Top Five Faves: Dining Room Chairs

July 30th, 2010 by jennifermyers

There are so many elements in creating the perfect dining room that it’s hard to focus on one aspect. But for you, readers, this week we’ve managed it. Behold our Top Five Favorite dining room chairs, and from the looks of it, we at LRM Interior Design like to be comfortable while we eat.

And why not? A good designer should be able to choose or create a chair that suits its purpose, i.e. an occasional chair need not be as comfortable as a reading chair, where one would spend much more time. When entertaining, as a dining room suggests, we want to make sure that our guests are happy in their seats, not waiting for the moment that dessert is finished so that they can retire to the softer furnishings of the living room!

Three of our five chairs are tufted, suggesting maximum comfort and luxury while dining; the remaining two are certainly plush. But please, dear reader, choose your own Top Fave…

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Kravet Ensemble Chairs

1. Kravet Ensemble Chair: If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to Senior Designer Jan Smith’s home for dinner, don’t dare say no. It’s no wonder that her choice of chair includes arms—one bite of her husband’s cuisine and you’re likely to fall out of your seat with delight.

Jan is the ultimate hostess, and prefers staying at the table to being in the kitchen: “Dining is an experience for me, and I prefer it to last for hours and through multiple courses,” Jan explains. “These chairs are perfect for extended periods of sitting. Plus, I like the idea of using a “club-style” chair at a dining table.” (read the rest of this post…)

Top Five Faves: Chandeliers

May 28th, 2010 by jennifermyers

Chandeliers are the cream of the lighting crop, adding elegance to the practical nature of room lighting. Even the sound of the name sounds highbrow and expensive, and we at LRM Interior Design love the many different styles and materials that chandeliers are made of. As usual, it was very difficult to narrow down our list to just five, but here they are.

Jaeger 6-Tier Horn Chandelier

Jaeger 6-Tier Horn Chandelier

1. Jaeger 6-Tiered Horn Chandelier: Our love affair with capiz-shell chandeliers is still strong, don’t worry—after all, they helped us win one of our ASID awards! But it will have to share our hearts with this Jaeger horn chandelier, as the color and shape of the horn pieces are gorgeous. The hammered antique brass canopy is beautiful, as is the light diffused by the polished pieces of horn. This is a light fixture that does not melt into the background, but is rather more of an attention-getter—we must feel like it’s one of the LRM gang… (read the rest of this post…)

Support LRMID at the 4th Annual Designer Runway Extravaganza!

May 21st, 2010 by jennifermyers
Lisa McDennon

Lisa McDennon

This year Lisa McDennon and the team at LRM Interior Design will be participating in the 4th Annual Designer Runway show. This event is like a combination of Project Runway and Divine Design, but even more challenging. Teams of four will have 90 minutes, seven yards of fabric and one sewing machine, and their task is to create a couture outfit for the Laguna Design Center’s runway.

Forgive us for being biased, but we already think that Lisa McDennon looks like she’s just stepped off a runway most days. Hopefully she’ll be the one to shimmy her way down the Designer Runway next month, after giving her superb fashion advice to the others on her team.If so, the other teams won’t have a chance!

There will be martinis, wine and hors d’oeuvres for the audience to enjoy while the evening’s events transpire. The team’s outfits will be judged: not by Heidi Klum, but by a panel of celebrity judges hand picked for the occasion.

Tickets are on sale now! Prices start at $35 for general admission, and $75 for VIPs. Join us at the Laguna Design Center on June 16th at 5:30PM to cheer on LRM Interior Design as they strut their stuff down the runway at this exciting event.

June Lake Update: Mountain Lodge Design

May 16th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Lisa goes over plans with contractor and architect

Lisa goes over plans with contractor and architect

Can you believe it’s already May?  It seems like just yesterday when Senior Designer Jan Smith and I braved the cold snow and met with our clients at June Lake to help redesign their mountain home.  Five months later, Jan and I have begun to really implement and put our design into action.   Last month Jan and I headed up to June Lake and conducted a final walkthrough with the architect, the cabinet maker, the electrician, the tile contractor and the lighting specialist to ensure that all details were set in place.

Jan and I spent a great deal of time with the tile. We showed our client the selections we had picked, laying out every design out in the house to gain a better overall perspective of the space and to see if everything flowed together well. We sat down with the tile contractor and went through each tile drawing to ensure that every detail, down to the finishing of the tile edges, was correct.  I’ve always believed that it is best to discuss everything with my contractors, because sometimes not everything translates perfectly from paper or the contractors might have a particular style of finishing that doesn’t work with our design. Strong communication is key in successful designing! (read the rest of this post…)

What Separates Us from Other Designers?

May 9th, 2010 by lisa
Details are an important part of interior design

Details are an important part of interior design

I believe that it is a combination of our innovative design skills and our impeccable and savvy ability to manage our projects.  So often we hear tragic stories of clients working with designers that display talent, but fall short when it comes time to carry out their business practices.  Or just as often, we witness atrociously designed interiors, obviously done by unqualified designers who misled their clients—and got paid for it.

At LRM Interior Design, we help our clients avoid both circumstances by following our infallible formula for success.  Here are our top 10 qualities that help us continually achieve that success.

  1. We start by listening to our clients’ needs. From that, we create a cohesive design plan starting from the very beginning.  We follow through on that plan, never straying away from it.  This ensures consistency and efficiency.
  2. We build trust by educating our clients throughout the entire process, ensuring that they understand every reasoning behind our decisions.  We have established such a reputable rapport with our clients to the point where they consult us even for the minutest decisions.  (read the rest of this post…)

Focus on Furnishings: Part Two

April 25th, 2010 by lisa
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LRMID makes sure that the furniture's size fits the room and complements the style, but most importantly we make sure it fits within your budget.

Today we will be discussing how to maximize your cost savings without having to compromise quality.  There are many intricacies of the interior design industry, so even though you might be the savviest and most economic shopper at your local mall, chances are the trade secrets of designing are hovering just below your radar, consequently costing you hundreds.

Where do you begin to save money?  For starters, your very own designer could be hindering your chances of executing an affordable house renovation.  A designer might know which color towels will complement your bathroom tiles or can expertly match a leather ottoman to your couch, but what makes a good designer? A good designer will have mastered buying power, or as I would like to say, “trimming the fat”.  To put it simply, it means that your designer should be adept at the art of penny-pinching and saving you every last dime possible, all the while maintaining quality. (read the rest of this post…)

Lisa McDennon Touted as Creating “Inspiring Interiors”!

March 2nd, 2010 by jennifermyers

Inspired Interiors Blog

Inspired Interiors Blog

The wonderful creator of the “Inspiring Interiors” blog has listed Lisa McDennon and LRM Interior Designs as their latest favorite. Click here to check out the blog. They found her through her feature in House Beautiful!

We’re particularly enamored with the comment posted by Paige, who says they are her favorite interiors yet! Thank you, Paige!

LRM Interior Design has become a leader in the design world, and we’re happy to see it. Go LRMID!

Lisa McDennon is Keynote Speaker Tomorrow at the Laguna Design Center

February 4th, 2010 by jennifermyers
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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.

(read the rest of this post…)

LRM Interior Design Introduces Press Page

January 18th, 2010 by jennifermyers
LRM Interior Design Featured in House Beautiful Magazine

LRM Interior Design Featured in House Beautiful Magazine

Between ASID Design Awards and being named as one of the top designers to watch in 2010, it was time for LRM Interior Design to launch a Press page on their website.

Over the last three months, Lisa McDennon and LRM Interior Design have been showcased in three publications. The first was in Orange County’s premier magazine, Orange Coast magazine, after she was the only entrant to win two ASID 2009 Design Awards in September.

The second, and potentially most exciting, was House Beautiful’s first issue of 2010, announcing their top 20 interior designers to watch across the country.

Thirdly, Victorian Homes Magazine interviewed Lisa as an expert in her field, asking for her recommendations on the best door hardware for an authentic or vintage look in a home.

Continue to check back on the Press page for new media coverage of Lisa McDennon and LRM Interior Design—there’s more in the pipeline…

LRM Interior Design Named in House Beautiful’s Top 20

November 24th, 2009 by jennifermyers
Lisa McDennon at release party with Stan and Karen Andrade, of Andrade Architects, Laguna Beach

Lisa McDennon at release party with Stan and Karen Andrade, of Andrade Architects, Laguna Beach

November 17th, 2009—Candles lit the entryway and soft music filled the air of LRM Interior Design’s studio in Laguna Beach, California as guests arrived at the party, arranged for a special announcement.

Lisa Rachelle McDennon and her team greeted guests, who included some of Orange County’s top architect and construction firms as well as LRM Interior Design’s long-standing clientele. Guests nibbled at the stunning array of cheese and hors d’oeuvres and sipped wine and champagne as Lisa McDennon stood to make her announcement. (read the rest of this post…)