Hostess Gift Ideas for Holiday Parties

December 28th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Christmas and Hanukkah may be over, but New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and even Kwanzaa lasts until January 1st. In short, there are still holiday parties to attend, and thank goodness! We don’t want the season to end yet!

That said, every good guest knows that if you’re invited to a person’s home for an event, a hostess gift is not only a way to make yourself very popular, it’s also a great way to thank the host or hostess for spending the time and money to throw the party, plus using their home as the venue. (read the rest of this post…)

Is Your Home Ready For Holiday Guests? Last Minute Tips

December 2nd, 2011 by jennifermyers

There’s not a lot of time left before the holiday season really starts in full force, and many of you may have family or friends arriving from out of town. Here are a few last minute items that you can easily install before they arrive to spruce your home up and impress your guests. And if you need help, advice or more information on how to buy these products or have them installed, just give us a call. We’re always here to help! (read the rest of this post…)

Dining Chairs: Five Classic Options

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…)

Another Reason to Love Kravet: Brunschwig & Fils

October 14th, 2011 by jennifermyers

The Les Alizés Collection from Brunschwig & Fils.

Everybody knows that we love Kravet—we love their furniture (especially the KravetSmart line!), we love their fabrics, we love their trimmings. And now there’s even more reason to love Kravet—they saved the esteemed fabric company Brunschwig & Fils.

This American company was founded in 1900 and has always been highly regarded in the industry, not just for their fabrics, but as a resource. Unfortunately, due to the economic upheaval, Brunschwig & Fils was forced to file for bankruptcy in late 2010.

But wait, that’s not all. Kravet president Cary Kravet swoops in like a superhero to Brunschwig & Fils’ rescue. Although they seem like a competitor, it makes complete sense for Kravet to add them to their line of offerings. (read the rest of this post…)

Furniture Faves: Modern Love

October 5th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Our eyes are always peeled for the best of the best that’s out on the market. We need to keep au courant for our clients, who look to us to not only find what fits in their home, but also what’s new in the design world. Many of our clients like to freshen up their design with the latest colors, textures, accessories and pieces to keep up with the trends.

And that just means that our job = what we love the most. Shopping! And even if we don’t shop in the traditional manner, we bookmark these items we fall in love with, both digitally and literally, to refer back to when the time is right to purchase for a project.

So, here are some pieces that were picked out by the award-winner herself, Lisa McDennon, with her inimitable taste and style.This time we’re looking at pieces that are categorized as “modern”—whether that’s Mid-Century Modern or contemporary. Enjoy! (read the rest of this post…)

We Love: Robert Allen Fabrics

September 28th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Even though we are basically fabric-obsessed—love that print you’re wearing, by the way—there’s a few companies we love more than others. You already know of our dedication to Kravet fabrics, as they have the combination of quality, durability and, of course, style, but Robert Allen has that certain je ne sais quoi that we just can’t get enough of.

We couldn’t quite make this a Top Five Faves as we couldn’t whittle our choices down from six. We felt that these fabrics presented a range of reasons why we squeal when the new Robert Allen fabric books hit the studio. So, without further ado, here are our top picks: (read the rest of this post…)

We Won, Third Year Straight at ASID OC Design Awards 2011!

September 23rd, 2011 by jennifermyers

The main lobby for Golden Comm, an website design firm in Irvine.

We are officially over the moon! For the third year running, our bustling design firm, LRM Interior Design, has taken home awards from the ASID OC’s annual Design Awards! This year’s was held on September 11, 2011 at the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. Although Lisa McDennon, our esteemed leader, has always had a bit of a competitive streak, she only entered our work for the first time three years ago, and has won a total of four Gold awards during that time. (read the rest of this post…)

Decorating the Dorm Room

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…)

Jonathan Adler Takes London!

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…)

Top Five Faves: Modern Lighting

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.