Growing up, Lauren Clement watched her mother, an interior designer, transform people’s homes and lives—taking personal care to ensure that her work reflected the personality and wishes of her clients. Now a designer herself, Clement has found her own passion in decorating, forming the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company Lauren Nicole Designs.
How did your mother’s work as a designer influence you? Is this something that pushed you toward the field?
My mom had been a designer from the time I was two years old. I was brought up in that lifestyle, but I never really thought that it was what I was going to do. I actually went to college for clinical psychology but had a change of heart and decided to make the switch to design. My mom really took charge of my training, and then she helped me start my company when I was twenty-three.
Did growing up in the South play a role in the way you design and your own personal style?
I think you can see a lot of the updated traditional southern style in my work, from where we live in North Carolina and growing up in a home that reflected my mother’s personal tastes—it was always very colorful but well put together. And I think my work lends itself to that type of design. I also grew up riding horses and being in the outdoors, so that rustic style of wood, varying textures, and incorporating a lot of natural elements are some things you will often see in my work.
Some of the jobs you take on are very large—like the Northshore Estate, for instance. Were the clients looking to redesign their whole home, or did the undertaking grow as time went on?
At the time that the family moved in, the Northshore Estate was not very old. This was a blended family, so the husband and wife were bringing multiple children on both sides. There were a lot of functional needs that needed to be met. But when they worked with the builder, they ended up with a lot of cabinet colors, fixtures, and other elements that were just not “them.” Upon my initial visit, we hadn’t planned to change anything major, but we ended up changing just about everything.
When all was said and done, the wife came home and said, “Lauren, I feel like I can breathe now.” That just made me melt.
What are some of the big changes that you made to this space that weren’t originally anticipated?
I decided to bring in all new fixtures, because, to me, lighting is like jewelry. It can make such a huge difference in a space. It not only illuminates and serves a functional purpose but also can add to the overall feeling and style. I like to point out the statistic that 80 percent of homes are 20 percent underlit. When builders install lighting, most of the time it’s too small. I think bigger is often better, in this case. You can go bigger and bolder with lighting. This is always the last element I add to a room, but it’s so important.
This home has the outdoorsy feel that you mentioned your designs lean toward, but it doesn’t feel overwhelmed by rustic elements. How do you achieve this balance?
The house is situated on a lake, so that indoor/outdoor feel was easy to achieve and definitely something the clients were looking for. The father and sons are big outdoorsmen, so being able to bring a little bit of the outside in was essential.
You seem to have a fairly large group of people on your team. How do they supplement
the vision that you have for each project?
It truly takes a village. I was about three or four years into my business when I brought on my first employee to help, and that just became a staple position because if I’m not in the office, I’m designing. But sometimes you need to be in both places at once. Now I have help on the design side, too.
Our business is so full of details, and I do have a hand in all of them, but being a mom of two young girls and wanting to be as present in their lives as I can, I would be lost without the support that I have. It’s also great to have help from people who share my vision. I’m respectful of the fact that I’m not the be-all end-all on every decision. It’s so beneficial to have someone’s fresh eyes, and it’s a benefit to my clients as well.
For more info, visit laurennicoleinc.com
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