We Won Gold at the 2010 ASID OC Design Awards!

September 24th, 2010 by jennifermyers

Our luxury Newport Beach bachelor pad took Gold in Home of the Year Award! (over 3,500 sq. ft.)

Our luxury Newport Beach bachelor pad took Gold in Home of the Year Award! (over 3,500 sq. ft.)

This year’s ASID OC Design Awards took a nautical turn, as they were held aboard the Endeavor as it cruised through Newport Harbor. “It was a beautiful night,” recalls Lisa McDennon, who attended the awards with her husband Kevin, Senior Designer Jan Smith and new design staff member Melissa Morgan. “It was lovely to glide through the harbor and sip cocktails on the deck while mixing with some of Orange County’s top people in the industry!” (read the rest of this post…)

We Like to Rock and Roll

September 17th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Even bachelor pads deserve to shine.

Even bachelor pads deserve to shine.

As you know, we at LRM Interior Design love a little sparkle, whether it’s sinks, wallpaper or chandeliers. We like to add it somewhere in most of our designs. Hmmm…you may think. Isn’t LRM Interior Design known for designing Orange County’s best luxury bachelor pads? Well, yes we are. So how do you get sparkle in a gentleman’s home?

Sparkle can be masculine too, especially when it is in rock form—agate geodes, specifically. “Agate and other geodes are nature’s sculpture,” says Jan Smith, Senior Designer at LRM Interior Design. “We like to include them in rooms, as they are great for added abstract shapes and color.”

In LRMID’s Newport Beach luxury bachelor pad, which just won the 2010 ASID Award for Best O.C. Home Design over 3,500 sq. ft. (don’t worry, more on that soon!), an agate geode mounted on a stand creates a wonderful accent for the powder bathroom on the ground floor. The metal veins running through the agate are brought out by the organically shaped, solid bronze sink and faucets, and creates a look that is elegant—but not girly in any way. (read the rest of this post…)

LRM Needs Your Vote!!

September 8th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Please vote for design #20!

Please vote for design #20!

LRM Interior Design is up for the People’s Choice Award for the 2010 ASID OC Design Awards! Please help us by voting—it’s simple. All you have to do is click here, scroll to Design #20 and vote. The photo should look like the one to the left.

Vote now! Tell your friends and family! The awards are this Saturday night, so please vote right away.

For 2010, LRM Interior Design has entered two projects in to the ASID competition, and both are upscale bachelor residences. The People’s Choice Award is a separate category, and we would certainly love to get that kudos!

Last year, in 2009, you may remember that it was LRM Interior Design’s first time up to bat in the ASID OC Design Awards. For the first time, LRM Interior Design entered the competition in two categories. Our fearless leader, Lisa McDennon, barely had time to sit down before she was called up to receive her first award. And if you think she was floored by that one, you should have seen her when they called her name for the second time!

Then there was the win for the Designer Runway Extravaganza and, although not technically an interior design award, it showed Lisa and her team’s ability to adapt, roll with the punches and show grace under pressure.

So for the 2010 ASID OC Design Awards, we expect nothing but the highest marks and to take home all the awards we can. So keep your fingers crossed on Saturday night, when Lisa McDennon and Senior Designer Jan Smith will be at the ceremony, sailing Newport Harbor on The Endeavor. And keep your eyes peeled for an update after the event! Best of luck!

Top Five Faves: Bedside Tables

September 3rd, 2010 by jennifermyers

It may seem like a simple thing to source, but good bedside tables are hard to find, believe it or not. We decided to help everyone out with our Five Faves and highlight some of the best on the market—even if they weren’t labeled “bedside tables.” A good designer knows how to convince a piece to do something it wasn’t made to do, and do it well. This month’s selections are no exceptions. So with no further ado, here are our Top Five Fave bedside tables:

Oly Studio's Jackson Chest of Drawers

Oly Studio's Jackson Chest of Drawers

1. Oly Studios Jackson Chest of Drawers: “Many companies make a chest similar to this, but no-one does it with the same panache as Oly,” says Lisa McDennon. “The lacquered wood looks amazing in white, but I like it in the dark colors, too.” Lisa also likes that this chest fits well as a bedside table in rooms that are contemporary, Asian or traditional, dressed up or down—it’s so versatile and practical at the same time. Talk about making a piece of furniture work well in many settings: Lisa also suggests that this white, lacquered-wood chest could look stunning in an entryway, or be a changing table for baby that will grow with them as they leave the nursery. (read the rest of this post…)

Customized Artwork for Clients

August 11th, 2010 by jennifermyers
Quad, by Douglas--one of the many pieces from Phoenix Art Group.

Quad, by Douglas--one of the many pieces from Phoenix Art Group.

When designing for clients, whether it be an entire home or just a few select rooms, the finishing touches are just as important as the basics, like wall color and flooring. What really makes interior design sing is the sum of the parts, not the individual pieces.

That said, it means that the individual pieces have to be chosen carefully! Take hanging art, for instance. This can be tricky, especially if clients have existing pieces that need to be incorporated into the design, and that means that the designer will consider that at the start of the project, taking the leads on color and style from elements of the piece.

If a designer has carte blanche to design from floor to ceiling, then artwork can be chosen later in the project, after the initial concept has been decided. Although there are times when a designer can be so inspired by a single piece that they design an entire room around it, like the Lesley Anton lamp in our luxury Newport bachelor pad project. (read the rest of this post…)

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…

Kravet10766b

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…)

What’s Red, Hot and Fast? Not a Ferrari—the new Electrolux Washing Machine

July 16th, 2010 by jennifermyers
The Electrolux washer in Red Hot Red

The Electrolux washer in Red Hot Red

Who says laundry can’t be fun? We love designing laundry rooms, and can’t wait to use a washer and dryer from Electrolux’s latest collection. When it comes to laundry, we all want our whites white and our colors bright, right? With Electrolux’s new line, what we want on the inside is right on the outside. The washers and dryers come in Red Hot Red, Mediterranean Blue, Turquoise Sky, Island White and Silver Sands, and will add that extra spark to a laundry room.

There are so many features that make the machines themselves wonderful (18 minutes to wash, 18 minutes to dry, extremely quiet and eco-friendly), but we also like how they, ahem, stack up. From a design standpoint, their versatility is very attractive; they can stack, be freestanding or under a counter, the doors can be reversed and they have optional pedestal drawers. (read the rest of this post…)

Top Five Faves: Patterned Wallpaper

July 9th, 2010 by jennifermyers

We warned you—we have more to say about wallpaper. Not quite as much as last week, as we were able to narrow down our patterned choices to the required five…just. Where last week presented wallcoverings that were nigh on incredible, this week we’re staying more in the realm of what most people would call wallpaper. But that doesn’t mean they’re boring….

Schumacher Imperial Trellis

Schumacher Imperial Trellis

1. Schumacher Imperial Trellis: This pattern is a staff favorite, and although it comes in 14 colorways, including Parchment/Midnight, Citrine and Cinnabar Gloss, we love it in Charcoal. Although it’s in Schumacher’s “Modern” section, we think that the pattern has such a classic feel to it that it could be used in a traditional setting, too.

Romo Kimura in Turmeric

Romo Kimura in Turmeric

2. Romo Kimura in Turmeric: The name and color of this wallpaper conjure up two different Orients—Japan and India. The combination of florals, using both lotus flowers and cherry blossoms, give this wallpaper a balanced pattern, and the grey looks fantastic against the deep yellow background.

Graham & Brown Drama Wallcovering in Boheme

Graham & Brown Drama Wallcovering in Boheme

3. Graham & Brown Drama Wallpaper in Boheme: This pattern also comes in burnt orange and black, but we love it in chocolate—could it be the name? Actually, we love how the retro feel of this paper comes into its own in the chocolate color, but the updated pattern keeps it feeling modern. This paper would be great for a den, game room or dining room, and we can’t wait to use it to create something fabulous. And when we do, we’ll definitely post it!

Cole & Son Apana Gold on Blue

Cole & Son Apana Gold on Blue

4. Cole & Son Alpana in Gold and Blue: This wallpaper made us feel like we were going to have high tea at the Ritz in London, what with its delicate gold design on the eggshell blue. Think about an elegant afternoon sipping tea and nibbling on cucumber sandwiches and scones in the most divine setting. Designer Kristen Rusert commented: “The pattern is beautiful, and I love the color combinations—it also comes in gold on black. It looks so regal!”

Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon

Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon

5. Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon: Back to the Orient, but this time—China. We’ve loved this pattern in a fabric, and we love it just as much as a wallcovering. Out of the four colorways, we love the Aquamarine over Lacquer, China Blue and Alabaster. We are enchanted with the dragon winding through and peeking out from behind the peonies and dahlias.

Top Five Faves: Unusual Wallcoverings

July 1st, 2010 by jennifermyers

First confession: this week we fudged. Just a little bit. We were beat at our task by the multitude of wonderful, exquisite and downright fantastical wallpapers on the market, and we could only narrow our Faves down to seven. Don’t hate us because they’re so beautiful!

Second confession: we couldn’t even fit all of our favorite wallpapers into one Faves blog! So watch out for part two, when we present our favorite patterned wallpapers.

But now, for our favorite—shall we say off the wall?—choices:

Schumacher Kyoko Mica

Schumacher Kyoko Mica

1. Schumacher Kyoko Mica in Silver: Jan Smith wowed us with this one, especially since we have used it in one of our high-end bachelor pad guest bathrooms. “For that project, we used a bronze colorway of this paper, and in the small bathroom, it added sparkle, texture and a much-needed presence,” Jan explains. “It is the first thing you notice when you enter the room, and the impact of it stays with you after you leave.” It’s a lot to ask from a wallpaper, Jan admits, “but it delivers!” (read the rest of this post…)

ASID OC Designer Runway Extravaganza: OMG We WON!

June 18th, 2010 by lisa
Kari Seydewitz, aka The Mad Hatter, on the final catwalk run for the ASID Designer Runway Extravaganza 2010

Kari Seydewitz, aka The Mad Hatter, on the final catwalk run for the ASID Designer Runway Extravaganza 2010

We prepped. We planned. We found out what TO do and what NOT to do. Kari worked on her makeup for hours. We built the maddest top hat outside of Disney. And we frantically worked for 90 full minutes at the Fremarc showroom on Wednesday night turning designer Kari Seydewitz into the Mad Hatter. (read the rest of this post…)