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This week Kat is joined by Alison Victoria designer and host of Windy City Rehab. The two dish the dirt about all sorts of topics including Alison’s bold personality, her skincare rituals, love of the Chicago Cubs and what (or who) made her say yes to participating in the second season of Rock the Block.

Alison grew up in Chicago and during her childhood, her family lived on the 45th floor of the John Hancock Center. Even as a kid she knew she would be a designer — she studied interior architecture in school — but never thought she’d be on TV. Alison talks about her vintage-modern style and why it’s important to her to source pieces with history and character. She also shares that she’d love to own an antique store one day.

Defend the Trend: Open Shelving

In our Defend the Trend segment of the podcast, Kat asks Alison if open shelves in the kitchen are still on-trend. Alison says they’re a must, “always have open shelving even if it’s just a couple of display items like your treasures and your go-to stuff.“

HGTV to the Rescue

A listener who is getting ready to sell their home writes in and asks if painting your walls all beige is still the best way to go when staging. Ty Pennington, the host of HGTV’s Ty Breaker, answers the beige-or-not-to-beige question.