In this episode of the Uploft Interior Design Podcast, I recorded late at night in my pajamas after putting my kids to bed, reflecting on my 11 years of podcasting while reintroducing myself and my mission to make interior design accessible. I answered a listener’s question about an awkward empty corner, explaining when spaces can stay empty and when they need intentional design, offering ideas like adding height with plants, layering artwork, and improving material and color balance. Then I shifted into sharing my obsession with a true crime Netflix documentary, Till Murder Do Us Part, where I walked through the complex and unsettling case of a couple accused of murdering the woman’s parents… If you have questions for me, make sure to submit them here.
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Design inspiration, real life makeovers, and the latest in pop culture. This is the Uploft Interior Design podcast with Betsy Helmouth. >> Hello there everybody. For those of you who don’t know, I’m Betsy Helmouth. I own Uploft Interior Design and I make
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interior design accessible. I have been doing that for over 20 years. In addition, I have an academy where I teach people to become interior designers where people who are maybe in their second career, maybe searching for purpose, maybe have always wanted to
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turn their hobby into something more than that, but haven’t known how to take it to the next level. Well, that’s who I teach. And if you’re interested, you can head over to uploft interioresignacademy.com to learn more. But basically, I’m busy. I am busy immersing myself in the
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interior design world day after day, but one of my favorite sort of outlets for this is this podcast. I’ve been doing it for 11 years now. Can you believe it? Yes, this is our 11th anniversary last month and we just keep rolling. The questions keep coming and I have
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answers. So, thank you so much for contributing to this show by sending in your questions. If you have a question, if you’re sitting there, hey, I’m doing spring cleaning. I want to reimagine my guest room as a sewing room. I want to reimagine my living room as a billiard’s
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room. Well, I’m your guy. I can help you. All you have to do is send me your question. Go to uploft.com/mpodcast. Once again, uplift.com/mpodcast. Fill out the form and it will come right to me and I’ll answer your question on an upcoming show for free. Free design
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advice. What’s better than that? And you get entertainment while you’re running carpool, while you’re doing dishes. Heck, while you’re in the shower or
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Rachel’s bedroom dilemma: gray paint feels cold at night
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bathtub, you could be listening to the sweet sounds of my voice telling you what to do with your area rack. Yeah. All right. Well, I have so many questions this week that we’re going to dig right in. We have no time for pop culture. We are solving design dilemmas
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on today’s show. And um as you’re listening, just know that these questions could be yours. You could be writing in and I would love to tackle your dilemma. So don’t feel envious. Instead, take action and send me your question. You, like Rachel from
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Manhattan, Kansas, could be featured on an upcoming episode. All right, Rachel, let’s get into it. What is ailing you? You write, “Betsy, I painted my bedroom this gray color that I thought I loved, but now I’m not so sure. During the day, it looks okay, but at night it feels
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kind of cold and not relaxing at all, which is with the opposite of what I wanted. I keep thinking maybe I need to repaint, but my husband will absolutely lose it if I repaint again because I already did it twice. I’ve tried different bedding, but there is nothing
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really fixing it. Is this something you can fix with decor or is it one of those things where the wall color just isn’t right and I need to accept that? Oh my gosh, Rachel. First of all, if something is bothering you, you do not need to
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Fixing the bedroom: nightstand height, adding color and decor
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accept it. Especially if it’s something like paint. Now, paint is very affordable. I mean, for less than $200, you can repaint this room in terms of the actual cost of the paint. Now, painting it on the other hand, the physical labor, that’s where the costs
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come in. But if it’s bothering you that much, I would want you to fix it. But let’s look at this picture and let’s see if it’s bothering me that much because it’s not. And I think there are other fixes, but you’re going to have to be willing to make those. So, let’s talk
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about it. Okay, let me describe the room for those of you following along via audio and not watching our YouTube channel. Guys, if you want to see me recording, if you’ve always wondered, “Hey, is Betsy a blonde or a brunette? She sounds like a spicy red head.” Well,
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all you have to do is head over to YouTube and you can see me talking to you, answering these questions live. Live right here in my bathroom. That’s right. I’ve taken a recording in my bathroom because I have a baby now and she sleeps in the other room and I
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don’t want to be far from her. I do have a cottage out back, but it’s a good 300 feet and what if she cries and needs her mama? Okay, so I’m right here in my bathroom recording these answers for you. All right, so let me discuss the look of the room. First of all, this
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gray is very subtle. It has a lot of warm undertones and it’s not very dark. It’s essentially just a blank canvas tabula. What could be wrong with that? In my opinion, not much. Let’s talk about the solve. You have a really big bed. It’s a queen-siz bed,
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but the headboard must be almost 6 feet high, which is so dramatic and lovely. It’s got brass nail heads. It’s a cream upholstery fabric. It’s flanked by these two console type nightstands which are a good 6 in higher than the mattress. They’re probably three feet high by
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almost 4t wide and you’re using them as nightstands. They have kind of a gray faux metallic patina finish and then they’ve got kind of an inlay of a mirror behind some fret work on the three doors. Then on top of there you have some glass lamps that have three
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sort of faceted orbs which are beautiful. You’ve accessorized each nightstand with a different vase of flowers, dried flowers it appears to be. And then you have wall to-all carpeting that’s roughly the same color as the wall paint. This sort of warm gray. And
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the bedding is white with a gray border. There’s a gray dust ruffle on the bottom that does have this sort of e-cat
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Creative curtain idea and styling tips to elevate the space
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organicy looking trellis style pattern. Um that’s gray. And then you have some striped pillows that also have some gray and white. And then the window has a valance on top that has this same gray kind of e-cat trellis pattern. The other thing that I want to explain
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is that there’s one window in the room. So if you’re looking at the bed, it’s on the left hand side behind the nightstand slash console. But on the right hand side, there is no window. Now that happens a lot. By the way, I was working with a client who’s got a new build
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going on and I was looking at the architectural drawings and they had this in the primary and you could build this house from scratch. They are literally building it from the ground up. I was like, why would any architect do this? This is the primary. We want it to look
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luxe and having a window only on one side and not on the other looks a little compromised, right? It’s a problem we have to solve. Is it the end of the world? Absolutely not. Is it a little weird? Definitely. Okay, so that’s the lay of the land. Let’s talk about what I would do. I like
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the wall paint. I do think this room needs color. I do think it’s calling out for a little personality, but I think we have some things to solve first. So, paint color is fine in my opinion. What I’m more agreed by are these console/credenzas being used as nightstands because they
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are so much higher than the mattress. Typically, you want the nightstands within 2 in of the height of the mattress. So, it could be 2 in taller than the mattress, 2 in lower than the mattress, but not 6 to 8 in higher than this mattress. When I’m actually laying
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in bed and want to reach for my water or for a Kleenex, I’m going to have to like reach way up to get it. Now, I don’t mind the fact that you have higher nightstands with this really elevated 6 foot high bed, but then raise your mattress with a higher box spring or
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something. But if you’re not going to do that, and that would be the affordable way to go, because a box spring is much more affordable than this other solution I’m going to give you, which is to buy new nightstands that are within 2 in of the top of the mattress. I like these
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lamps. I think they work really well, so I would leave them. But this room is calling out for color. Now, valances on a windowtop are dated, so I would remove the valance, especially because it’s so matchy matchy with the dust ruffle and the bedding. Instead, I would do a rod
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with some colorful drapes behind. Now, I haven’t done this since my HGTV days. This is like a total trading spaces solve. And tell me if you think this is cheesy. I can’t even believe I’m saying this, guys. If somebody’s taking a clip of this show, I don’t want this to be the
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clip that they pull out and use throughout the world, but you know it will be now that I said that. I have an
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Cody’s question: choosing the right dining room light fixture
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idea. It’s unconventional. Say you never needed to use the Oh, I can’t even say it cuz I was going to say what they would have done on trading spaces or while you were out is they would have put a rod on top of that window. They would have done two panels that were totally opaque,
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beautiful pattern, nice color, whatever. They would have mimicked it on the other side of the bed, even though there is no window back there. But you would never draw these drapes because if you did, you would see that one is a real window and one is faux. So, you’d have to leave
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these fully opaque drapes closed all the time, which for my taste is totally fine and actually could look quite nice. I have real windows behind my bed in the same configuration and I always leave the drapes closed because I don’t want to get behind the nightstands to have to
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pull them and when I do there’s always like some kind of crack that lets the light in because it’s so hard to manipulate them and have them undulate beautifully back there. So I just leave it all the time. So that’s what you’d be doing. But then I hope you have windows
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on the other side of the room which I can’t see from this image because I have plenty of natural light from other windows in my room but I don’t know if you do. And if this is the only window in the space, it would be a real misstep in my opinion to do that. If you have
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plenty of other windows and plenty of other natural light from other sources, oh my gosh, do that. Do my little faux treatment and it’s going to look so grand and add a beautiful splash of color because in my estimation, that’s what this room is missing. It is missing
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color. You need a beautiful duvet that is a color that looks kind of opulent because this room looks so opulent. And you need new throw pillows. Those throw pillows look like they came from a couch. Look like they came from a couch in the ‘9s. They are not working out. I
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do not like the stripe with the trellis. This is not elevated. These look sad. They really look like you took them from the downstairs sectional and just threw them up here. I know, guys. we have such a short time together. I have to really share my thoughts in an unfiltered way.
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Sometimes that can be seen as brutal, but um I am what I am. And then I would think about bringing in some art. I can see a piece of art on the sidewall, but it looks to have a really chunky black frame and almost a black and white print. And again, it’s a missed
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opportunity for color. So, bringing in some color will elevate this space. Bringing in a beautiful throw blanket at the foot of the bed will help. And I’ve given you enough to work on for now. You’re going to make these changes, Rachel, and you’re going to get back to
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me because I know that’s already going to get you going in such a beautiful direction. And then if we need finishing touches, I’ll finish it up for you on an upcoming episode. Okay, the mailbag is brimming. Cody has questions. He’s written all the way in
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from Paris, Tennessee, and I’m here to help. All right, Cody, let’s get into it. You write, “Hi, Betsy. This is probably so basic, but I honestly don’t
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Chandelier sizing, placement rules, and final wrap-up
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know what I’m doing. We have a dining table and just one of those standard ceiling lights that came with the house. It’s really bright, but also somehow makes everything look kind of bad. My wife says we need something better, a better light, but I don’t even know what
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that means or what to search for. I also don’t want to hang something huge and then it looks weird or too low or something. Is there a simple rule for picking a dining room light so you don’t mess it up? Well, yes and no, Cody. So, let me help you. The first thing is I imagine that
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you’re describing recess lights or lights that are inset in the ceiling that are kind of directed down and harsh like a spotlight or something. We do not want that. So, I agree that that’s a missed opportunity in your dining room. Now, above a dining table, I love a
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chandelier. If your dining table is over 72 in long, if it’s rectalinear or oval, I do prefer a linear chandelier or an elongated chandelier. If your dining table is under 72 in, whether it’s round, square, or rectalinear, or oval, I like a round chandelier.
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Now, round can still be boxy, but just that it’s equidistant length and widthwise. In terms of the height that you hang the chandelier, you measure it from the top of the table. So, no matter how tall the ceilings are, you want a light fixture that’s in relationship to the table. So,
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from the top of the table to the bottom of that light fixture should be 30 to 36 in. That’s going to give you a beautiful sort of wow moment above the dining area. When you’re thinking about how wide the fixture should be in relationship to the table, you want the fixture to be about
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50 to 75% the width of the table. I stick around the 50. So, for instance, if your table is 42 in wide, which is just a standard size, they often are 42, 36, 42, 48. That’s kind of how it goes. Then you’re going to stick around that 21 in diameter. Okay? You could go a
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little higher, you could go a little lower, but that’s the rule of thumb. And then lengthwise, you want to make sure that you have enough room on the end so that people aren’t bumping their heads. So that’s a little bit less of an exact, but that’s more of that 2/3 measurement,
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2/3 the length. And you could do 1/3 to 2/3 in my estimation. So, for instance, if you have a 60-in table, that 60-in long I’m referring to, that’s probably around a 20 in fixture, but you could probably go to like 30, but you’re not doing linear and you wouldn’t do 30 in
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deep unless the table was deep. So, there’s lots of things to think about, but those are just some general numbers that I use in my head when selecting fixtures for other people’s dining rooms. Now, this question didn’t come with any imagery, so I can’t counsel you specifically,
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but I agree with you that your dining table probably needs its own dedicated fixture. And the biggest challenge is just hardwiring a fixture where you don’t currently have a junction box. The other thing is, of course, it needs to be centered on the table both lengthwise
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and widthwise. So, that will really determine where the fixture needs to be placed. So, the key is that you need to have all your furniture in just the right place before you go calling an electrician and getting this work done. Now, if you already have a fixture
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there, you want to ideally center your table under it. But, I was just working with a client in Times Square and their junction box was nowhere near where the middle of their table needed to be for the space. So, I just found something that could swag. It had a cord rather
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than a down rod, which means that the junction box can stay and I can just loop that cord, have a hook coming down from the ceiling, and put the pendant wherever I want. So, that gives you a little bit of flexibility should you have a junction box somewhere, but
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aren’t quite able to line it up with where the table must be. Guys, I think I’ve solved all your problems. My mailbag is officially empty and I need your questions. Yes, this is a cry for help. So, if you’ve seen me on Instagram, if you’ve been following me
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on Tik Tok and you want me to answer your question, well, it couldn’t be easier. Head over to uploft.com/mpodcast. Once again, uplift.com/mpodcast and you can answer or you can ask. You can answer questions, too. You can let me know, Betsy, this is how you should
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have said it and I’ll review your response and let you know what I think. But you can also ask me a question. It could be a dialogue, right? And if you want to have a dialogue about becoming an interior designer, there’s never been a better time. Interior design is so
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popular. Everyone’s very focused on saving money and staying at home versus going out, entertaining, having friends over, especially in the summertime. And so get on your path. Start learning a new trade. Start learning how to turn your passion into profit and head over
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to Uploft Interior Design Academy. That’s right. I teach an academy and I teach people to be interior designers. Well, that’s been a mouthful. It’s time for me to go work on client projects and it’s time for you to send me questions so I have something to talk about next
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week. Until then, bye. A big thanks to our producer Jeremy Young and to Eton and the Embassy for our theme music. And shout out to our parent company, Uploft Interior Design, your trusted source for expert interior design. Visit uploft.com to explore our
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services and book a consultation with one of our talented designers. If you’re enjoying the Uplift and Tear Design podcast, please support us by sharing the show with friends and leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It’s the best way
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to help new listeners find us. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you next week with more pro tips and pop culture dish.
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