Ep 469: Faux Botanicals & Dark Paint with Abigail Ahern

We are thrilled to welcome British interior designer Abigail Ahern to the podcast! Known for breaking all the traditional design rules, Abigail is famous for her signature moody palettes, her bold take on botanicals, and her wildly popular faux floral collection. In addition to her booming interior design business, she has an e-commerce site, five books, and a popular YouTube channel. Abigail sits down with Caroline, Taryn, and Liz to discuss how she got her start working on the picture desk for Sir Terence Conran before her husband's job relocated them to Detroit, unexpectedly launching her hands-on interior design career. She shares her secrets for styling faux florals so they look incredibly authentic, why she will always champion a dark and moody room, and why lighting is the single most important element of any dinner party. Quick Decorating Takeaways: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Abigail dispels the common misconception that dark paint makes a room feel smaller. She embraces dark, moody palettes because the deep colors actually blur the edges of a room, creating a cozy, enveloping, and sophisticated space. The Secret to Faux Florals: When styling her famous faux stems, Abigail approaches arrangements with an interior design mindset. She recommends mixing contrasting textures (like pairing a delicate rose with a hearty hydrangea), varying the heights of the stems in your vase, and bending them so they don't just stand straight up. You don't have to be super delicate with them—the goal is to make the arrangement feel wild, organic, and intriguing. Lighting is Everything: For Abigail, the lighting at a dinner party is even more important than the menu. She recommends layering lights at different heights around the room and using tea light holders all over the house to create an inviting, multi-dimensional glow that makes everyone feel relaxed. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Abigail Ahern 01:30 How Abigail started her career in publishing for Sir Terence Conran 02:00 Moving to Detroit and diving into interior design without formal training 06:00 The inspiration behind her incredibly lifelike faux floral collection 12:00 Tips for bending, mixing, and styling faux stems to look wild and natural 20:00 Why Abigail loves dark, moody wall colors and how to pull them off confidently 30:00 The importance of layered lighting and varying light heights in a room 45:00 Entertaining tips and why hospitality-style lighting matters more than the food 59:00 Closing thoughts & where to find Abigail Also Mentioned: Abigail Ahern | Website Follow Abigail on Instagram: @abigailahern Shop Ballard Designs Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone. Happy Decorating! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices