Welcome to the show notes for Episode #4 of Young House Love Has A Podcast. In this episode, interior designer Orlando Soria shares practical advice for common decorating challenges—how to discover your style, how to mix patterns confidently, and where to begin when a space feels overwhelming. We also update you on progress from our building projects, reveal a whole-house upgrade that brightens our day, and admit that our garage could use a major overhaul. Along the way we laugh about some of the funniest paint color names and revisit the bold work of a memorable Trading Spaces designer.
You can listen to the episode on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio — or play it directly from the embed above. Use this page as a companion to find the links, photos, and resources mentioned during the show.
What’s New
- We use LED lightbulbs throughout our house; the six-packs linked here are the ones we buy for consistent, warm light and energy efficiency.
- One wall in our garage got a quick cosmetic upgrade. You can see that project starting on page 216 of our book, Lovable Livable Home.
- For inspiration on organizing chaotic spaces, check out the photos and video tour of our messy basement workshop, and see how we eventually turned it into an organized, functional space.
What’s Not
- Some paint color names we found especially entertaining: Divine Pleasure, Seduction, Hot Lips, Secret Rendezvous, and Snugglepuss. For the curious, the name Love Note does exist in a few international palettes — it appears as an off-white in Australia and as a soft pink in the UK.
- We discussed laundering frequency and shared helpful guides about how often different clothing items should be washed. There’s a range of sensible advice depending on fabric, activity level, and personal preference.
- We also revisited a compilation of the most memorable and wild makeovers from Trading Spaces, highlighting one of the show’s more notorious designers and her bold choices.
Orlando Soria
- Orlando’s blog is a great follow for approachable design ideas and honest project lessons.
- He posted impressive before-and-after photos from his condo renovation—useful examples if you’re planning a small-space makeover or a thoughtful refresh.
- For quick, often hilarious design commentary, check out Orlando’s social feed, where he pairs sharp style sensibility with real-life decorating humor.
We’re Digging
- I purchased a factory-refurbished Ryobi Airstrike nailer and have been really pleased with its performance and value. If you go that route, remember a compatible battery and charger if you don’t already own them. You can see it in action in the post about our built-ins and floating shelves around a window niche.
- Sherry has been alternating between loving and not loving StitchFix over the years; it’s helped her diversify a very black-centric wardrobe and occasionally discover pieces she wouldn’t have picked herself.
If you’re looking for something we recommended in an earlier episode but can’t remember which show notes to open, we keep a master list of everything we’ve been digging across past episodes to make it easy to find.
*This page contains affiliate links.