HOME is Everything!

Have you seen the “Home Is Everything” Bed Bath & Beyond commercial yet!? If not, you will have to check it out! I’ll put the link at the bottom of the blog for you :) 

It’s hard to believe we have made it through most 2020 in this “new-normal”. I know many are tired of it and ready to get back to the old-normal way of life. But, as stores and restaurants have opened up again, the kids are starting school (virtually or in person) and we are beginning to see our busy lives resume pre-COVID activities, let’s take a moment and pause. Let’s take a deep breath and reflect on all of the good things that have come out of our time of solitude at HOME. 

For me, I will hold onto the memories of game nights and cooking meals and eating on our back patio. Zoom calls with long distance friends and family we won’t be able to visit this year. Our week-long Monopoly game or learning how to play Chess again.  And I’ll never forget discovering Tik-Tok videos and attempting to try out some of the dance moves!

When I saw this BB&B commercial and it mentioned during this time we noticed everything we loved about our space and maybe a few things that could use a little love in our home, I thought “That is so true!” During your quarantine, how many things did you notice about your house that you never noticed in such great detail ever before? 

Here are 5 Simple DIY (Design It Yourself) projects you can do to love up on your home:

1. Update hardware in your kitchen and bathrooms

   • Simply unscrew and re-screw the new designer pulls and knobs on your drawers and cabinets for a game-changing look. You may be surprised how much you love this simple update and decide to keep going, change up your media cabinet and desk hardware too! These pulls in Matte black finishes are especially in right now!

2. Change out light fixtures

   • Your builder-grade lights are screaming for some love and an updated mid-century modern look. Your new chandelier will come with instructions for installation, remember to read them first before you begin. Lighting is one thing I would recommend splurging on but if you are tight on a budget this one is a great value for the money.

3. Hang up a gallery wall

   • These 12 frames are less than $110 and you can replace the photos with your own wonderful memories. It comes with a hanging map to save time and sanity.

4. Re-style your entryway console table

   • The first thing you see when you walk in your front door should give you a sense of calmness and joy to be home. If yours is full of clutter take time to style organize and style it. I love this one by Studio McGee!

5. Update your throw pillows

   • New pillow covers can add a whole new look to your living room if you can’t afford to replace the sofa yet.

I’m curious… What is one room in your home that you love the most? What’s one room in your home that could use a little love and attention? Perhaps it’s your living room with furniture in it from when you first got married? Or maybe it’s your dining room or your bedroom? Maybe you are still trying to work in your make-shift office that is actually at your kitchen counter? Or your guest bathroom? I’d love to hear! Have you taken on any home projects to give your home some extra love that it deserves? 

If you have started a home project but got stuck and still haven’t finished it, if you need some extra guidance, please click this link to schedule a call so that I can help answer any questions that you might have about my DIY Personal Design Consultant package. 

And don’t forget to check out the Bed, Bath & Beyond commercial I was telling you about! Click Below!

https://youtu.be/LVktKwaE44U

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if making a purchase through one of these links.

Top Interior Designers Reveal the Most Popular Trends in their City

Featured in Redfin’s article “Top Interior Designers Reveal the Most Popular Trends in their City”!

With all the time spent at home recently, you might be starting to grow tired of the same home decor you’ve had for years. You’ve likely been scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration or maybe you’ve been looking at beautifully-staged homes for sale online. No matter where you’re looking for design ideas, it can be overwhelming to find a starting point, let alone a style that fits your home. Don’t worry though, the searching stops here. To help spark your creativity in redesigning your home, Redfin reached out to interior designers from Birmingham, Alabama all the way to Seattle, Washington to share the most popular trends in their city. Check out the full article that I, along with other top interior designers, were featured in: 

Top Interior Designers Reveal the Most Popular Trends in Their City

An eclectic modern style for the emerging home office trend in Atlanta, GA

A dedicated home office space that incorporates technology and comfort to promote a productive work environment has been trending here in Atlanta. Especially as many people are now working from home and potentially will be for the rest of 2020. We are seeing an eclectic modern mid-century style trend with natural tones and pops of blues. Try Sherwin Williams “Waterloo” and lots of natural light to increase calmness and boost productivity in your home office. – Lara Morrill, Acquire & Design 

FINAL REVEAL & 3 Tips For Productive Home Office Design

What an incredible experience this has been! I hope that you have enjoyed following along this room transformation journey as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you!

In case you are joining me for the first time, my name is Lara Morrill, principal interior designer and CEO of Acquire & Design, located in the Atlanta area. This is my first time as a participant of the semi-annual design event of the year… The One Room Challenge!

Check out week 1 | week 2 | week 3 | week 4 | week 6 | week 7

And now for what we have all been waiting for… the executive home office One Room Challenge FINAL REVEAL!

Take a look back at what the office used to look like just weeks ago. This room is quite small (only 117 square feet) and felt dark and cluttered. Before:   

 The plan was to transform this executive office into a bright space full of inspiration and influenced by his love for all things outdoors and traveling adventures. You can find him on Instagram @BackpackingBill. When Bill is not spending time outside with myself or our kids, he is usually working hard as the Chief Underwriting Officer of Hanover Insurance Company. When COVID-19 hit he was forced to work from home and now it is questionable if he will ever want to return to his commercial office. Since completing this space, he enjoys working more. I have found Bill in his new office before the sun comes up and sneaks back in after the kids are in bed. He has mentioned several times how comfortable his new office chair is and how much he loves the desk set up. I have overheard a few of his zoom meetings where he has received complements on the new set up and even how the webcam angle is so much better than it was before looking up from his laptop.

Check out the AFTER!!!

During this pandemic of 2020, our home office makeover had many challenges, mostly due to extended lead time and out of stock items. However, with my handy project management ninja skills we were able to make the necessary adjustments and kept on track; hardly skipping a beat.

This home office is truly functional and purposeful in every detail. From the desk, the bookshelves, the lighting, paint colors and even down to the earbuds (Link HERE) that were chosen… they were specified to boost productivity in his workflow; we even contacted our internet provider and upgraded to the fastest speed possible. Here are a few other suggestions for how to make your own home office more productive:

1. A Comfortable Chair

o   You are sitting for 90% of your work day (please make an effort to get up as much as possible to walk around or perhaps choose a sit/stand desk like this one HERE,) your office chair can literally make or break you. Choose a chair with ergonomics that match your body type. My husband’s medium build is perfect for this Herman Miller Setu chair knock-off that is equally as comfortable at a third of the price. Check it out HERE.

2. Dimmable Lamps and Chandeliers

o   No one likes working late (well now that my husband has his new office he actually does) but sometimes we have to put in overtime and to avoid straining your eyes in bad lighting or a bright laptop screen use a dimmable lamp like THIS or THAT.

3. Essential Oils or Candles

o   Certain scents, like lavender or lemon,  help you feel relaxed when up against a stressful deadline and others like peppermint or my personal favorite citrus blend BRAIN AID in a diffuser help you stay laser focused (it works great for your kids while doing homework too).

I hope you enjoyed following along on this One Room Challenge and are inspired to transform your own home office. If I can help in any way, please reach out to me either in the comments below or schedule a call with me HERE.

I offer virtual DIY design consultations all over the country or for my local Atlanta clients my all-inclusive concierge interior design services along with high-quality vendor partnerships will provide you with invaluable guidance and detailed design to deliver a balance of beauty, function and personal taste … without stress and additional expense, allowing you more time with the people who matter most.

Lastly, I want to give a huge thank you to Linda Weinstein, founder of The One Room Challenge, and our sponsor Better Homes & Gardens for hosting such an inspirational event for our design community and beyond. My son has already requested that his room be my next ORC 😊 Hoping this pandemic will be more under control and the fall event will take place as planned!

Please go check out all of the other participants final reveals on the ORC blog HERE! Every room I am seeing is better than the next! Talk about some Ah-mazing Transformations! I will post some of them in my IG stories @acquireanddesign

XoXo, Lara

P.S. This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and other retailers. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please check privacy policy and T&C for more information.

One Room Challenge Week 7

Eeek!! It’s getting SO close to the final reveal of my husband’s home office makeover!

In case you are joining me for the first time, I am an interior designer located in the Atlanta area and this is my first time as a participant of the semi-annual design event of the year… The One Room Challenge!

Check out week 1 |  week 2 | week 3 | week 4 | week 6

 My husband’s office used to feel really small and dark and I plan to transform it into a bright space full of inspiration and influence from his love for all things outdoors and traveling the globe. You can find him on Instagram @BackpackingBill. When Bill is not spending time outside with myself or our kids, he’s usually working pretty hard as the Chief Underwriting Officer of Hanover Insurance Company. Transitioning to working from home during COVID-19 was fairly easy for him as he was already working from home a few days a week.

 This week was all about unpacking boxes (it felt like Christmas with all the amazon boxes that were being delivered on our front porch) with the second bookcase, the office chair, and lots of technology accessories. As I started to style the office Bill was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the technology gadgets that I had ordered for him to make his workspace more comfortable and productive. I told him they were his early Father’s Day gifts! Haha! You can check out some of the links below to see what his favorites were:

Click these links: Earbuds, Webcam with microphone, Bluetooth Wireless Mouse, and Charging Station

My husband loved these Golfer iron bookends! Also click the links for these books here: Chicken Soup For The Entrepreneur’s Soul , How To Be An Inclusive Leader, and Play The Man

modern succulent plants and terrazzo stone coasters

 We also hung up the curtains and artwork. This set of 12 gallery photo frames were only $99 and come with black and white photos in them but they also have replacement photos that are in color if you would prefer those instead you can swap them out. And hanging a gallery wall usually take a lot of precise measurements and lots of time, however these came with this awesome map for the wall which saves you SO much time and frustration!

I cannot wait to show you the final reveal on June 25th! In the meantime, hop on over to the One Room Challenge blog to check out the other participants progress as we head into the home stretch!

XoXo, Lara

P.S. This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and other retailers. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please check privacy policy and T&C for more information.

One Room Challenge Week 6

One Room Challenge Week 6…

If you are just joining in you can catch up on my previous ORC posts here for week 1 | week 2| week 3 | week 4

You might be looking around wondering where week 5 went or if this was a typo, don’t worry it’s not. Week 5 of the one room challenge was canceled as many ORC participants and business owners in the design community took a pause from content creation and shifted our attention to listen, learn, reflect, and unclutter our social media feeds so that the voices of #BLM, about the race and social injustice that is happening in our country would be heard and not over shadowed. I personally, took time to connect and be inspired by that amazing talent of black interior designers and artists such as Veronica Soloman, The Fara Fix, Ray Hart Art, GeeGee Leigh Marie, Cheryl Luckett and so many others. Please go check them out.

I’m excited to be back for week 6 and to share my progress on my husbands home office!

A feature wall was always the plan but my husband vetoed the wallpaper I had been eyeing (he’s just not that into wallpaper, that’s ok, not everyone is.)  So then I contemplated doing one of those modern accent walls inspired by @urbanwalldesign (insert photo) But decided to go with a 6” shiplap for a cohesive look. Here in Georgia I don’t know if we’ll ever get tired of shiplap. As styles change and the farmhouse trend has fizzled out this style of wall is still so versatile and looks beautifully paired with so many other modern styles such as midcentury modern, boho, organic modern, contemporary cottage, and industrial chic, and modern coastal.

We painted it Waterloo by Sherwin Williams in an eggshell finish which is slightly more glossy that your typical flat paint you would use on a shiplap wall. I did this to add a little glow and draw attention into the office as well as it makes keeping your walls clean super easy. The other walls in the room are Alabaster by Sherwin Williams in eggshell and the ceiling is Alabaster in a flat paint. The trim is Frost White by Sherwin Williams in semi-gloss.

New sputnik chandelier light fixture went in as well!

We also have been busy assembling one of the desks which took quite a bit longer than I would have expected 2 of us working together on it. Total time was 3.5 hours!?  We make a great team and had a good system going. All of the parts were well labeled which helped a lot. As my husband did a lot of the assembling I would set up the pieces needed for the next step so he didn’t have to waste time and it all moved rather pretty smoothly. It’s helpful to keep all of the zip lock bags with screws and dowels in one area together numbered in their order to making it easier to find them when the instructions call for “4 number 27 screws” you just grab the bag that says 27 and take 4 screws out and then zip it back up and keep the bag with the others for the next time it tells you to get a number 27 screw. The final step when we were putting the drawers into the desk we realized the keyboard tray had one part screwed on backwards so we had to take it apart and reassemble it

I will have a lot more to reveal in 2 weeks at our final reveal on June 25th with one more sneak peak next week. Until then please check out the other participants at the One Room Challenge Blog for more inspiration.

 If you have any questions about either this one room challenge space or your own home office please leave a comment and I’d be happy to answer them! Or schedule a discovery call Here!

One Room Challenge Week 4

Welcome to week 4 of the #OneRoomChallenge, where a group of participants encourages one another to complete a room remodel project of their choice in 7 weeks. If this is your first time here you can check out the blogs for week 1, week 2 and week 3 of my husband’s home office project.

This week my contractor came to look at the space and go over the plans for the work that he will be doing. It’s fairly minimal, adding an electrical outlet for the printer, a shiplap wall, painting and changing out the chandelier but I’m honestly not very handy with a hammer and a big believer in hiring a professional to get it done right the first time. A licensed contractor ensures that every step of the home renovation is followed systematically. Not all contractors follow the steps necessary to complete a project safely and on time so make sure you do your due diligence to find a licensed contractor who will get the job done right and they are liable if there’s any damage or if anyone gets hurt you don’t need to worry. A job well done is money well spent and time saved for you. I know many people that start a DIY project biting off more than they can chew and now it’s been years and still not completed or it didn’t come out as well as they had hoped. I am here to help if you have any questions or get stuck in your DIY project and need some advice.

More excitement this week…. Lots of boxes are starting to get delivered!! I love the reading nook chair, and it was super simple to put together, and only took about 10 minutes. The bookcases are really solid and heavy, my husband put them together fairly easily, but need 2 people to move after they are assembled. Seeing the finishes in person for these items and how they coordinate so well with the area rug and accessories also made it clear that the curtains I mentioned last week need to be returned. If you’re not going the DIY route, I highly recommend using custom window treatments to get the perfect look for your space, ordering pre-made curtains online can be tricky. But if you are doing it yourself make sure you are measuring them correctly.

Stay tuned for more updates next week and check out my insta-stories.

Book a complementary discovery call to discuss your upcoming projects and how I can help with your home project.

One Room Challenge Week 3

Week 3 of the One Room Challenge

(and pretty much all of 2020) was all about PIVOTing.  

Before I began this One Room Challenge I had decided I wanted to make this a space that was easily accessible and shoppable. I will share links with you so if you love a piece, I’m discussing you can purchase it directly online but to be honest, this is not how I usually work as a designer. I prefer to work with my trade vendors who are truly an extension of my team, we discuss what I’m looking for and work together to find the perfect and unique pieces curated for each space. This saves a lot of time for me and money for my clients. All pieces are selected and signed-off for approval before purchasing so we are sure to have a cohesive look and feel that is exactly what is desired.

But because of COVID I am pivoting a few design methods for this One Room Challenge… And So here I am browsing the internet for shoppable pieces for hours and hours and by the time I am happy with all of the chosen pieces (which you can see on the roomboard in last week’s post) then presented them to my “client”/husband and get his approval for his office space half of the items were either out of stock or the lead time (the amount of time before it gets delivered) got pushed out till mid-July!? That won’t work for my June 25th final reveal deadline for this One Room Challenge. Shopping online for an entire room does not make you feel very confident about what the finishes will look like together because the colors on your computer screen may have been edited and shades may be altered.

Can anyone else relate!?

It was time to pivot and make a few revisions to the design to make this work!

You can only stare at pillows on the computer for so much time before you need to TAKE A BREAK throw the kids in the car and make a run to your local Target to get your hands on some actual textiles! Loving the Hearth & Hand throw pillow line, I also found some fun accessory pieces, and art which inspired me again of the direction I needed to go in for the office and get some orders placed ASAP before I missed another deadline or “out of stock” message. I returned home to find these 108” Sami Curtains from Anthropologie were delivered. They are more ivory than white but I will wait to see how they look with the chair and rug before I rule them out. I DO love them so hoping they are the right fit for the color pallet.

Making sure you have the right textures in your home office is a surefire way to add warmth, comfort and personality to your space rather than a cold, clinical feeling. Your office should inspire you to do your best work and keep you motivated.

Check out the other One Room Challenge participant blogs and see their progress here.

One Room Challenge Week 2

This week I laid out the floorplan and began

specifying furniture, fixtures and finishes for my hubby’s office… everyone knows what furniture is but for anyone unfamiliar: fixtures is a term for lighting and other pieces that are built in and finishes are materials, textures, colors and paint, floors, walls, etc. There are also many other factors to consider, such as if the product is in stock, are there extended shipping and delivery time frames and investment amount.

Already in the second week I’ve run into many challenges and it certainly wasn’t as productive as I had planned for it to be. Most of my time was spent hunting the world wide web for a computer desk that is large enough for 2 large monitors, a laptop, headset, keyboard tray, with cable management systems built in and doesn’t look too “commercial” at the right price point. When I finally found one that checked all of the boxes, they were out of stock of one of the key components, a multifuctional cabinet with roll-out tray for the printer.  I called to check when they would get more in stock and I was surprised to discover the company is discontinuing the natural walnut finish that I was specifying. The other finishes were too dark for the small office space so I had to jump ship and begin the search all over. After a full day (interrupted about 9,876 times by the kids) I have found some nice alternatives (without as many bells and whistles as the first one but it will work)  I was excited to show my husband, Bill! I hope he likes it!

When at first you don’t succeed … fix your ponytail and try again!

Here are a couple other pieces I found as well…

This week was the last of virtual learning for my children and I was surprised how excited my daughter is to help me create a powerpoint presentation for her dads office. I thought she would be more interested in sitting in front of the tv, but it’s so encouraging that she wants to help me. I’ll try to post the powerpoint presentation for you to see next week when all specifications are finalized. Stay tuned!   

Office Floorplan

Check out all of the other amazing participants blogs at the One Room Challenge here

Hello & Welcome to my blog!

My name is Lara and I’m so glad you’re here!

WOW! 2020 is not what any of us expected. Just like you, during this covid-19 pandemic our many worlds are melding into one… Boss/Employee, Spouse, Parent, Teacher, Student, Chef, House cleaner, Gardner, Handyman, Board executive, Accountant, Therapist, Friend, Nurse, Prayer warrior, and so many other roles we currently find ourselves accomplishing all within one single location… our HOME!

As a former designer for the largest Teknion contract furniture dealership in North America, I specialized in workplace space planning and creative design strategy for large companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. My interior design specialty has since shifted to boutique style residential interior design services, where I deliver an intimate experience for my clients and cater to their unique home interiors. I provide my clients with invaluable guidance and detailed design to deliver a balance of beauty, function and personal taste while saving them valuable time and investment to spend more quality time on the things that matter with the people who matter most in their lives.

My Why…

We are all working from home a lot more than usual, and although it could be temporary, it quite possibly may become the new normal. I’d like to take my knowledge and experience in office and residential design and share it with you! I will take you behind the scenes with me as I share tips and tricks for a functional and glamorous home office and other spaces you can implement in your own home. I want to share the best technology for productivity at home. I want to share how to stay organized, comfortable, best lighting and art tips and so much more!

design

is a process of dialogue and feeling the evolution of design, it stems from an understanding of basic physical and emotional needs of the user.

I believe that design is a process of dialogue and feeling the evolution of design, it stems from an understanding of basic physical and emotional needs of the user. Think about those needs that you personally have and as my former internship mentor and world-renowned interior designer, Kelly Hoppen says “Think about how a room will be used before you make a start”.

Speaking of making a start… this blog has been something I have thought about for a while so this is a big exciting step for me along with what’s to come in the next 8 weeks. I am new to the world of blogging and it won’t be perfect by any means but not everything needs to be perfect to still be wonderful. If you have a blog I would love to read it, please drop a link to your blog in the comments section along with one tip you learned when you first started it that you would like to pass along.

Stay Tuned…

The first project I will be sharing with you is near and dear to my heart… stay tuned tomorrow for more details on my blog and Instagram!