The Install: Life & Design with Paloma and Caroline

Paloma and Caroline begin with September overload, tennis trauma, and the apparently unreasonable notion that opponents should hit the ball somewhere you can actually reach it. Then they welcome Annie Meyers-Shyer, whose path from Harper’s Bazaar and Chanel to the beloved This Oak House proves that a sharp eye is only the beginning—the details, collaboration, and occasional plywood mock-up make the room. Annie shares how she preserved the soul of her Gerard Colcord house, built an audience by pulling back the curtain on renovation, and learned to follow “the next right thing.” Plus: why balance is a fallacy, living rooms are underrated, and fake cutting boards should be shown the door.Subscribe and FollowSubscribe to The Install Edit on Substack: https://theinstallpodcast.substack.com/YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcastInstagram: @theinstallpodcastTikTok: @theinstallpocastPaloma: www.palomacontreras.comInstagram: @palomacontrerasdesignTikTok: @palomacontrerasdesignShopMy: @palomacontrerasCaroline: www.carolinegidiere.comInstagram: @carolinegidieredesignTikTok: @carolinegidieredesignbtsShopMy: @carolinegidiereChapters00:17 — September Scramble02:24 — Fitness High03:41 — Tennis Trouble07:50 — Television Tolerance12:48 — Austen Adaptations14:22 — Meet Annie17:33 — Fashion Foundations21:04 — Defining Taste24:15 — Designer Collaboration28:55 — Finding Home31:05 — Colcord Character32:34 — Preservation Pressure33:53 — Hard Decisions36:59 — Let It Breathe38:50 — Sharing Sources41:49 — Balance Fallacy44:56 — Storytelling Homes48:07 — Rapid Fire52:20 — Phase Two54:24 — Birmingham BoundMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: SUDAKA5LHSDHNL85

Part Two strips the lacquer off designer showhouses: behind those glossy rooms are six-figure budgets, vendor favors, impossible timelines, and enough last-minute crises to qualify as cardio. Caroline and Paloma trade war stories involving rejection from the stone sponsor, rugs stuck in customs, draperies four feet too short, and 145 yards of fabric mysteriously disappearing into a valance. But there is a reason designers keep coming back: one memorable room can lead to clients, press, product collaborations, stronger teams—and some highly effective “trauma bonding.” They close with a rapid-fire guide to what to install, what to avoid, and why doing two traditional showhouses in one year might be just a little bit unhinged.Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: 1O1ULMY5AYH4LV7GFollow The InstallSubscribe to The Install Edit on Substack for more design talk, behind-the-scenes stories, product finds, and installments of Ask the Install.The InstallYouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcastInstagram: @theinstallpodcastTikTok: @theinstallpocastPalomaWebsite: www.palomacontreras.comInstagram: @palomacontrerasdesignTikTok: @palomacontrerasdesignShopMy: @palomacontrerasCarolineWebsite: www.carolinegidiere.comInstagram: @carolinegidieredesignTikTok: @carolinegidieredesignbtsShopMy: @carolinegidiereChapters00:16 — Part Two 01:23 — Budget Reality 03:07 — Sponsor Strategy 09:37 — Vendor Drama 12:04 — Loans & Sales 15:05 — Tight Timelines 17:34 — Plan Z 18:25 — Disaster Stories 26:40 — Drama City 27:47 — Stay Organized 30:23 — The Payoff 34:01 — Hidden Returns 36:52 — PR Strategy 38:58 — Bankroll It 40:09 — Saying No 43:20 — Rapid Fire 48:46 — Dream Showhouses

Episode SummaryPaloma and Caroline continue to endure the on-going Southern summer heat and humidity, a Botox clock that suddenly seems to be running fast, and the Sisyphean task of growing out one’s hair—fortified by probiotic ice cream and a root touch-up pen stashed in the car console. They celebrate Substack’s slower, meatier charms and make a spirited case for shelter magazines to come back thicker, more beautiful, and worth paying for. Then the gloves come off on designer showhouses: career-making exposure, multiple-six-figure rooms, the glamour of being assigned a basement hallway, and the hard-won truth that one great photograph can matter more than square footage. Part one ends with the volume turned up—and the really juicy disasters still waiting in the wings.Follow The InstallSubscribe to The Install Edit on Substack for weekly essays, product links, behind-the-scenes extras, and the next installment of Ask the Install.The InstallYouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcastInstagram: @theinstallpodcastTikTok: @theinstallpocastPalomaWebsite: www.palomacontreras.comInstagram: @palomacontrerasdesignTikTok: @palomacontrerasdesignShopMy: @palomacontrerasCarolineWebsite: www.carolinegidiere.comInstagram: @carolinegidieredesignTikTok: @carolinegidieredesignbtsShopMy: @carolinegidiereChapters00:17 — Heat Wave 02:16 — Beauty Maintenance 04:20 — Full-Fat Treats 07:44 — Hair Rescue 11:28 — Substack Revival 14:25 — Industry News 15:34 — Print Matters 19:42 — Showhouse Secrets 22:17 — Showhouse History 23:38 — Career Momentum 26:53 — Basement Reality 30:49 — Invitation Only 32:50 — Room Strategy 35:13 — Budget Shock 36:40 — Small Spaces 39:07 — Creative Freedom 43:44 — Announcement of Part Two

Paloma and Caroline sweat through the last gasps of summer while tackling a still-suspicious rug, the indignity of hauling two Apple devices in one tote, a bittersweet staff change, a possible Sussex homecoming, and Vanity Fair’s best-dressed list—including the eternal question of whether Lenny Kravitz is technically dressed at all. Then they tumble headfirst into the RushTok rabbit hole, where reported $20,000 dorm rooms, chinoiserie lamps, Broadway-worthy recruitment numbers, and corporate sponsorships prompt the only sensible conclusion: girl, get to class.Keep the conversation going between episodes: Subscribe to The Install Edit on Substack for more from Caroline and Paloma.YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcastInstagram: @theinstallpodcastTikTok: @theinstallpocastPaloma: www.palomacontreras.comInstagram: @palomacontrerasdesignTikTok: @palomacontrerasdesignShopMy: @palomacontrerasCaroline: www.carolinegidiere.comInstagram: @carolinegidieredesignTikTok: @carolinegidieredesignbtsShopMy: @carolinegidiere00:18 — Summer Heat01:25 — Rug Rescue06:40 — PowerBook Problems09:34 — Bag Baggage13:53 — Embracing Change18:54 — Royal Return25:37 — Best Dressed33:11 — Dorm Décor39:42 — Too Much?47:22 — RushTok Rabbit Hole55:41 — Brand Invasion58:24 — Rush Anxiety

Caroline’s ideal weekend—pool time, Mahjong, and a teenager who voluntarily wants to hang out—meets its natural nemesis: a Starbucks that forgot to open, while Paloma celebrates Margot’s first day of kindergarten and reflects on a painfully heavy run of news. The mood lifts with a revealing identity game in which Caroline emerges as an orange, Easter-loving Sunday-morning smoothie, while Paloma is an olive-green, Valentine-loving Friday night with unmistakable croissant energy. Then they put “chic” on linguistic probation, make a surprisingly persuasive case for a little gatekeeping, and sentence balloon trousers, board shorts, and several other late-summer trends to fashion jail.Keep the conversation going between episodes: Subscribe to The Install Edit on Substack for more from Caroline and Paloma.YouTube: @theinstalldesignpodcastInstagram: @theinstallpodcastTikTok: @theinstallpocastPaloma: www.palomacontreras.comInstagram: @palomacontrerasdesignTikTok: @palomacontrerasdesignShopMy: @palomacontrerasCaroline: www.carolinegidiere.comInstagram: @carolinegidieredesignTikTok: @carolinegidieredesignbtsShopMy: @carolinegidiereChapters00:17 — Mahjong Magic 04:14 — Starbucks Chaos 06:52 — Kindergarten 10:25 — Heavy News 16:51 — Personality Game 27:18 — Chic Overload 32:46 — Gatekeeping 40:03 — Scarf Season 41:40 — Retro Summer 44:03 — Peplum Problems 46:35 — Fashion Feeling 48:06 — Utility Mode 49:10 — Sporty Spice 51:06 — Sign-Off