November 10th, 2011 by jennifermyers
We know, we know. There’s so much promotion everywhere about what’s “green” and what’s not, sustainability and general good (or bad!) practices by companies, it’s getting a little boring. It’s also getting so common to talk about that consumers have to be careful of “greenwashing”, where companies are misleading their customers—and sometimes outright lying—about how green, natural or sustainable their product is.
And in our world, we find it hard to put anything in front of style, even if it is branded as “eco-friendly”. Our clients’ happiness is based on our successful designs, and how well we match the idea they had in their head of their beautifully remodeled room, office, restaurant or home.
Now, if they want an entirely environmentally friendly space, or just a few pieces, we do know where to look. And we’ve put together a list of some of these companies here for you to see that nobody has to sacrifice style to be green: (read the rest of this post…)
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November 4th, 2011 by jennifermyers
Is anyone else shocked that it’s November already? We are, and we think it’s because we’ve had such an Indian summer that we didn’t notice the time passing. Just earlier this week it was 90° here in Orange County! But today it’s raining, so we’re getting a bit more in the mood for that wonderful time of the year for celebration and family: Thanksgiving.
We wanted to share with you some easy, fun and affordable table decorations for Thanksgiving that didn’t involve pumpkins, corncobs, turkeys or cranberries. We love tradition, but we love to mix it up at this festive holiday time of year. All of these items can be purchased online, except of course the Martha Stewart item, which is more of a do-it-yourself. But that just makes it all the more special when everyone sits down at your beautiful Thanksgiving table. (read the rest of this post…)
Tags: 2010 ASID OC Design Award winner, acorn decorations, acorns and candles, anthropologie home goods, candleholders, centerpiece made of grapes, cloth napkins, contemporary, Crate & Barrel, decor, edible centerpieces, elegance, gold nest runner, gold table runner, hanging candle holders, hobnail pitcher, inspiration, interior designer, Laguna Beach, Lisa McDennon, Lisa Rachelle McDennon Interior Design, LRM Interior Design, Martha Stewart, non-traditional holiday decorations, non-traditional thanksgiving decorations, Orange County, Orange County homes, Orange County's top designer, placemats for thanksgiving, purple cloth napkins, purple water pitcher, rona amber placemats, Southern California, thanksgiving decor, thanksgiving decorat, thanksgiving decorations, top interior designers, z gallerie
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October 26th, 2011 by jennifermyers
Last week we put our newest employee and assistant designer, Ali Bacon, on the spot to come up with her take on dining chairs, and she definitely lived up to our LRM Interior Design standards. What great choices!
This week we present the guru of mid-century modernity, Senior Designer Jan Smith. Jan is a true fan of classic styling, and appreciates the quality that only good craftsmanship and design can provide. She’s also a stickler for comfort—Jan is not one to take beauty if it’s uncomfortable. As the Bauhaus motto enforced “form and function”, so does Mrs. Smith.
To the point, this girl knows what a good dining room chair looks like! Let’s get her top five picks: (read the rest of this post…)
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September 8th, 2011 by jennifermyers
It’s time for those little ones that you’ve fostered through scraped knees, training wheels, the Terrible Twos, through the angst-filled early teen years to finally leave the nest. Kind of….they’ll probably still be home at weekends to do their laundry, unless they got into a college out of state!
For some young adults, this will be the first time they really have a place to themselves. Yes, they’ll still be surrounded by tens or even hundreds of other students, but they won’t be surrounded by family. So make it nice for them! But a word to the wise—don’t take over. Let them personalize the space and make it their own. We’ve compiled some of our favorite items we think would look great and be useful in a small space. (read the rest of this post…)
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September 1st, 2011 by jennifermyers
It's him! Jonathan Adler!
Frankly, we’re surprised that those fashionable, stylish Brits haven’t jumped on Jonathan Adler, bundled him up and taken him off to their damp but decadent wilds of London. Luckily they haven’t, because we feel, here at LRM Interior Design, that he’s a national treasure. And he’s all ours.
Although, of course, we will allow him to have a store there, on the ever-so-posh Sloane Avenue in South Kensington, or “South Ken” to locals and those in the know. He’ll be hobnobbing with all the top names there—Paul Smith and Joseph, two of the UK’s top clothing brands—plus be right around the corner from Sloane Square and all the fab shops down the King’s Road. But don’t get us started; we’ll be booking tickets on British Airways in a minute if we keep going on about it!
It’s not opening til next month, but to give you a preview, we wanted to show you some of our top faves from the glorious Mr. Adler. So, as the Brits say, let’s get on with it, then! (read the rest of this post…)
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August 23rd, 2011 by jennifermyers
Designing tile for kitchens, bathrooms, indoor rooms, outdoor spaces—wherever you want to put it—is one of our favorite things. And we don’t just make up a nice little picture to show the tile installer, we go through a complete process with our client.
We design the whole area and make our tile suggestions that fit within the client’s budget, of course. Then we go through all the tile selections with the client, either at their residence, business or at the showroom, whichever is most appropriate for the client and the size and quantity of the tile.
Then we create a detailed CAD drawing that measures out every little thing, down to the millimeter, down to the space for the grout. We leave no room for chance at LRM Interior Design; we want that tile installer to know exactly what we want him to do. We even make up styleboards that show each type of tile that will go in a certain area. And yes, the contractors love working with us for just this kind of attention to detail, because we help them get the job done right the first time. (read the rest of this post…)
Tags: antique bronze, antique brown, arizona hot dots, bachelor pad design, bathroom tile, bathrooms, California, California Contemporary, contemporary, contemporary metal tile, copper tile in kitchen, Creative Metal Tiles, crossville tiles, decor, decorative tile, designer, designer for bachelors, designing with tile, eco-friendly, elegance, Haloween decorating, indoor rooms, inspiration, interior design, interior design for bachelors, interior designer, kitchen tile, kitchens, Laguna Beach, Lisa Rachelle McDennon Interior Design, LRM Interior Design, luxury bachelor pad, metal tile liners, metal tiles, Newport Beach, Orange County, Orange County homes, Orange County's top designer, outdoor spaces, raised circle metal tiles, refresh tile in kitchen, sculpted tiles, shower tile, Southern California, tile design, tile design for powder room, tile designs for bathroom, tile designs for kitchens, tile finishing, tile installation, tiles with 50% recycled content, top interior designers, verdigris copper tiles
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August 12th, 2011 by jennifermyers
With last week’s special on Hinkley Lighting, we’ve gotten a bit light-fixture obsessed. It’s not a bad thing, for sure, in our business—as you keep hearing us say, the right lighting can transform a room!
We can’t put every one of our favorite light fixtures on the blog, but we’ve decided to round up some of the modern, edgy light fixtures that have caught our eye recently; there’s a lot of organic shapes, spaceship influences and mixed media here to be inspired by. We certainly were!
And yes, there’s more to come about our new project with Hinkley…be patient!
Box Light
1. Box Light—Design House Stockholm:”Everyday objects can be sculptural, too,” says Jan Smith, Senior Designer at LRM Interior Design. What looks like a simple, powder-coated aluminum rectangular container actually slides open to reveal a lamp. Slides open? Oh, yes. That means that you can actually control the illumination, almost like a dimmer switch, but more like an Aladdin’s lamp! Thank you to designer Jonas Hakaniemi—we love the Swedes for their design sensibility. The lamp stands 3/4-inches in height, uses an incandescent bulb and can be laid on a surface or suspended like a pendant lamp. Group two or more together for a dynamic lighting display.
Caviar Cluster
2. Caviar Cluster Chandelier—Arteriors Home: Beautiful glass globes encase what looks like illuminated, polished nickel trumpets in this dramatic chandelier. It would be like having delicate bubbles suspended permanently in your home! The organic shapes do not detract from the intrinsically elegant nature of this ceiling light fixture, and we think that it could be used to great effect in a contemporary home, or even as a surprising accent in a more traditionally styled home. Caviar is always a sign of good taste and luxury…
Infinity Pendant
3. Infinity Pendant—John Pomp Studios: How can something almost invisible pack so much punch? We’re not sure, but we think it’s the simplicity that does it. This hand-blown glass is the epitome of organic shaping, and has a slight iridescence to it, making it almost ethereal. Can you even really call it a “shade”? The pendant is delicate but stunning, and we can see a row of them over a long dining table or a single one over a contemporary round dining table. What a perfect lamp—it’s shade goes with every color and pattern!
Ice Block Pendant
4. Ice Block—Conant Metal & Lighting: This lamp perfectly blends vintage with contemporary; an old-fashioned set of ice tongs holding a lamp shade made to look like a block of ice! Our mind is spinning thinking of the fun ways you can use this lamp. Restaurant, historic property, or even a mountain lodge-style home, like the project we’re finishing up in June Lake—all would be great places to install this hand-crafted light fixture. Did we mention the glass is recycled?
Atlantis
5. Atlantis—Hinkley Lighting: We couldn’t leave off Hinkley, what with a new project in the works. This lamp is made for the outdoors, one of the more recent collections that Hinkley has released. We loved how sleek these wall sconces were, and the subtlety of the light itself, perfect for gently guiding people through a garden or outdoor space. Choose from aluminum or bronze to accent your landscaping, and Hinkley provides many variations in the Atlantis collection, including post lighting and pocket lamps.
If you are interested in any of these light fixtures, or need a consultation on your home’s lighting needs, please contact LRM Interior Design by calling (949) 497-6806 or click here to use our online contact form.
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April 12th, 2011 by jennifermyers
One of the things we are allowed to do in our job is see a lot of what is behind closed doors in many clients’ homes. We’re not snooping, of course, but to find out what spaces can be used for, repurposed or remodeled, you need to see everything. And we’ve found that many people are what’s commonly known as “packrats” or “hoarders”.
And that’s not to say that much of what they’re hoarding needs to be thrown out, but if you’re not using these items, perhaps it’s because it’s packed so far back in a cupboard you forget about it. Or, you could be like Katherine Caporale, the newest member of the LRM Interior Design team, someone who was brought up to save the best items for special occasions. “I subconsciously incorporated my mother’s philosophy into my attitude towards my possessions,” Katherine explains. “For instance, my Christofle sterling silver sits waiting for a holiday to be admired. But this year’s spring cleaning will be a rebirth for all the lovely pieces that have been leading a cloistered existence in the china closet!”
And why don’t we all take Katherine’s lead? Clear out those items that you put in the cupboard to hide, and take out the beautiful items that should be admired by all who see it, every single day. Here’s some fantastic ideas on how to showcase those items, plus some refreshing spring ideas from our fearless leader, Lisa McDennon herself!
The perfect storage solution for a shoe collection
1. SHOES: Now, we know that there are ladies out there that like sensible shoes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s face it, whether they are sensible shoes or fabulous Manolo Blahniks, most of us girls are obsessed with our shoes. So why shut them away in the closet? We love this shoe storage tower with space for 18 pairs of shoes and six handbags. Lined with pale grey fabric that keeps shoes and handbags in great shape, the cubbies can be readjusted to hold boots or specially sized shoes or bags. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for the “buy!” button! Just call the girls at LRM Interior Design and they can get you pricing: (949) 497-6806. (read the rest of this post…)
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December 17th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Today the weather outside in Southern California is frightful, but luckily inside it’s so delightful, thanks to some beautiful ideas on decorating your home that aren’t mass produced or seen on every street. What do we mean by that? Well, the best way is to clear your table, enlist family and/or friends, get the glue and pretty paper out, and get creating! But it could also just be getting away from the standard red and green colors for the holiday and mix it up a bit. Here’s some tips from Senior Designer Jan Smith and Design Assistant Melissa Morgan.
Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House in gingerbread
1. Gingerbread Modern Houses: You don’t need to throw tradition out the window; that’s not what we’re saying! But how about getting a little creative with the spiced-and-baked architecture? Gingerbread houses can easily be built from using a kit that you buy at the store, but that’s too easy. How about a gingerbread house inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House? Before you think you need to be an Ace of Cakes—oh wait, yes you do. This one was created by April Reed Cake design and took over 25 hours to make! And you don’t even want to know how much it cost….but 15% of the proceeds went to the restoration project in the works for Farnsworth House when it was damaged in a flood a few years ago. (read the rest of this post…)
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November 30th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Now the nights are drawing in, and there’s a nip in the air. Our thoughts turn to snuggling, and that can mean one thing: BED. We at LRM Interior Design love bedding that is so beautiful, soft and decadent that the first thing you think of when you wake up is getting back in to bed that night!
And without further ado, here’s our staff’s top picks:
Palmer by Niche Bedding
1. Palmer by Niche: Anyone who knows Senior Designer Jan Smith knows that her favorite colors are black and white, preferably together. So no surprise that she picked out Niche Bedding’s Palmer line, a modern but versatile bedding ensemble. “You can never go wrong with a crisp, white duvet cover,” says Jan. “And you can always add a pop of color to this set to make it your own.” Jan’s favorite part? “The graphic design on the shams is just delicious.” It brings a new meaning to eating in bed!
John Robshaw Indigo Turban Bedding
2. Anything by John Robshaw: Lisa McDennon is a fan of John Robshaw, and although we chose the Indigo Turban bedding pattern for the photo, all of his patterns are hits for her. “He has a great niche in the market,” explains Lisa. “His patterns have an ethnic, Moroccan and Indian influence that I love. The color and patterns are amazing—subtle yet unique.” Robshaw traveled to India as many young people do, but he fell in love with the textiles, and has decided to recreate them back here in the U.S. And we say thank you!
Giacosa by Designers Guild
3. Giacosa by Designers Guild: Melissa Morgan loves this British textile manufacturer. “They always have on-trend fabrics and wallpapers—and now bedding!” she says. And sticking with our gorgeous to touch theme, she also notes that the Giacosa collection is made from cotton sateen, so it doesn’t just look great, it’s feels great too. Those Brits understand the importance of a warm, comfy bed, we’ve realized…
Yvonne by Wildcat Territory
4. Yvonne by Wildcat Territory: Don’t worry, this bedding won’t attack you, but rather keep you snug in it’s stylish and modern design. Can you guess who picked this one? Yes, it’s Jan Smith again, loving the monochrome look. “This is a simple, classic bedding design that is like a blank canvas for whatever you want your bedroom to be,” Jan explains. “The sky is literally the limit with this ensemble,” she says, as it can be paired with either contemporary or traditional accents for a beautiful result every time.
Gate Ash by Dwell Studios
5. Gate Ash Duvet Set by Dwell Studios: This is a monochrome set too, but in a different way, as it starts with a rich, dusty brown. The bold pattern caught Melissa’s eye: “I absolutely love this pattern! Being monochromatic, you can add any color you wish to the palette.” Again, the LRMID designers are always looking at ways to customize even “off-the-shelf” products for their clients.
LRMID can create custom bedding and furniture
6. Custom Bedding by LRM Interior Design: Okay, this one’s cheating. But we were really pleased with how the custom bed turned out in this room. It wasn’t just the linens that were custom designed and made, the headboard, the curtains and the pillows on the window seat were all made to order. This bedroom won an ASID award, by the way! So when you can’t find the perfect bedding, just call us at LRM Interior Design, and we’ll design something that’s completely unique and just right for your room. Kari Seydewitz loves creating soft furnishings; she’ll be happy to get started right away. We also make custom furniture. It’s the perfect idea for a holiday gift for that person who has everything!
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