LM.DESIGNS

The Often Forgotten Shower Floor

2010-07-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

A shower floor is often an overlooked area in bathroom design. This small area is an opportunity to use more expensive tile or have fun with color or texture. The three examples above come from the same house, although each one is unique to the individual bath. The first one is a hexagon shaped Travertine which lends a casual natural feel. The second shows smooth river rocks which evokes a spa feel as soon as you step in. The third example shows a small mosaic made of marble giving a feel of refined elegance. So on your next bathroom, don't forget the shower floor...and have fun with it!

Update

2010-04-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know it's been a while since my last blog, but I do have a really good excuse (I mean reason). I got married! Yay! So, I have been a bit busy, to say the least, with the wedding, work, and a few projects I added on top of the craziness. Today was my first day back from my honeymoon, so I am taking the liberty of cheating a bit with some links. I am attaching two blogs, that I have been featured in, showing what I have been up to.

Most recently, the Decorator's Showhouse...
http://shopbellavita.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=4604&PostID=139634

And, some work for my wedding photographer (who is amazing!!!)...
http://southerndesign.nathanraab.com/?p=108

I will try to be diligent in the upcoming month with posting some new fun stuff!

Laundry Room Trend

2010-01-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, I said Laundry Room! More and more people are adding laundry rooms to the list of rooms that deserve an update. We do spend a lot of time in there after all...so it should be a space that is functional. I am featuring three laundry room renovations. All were done at the same time as their kitchen remodel.

The first one shows that you can take the cabinets out of the existing kitchen and repurpose them for the laundry room. We picked the best cabinets, cleaned them up, and added new hardware. Now they look great and with little investment!

After Before

This low-budget option used thermofoil cabinets, thus allowing them to make the renovation changes they needed in this room.

After Before

The third example shows a laundry room that is very visible from the kitchen. In order to have continuity, we used cabinets that match the kitchen. They also made renovation changes that included removing an adjacent powder room.

After

Before

On your next kitchen renovation, consider the often over-looked laundry room as well.

A Warm Inviting Space

2010-01-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

BeforeAfter

I wanted to show a kitchen that I just completed and truly love! (Not to mention it was for, quite possibly, the nicest customers I have ever had!) One reason I wanted to feature this is because it is a wood kitchen...Cherry in fact. So many people think that they need white kitchens or it will look like a cave. This proves that is not the case. The key is to visually open up the kitchen and improve the lighting. This is something that I strive to do in every kitchen regardless of color. I think one of the reasons we see so many white kitchens these days in magazines is because they photograph better. But in person, the beauty of wood is breathtaking. I definately do many rich wood bathroom vanities, especially in master baths. But mostly the kitchens are white with maybe a wood island for warmth. While the white is classic and clean, I encourage you to think outside of the box and create a warm and inviting space!

Christmas Elves!

2009-12-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

This is the exhausting, but fun, season of Christmas decorating. Anne bought us matching aprons this year to complete our look. Now we truly look the "Christmas Elves" part! We have a few more add-ons to do, but we finally made it through the hectic season! We enjoy being able to do this service for all of our dedicated clients! The greatest part is seeing their faces light up when they come home to see what we have done!

University of Memphis presentation

2009-09-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

I am on the board of the local chapter of the NKBA in the position of VP of Academic Relations. One of my goals is to try to get students involved and raise awareness for the organization. As an alumni, I got in touch with my professor, Patti Bradford. She is the go to person for the home furnishings area of concentration. We arranged for myself and a fellow alumni to come speak to a class of students. We spoke about what we do in our industry and tips for getting a job in this market. We also brought examples of our work and discussed the "green" movement. The talk wrapped up with discussing the National Kitchen and Bath Association. I was impressed by how the students were so interested and involved! They asked wonderful questions. We ended up taking the entire hour and a half. It was a real success! We have been asked to come again at the beginning of the spring semester. I can't wait to do it again!!!

New Horizons

2009-09-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to broaden our horizons, we have now opened a booth at Market Central. This designer antiques showroom is the largest of the Palladio group. Go by today and check out all the wonderful things they have...And don't forget to stop at our booth!

Holidays

2009-09-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so let's talk turkey...Thanksgiving, that is! If you are thinking of a kitchen or bathroom project and would like to have it finished by the holidays, now is the time to start. It can easily take 2 months to complete a project....if everything goes as anticipated! So with Thanksgiving only 2 1/2 months away and Christmas shortly behind that, the time is NOW! You won't be able to use (or show off) your new kitchen at Christmas if you don't start planning.

Farmhouse sink trend

2009-09-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

I almost hate to use the word trend when talking about farmhouse sinks. They are truly classics! But with the new styles and colors, they now incorporate into a myriad of design applications. Here I am showing a classic fire clay apron front sink and an updated stainless version. But they also come in copper or with designs printed or painted on the front. So don't be afraid to have fun with it!

My First Blog

2009-07-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, this is my very first blog. I think it will be a great step forward! My hopes are for you all to get to know me and more about what I do.

These are some of my thoughts for the blog...
-Showcase "project highlights" that show details about a project I have done
-Feature "new products" that I find fun and interesting
-Show "green" ideas and how easy they are to integrate into any project
-Update you on what I have learned in my continuing education

So first things first...here is a little info about me. I went to college to study Fashion Merchandising, which included taking classes in a sister degree, home furnishings. When I decided to take some extra classes in this area, I found I really enjoyed design. I took a class in kitchen design and found my true passion! I graduated from the University of Memphis
with a degree in Home Furnishings and was 1 class shy of a double major in Fashion Merchandising. My first job in kitchens was with Home Depot. After working there for 5 1/2 years, I was ready to move on. One of my greatest achievements was in attaining my certification as a Certified Kitchen Designer from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) in 2004. I truly enjoy the networking and continuing education. I then worked for various locations of Creative Kitchens, until I decided to go out on my own and free-lance. After 10 years of experience, I have really enjoyed this decision! And the rest, as they say, is history!