Lakesha Rose

Photo Credit: Katrina Wittkamp

L Rose Interiors is an allied ASID and IIDA member and a full-service interior design firm that manages projects throughout the country. They have a comprehensive understanding of custom furnishings, antiques, textiles, and fine art. L Rose Interiors specializes in high-end residential and commercial build-outs, sharing solid relationships with some of the industry’s most talented architects, contractors, and vendors.

Founder and Principal at L Rose Interiors, Lakesha Rose, recently sat down with Haute Design to share valuable design insights.

Haute Design: Did you always want to become an interior designer? What was you "aha" moment, when you knew this was the right path for you?

Lakesha Rose: When I was young, I was always creative and my outlets were, and still are, interior design, cooking and entertaining at home. My 'aha' moment came when I was working for developers in Chicago as the selection designer for the high-rise condominiums while simultaneously attending a local college for interior design courses. I was able to attend school and operate in the real world of design at the same time.

I am not sure the instructors always liked it because I normally had additional questions about what was being taught in class. That was back in 2002 and I have been going ever since.

HD: If possible, describe your interior design style in three words.

LR: Timeless, understated, elegant

Photo Credit: Katrina Wittkamp

HD: What is your favorite part of your career?

LR: The referrals. It tells me the truth about how I am doing.

HD: What is the best and worst aspect about designing in Chicago?

LR: The best part is that I am in a large city that has so many clients and the possibilities are endless. I do not have a worst aspect because I am grateful that people trust me to design their most personal spaces.

HD: What sets L Rose Interiors apart from the competition?

LR: I treat my clients like the concierge at their favorite hotel. I try to always remain a step ahead of their expectations.

HD: Where do you see L Rose Interiors in five years?

LR: Still operating successfully and continuing to expand.

The post L Rose Interiors Is Always A Step Ahead Of Clients appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Now that the summer season is fully upon us and it appears we are collectively turning the page, slowly but surely, to what is seemingly closer to "normal life," the thought of summer getaways came to mind. Haute Design decided to ask what some of our design experts consider to be the ideal summer getaway in terms of design inspiration.

Haute Design:Which summer getaway destination provides you with inspiration the most around this time of year? Why?

Hafsa Burt of hb+a Architects, San Francisco, CA: I am always looking for places to travel and discover. I love to interact with locals and delve into a different culture. I have had two recent trips that were phenomenal. One was an escape to Spain which began in the Basque Country and stretched all the way to Granada and Cordoba.

Soon after, I read Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and felt like he was on the trip with me in Pamplona.

That journey continued into a very thrilling road trip in Morocco, from Marrakesh to Casablanca. The food, colors, culture and history all lend themselves to a perfect cerebral escape.

Another trip that comes to mind happened a year later. I traveled to Jordan where some of the highlights were camping in the desert with Bedouins and hiking in Petra and Wadi Mujib. Jordan is an adventure-filled country and should be on everyone's bucket list.

We also managed to spend a couple of days in and around Jerusalem, absorbing the sights and sounds. I love walking through historically and culturally different places and intellectually indulge so I leave with a billion sensory images in my memory. If it inadvertently shows up in my work, all the better.

Laila Colvin of 2id Interiors, Miami, FL: I actually have my tickets purchased and will be leaving soon! I am going to Portugal for a family reunion.

I think I have two travel obsessions: Europe and Japan.

However, if it's related to design, I believe Europe is the place to go. There is just so much to see and so much art all around, it doesn't matter what country you visit, you will leave with design inspirations.

The last trip which truly inspired me was a family trip to England and Ireland. It was amazing. The year before that was Japan. But I feel like I will always go back to Europe at least once a year because it's just never enough.

However, Rafaela and I are from Brazil and we always talk about how design in Brazil is so rich and yet, it is not well-known. Because Brazilians are so quick to turn to Italian furniture and Italian design, but in our opinion, Brazilian designers, Brazilan architects, and Brazilian furniture are way beyond anything else we know. So every time we go back home to Brazil, it is unbelievable. We are always sending videos and photos to the team, and to each other. We’ll go to a restaurant, we’ll go to the mall, anywhere we go, it is out of this world.

Chasity Centeno of Riese Design, Long Island ,NY: Riese Design is inspired by the summer tropical feel with different prints, colors and textures. We love the mixture of soft textures with organic wood elements for summer when conceptualizing a design for our clients!

Who doesn't love a fun, colorful wallpaper, beautiful outdoor sets and textured walls for either interiors or exteriors?

We especially like to take inspiration from Cabo when doing design concepts for bathrooms. It's the best room to implement bold colors and accents. Cabo's inspiration comes from the beautiful beaches, history and foliage, along with an array of plants, which brings such an elegant blend of traditional and modern design.

To learn more about our adventurous design experts, visit their websites below.

CLICK HERE to visit the hb+a Architects website.

CLICK HERE to visit 2id Interiors' website.

CLICK HERE to visit Riese Design's website.

The post Haute Design Experts Weigh In On The Best Summer Getaways For Design Inspiration appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Rafaela Simoes & Laila Colvin

Photo Credit: 2id Interiors

Founders and Creative Directors Rafaela Simoes and Laila Colvin have established Miami’s premiere luxury interior design company, 2id Interiors. Regarded for their relevant and skillful approach to design, 2id Interiors in Miami is an award-winning leading interior design firm servicing clients which are among today's well-known names in professional industries and entertainment, spanning across South Florida, the U.S., and around the world with projects in Canada, Europe, and Brazil.

The dynamic duo behind 2id Interiors sat down with Haute Design and spoke about an eclectic array of topics which covered subjects from collaboration in design to what inspires their work.

Haute Design: Both of you are from Brazil. Do you think part of the Brazilian culture or design criteria carries over into your work?

Rafaela Simoes: Yes. I think the use of wood and organic, essential materials are always present in our design and I think that really comes from the Brazilian style of design. The desire to use natural and organic textures, I think, is very Brazilian and we always apply that into our work.

But because we also cater to so many cultures here in Miami, not just the Brazilians, I think we have learned how to be very diverse. For example, we have Russian clients who like a bit more 'bling-bling,' Brazilian clients who are more 'Earth-y,' and love the use of wood, but then we also have German clients, who have a totally different taste.

We have so many different clients and you can see that in our portfolio because it's so eclectic. We don't only follow one trend or one style. We cater to different cultures, different clients, with different backgrounds, and I think that is definitely reflected throughout our portfolio.

HD: We would agree! You mentioned the use of natural elements within your design. Have you noticed a shift with clients in regard to requesting more environmentally-conscious materials and design principles?

RS: Yes, I think so. Not specifically ecologically conscious material, but definitely more design aspects geared toward nature, more blues and greens. We are doing a lot of green walls on the exteriors of homes, so I do feel that people want the outdoors reflected inside their homes a little bit more. That said, I wouldn't go as far as saying it would be ecologically-friendly thinking.

We do have clients who really want to go in an environmentally-conscious direction and make sure the materials are responsible, but that's rare. That does not happen much.

Rafaela Simoes

Photo Credit: 2id Interiors

HD: That's interesting. Switching gears a bit, considering all the time most of us have spent indoors over the past year or more, do you think clients have reconsidered how much they value their interior living spaces and home design?

RS: We definitely felt that at the beginning of COVID. We were a little bit worried about what was going to happen, as everyone was. So, everyone was remaining indoors and trying to contact us for potential projects and we couldn't do construction. But clients were ready to improve their homes right away.

From the beginning of lockdown, clients wanted to change furniture or change the layout of their homes that we had recently worked on and make things more comfortable. The first thing we did, before lockdown was over - we were already sending proposals to existing clients and new clients . It seemed everyone was desperate to improve their homes because it was a new way of life. No one had ever stayed home for this long so it was an interesting shift in the way people lived.

Everyone wants a comfortable home and they always have. But now, this idea of a comfortable home is really at the top of the list for requests. The requests have definitely shifted toward a more cozy and inviting home because people are working from home, the kids are studying from home, so comfort is key.

HD: To that point, something that has been rightfully addressed often throughout the year has been mental health. Have you noticed this awareness of mental health affect the clients' requests?

RS: I totally think so. But with us, we always thought about that when we started in this business; using materials we love, natural materials, bringing nature inside, including wood and raw materials inside the home, which does not happen in Miami often.

I think the Miami style is very shiny and cold and not very home-y. It's glossed whites and a pearly kind of style. Which, in my opinion, is not the most mentally healthy because it's so cold rather than warm and cozy like one should want their home to be. We are always designing with that in mind. We totally think that the house can be chic and elegant but still include some nature in the home.

We want the home to be beautiful but still feel cozy and warm and I totally connect that to mental health. I think that having a home that is not so cold and stark is very important for mental health.

Laila Colvin

Photo Credit: 2id Interiors

HD: If we had to ask you to name three main principles throughout your design, what would those be?

Laila Colvin: I think our main principle is definitely to design for the client. As Rafaela mentioned, we have clients from all over the world and our portfolio is so eclectic because of that. I don't think we have a specific style. We do have some things that are always present, but we really try to embrace the client's dream home.

We really try to follow their vision and try to put that together for the client. If the style is more traditional, we will keep things more traditional for that project. If the taste is very modern and contemporary, we embrace that. So, whatever dream the client brings to us, we try to really embrace that.

We are not designers that say, 'you know what, that's not my style, go find someone else.' We really love having been able to work on such a variety of projects because that is an asset when trying to satisfy the clients to create their home, not our home.

HL: So, would you say in this case the client can be regarded as a secret weapon within your design team?

LC: Yes, that would be a fun way to say it, yeah. We definitely listen to them. There are a lot of exchanges between us and the client so that we have a better understanding of their desires. I do not understand how other designers can have a style that is so specific. You know, some designers have a style that once you see the work, you know it's them right away.

I don't know how they do it! Because they either need the client to totally buy into their personal vision so the client agrees to everything they recommend, or they say no to a lot of clients. We cannot do that. We actually love the difference between our projects and clients.

If you would like to learn more about 2id Interiors, CLICK HERE to visit their website.

The post 2id Interiors’ Rafaela Simoes and Laila Colvin Talk To Haute Design About Their Design Philosophy appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Robert and Cortney Novogratz

Haute Residence hosted its “Designing The Future” webinar, featuring acclaimed designers Cortney and Robert Novogratz, to discuss their creative process and body of work, recent collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker, influence taken from the geographical locations they’ve visited or which exist around them, and to offer exclusive tips on bringing space, light, and most importantly, life and family into the home.

They were hosted by Haute Living Editor-in-Chief, Laura Schreffler. Watch the full webinar here.

Highlight quotes:

Cortney Novogratz: 

“It’s been a strange year we've all had, it's shown us that we can really go anywhere and even if we’re just there for a brief moment, we can set up a shop and bring our homes and love of houses all over. This is so important, now more than ever. People's homes are their sanctuaries, and their offices too. Everything revolves around our house, especially at this moment.” 

“Show the house as people really live in it, so you know, a bench, a hook with actual coats, the backpacks or a basketball. There's ways to make it feel lived in so that people can really visualize their own family moving, but still making it stylish and really beautiful. Plants are really important, they help to bring life into the house.”

“If you come to us, it's about function and about beauty. Every place we've designed has been created with our family in mind. But we also want to keep falling in love, over and over, and so designs need to reflect that. They need to be sexy; all of those kinds of things are so important.” 

Robert Novogratz:

“When I think about designing, I always reference the restaurant Balthazar in New York City, because, there's probably better restaurants, there's probably better food, but when you walk into that restaurant with your girlfriend, your children, your grandmother, whoever it is, you feel like you’re more in Paris than in New York. It is an atmosphere. That's why with this pandemic, where all of these restaurants are closing down, Balthazar is one who survives. And it will always be around, because of its energy. And that's how a hotel and a home should be designed. When you walk into a home you want to feel happy, relaxed, and warm, and that is achieved through all the little touches.”

To watch more webinars curated by Haute Residence, visit http://dev.hauteresidence.com

The post Watch: “Designing The Future” Celebrity Design Webinar By Haute Residence With Cortney And Robert Novogratz appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.