new beginnings // laura design company

Oh man, this is one of those posts that's hard to write. I get sooo shy sometimes and especially when I talk on the internet about things I'm doing with my life. Like real things. Big things. When it comes to sharing big news, I'd prefer to just slip it under the radar. But this isn't the kind of news you let leak out there without a proper blog happy dance. So here it is....deep breath. I own an interior styling business!

I'm getting better at saying that with a straight face, but internally I'm freaking out and saying it more like, "I OWN AN INTERIOR STYLING BUSINESS!!!!" followed by an over-long string of the dancing girl emoji and several of that monkey with its hands over its eyes.

As much as I hate to use an already overused phrase, I can't stop thinking of how perfectly the words "dream come true" apply here. All the way back in my freshman year of college, when I thought I'd major in history, I took one of those what-should-I-be-when-I-grow-up quizzes they pass out at career counseling, and the unequivocal answer was Interior Designer. I didn't exactly heed the wisdom and instead got a fashion merchandising degree, but the dream was firmly planted. I went on to intern for an interior design firm, work in the commercial interiors industry, and ended up doing styling and merchandising for an interiors retail store. It always felt like I was dancing around the dream job (or maybe working toward it), but then babies came along and I hit the career pause button.

Last year, when I started this blog, I decided it was a great way to dip my toe back into career waters. Little did I realize I'd soon be falling face first in the pool!

You may remember when I featured the gorgeous home of my long-time friend Laura Peacock last June. She and I met through our mutual friend, Adrienne, who brought her to a mom's playdate group we were starting, way back when our oldest kids were mere toddlers. I still remember setting up the pack n' play for that first group at my house, knowing a girl named Laura would be joining us and bringing her baby. That group turned into a bible study that stayed together for years. That girl became a dear friend.

I suppose it was my writing about her house that made Laura and I connect over our enthusiasm for interiors; I honestly don't remember ever talking much with her about the subject before that! At a barbecue a couple months later, probably as she and I were standing in my kitchen discussing tile or something, her husband randomly said, "You guys should go into business together." Heh. Sure, Justin. Whatever.

Even though that seemed like a total impossibility, I think we both felt a spark at those words. About 5 minutes after he said it, I already knew I'd do it in a heartbeat if I got the chance.

In October, Laura's church asked her if she would help redesign their new offices. Like me, she was on career pause to stay home with her kids, but her brother-in-law, the pastor, knew she'd have fun brushing off her interior design degree for a quick project.

She asked me if I wanted to help, and since my single goal in life at the time was to have pretty projects on my blog, I was all in! We did the job in just a few weeks on a shoe-string budget, DIY-ing and thrifting our little hearts out, and had an absolute blast. Bringing the staff in to reveal the space and watching them totally freak out with excitement was SO indescribably fun. And we worked well together. Like, really well.

I remember sitting over coffee and talking with her after that about what it would be like to do it for a living. "Someday."

In January we got an email from a couple in her church named Dan & Grace. I think I'll always love Dan & Grace. They sent us an adorable impassioned plea for help decorating their home, and there was truly no way we could resist. They had a darling place and had already done a ton of work to it, and really just needed help pulling together that final layer. Laura and I hastily brainstormed about what kind of services we could offer and all of a sudden found ourselves making crazy grown up stuff like proposals and invoices and logos. It was bizarre but wonderful! Just like that, we had our first clients.

We ended up doing what we now call a Custom Design Package, where we gave them the floor plan and shopping list for them to put together as their time and budget allowed. They've been kicking butt on the project and have made unbelievably fast progress considering we basically did plans for their whole house. We've been getting sneak peeks from them and I jump up and down every time I see more of it come together. The whole process was a total joy.

So what now? We considered just taking jobs as they came, if they came, and keeping it on the side as a fun hobby. But more people called than we expected. And it became apparent we needed to figure out what to tell them. And a website would be easier than explaining it over and over again. And if you have a website, and a name, you want to make sure you can actually use the name before you put it out there too much. And how would people pay you without a business bank account? It just became obvious that an LLC was a necessary step. We weren't ready (and we might never be ready), but to quote my brother, "Man up, this is happening!"

So today, I'm excited to introduce you to Laura Design Company. (It had to be named that since we're both Laura right? I mean seriously, what are the odds?!) And I'm excited for you to get to know my sweet partner and friend! I have so much admiration for her- her grace, her style, her love for the Lord. She's a true class act and I'm grateful to be on this adventure with her.

Photo by Ellen Swalley

And that's my news! There are some moments I think it'll all just fizzle into a forgotten dream, and some moments when I think I could look back on this post years from now and be in awe of all that's come to pass. Either way, it feels like I've been given a precious gift. We'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where the path takes us.

Thank you ALL so much for your incredible support in this exciting (terrifying! thrilling!) new adventure. We will be working on our website over the coming weeks and plan on having an official launch once it's all pretty and presentable. But for now, I just had to give a sneak peek to my sweet friends and blog readers. I can't say how grateful I am that you're here with me.

Please come visit us at Laura Design Company and follow us on Pinterest- I can't wait to see you there. 

Here's to new beginnings!

thanksgiving according to pinterest

my friends, today it's thanksgiving. i have unlimited time and money, a luxurious accommodating home, and very nimble smallish fingers. my body does not require sleep (and yet i look perpetually dewy and youthful). i have seven nannies, an in-house chef, and at least two maids. my garden is also full of fresh bounty (both the floral and the food variety), which maintains its colorful luster and flavor indefinitely inspite of frost and snow. my mom, who totally lives in town, spent long but joyful hours leading up to today laughing and cooking with me in matching aprons in my gourmet kitchen. my friends, this is a pinterest thanksgiving, and oh we are gonna have it.

come on, pretend with me...it'll be amazing.

my table will be perfectly curated to look uncurated, with draping garlands, seasonal blooms, and dishware mis-matched just so. (at this point you're wondering if there is sarcasm in my tone. no! this is really what my house and life would look like if all the above variables were true).

{via apartment 34}

my walls would be adorned with gorgeous wreaths and draped with vines and fruit and fresh garden foilage. i would make all of this myself, of course, after a quick jaunt to LA for a design love fest wreath-making workshop. 

{via greige design}

i would have a few minimalist touches to balance all that lush greenery, like these adorable pear placecard holders. they'd be perfect take-home favors as well, because i would make them with wooden pears.

{via almost makes perfect}

food would be left to the chefs because it's not really my thing (well, eating it is my thing for sure, but not cooking it). here is a sampling of what would be on the menu:

{martha stewart's maple glazed turkey

warm brussels spout & pomegranate salad by free people

cast-iron skillet cornbread stuffing with leeks by adventures in cooking

roasted butternut squash & apple brandy soup by local milk}

ok, i have no idea if those flavors will really go together to create a well balanced meal, but the food styling is so good, who cares?! i'll be saving my culinary energy for pie-making:

{via the williams-sonoma blog, and guess what?! i actually own the leaf pie crust cutters and emile henry pie dishes in real life, so i have a shot at these outside of fantasy land!}

{this apple pie with rosettes is all over pinterest and the web so i looked long and hard to find the original source. after reading all 158 comments on the post, i have determined that yoli deserves the credit. aaaaand my pie-making plans slide solidly back into fantasy land.} 

what else do we need for the perfect thanksgiving? um...how about adorably packaged leftovers for you to take home?

 {tutorial and FREE printable at pizzazzerie}

ok, i can't help it. one more favor for your goodie bags, because i love you so much: 

{DIY flavored finishing sea salts via free people blog}

ahhh, that was great. i never knew a fake thanksgiving could be so grand. thanks so much for coming! i'm about to spend the rest of the day on the couch in a food coma, pinning christmas decorations. my butler will see you out. 

anatomy of a pin

{via}

ah, pinterest, you addictive little darling. i started years ago, gathering wish lists, to-do's, tips and all the what-have-you's i came across online in one place. it was all innocent enough. but in the same way cheetos trick your brain into thinking you're not eating, pinterest makes you ravenous for more. i mean really, the people who started it are evil geniuses.

{photo credit Caroline Alexandra}

there are a lot of different pinterest philosophies. some friends i have will only pin things they actually have done, or intend to do. others, like me, pin things that i want to show my fantasy architect when i build my fantasy dream house. still others pin things that fall into the black abyss of never-to-be-seen-again-good-intentions.

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truth be told, serial pinning was what led me to start this blog. pinterest morphed for me from just a place to store my favorites, into a micro-blog of its own. as i look back through my boards, i can see my style evolve and be refined. i began to want to explore and catalog that in macro form.

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regardless of my personal style era, one thing has always held true of my pins; it has to be a space where i actually want to be. when a room catches my eye (hard to do in the >1 second it has to do it), i will pause and look at the picture closely and ask myself the question, "would i want to be in this room?" if the answer is yes, only then will i pin it.

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incidentally, speaking of "i will pin it," that is almost always true of the following: white kitchens, peonies, plank walls, anything black & white, and skinny ripped boyfriend jeans.

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oh, and if it has the words "chocolate," "salted" or "caramel" in any order, i will pin it.

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sorry, i got sidetracked. where was i? oh yes, why i pin a space. some spaces are ancient and breathtaking with crumbling patina that is truly marvelous. but can i imagine myself really cooking in a kitchen filled with peeling paint and 1-inch gaps between wood planks? no.

other spaces are ultra-light, bright, modern and sooo appealing visually. but upon closer inspection the sofa looks about as comfortable as a log and the glaring light fixtures feel like giant scary spaceships.

so it has to be liveable. and comfy. with great light.

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nowadays, i basically think of laura irion on pinterest as my alter-ego. or my super rich, skinny, stylish, jet-setting twin sister. on this blog i am who i really am. on instagram, there is for sure no hiding; what's there is all i got (though i do hope to get better)! but on pinterest i get to be someone who has an unlimited budget, and for that reason alone it's the best reflection of my uninhibited style and taste. if that makes sense.

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the things i'm currently pinning are all inspiring and beautiful, and though they might be out of reach for the "real" laura, they're a wonderfully addicting escape. join me there, won't you?