The Terrace

Be honest. When's the last time you actually sat in that chair? This week on The Terrace, we're getting confessional about performative decor — the art of decorating for other people — and spoiler: we are both deeply, unapologetically guilty.We're defining what performative decor actually is (hint: it's the candle you've never lit, the vinyl you never played, the crystals you bought in Sedona because you were absolutely under a spell), tracing how Instagram quietly turned all of our homes into content sets, and talking about the growing backlash — from the Gen Z photo dump to the Nancy Meyers lived-in cluttered aesthetic we're all secretly craving. We also get into reading nooks (performative), linen bedding (very performative), and taper candles (drop a comment if yours are also completely unburned).Caitlin shares a cautionary tale about a certain boutique hotel in Hudson Valley that looked incredible on the internet and had a state-of-the-art espresso machine that absolutely no one knew how to operate. We also covet a Le Labo candle we'll never light and a Casa Gusto wingback chair that is admittedly not for sitting in.This is your permission slip to audit every corner of your home and ask: is this for me, or is this for the grid?Come confess your most performative decor purchase to us on Instagram @thestudio_terrace — we read every comment and we will judge with love (we literally admitted our own crimes on mic, so you're in good company). And if this episode made you look at your bookshelf a little differently, send it to a friend who has an Assouline book they've never opened. You know who they are. 🕯️🪴📚

You know that feeling when you walk into a room and something is just... off? Or when you can't explain why you love a space, you just do? We've all been there. The problem is we spend so much time talking about how rooms look — the colors, the styling, the lighting — and almost no time talking about how they feel. Not anymore.This episode covers everything: why a room without a purpose gives you agita, what staged homes are secretly doing to trick you, and why the influencer apartment formula — white cloud sofa, limewash, modern luxury high-rise — is starting to feel like everyone's living on the same movie set.We also got into how to design with identity. Does furniture come before paint? (We think yes, almost always.) What do you anchor a room around? And how do you build a space that feels like you when your personal style is still a moving target?Then we got into the designers who truly get this — Ilse Crawford, who has been designing for how spaces feel since before it was a conversation. Axel Vervoordt and his deeply calming wabi-sabi interiors. And Lorenzo Castillo, who happened to design the hotel that inspired Caitlin's entire living room renovation.Plus: the case for demi-lune everything, why a draped blanket is the greatest hospitality signal of all time, the pleated tented bed canopy of our dreams, DeVol Kitchens' hand-painted botanical cabinets, and Caitlin's nightly turndown service that we are all a little jealous of.Come find us on Instagram @thestudio_terrace and tell us: what is the room in your home that makes you feel the most like yourself? We genuinely want to know.And as always — don't forget to bring the wine. ✨

There's a rule Caitlin and Sam live by: you can never cheap out on your sofa. It's the most-used piece of furniture in your home, and the foundation of every good gathering, lazy Sunday, and long conversation. But once you know where the sofa lands, the rest of your budget gets a whole lot clearer.In this episode, they're breaking down exactly where your money should — and shouldn't — go when it comes to furnishing your home. From mattresses and rugs to lighting, accent pieces, and wall art, they cover what's worth the splurge, what's a total save, and what you can find for $70 at an Ocean City antique shop on a rainy afternoon. They also get into the current collab frenzy (Emma Chamberlain x West Elm earns high marks; scallops on everything, less so), the quiet closing of Schoolhouse Electric, and a deeply relatable DIY saga involving Schumacher fabric, a pneumatic nail gun, an air compressor — and the double-sided tape that saved everything.Come for the furniture advice, stay for the chaos.🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: @thestudio_terrace 📲 Follow along on Instagram @the_studio_terrace for home inspo, behind-the-scenes, and all the takes that don't make the final cut.View Caitlin's Sofa Edit on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/shop/collections/4515571

Is vintage always better, or does buying new still have its place? This week Caitlin and Sam settle the debate once and for all — and yes, they disagree on a few things.They cover what to always buy vintage (case goods, nightstands, sideboards), what to never buy vintage (upholstery, hardwired lighting, and please — not a mattress), and break down the full vintage pricing hierarchy from First Dibs all the way down to the 1 a.m. Live Auctioneers rabbit hole. Caitlin shares her favorite under-the-radar spots in the Philadelphia area, the story behind her beloved $600 Henredon dresser, and the keywords that will completely change how you shop online. Sam officially declares 2026 the year she makes her first big vintage furniture purchase.Also on the agenda: coveting Gustavian-era furniture and vintage marble lamps, a round of Would You Rather (estate sale site unseen vs. unlimited IKEA — it's harder than it sounds), and fast furniture confessions. Wayfair was involved. That's all we'll say.Enjoyed the episode? Share it with your most design-obsessed friend. Follow us on Instagram @thestudio_terrace and drop your best vintage find in our DMs — we want to see everything.

Welcome to The Terrace - our corner of the internet for people who genuinely love their homes, or desperately want to. We're here to talk interior design, trends, beautiful things, and the real decisions you make when you're trying to build a space you actually want to live in. Think less design lecture, more wine with your most design-obsessed friends. Pull up a chair!