Boll & Branch Shoot | Photography: Tara Hope

We recently had the pleasure of chatting with our friends over at Studio McGee as part of their Make Life Beautiful series, where they highlight interior designers across the globe and share a peek into their design styles, background, and more. We loved what was shared with the Studio McGee community so much that we wanted to share it with you as well! Keep reading to see a little glimpse at our Q+A with Studio McGee, as well as a look at one of our latest projects.

Spring feeling garden room from our Walnut Hill Project | Photography: Jennifer Hughes

What was your very first job — ever?

My first job was as a prep cook at a local restaurant when I was 15! I loved cooking, music, and art as a child, so this job was a lot of fun for me.

Tell us about your journey into the creative industry; when did you realize that you could turn your passion into a career?

I was a little late to design; I explored a career in culinary arts first, then music, and luckily found my way into design when working at a marketing company. I’d always had a love for art, design, and architecture, but I didn’t really know the interior design industry that well. Once I looked into design schools, I fell in love and never looked back. I went back to college, earned my degree from the New York School of Interior Design, and interned with Jamie Drake, which was a wonderful opportunity to see it all come to life.

If you could go back in time and give your young creator self one piece of advice, what would it be?

I’m not sure that my path would have gone any differently with my future-self advice! I think I needed to find my way to this life, it developed in a very organic way, but I would have at least told myself to consider design while still in high school.

A glimpse at one of our recent favorite projects, Walnut Hill | Photography: Jennifer Hughes

Where do you find the most inspiration for your work?

I find a lot of inspiration from traveling and experiencing different cultures and ways of living. I love to research historical design styles, but I also learn a lot about new materials and design ideas from our clients’ travels, Instagram and design magazines.

What does your creative process look like?

I start the design process with space planning first. Understanding how the space will be used, maximizing natural light, and ensuring we’re addressing the client’s needs for function are the most important first steps. From there, we consider materials and the overall aesthetic, creating a feeling and mood for the project. Once we know where we’re going, it’s much easier to find the right furnishings to fit the space.

What was the most significant business or creative challenge that you have encountered and grown from?

Transitioning from working on my own to working with my husband, Tim, and a small design team was a huge step, but it’s been the most rewarding, and it has definitely resulted in the most growth.

Domain, our brick and mortar shop that’s part of our design studio in Catonsville, MD. | Photography: Jennifer Hughes

Which upcoming project or endeavor are you most excited for?

We’re working on an amazing property on the Eastern Shore with multiple small homes and communal buildings like a gym, entertainment space, and art studio. We were able to reuse materials from the property and incorporate many other sustainable design ideas, showing that good design can also be sustainable.

Thank you so much to the Studio McGee team for taking the time to chat with us! You can head over to their Make Life Beautiful Series IG highlight bubble to see more from our Q+A.

Bank Street Project by LHS | Photography: Jenn Verrier

And say hello to Brooklyn at Bank Street! We are so excited to finally be sharing a glimpse from our Bank Street Project. Our clients also just so happen to have the cutest pup that made for the most perfect photoshoot companion.

We loved incorporating some of our own Domain products for the styling at Bank Street, so we created a collection for easy shopping. You can shop our Bank Street Domain collection here.

We would love to hear what is inspiring you for Spring. Leave a comment below or let us know over on our Instagram!

PS - check out our recent Architectural Digest feature of our Oxford Project – more on that to come!!

xx. Laura + the LHS Design Team

Chatting with Studio McGee: Make Life Beautiful Series