Ep. 456: Carson Kressley Mini-Series Pt. 4 - Pat Altschul

16:20Carson Kressley:And I love that you're so, you know, high-low. Like I've actually, didn't we go to Bojangles Drive-Thru together? and I know you love a Costco hot dog. No pretense. And I love that about you. And you have the most beautiful home, but it has a sense of humor and things are mixed. Would you tell us a little bit about your gorgeous home in Charleston? Is it called the Isaac Jenkins Mikkel House? Am I getting that right?

16:49Patricia Altschul:They say the locals call it Michael. Okay. It's Phil Mikkel. it was built in 1853 by a gun runner who was active in the civil war and apparently lost all his money he had three wives but that's all they know about him they don't know who the architect

17:10Carson Kressley:was and the style is greek revival but it has an unusual element the capitals are ram's heads

17:21Patricia Altschul:and very atypical. Mm-hmm. So, and I have very high ceilings. I can't remember. I think they're 14 feet high. Lots of fireplaces with original mantles. The spatial interiors are just what I wanted. Mm-hmm. Double drawing room, library. My dining room is a little smaller than what I'm used to, but I've decided it's cozier. You know, I can get about eight people squished around my table and makes for good conversation. I like a round table.

18:08Carson Kressley:Yeah. I was going to say, you have a round table about six or eight feet across, if I remember, in your beautiful dining room where you are right now. And it is a great tip. If you really want to have lively dinner parties and a lot of conversation, it's small enough and everybody can see everybody. You can kind of facilitate conversation throughout the entire group. And when you're at a big long table, you're kind of just, you know, stuck with the people. Not stuck, but you're only talking to the people to your right and left just because of, you know, physics or whatever it's called.

18:43Patricia Altschul:I have a wall garden, a formal garden with boxwood. We put in a heated saltwater pool, and it's like a little Italian villa in the middle of Charleston.

18:57Carson Kressley:Yes. I moved everything from Long Island and New York, and Mario Boata was my decorator,

19:06Patricia Altschul:who I think was one of the best. Carson, did you know him at all?

19:12Carson Kressley:I sadly, I didn't. I didn't really like sashay my way into like the interior designer world until I started going to High Point Market and just doing shows with Tom Felicia. So I just missed the Mario era. But I'm so glad you brought him up. And again, for our listeners, Mario Buata, famous, famous, famous interior designer, the Prince of Chintz, as he was known. Many, many books. I highly recommend. If you want to see classic American interior design, you must check it out. But you worked with Mario in a couple of your homes, correct?

19:51Patricia Altschul:He did four projects for me over 30 years. And the last one, we moved everything from New York down here because this was the largest of the houses that we did. And he was such a good friend. He thought he was, well, my son called him the Dame Edna of decorating. I love it. I mean, he was outrageous and funny. And so I always had such a good time with him. We shopped. We'd go to London and Paris and go to auctions here. We had a wonderful time together. And his auction of all, he always complained about never having anybody be able to come to his apartment because it wasn't done. Everybody else's was done that, you know, he worked for, but his was not done.

20:50Patricia Altschul:But when he passed away, he had something like seven warehouse rooms and Sotheby's did like a five day auction. And it was incredible. People flew in from all over the world. He had amazing things. So he was just an extraordinary and talented human being.

21:17Carson Kressley:Yeah. And so, so great with color. Like I love your double parlor at your house in Charleston. It's a limey yellow, yellow green, right? Would you say?

21:30Patricia Altschul:Yeah, it's called Apple Green. Benjamin Moore. And he added some stuff to it, but basically it was Apple Green.

21:38Carson Kressley:You know, it's so traditional, but it's also so vibrant. It almost has like an 80s neon feel. And it just, it looks so great with all of your beautiful traditional furniture. And I just think he was a genius with exuberant, tasteful, classic, but rooms that had a sense of fun and energy.

21:59Patricia Altschul:And very comfortable. I mean, I have a friend who has a lot of really beautiful antiques, mostly French antiques, but you can't find a place to sit down that's comfortable. right it looks great but it's not very livable um but i think that one thing that he was extraordinarily talented in doing was working with scale because how often have we bought something brought it home looked great you know at the the place of origin but you get it home and it just isn't right. And Mario always said that you have to have a good sense of scale, having things that are low, having things that are higher, you know, having them in the right place and arranging furniture is not easy.

22:59Patricia Altschul:Cause I know when I moved down here, I thought, well, you know, I'll arrange and I'll put it in the double drawing room myself. Well, I mean, it was just a hodgepodge. I just couldn't work it out. And he came down and we had movers. And, you know, in one day he had two rooms exact and I haven't changed it since.

23:24Carson Kressley:When you create a classic floor plan and you have the right scale and you have beautiful, timeless pieces, you could look at a Mario Buada room from 1980 or 1990 or 2010 or right now, and they're really timeless. They're classically beautiful, and they stand the test of time so well.

23:43Patricia Altschul:You know, he worked with John Fowler in London for many, many years. And I know they always spent Christmas together. And so Mario adopted kind of the English country style, which in translation, I think, emphasize high quality upholstered pieces, but comfortable. And they can be old and faded. It doesn't make any difference as long as they're comfortable. Mixed with eccentric pieces that you've collected in your travels, antiques, family paintings, family pieces, discrete collections. I mean, I have, you mentioned high and low. I mean, I have some very valuable antiques, but then I have my little pug collection, which is kind of tacky, let's face it.

24:47Carson Kressley:Never.

24:49Patricia Altschul:But, you know, it's on an 18th century table. So I think you can mix things up and just have it be livable and still chic.

24:59Carson Kressley:Absolutely. I think that is kind of, you know, that great English sensibility where you can have beautiful things and family heirlooms, but there's a, you know, a dog taking a nap on a tattered sofa. Nothing's too precious, but even though you have a lot of really precious, beautiful things in there with them. Did you know there's a Ballard Designs store near you? If you haven't already, now is a great time to go check out our store in person.

25:25Patricia Altschul:We've just done a total makeover of all of our showrooms in preparation for spring, and we'd love for you to come see all of our new items in person.

25:33Carson Kressley:You can pick up swatches, test out all of our seating, and talk to one of our free interior design consultants about your latest decorating project. If you're curious where there's a Ballard Designs store near you, just head to our website and look in the top right corner for all of our store locations. And when you come see us in person, be sure to tell them that the podcast sent you. All right, let's get back to the show.

25:57Carson Kressley:I want to talk a little bit about the grounds of your space because it just is so, so beautiful. And to have that space available to you in Charleston is just remarkable. What are some features of the outdoor space that you really, really love?

26:22Patricia Altschul:Well, the entire area is within a walled garden, and so I have total privacy. I still have the ironwork at the front of the house that was done probably in the 1850s. 50s. Charleston is known for its ironwork, decorative ironwork, except for those houses that donated theirs for the Civil War. The architecture is interesting because I have a, they call them piazzas at Charleston instead of a veranda or a porch. And I have, mine is colonnaded. So I have one of the few houses that has columns in Charleston. And I love that. And the color is kind of a muted, pale, apricot-y golden color that's faded.

27:27And green shutters,

27:31Patricia Altschul:like Monet green shutters. And so it looks kind of like an Italian villa. and I've got very tall, very old magnolia trees all across one side. And it's just beautiful any time of year. Like right now, it's cold and rainy, but everything is green. I don't know why, but it is.

28:00Carson Kressley:Right.

28:00Patricia Altschul:And I have Meyer lemon trees and big Italian pots on the piazza. And so even though it's within the city, it's still private and very livable and very green. Yeah.

28:20Carson Kressley:I love the piazza too because that is a great place to go out and have a drink under those lemon trees and the big French pots or Italian pots. It's just so divine. And here's a little fun tip. Pat has all of this beautiful stuff, and I've been to her home for a couple different events. And then they will also film episodes of Southern Charm there, and people are putting gaffer's tape on an 18th century table or knocking over maybe, you know, some Fabergé egg. What is it like having to have a film crew in your gorgeous house where you have so many beautiful things?

29:01Patricia Altschul:Well, they're basically afraid of me, number one. And I've lost like they I have original glass in most of the doors, like I have French doors all across. And they have, you know, with their booms or whatever, knocked out an original glass panel. and I had an antique, what do you call it, a cocktail shaker that my father had gotten in Ireland years and years ago. And they broke that. They knocked it off and broke it. And invariably, one of the dining room chairs, because the guys are all big and I have kind of delicate 18th century hand-painted Italian chairs. There's always a chair leg that gets broken, or even I'm ashamed to admit it, my own son was tipping the chair and went over backwards and just broke the chair in a million pieces.

30:05Patricia Altschul:And they spill red wine on my white sofa.

30:09Carson Kressley:Ah, the worst.

30:10Patricia Altschul:That DeAngelis made.

30:12Carson Kressley:Right, right, yes.

30:14Patricia Altschul:So it can be a disaster, but, you know, I don't get to exercise about it. But now I'm eagle-eyed. I watch how they set up spaces and what they do. So I'm on them at all times now.

30:27Carson Kressley:I think you should get some fake Fabergé eggs from the Franklin Mint and place them around and kind of like punk them and pretend that they've, you know, knocked them over and broken them. Just it's fun to see the people's like look on their face.

30:42Patricia Altschul:Do you own anything? I'm amazed that you know what the Franklin Mint is

30:47Carson Kressley:Oh, of course, yes I know all about that, it's the same people that own the Franklin Mint own wonderful pomegranate farms Really? Yeah, they're a multi-brand entrepreneurial family from LA And they buy things like that and reinvigorate them

31:08Patricia Altschul:How interesting, I didn't know that

31:11Carson Kressley:I know. You know, this is an educational program, Pat.

31:15Patricia Altschul:Yeah. Ms. Pat, I was curious because you mentioned that Mario did four projects for you, and I'm wondering, you know, kind of the personalities of each of them and whether, you know, when you moved to Charleston, how much was new, how much was left, you know, were moved from previous homes and any homes that you kind of miss and wish like that was a great house. I kind of, I kind of miss that one? Well, we started out when I was married to Arthur Alchul. We got married. I was in the hunt country in Virginia. I gave up my house there. Arthur had a magnificent apartment on Fifth Avenue right across from the Met.

32:09Patricia Altschul:It had seven bathrooms, a library, a big living room, redone kitchen. Oh, I mean, it was two terraces. It was an incredible apartment. And he was a fantastic art collector. He was listed as one of the top 20 art collectors in his day. And so when I married him, he had the remnants of two other wives decorating in the apartment. And it was pretty ghastly. And there were great paintings in every room on every wall. And the first thing I did was pick up the phone and call Mario and say, I need your help. You've got to come over here. So Mario looked around and he said, well, I guess we'll have to work around all these paintings.

33:13Patricia Altschul:But he didn't like the fact that there were, you know, wall to wall paintings because he wanted, you know, his own wallpaper. And anyway, he considered it a problem, but I thought it was pretty fabulous. So he decorated that apartment. And then we bought Southerly in Long Island on Center Island. And that was it was colonnaded, but it was built, I think, in the late 30s. So and it was on 10 acres of land on Oyster Bay. And it was so beautiful. And I was able to have my mini horses there.

33:57Carson Kressley:Right.

33:57Patricia Altschul:So I had really two cute little mini horses. So Mario started, and let it be known, anybody using a decorator worth their salt, you're not going to have a whole room put together at one time. I in fact I say Mario was like watching paint dry literally because first it might be a rug and then there's a piece of furniture here Fortunately we had because I move my things up from Virginia so we had quite a few things for that house But that's when Mario and I went on most of our buying trips was for that house And so, oh, and I bought an apartment after Arthur died in 2002. I bought a maisonette in 965th, which is a great building.

35:00Patricia Altschul:We had a French chef. Waiters were trained at Buckingham Palace. All you had to do was call up that morning and say, you know, I'm having a dinner party. could you be here at seven o 'clock? Wait, wait. They were great.

35:14Carson Kressley:This is like the building had trained waiters and cooks and things that you could avail yourself of because you were a resident in that building?

35:24Patricia Altschul:Yes, exactly. Which was, I mean, I love that apartment house. And so Mario designed that for me. So at one time I had that, gave up the big apartment had the maisonette and then Long Island. But all winter, when it got cold and snowy, I'd go out there and I tried to get friends to come out. Nobody was interested in going out there. In the summer, it was like running a hotel. But in the winter, I'd be out in this big house by myself with, you know, gardeners and cooks. So I decided the heck with this, I miss the South and I'm Southern. So I thought, you know, I'll just retire and I'll go down South and eat bonbons on my chaise and, you know, have a martini and read flashy books.

36:24Patricia Altschul:So I came down here, Mario, we bought the, I looked for two years. I flew all over everywhere trying to find just the right house down South. And when this one came on the market, I bought it immediately because such a great house. It was exactly what I wanted. So I then moved everything down from Long Island. So that's basically that he, so he decorated four projects in say 20 some years.

36:57Carson Kressley:Right, right.

36:58Patricia Altschul:I imagine when you moved, did you recover a lot, you know, do some reupholstery? How did maybe the color palettes change from Southerly to this house? Well, some of the rooms kind of remain the same. Like, I loved the library, so he did it the same way, with an ocelot carpet, gold tea paper on the ceiling, and then glazed red walls, Chinese red walls. and then my dining room you know we moved the zoo bear wallpaper and for anybody interested zoo bear wrote a book you know the the company wrote a book and i wrote the introduction so it covers all of the historic wallpaper that zoo bear has ever done oh wow just as an aside I just like people think I have nothing to do.

37:57Patricia Altschul:And I get, I get like the year only accomplishment was in marrying three rich husbands. I'd like to disabuse people of that. I have always worked and I'm still working.

38:13Carson Kressley:Right. Right. And, and now you're a reality TV star. Did you ever think that would happen? And how did that happen?

38:25Patricia Altschul:No, I certainly didn't. I thought I was coming down here in my dotage to just relax and have fun. Well, my son has done other TV shows and documentaries. And so he sold a show. It was called Southern Gentlemen. And they bought it, but they changed the title to Southern Charm. And they said, well, we want the producers in addition to Whitney's because Whitney wasn't keen about me being on the show with good reason.

39:03Patricia Altschul:So I said, OK, I'll do it for five minutes. And that's, you know, that's it. And apparently I got high. What do you call it when they.

39:16Carson Kressley:Oh, like a cue score, like a score based on like how you resonate with people and people have positive.

39:22Patricia Altschul:Yeah, whatever that is called. So they said, we want you to do it more. So, you know, I do things that amuse me on the show. Like it's fun to have dinner parties and all the guys come. So, you know, it's a traditional guys dinner because they're all train wrecks and are entertaining for me.

39:45Carson Kressley:so I think that's why it's so successful you're the perfect foil you know the elegant lady of the manor and then you have these guys coming in and uh it's it's a great mash-up and it's such an entertaining show it's one of my favorites and you're my favorite person on it obviously because you have such phenomenal taste um um it takes place in Charleston I know that the house kind of your house is so spectacular there. I could see why after looking in Virginia and all over the South that this one particular property was so special, it lured you to Charleston. And Charleston has since become travel and leisure's number one tourist destination in the United States.

40:34Carson Kressley:It's always on the list of places to go. People go there to get married, have bachelorette parties. you're a Charleston expert I feel and you go to the best places we went to Hall's Chop House together there are some phenomenal antique and design stores there Krogan's Jewel Box which is a great jewelry place what are some of your Charleston must do's and places you love to go if people are thinking about visiting Charleston

41:05Patricia Altschul:oh my goodness we have so many new restaurants now I haven't even been to all the new ones. And I think two or three of our restaurants got Michelin stars and three or four were on the list under that. I mean, the food scene here is incredible. And there are all kinds of chic boutiques now on King Street. But I wanted to tell you a funny story about coming down to Charleston. when I first came down here 2008 all of my New York friends said the same thing what you're moving down south with Honey Boo Boo and the Gator Boys and what is wrong with you you're in like the best city in the world and now they're all leaving or have left and they think I'm a genius now for coming down to Charleston.

42:01Patricia Altschul:But there are so many fabulous places now since I've lived here. Restaurants, you've got five or six major beaches, there's boating, the gardens are incredible. The architecture goes from Revolutionary War architecture to Civil War architecture. We don't have much modern, but you could just spend hours walking around downtown. And it is walkable. It's still small, but it's so interesting and beautiful. The gardens are incredible. People are very particular about their gardens here. And you just see remarkable incredible sites on any street. It's a lovely place to live.

42:55Carson Kressley:Yeah, I need to get back there. And I see they're even putting in a, I just saw today, I think on Instagram, a new Four Seasons is coming to Charleston. Yeah. So you're a trendsetter, Miss Pat. That's me. You knew before everybody.

43:12Patricia Altschul:You should come down the last time we had fun when you were down here.

43:16Carson Kressley:I know. Miss Pat had the most fabulous party for my book. And I met all kinds of characters and people were trying to get me to go skinny dipping in the pool after the party. And then we did another fun trip where we went to Scott's Antiques in Atlanta. I love that. I love it. We're going to have to coordinate that for spring.

43:38Patricia Altschul:Well, you know, we have a design. When is that? It's in March sometime. You should come down for that.

43:45Carson Kressley:Oh, is there like a Charleston Design Week or something?

43:48Patricia Altschul:Yeah. Mm-hmm. And, you know, a lot of, you know, the who's who of designers come down here.

43:55Carson Kressley:Well, I'll come anyway. Come anyway. As well.

44:00Patricia Altschul:I'll send you the—I'll look it up. I think it's the 8th or the 12th of March. I'll look it up and see. It's like three days.

44:06Carson Kressley:I just looked it up. It's Charleston by Design. It's a design-focused event celebrating architecture, interiors, and historic preservation. it's March 12 through the 15. So maybe I can shoot down for like the first day because the 15th are the Oscars. So I have to go do that and do the fashion recap. You're amazing. I know. K-pop Demon Hunters, Saja Boys Breakfast Meal and Huntrix Meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi? It's not a battle. So glad the Saja Boys could take breakfast

44:42Patricia Altschul:and give our meal the rest of the day.

44:44Carson Kressley:It is an honor to share.

44:46Patricia Altschul:No, it's our honor.

44:48Carson Kressley:It is our larger honor. No, really. Stop. You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side. I participate in McDonald's while supplies last. I know, but maybe I can come down on the 12th or the 13th.

45:05Patricia Altschul:The opening night is when all the people are going to be there.

45:09Carson Kressley:Okay, so maybe the 12th. The 12th. I'm going to research that and I will let you know. Fluff up your guest bed.

45:19Patricia Altschul:Okay, it's waiting for you.

45:21Carson Kressley:I'll pop down there. Before we let you go, I did want to talk about, you love a good martini and it's a big part of Southern entertaining. I think Southern hostesses really just know how to do it. It's more of a cultural centerpiece of Southern living, gracious, entertaining. And you make the best martini, and there's a secret that not everybody knows with the ice bag and everything. Would you walk us through that?

45:54Patricia Altschul:Well, it's done with crushed ice, and you have what they call the Lewis ice bag and mallet. So you put your ice in there, and you splinter it. So it's like splintered glass and very little. Well, first of all, you put the vermouth in and then swirl it around and throw it out. You do the crushed ice and then you pour your gin. I'm a gin martini drinker, not a vermouth. And I like it with olives or a lemon twist. But it's not easy to make a good martini. Michael, my late butler, used to make the best martini.

46:38Carson Kressley:Absolutely.

46:39Patricia Altschul:And I've tried to emulate it, but I don't know. It never tastes quite the same. It's hard to make a really good martini.

46:46Carson Kressley:It is. I think the key is, yeah, is just a whisper of vermouth. And I know some people use an atomizer or they just put it in the glass and then like you throw it immediately out. And then having the splintered glass, which keeps it like almost like a slushy, you know, and you do that first pour, there's little tiny ice particles in there. I think that's the key. And it's always better when someone else makes it for you, I think. And you see that - I agree. Pouring it in and it's just, it completes the experience. So, Taryn, do you have a question for Pat? I feel like that was a good one

47:24Patricia Altschul:to finish with a drink. Do you have a custom, do you have your go-to entertaining cocktail and meal? Those are my, as a Southern lady, I'm sure you have your go-tos. My go-to is a good bartender. Excellent. That is perfect. I will. Because down South, I mean, you have a lot of bourbon drinkers and they like specialized drinks. It can get very complicated. So, you know, I like to turn it over to somebody else. Yeah.

48:03Carson Kressley:Leave it to the experts. We have just a few more minutes left. And I know because I'm eagle-eye on your Instagram always, I know that you had posted some glorious photos, I think it was yesterday, of you in New York in the 90s. And a lot of us have been obsessed by Love Story on Hulu about the life of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Bessette and Besset. I never can get that last name right. But you were talking about life in New York in the 90s. And was it that fabulous? And your answer was, yes, it was. Would you tell us a little bit about, you know, the vibe back then?

48:47Patricia Altschul:well we went out almost every night we had lunches as well we dressed up we wore stockings um we had our hair done uh it was more formal but much more fun i think um what's the French restaurant that is no longer there?

49:17Carson Kressley:Le Cote Basque?

49:18Patricia Altschul:Yes, we would go to Le Cote Basque for lunch and go to an event in the evening. It could be private or it would be a charitable fundraiser. But yeah, we were out every night and then we would go to the country on the weekend and have guests on the weekend. But it was fun.

49:40Carson Kressley:And when you lived on Fifth Avenue at 960, did you see Jackie O? And were those people out and about in New York at that time?

49:49Patricia Altschul:Well, yes. When I was married to Arthur, we had that apartment, his apartment at 9935th, which was right across from the Met. And next to us was the Stanhope. and um but i would see jackie and i met her on numerous occasions lee radswell was a very good friend of mine um i used to see john all the time at the stanhope did you because he was uh he moved out of the you know apartment that he had with carol and beset and moved into the stanhope I don't know if people know that or not, but he was separated at that time. Wow, okay. And we used to see him, the Stanhope Hotel had a big restaurant, had a bar inside, but it also had like a sidewalk cafe like you would find in Europe.

50:51Patricia Altschul:And I would see him out there practically every afternoon. Wow, amazing.

50:56Carson Kressley:Did you ever say hello? No. And was he as handsome as he appears to have been?

51:05Patricia Altschul:Absolutely. Yes.

51:08Carson Kressley:Yeah, he was very handsome. So gorgeous.

51:11Patricia Altschul:My gosh, and that actor is so good.

51:15Carson Kressley:It's a very good show. Have you seen the show, Pat?

51:19Patricia Altschul:No, because I know what the real story was, and the concept, maybe I shouldn't even say this, but the concept of it being a love story. Right. doesn't, I don't know, it seems contrived.

51:35Carson Kressley:Right, right.

51:35Patricia Altschul:I think the real story would have been much more interesting.

51:38Carson Kressley:Mm-hmm.

51:40Patricia Altschul:But depressing. It was depressing anyway. Anytime, you know, any people end up in that circumstance, it was tragic. It was.

51:51Carson Kressley:It was. Well, I know we're probably almost out of time. Anybody else have anything else? I don't want to, I've commandeered so much of this time because it was a good kiki with my great friend and a nice catch up.

52:06Patricia Altschul:Well, I'm counting on you coming down.

52:09Carson Kressley:I'm literally going to look at that right after this and see if I can get there on the 12th. Yeah, that'd be fun. Super fun.

52:16Patricia Altschul:Pat, thank you. Well, thank you. Your house is beautiful. And look at your background. Could be fake. It's so pretty.

52:23Carson Kressley:It's so gorgeous.

52:24Patricia Altschul:If I hadn't seen the pictures. Everything is fake. Yeah.

52:28Carson Kressley:And you look gorgeous. Your hair, your makeup, everything. You're so stylish. It's effortless. You're so glamorous and chic. And it was so generous of you to take time out of your day and talk with us. We really appreciate you.

52:46Patricia Altschul:Well, listen, I love you. Anytime we can chat, I'm up for it. Thank you for such a fun afternoon. Yes.

52:55Carson Kressley:Well, next time we'll be in the flesh in Charleston. And if you're going to be in Atlanta anytime, you come on by Ballard Designs and we'll do another podcast with you.

53:06Patricia Altschul:Yes, we'd love that. I've gotten a lot of things from Ballard. Oh, good. In fact, I was just trying to figure out. I was up in my storeroom and I have crystal lanterns. I have like a hundred crystal lanterns that I got from Ballard. And I'm trying to figure out where to put them. I use them for parties. They're great. But I've gotten a lot of things in Ballard. Very chic.

53:34Carson Kressley:It's good.

53:34Patricia Altschul:Very chic shopping.

53:36Carson Kressley:Yeah, it's good stuff. Thank you. Well, thank you. I will be in touch very soon. And we just so appreciate you. And couldn't have been more thrilled to have you here. So all the best. And I will talk to you soon. Great. Can't wait. And that's the show, everybody. I want to say thank you, darling, to our guest, Pat Alshul, for joining us today and sharing all of her Southern charms with us. And thank you so much for listening. If you were inspired by anything we talked about today, literally anything at all, you have to check out my exclusive new collection with Ballard Designs. We've put links to all my favorite pieces right in the show notes.

54:17Carson Kressley:So thanks again and click away. Spring just slid into your DMs. Grab that boho look for that rooftop dinner, those sandals that can keep up with you, and hang some string lights to give your patio a glow up. Spring's calling. Ross, work your magic. Well, thanks so much for listening to my four-part takeover of the How to Decorate podcast for Ballard Designs. I had the best time ever. If you haven't listened to the full series, what are you waiting for? Put those in your queue right now. amazing guests like Junk Gypsies, Amy and Jolie Sykes, Bobby Flay and Tom Felicia are waiting for you. So cue them up.

54:58Carson Kressley:I'll wait. And that's our show. You can find all of the show notes on our blog, howtodecorate.com slash podcast. To send in a decorating dilemma, email your questions to podcast.ballorddesigns.net so we can help you with your space. And of course, be sure to follow us on social media at Ballard Designs. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode and please leave us a review. We'd love to hear your feedback. Until next time. Happy decorating.