherries, raspberries and 1/2 frozen peach in season Liquids (totaling 1 cup): Juice of 1/2 lemon Aloe Juice from Trader Joes Coconut Water Sprinkle of Sea Salt Instagram: @theinstallpodcast Tik Tok: @theinstallpocast YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcast Paloma: www.paolomacontreras.com [http://www.paolomacontreras.com] Instagram: @palomacontrerasdesign Tik Tok: @palomacontrerasdesign Caroline:www.carolinegidiere.com [http://www.carolinegidiere.com] Instagram: @carolinegidieredesign Tik Tok: @carolinegidieredesignbts Shop My: @carolinegidiere

Bad Hotels, Good Hair & Better Boundaries

Paloma and Caroline check in from Cabo and Paris for a vacation-edition catch-up that delivers equal parts glamour, chaos, and practical wisdom. They talk about changing travel plans, the joys of slower vacations, and what it’s like to travel with kids at different ages—from early wake-ups to future shopping buddies and museum eye-rolls. Along the way, they cover Malmaison, Josephine, and Paris museum adventures, Paloma’s very relatable decision to ditch a hotel that wasn’t passing the vibe check, and Caroline’s vacation highs and lows, including a spider bite, a bruised shin, and a deep devotion to French snack food. There’s also a standout product recommendation for taming frizz, followed by a smart and candid design discussion on why decorators should not be hiring the contractor—plus the client red flags that tell you a project may not be the right fit. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro: Paris vs. Cabo 01:14 – Why Paloma changed her original Paris plans 02:48 – Caroline on her first kid-free trip in 20+ years 06:25 – Shopping, Charvet shirts, and museum parenting 07:53 – Malmaison, Lafayette, and Josephine as ultimate style icon 11:08 – Pool days, beach reads, and vacation mode in Cabo 13:23 – Paloma’s hotel horror story and the great Cabo switch 16:52 – High/Low: trusting your instincts on vacation 18:31 – Caroline’s lows: spider bite and shin injury from hell 20:17 – Caroline’s high: beloved French chips and snack obsession 22:01 – Margot cameo! 23:34 – Glass-door mishaps and kid vacation stories 25:17 – Paris celebrates PSG into the wee hours 25:52 – Product Rec: Chris McMillan Styling Balm [https://go.shopmy.us/p-65875158] 30:39 – Design Question: Should a designer hire the contractor? 37:25 – When a client request becomes a red flag 41:51 – Contract redlines, process pushback, and knowing when to walk away 47:42 – Wrap-up: Notre Dame bells, cold weather, cocktails, and a meteor shower Instagram: @theinstallpodcast Tik Tok: @theinstallpocast YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcast Paloma: www.paolomacontreras.com [http://www.paolomacontreras.com] Instagram: @palomacontrerasdesign Tik Tok: @palomacontrerasdesign Caroline: www.carolinegidiere.com [http://www.carolinegidiere.com] Instagram: @carolinegidieredesign Tik Tok: @carolinegidieredesignbts Shop My: @carolinegidiere

How Travel Shapes the Way We Design and How We Live

This week, with Caroline recording from Rome, The Install Podcast takes up the subject of travel and how it inspires not just our design but encourages our creativity. This week, we explore: * favorite social media accounts, * have you had your colors done? * are you a hotel snob? * Is there a house, city, home, restuarant that stopped you in your tracks? * favorite hotels abroad; * favorite hotels in the US; * the chicest hotel; * what makes for a memorable hotel stay; * are you an adventurer or a creature of habit when you travel? * how design influences the way we see things or approach design; * what designers see that most travelers miss; * quick fire travel & design favorites: * most inspiring city * save or splurge on a hotel * hotel chain vs boutique hotel * best garden * favorite design shop abroad * favorite indulgence while traveling * best hotel bathroom * favorite antique shopping * favorite local craft * favorite travel souvenir * one thing you always photograph Upcoming Design Events: d. Porthatul sale begins June 8 Christopher Spitzmiller Seconds Sale Starts June 12 Newport Design Week [https://newportdesignweek.com/tickets] and Nantucket By Design [https://nha.org/join-give/benefit-events/nantucket-by-design/nantucket-by-design-individual-tickets/] events coming up next month, ticket are on sale now! Instagram: @theinstallpodcast Tik Tok: @theinstallpocast YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcast Paloma: www.paolomacontreras.com [http://www.paolomacontreras.com] Instagram: @palomacontrerasdesign Tik Tok: @palomacontrerasdesign Caroline: www.carolinegidiere.com [http://www.carolinegidiere.com] Instagram: @carolinegidieredesign Tik Tok: @carolinegidieredesignbts Shop My: @carolinegidiere

Bunny Mellon Behind the Scenes with Bryan Huffman

This week, Paloma and Caroline welcome one of their best friends, Bryan Huffman, an esteemed and celebrated decorator from North Carolina. For the last decade of her life, Bryan chatted every night with style icon Mrs. Paul Mellon, or "Bunny" as her friends called her, became one her closest confidants. In this episode, Bryan shares endearing details of her iconic style and stories of how they became friends, how she and Jacqueline Kennedy developed a close relationship, how Bunny came to purchase her Rothko collection, her generosity, her humor and wit, and many, many more. But before the trio delve into discussions of Mrs. Mellon, they play a new game, "Would you Rather?" - a game of personal preferences and social etiquette. Takeaways * Dressing Appropriately * Personal Preferences * Social Etiquette Etiquette for party arrival * Thank you notes and gifts * Travel and lifestyle preferences * Real estate and property preferences * Friendship with Bunny Mellon Bunny Mellon's unique approach to interior design * Influence of Swedish interiors on Bunny Mellon's aesthetic Chapters * 00:00 Dressing Appropriately * 16:15 Personal Preferences * 22:22 Etiquette for Party Arrival * 28:11 Real Estate and Property Preferences * 33:40 Friendship with Bunny Mellon * 46:49 Bunny Mellon's Aesthetic * 01:00:24 Bunny Mellon's Creative Process * 01:09:20 Bunny Mellon's Humor and Wit

Talking Shop with Heidi Callier

This week Paloma and Caroline sit down with celebrated designer Heidi Callier. Heidi talks candidly about what it takes to run a top interior design firm, the importance of making time to be cretaive, balancing work life and family, finding the right team, how to manage a remote team, how she packages and presents her work, and even the timeline from start to finish. The ladies start with the weekly "High/Low" and move on to a game of "Love It or Hate It." The episode ends with a rapid fire list of questions for Heidi. Takeaways * Remote design studios * Challenges of managing multiple projects * Impact of overhead on design business * Highs and lows of the design industry Mixing patterns and textiles * Challenges with delayed projects and pricing * Remote client presentations and decision-making Influence of Design Trends * Balancing Work and Personal Life Chapters * 00:00 Introduction and Studio Setup * 08:36 Highs and Lows of the Design Industry * 24:51 Mixing Patterns and Textiles * 45:16 Challenges with Delayed Projects and Pricing * 50:44 Influence of Design Trends