It’s not about a piece of furniture or the color of paint on the walls. It’s not a window treatment or a picture. It is the culmination of many elements that results from transforming a space that is like any other into one that is truly like no other. If you’ve experienced spaces like these, you know; if you’ve not, you should. Though we find ourselves dazzled by these spaces, it is sometimes difficult for us to recreate them ourselves.
Enter Lori McCuaig, interior designer, founder and owner of LMC Design Group in El Paso.
Lori has truly mastered the skills required to achieve extraordinary spaces. And yet, though all of the homes she designs have flair, they are not trademarked by a specific style. “No two homes are alike,” she makes clear. Because each home is different and the needs of each homeowner unique, she is constantly adapting to the individual lifestyles of her clients. Lori is a perfectionist, which is a quality very desirable in an interior designer. This, coupled with quality as a common denominator, results in finished projects that have stood the test of time, thrilling homeowners and paying off in the way of glowing referrals. “We couldn’t have been happier with Lori and what she did in our home,” states one of her clients. “She understood exactly what we wanted… almost more than we did!”
Lori has been in the interior design business since 1986. “This is my passion and I’ve always known what I wanted to do,” she says, smiling. Despite her obvious talent, Lori remains humble. In fact, she made clear she is more interested in explaining aspects of design rather than simply talking about herself. She wants people to understand the importance of working with a designer as well as the significance of timing. “People are often unsure as to when they should bring a designer in. So, I try to stress the importance of bringing us in as early as possible, even when they are still just formulating ideas,” Lori explains. Though this sounds strange to many, it could not be more true. Of course, designers can be brought in at any phase, but there are
specific advantages in bringing them in early on in the process.
Ideally, designers should be brought in during the planning stage of a home, alongside architects. It is a misconception that doing so is a luxury and not cost effective. In fact, you will find you’ll likely save money in the end by not having to redo things that seemed good in theory, but didn’t pan out so well when implemented. There are also many things that designers know from experience that the average person will not think of, such as making sure doorways are at least 3 feet wide so the furniture you picked out will actually be able to be put in the desired rooms. When you have the room conceptualized from the beginning, electrical outlets can be strategically placed (on walls and on floors) so they are not simply functional but easily hidden.
When you work with designers such as Lori and Tayton Morgan, another designer that Lori brought into the group two years ago, you will find you not only benefit from their experience, but also from their knowledge of products. Lori and Tayton work on projects separately and as a team and bring a wealth of information from the many trade shows they’ve attended to sources they’ve found through years of being part of the industry. They know vendors and are able to offer advice on the best current products available for any given project. The two are also Allied Members, part of the A.S.I.D. (American Society of Interior Designers), and partake in ongoing continuing education classes and workshops. “We are dedicated to designing safe homes, not just pretty spaces,” Lori says.
Simply put, they take the devil out of the details. Instead of adding to the stress of homebuilding or remodeling projects, a good designer serves as a welcome relief, handling the barrage of minutiae that can leave homeowners overburdened and frustrated. Lori stresses that projects should “be a fun process. People feed off of our enthusiasm.” And you can see it when you talk to their past clients. What is LMC Design Group’s goal? It is not to override, but to complete what the homeowner wants. “We simply carry out a dream,” Lori points out. “In the end, we want it to be what [the homeowner] dreamt of or better.”
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