This popular furniture retailer achieves HUGE milestone with trending interior design podcast – and design professionals and inner decorators are thrilled.

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Leading furniture and home décor retailer, Ballard Designs, recently released the 400th episode of its immensely popular How to Decorate podcast, granting it magical unicorn status among podcasters worldwide.

How rare is the achievement? According to Buzzsprout, a well-regarded podcasting platform, 90% of podcasts don’t last past their third episode. Of the few that do, another 90% call it quits after 20 episodes. If you reach episode 21, you’re among the world’s top 1% of podcasters, so hitting episode 400 is a really big deal.

Since the first episode aired in 2016, interior design enthusiasts have downloaded the Ballard Designs podcast more than 5.6 million times and the numbers just keep growing. According to How to Decorate creator, Caroline McDonald, the podcast’s popularity stems from its fun, unscripted conversations with well-known designers and a genuine love for decorating she shares with her co-hosts Liz Anderson and Taryn Schwartz. All three have worked together at Ballard Designs for many years, so the friendships are deep, and the laughter is real.

“We came from three different parts of the company,” McDonald recalls. “The podcast grew out of conversations we were already having about what we liked in certain rooms, fabrics, colors – and we all had different approaches. The first episode was really a conversation among friends talking about design in a real Ballard way – approachable, practical, and fun.”

Karen Mooney, now president of Ballard Designs, was part of the original podcast team and dropped in as a guest for the historic 400th episode. She remembers the podcast’s beginning with fondness and a tinge of cringe.

“The podcast has come a long way since our first attempt at recording,” Mooney remembers, laughing. “We were all really nervous, so I served wine to soothe the mood – maybe a little too much because it didn’t record successfully, and we had to do it all over again.”

Over the years, McDonald, Anderson and Schwartz have interviewed hundreds of top designers and tastemakers, including TV personality Carson Kressley, British designer and author India Hicks, former House Beautiful editor Sophie Donaldson, design icons Bunny Williams and Suzanne Kasler, and gardening expert James Farmer.

With its enormous success, the How to Decorate podcast has become a magnet for noted designers who want to be part of the conversation. During podcasts, famous guests are encouraged to reveal their favorite decorating tricks and proven tips, empowering listeners keenly interested in decorating their own homes.

“At Ballard, our buyers and designers have very specific, functional purposes for the products they create,” Mcdonald explains. “I wanted the voice of the podcast to echo that practicality. It’s really about the science and art of decorating.”

The interior design industry is experiencing sustained growth with employment expected to increase about 4% through 2033. In 2024, the U.S. market for interior design had an estimated value of $35.01 billion.

As How to Decorate enters its 10th year, the need for trusted interior design advice is growing along with the podcast’s legions of devoted followers. In response, the show’s format is evolving to incorporate more video and focusing on seasonal topics of interest like outdoor entertaining and gardening.

“The landscape of interior design is always changing,” McDonald notes. “More than ever, people are acknowledging the importance of their interiors and the way those spaces affect their lives. We’ll keep doing the podcast as long as we have good questions to ask. There’s always something different; there’s always something new to learn.”

About Ballard Designs
Since 1982, Ballard Designs^® has offered a unique curation of home furnishings and décor from all periods and provenance. Its designers travel the world for inspiration, translating the latest trends in fashion, color and style into finely crafted products not found anywhere else. Ballard Designs is part of QVC GroupSM, a live social shopping company that also includes QVC^®, HSN^®, Frontgate^®, Garnet Hill^® and Grandin Road^®.

Ann Bailey
Ballard Designs
ann.bailey@ballarddesigns.net

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