Ep. 441: The World of Peter Dunham

The ladies are beyond thrilled to welcome iconic interior designer Peter Dunham to the show. After opening his design firm over 25 years ago in Los Angeles, Peter redefined the "Southern California casual" look, creating his own legendary design shop, Hollywood at Home, as well as his own textile, wallpaper, and furniture lines. He joins Taryn and Liz to discuss his debut book, The World of Peter Dunham: Global Style from Paris to Hollywood.

Peter shares his fascinating journey from selling real estate in New York to designing for Jennifer Garner in LA, and how a meeting with Albert Hadley launched his textile career. He breaks down his philosophy on why a home’s "vibe" matters more than its look, how to use his "toolkit" to fix architectural issues, and why green is the ultimate neutral.

Quick Decorating Takeaways:

• Follow the 70/30 Rule for Vibe: Peter suggests a home should be 70% planned and 30% serendipity (found objects, art, travel souvenirs). A true "vibe" comes from these collected, imperfect layers rather than a perfect showroom look.

• Treat Green as a Neutral: Because we see green constantly in nature, the human eye reads it as a neutral. A green sofa anchors a room and seamlessly connects the indoors to the view outside.

• Use Decor to Fix Architecture: Use Peter’s "toolkit" to correct a room's flaws—whether it's using mirrors on window returns (the sides of the jambs) to create airiness, or placing a bookshelf over a window to block a bad view.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• 00:00 Welcome & Introductions

• 01:00 Peter’s background: From French roots to English boarding school

• 07:00 Falling in love with New York City and working in real estate

• 13:00 Moving to LA, flipping houses, and finding creative satisfaction

• 16:00 The "Jennifer Garner" project and his first Show House kitchen

• 20:00 The start of the textile line and a meeting with Albert Hadley

• 24:00 Creating "Hollywood at Home" and Almont Yard

• 28:00 Inspiration: David Hicks, geometric patterns, and tribal rhythms

• 32:00 Balancing "Dollar Prints" with large scale patterns

• 36:00 Defining "Vibe" vs. "Look" in a home

• 40:00 The importance of serendipity and patience in collecting

• 50:00 Approachable ways to start collecting art (lithographs and photography)

• 55:00 How to bring "Charm" into a space

• 58:00 The Designer’s Toolkit: Using mirrors and fixing architecture

• 01:04:00 Why the green sofa follows Peter everywhere

• 01:08:00 Closing notes & where to find Peter’s book

Also Mentioned:

• The World of Peter Dunham: Global Style from Paris to Hollywood (Available Now)

• Hollywood at Home | Website

• Peter Dunham Textiles

• Follow Peter on Instagram: @peterdunhamdesign & @hollywoodathome

• Shop Ballard Designs

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple 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!

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