Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 34th episode, Mary talks about the renaissance of Harrisburg. I live in Harrisburg and also in New York. There is quite a bit of difference between the two. Both have very interesting qualities. John O'Hara once said that Harrisburg is the perfect place to do research beca…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 33rd episode, Mary talks about technology in design. Technology has really changed the way we design and build. We love all the features, but sometimes they really aren't very beautiful. In other cases, they eliminate a lot of storage. I think of all the audio and recordin…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 32nd episode, Mary talks about concrete. Concrete has become a major material in our interior spaces. Kitchen counters, desks, wall finishes, floors, so many different ways of using concrete as a functional and an art form. It has been fascinating to see the extensive rang…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 31st episode, Mary talks about fans. Fans come in many sizes, shapes, and designs. They do some incredible things. In a typical kitchen situation, we either have the ceiling fan or the fan above our stove, or we had the fan that came from under the burners (through the low…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 30th episode, Mary talks about urinals. We've seen incredible styled sinks. It has just been amazing, the marble, the crystal, the beautiful ceramics. Here is one example of a floral design. Now notice the urinals. I've heard so many clients say, "I'd really like to have o…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 29th episode, Mary talks about the 2013 Architectural Digest Show and DIFFA. It was a great show this year, featuring a lot of different artisans and companies from different parts of the world. There was quite an upgrade of quality in many of the things, especially many o…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 28th episode, Mary talks about books. Books. Are you still keeping and storing books? What do they mean to you, and how do you present them? It is quite interesting. We look at one group of people that says, "Why should I own a book? I can do everything on my tablet, or I …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 27th episode, Mary talks about entertaining and conversation. We do a lot more entertaining and visiting this time of year than usual. How do our spaces, our living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, contribute to the enjoyment of the visitors that come into that space. It's s…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 26th episode, Mary talks about powder rooms. Powder rooms are quite different from bathrooms. They can be fun. They're something that we use occasionally and we always have them ready for our guests. We can incorporate some fine art into our "surprise" space. Powder rooms …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 25th episode, Mary talks about bathrooms. How many bathrooms do you have in your house? At one time, we thought it was wonderful to have one, maybe one and a powder room. Today, it is not unusual to see everyone having their own bathroom plus a few extras. What do these ba…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 24th episode, Mary talks about the lessons we've learned from Hurricane Sandy. I have noticed that in many instances, contractors have not been quite as honest as they should be with clients. One of my clients had a roof problem, and they were referred to a contractor who …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 23rd episode, Mary talks about Hurricane Sandy. What did we learn from Sandy, a natural disaster that has changed many people's lives? Almost everyone in the northeast knows of someone or a situation that has been devastated by this natural disaster. Now, we look at things…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 22nd episode, Mary talks about lighting. When you're lighting a room or a particular feature, there are now so many opportunities. I was looking at some LED lamps which I'm going to use on a desk, and it's amazing because their lifespan is probably 15 years. You really don…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 21st episode, Mary talks about glass. Glass everywhere! It seems that glass has become an important material, but why are we surprised? Don't we realize that the main material of our time is silicon. We went through the brass age, the iron age, and all the other materials,…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 20th episode, Mary talks about acoustics. It isn't just what we can see, but what we can hear. One of the most important things that we all appreciate is a good conversation; one in which we truly understand what the other person is saying and what is really meant. This ta…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 19th episode, Mary talks about tabletops. Are you using a tabletop specialist? It was very interesting, but last week, I had a gathering in my apartment in New York. Fortunately, I had a specialist helping me. It was really exciting to see the way I did things and the litt…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 18th episode, Mary talks about storage. Are things where you use them? There's no point in storing things in the basement or the third floor if you're using it in the dining room or the living room. Are your cabinets properly designed for what you're keeping in them? Is it…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 17th episode, Mary talks about the benefits of having a global team of designers who are able to work together. Mary was recently interviewed for a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer about this very topic. They asked Mary if this was common, and she said "Definitely!" Our …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 16th episode, Mary talks about needs analysis.What does this really mean? Often we have a building or a space that has been used for many functions, but those functions change. We run into the dilemma where the space no longer services the changing needs of the organizatio…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 15th episode, Mary talks about Window Treatments. What kind should you have or do you want? Today, our windows are being treated in many different ways. They say that we'll have no fading, but it is interesting that many furniture and textiles do fade. Any amount of light …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 14th episode, Mary talks about changing your environment to change your life. It's been so interesting to have clients come in and say: I really want to do something different. I want to be somebody that's different. I really want to change my life. How can I do that? It's…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 13th episode, Mary talks about color. What color should you use? What color works for you? What do colors say, what do they mean? Faber Birren was one of the very famous, noted, professors on color. He was probably the leading person to live in this last century. He was on…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 12th episode, Mary talks about the benefits of interior design for clients who are renting or leasing their home. This is an issue which has become, perhaps, more prevalent today than it has been in the past. More and more people are leasing or renting. The reason may be t…

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 11th episode, Mary talks about the texture and feeling of the items in your home. What is the texture of the wood, the feel of the carpet, the temperature of your counter top? All of these little tactile issues are part of the pleasures we enjoy in our interior spaces. As …

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 10th episode, Mary talks about organization. Would you like to make some changes in the way you live? Very simply, change your environment! It's amazing to see what little changes can do to really change the way we work and live. I have seen people from children to senior …