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…)

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…)

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.

Hinkley Lighting Strikes Again

August 3rd, 2011 by jennifermyers

We loved this photo from the Hinkley website, since it could be our own Lisa McDennon modeling!

Remember earlier this year when we announced Lisa McDennon’s inclusion in Hinkley Lighting’s website and nationwide catalog? Lisa was extremely flattered to be chosen as one of their top picks for giving “Lighting Style Tips and Ideas from Fabulous Designers“, and was even quoted in the blog as saying she looked forward to a long relationship with the distinguished brand.

And that turns out to have been quite the prediction—we don’t want to spill the beans, but keep your eye out for some exciting news here on the LRM Interior Design blog about that very thing! In the meantime, we wanted to talk a little bit about why Lisa felt so privileged to be included in Hinkley’s cadre of favorite designers. (read the rest of this post…)

Get Smart! And Beautiful Custom Furniture Can Be Yours

July 18th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Ooh la la! Designer furniture at a price everyone can afford.

If you think that affordable furniture can only be found at Ikea, and that any piece of furniture you get through an interior designer is overpriced—we’re happy to inform you that you’re wrong!

Ikea furniture might have some cool, European styling, but it’s not built to last. And let’s be honest: you’re not in college anymore, right? But with everyone feeling the crunch of the economy, LRM Interior Design wants to remind everyone about a product line from one of our favorite furniture and fabric companies: Kravet.

Look at the photos on this blog post. Do they look “affordable” to you? Do they look “budget”? Do they look like they come from a do-it-yourself store? No, we don’t think so either. These are all examples from Kravet’s Kravetsmart line, which we can’t get enough of.

What’s to love? What’s NOT to love! (read the rest of this post…)

Glamour: It’s Bold, It’s Beautiful

July 6th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Khloe Kardashian applied a glamourous touch to her office.

What’s glamour all about? It’s about making a statement. For instance: an actress like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn or (more recently) Gwyneth Paltrow would be called “elegant” rather than glamorous. So which actresses would sum up the definition of glamour?? Think Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren or our modern siren Angelina Jolie—even Joan Collins says she’s the only leading lady of today to stand up to the glamorous beauties of her time.

But we digress. What makes an interior glamorous? It’s definitely not gingham curtains, beige carpet or heavy, dark antiques. Our Project Manager, Kristen Rusert, has a few ideas. (read the rest of this post…)

Whether It’s a Little or a Lot, LRMID Can Make Homes Beautiful

June 27th, 2011 by jennifermyers

Lisa's inimitable style can be seen on the landing of the large, custom-built home.

Recently the home developer Terra Bella came to Lisa McDennon, principal of LRM Interior Design, and asked her to help with one of their “spec” homes in Covenant Hills. Covenant Hills is the area of Ladera Ranch where homes are exclusively custom built, and this one is on one of the best lots in the development with stunning views over Orange County.

A “spec” home is a custom home built by a developer or investor, not by an actual homeowner. In order to show the beautiful home in its full glory, Terra Bella knew they needed the deft touch of Lisa McDennon and her team.

Since it was more of a staging than a home remodel, Terra Bella did not want to spend the money for the LRM team to design the entire property, but they knew that any additions she made would add that perfect touch. They asked Lisa to focus on architectural details, one of her specialties, plus items such as advising on flooring choices, wall finishes, lighting, and the tile work on the pool and the master bath. (read the rest of this post…)

Soak Up Total Glamour

June 13th, 2011 by jennifermyers

This classic design has been updated for the 21st century

June is all about glamour at LRM Interior Design. Wait—it’s always all about glamour at LRM Interior Design! But this month we’re really going to highlight it.

Senior Designer Jan Smith starts us off with glamour in an unexpected place. Yes, it’s where we go to transform ourselves from ho-hum to va-va-voom, but can it be glamorous in the bathroom?

Absolutely! “Focal freestanding bathtubs are luxurious and can make or break a bathroom,” explains Jan. “The sky is the limit when you’re choosing a style direction, and the current market has a plethora of choices for even the most discerning bather.” (read the rest of this post…)

Elegant Outdoor Living

May 20th, 2011 by jennifermyers

A stunning example of mid-century modern architecture.

Spring has been quite a wet season, especially by our Southern California standards. But our opinion is that it will just provide a lush summer for our enjoyment. Here in Laguna Beach, we can tell that there’s been a lot of rain, and not just by the unusually lush hillsides, but that the goats have arrived a bit early this year. Yes, we said “goats”. They are our ecologically friendly way of ridding the beautiful Laguna hillsides of the excess vegetation. Plus, they are adorable!

But we digress. Although the spring hasn’t provided the best weather for us to enjoy the outdoors, we know that summer is just around the corner, and it’s sure to bring us some beautiful sunshine. And when the sun is shining, the locals of Southern California play, entertain and relax. And what better place to do so than in a stunning outdoor living space—in your own home? (read the rest of this post…)