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!

1. The iPad Cover: First of all, it’s LRM policy that everyone has some form of Jonathan Adler stationery at work, be it file folders, pencil cases or a notebook. We’ll be surprised if Jan Smith, Senior Designer and recent recipient of an iPad2 for her birthday, isn’t sporting one of these very soon. For $30, you’ll have the most stylish iPad ever made because it’s covered in one of Jonathan Adler’s signature bold designs. Don’t ever let anyone borrow it; they’ll steal the cover even if they can’t steal the iPad!

2. The Adler App: What else would you have on your Adler-covered iPad but the Jonathan Adler app? Unfortunately it cannot summon the man himself, but you get all sorts of amazing, interactive goodies, from a gift finder and the “Product du Jour” to inspirations, photos and comments from fans. It’s all kinds of wonderful, and frankly, we can’t get enough!!

3. Horse: No, not the playground game, but this midnight-glazed horse head sculpture. We love horses as a masculine décor accessory, and this one has the cleanest of lines with an unusually gorgeous color. This high-fired stoneware piece is over a foot high and just over 10″ wide, and is part of the Menagerie collection. Each prototype is hand carved, then made by a studio in Peru, which Adler found through Aid to Artisans, a non-profit organization that links American designers to artisans in developing countries. Nice!

4. Bedding: Live in Hollywood wherever you are in the world with Adler’s stunning Hollywood bedding set. We can’t decide between the simpler embroidered design or the full on grey-and-white patterned version. Of course the sheets are made of 100% cotton percale and even the duvet cover has a 400 thread count. Who wouldn’t want to sleep surrounded by a Jonathan Adler pattern?

5. Ventana Mirror: Mirrors are an essential part of a home’s décor, in our opinion, and Mr. Adler certainly has a few that make our pulses race. This Ventana mirror being one of them. It comes in brass and black—perfect for our luxury bachelor pads— and nickel and white, which will fit nicely in our contemporary designs. We certainly can’t wait to use either of them. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the best OC designer of all? LRM Interior Design? We thought so.

If you need help accessorizing your home, we can help. We are constantly on the lookout for the perfect pieces for our clients’ homes, scouring physical and online sources to bring them the best pieces on their budget. Call (949) 497-6806 to arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa McDennon, our fearless, and fiercely talented, leader. Or click here to send her an email directly.

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.

Sea-inspired fragrance diffusers from Zodax

Our Senior Designer Jan Smith was visiting the Montage Laguna Beach recently, and saw a home fragrance diffuser that got her thinking. Most fragrance diffusers are nothing more than a jar filled with essential oils. “Most of these diffusers use bamboo reeds that stick out of the top of the jar by six inches or so,” comments Jan. “I can’t think of a room where this is an attractive accessory. So when I saw the diffusers at the Montage, I was happy to know that there’s options!”

Many people nowadays are sensitive to the chemicals that have made their way into our homes over the last 50 years, and are trying to avoid them. Cleaners, fragrances, disinfectant sprays and other household items can actually be toxic. Diffusers utilize essential oils instead of chemically created fragrances to produce scent. Many people have made the switch to diffusers in recent years, choosing them over the more traditional “plug-in” wall-socket room scenting options.

But how to get around the ubiquitous reeds sticking up unglamorously from the diffuser? Now many companies are using shaped porcelain stoppers that absorb the essential oils by using a cloth wick, that brings the scent up to the porcelain stopper and releases it into the air.

The LRMID favorite is the coral-shaped stopper from Zodax (shown above), but we also loved the Dragonfly porcelain ball diffuser. To release the fragrance of the essential oils, this diffuser uses a wick that burns slowly. It does get warm, unlike the Zodax diffuser, but that just means that the aroma is stronger. For those who like florals, Zodax also makes stoppers in the shape of peonies, narcissus and rose flowers.

Dragonfly diffuser from Greenleaf

If you’re looking for unique ways to accessorize your home, call LRM Interior Design for a consultation. We can transform your room with some carefully selected furnishings, window treatments and accessories that will make you feel like it was completely redecorated. Or, try our Design in a Box service to completely redecorate your home one room at a time. Call (949) 497-6806 to set an appointment or send an email.

Zodax's flower-shaped diffusers

Lisa McDennon, Principal of LRM Interior Design

Tomorrow at 10AM, students of interior design will be crowding around a podium at the Laguna Design Center, waiting for the keynote speaker. Seeing how the event, the Second Annual ASID OC Student Career Day, is co-sponsored by House Beautiful magazine, it’s no surprise that the keynote speaker is our own Lisa Rachelle McDennon.

Students will have the opportunity to have their portfolio reviewed, and learn about all aspects of interior design from Lisa and other award-winning designers attending the event. Topics of discussion and presentation include model home design; restaurant and hotel design; high-end custom home design; corporate spaces; oceanfront and estate property design; kitchen and bath design; yacht and small space design; and even landscape design.

Students can learn a great deal from the course that Lisa chartered, back before she was published in House Beautiful magazine and was a mere student herself, earning a degree in Fine Art at the University of Irvine.

Even though she was specializing in Drawing and Painting, Lisa realized that she never wanted the term “starving artist” to apply to her. Practicality set in, and Lisa began taking every architecture class, eventually signing up for an unpaid summer internship with an Orange County architect.

After four weeks, the architect was so impressed with her work and enthusiasm that he offered Lisa a salaried full-time position. Over the next four years, Lisa every aspect of drafting and planning for the company’s commercial clients. Just like her employer, Lisa was surprised to discover her aptitude for this “interior design” aspect of architecture.

Lisa found Newport Beach’s Interior Design Institute (IDI) in her own backyard, and after only one week knew she had found her true love. Three and a half years later, Lisa graduated as the class valedictorian, and gained her second bachelor’s degree.
During her time at IDI, Lisa supplemented her coursework by working for Orange County’s leading designers, and learned as much about her chosen field as she did about how a design studio should not be run. This unofficial training became critical sooner than she thought: after an unsuccessful two months hunting for the perfect job, her family encouraged her to start her own studio.

Only one week after giving her two weeks’ notice, she landed her first client—a private resort in Fiji. Over ten years later, Lisa runs her own successful studio in downtown Laguna Beach with three full-time design assistants, each contributing their own special talents and energy to every project.

Lisa continues to use her original background in art and architecture to provide clients with unique, hand-drawn renderings alongside architectural drawings, helping a client see their dream realized before the project begins. This process, along with knowing the value of listening to clients’ needs, creates exceptional designs, builds strong, long-term relationships with not only clients, but also with architects, contractors and developers.

For more information on the event, visit www.asidocc.org. For more information on Lisa McDennon and her design studio, visit www.lrmdesign.com.