Meet Laurie Chriest | Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laurie Chriest and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laurie, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I always knew being a parent would be a primary focus of my life. When choosing a career, I imagined that being an Interior Designer would set me up for success in creating a good work/family balance. I intentionally set up a home studio so that I could integrate my work schedule with their schedule. I always treasured those precious moments when they came home from school, and I was able to share the joys and challenges of what happened in their lives each day.

The unexpected result was that my children became aware of how I chose to provide value and service to the world through my career. They grew up seeing their mom working in an industry which is creatively and financially fulfilling. They got to experience first-hand what diligence and dedication to your passion can do to create a thriving and productive life experience. As a result, my children, all young adults now, have chosen to engage in ventures that serve their creative gifts while serving others.

What should our readers know about your business?
I established Laurie Chriest Interior Design in 1996, after twelve years in the Interior Design industry. My firm specializes in High-End Residential Custom Home Design, focusing on working as team members with clients, architects, craftsmen, and interior product resources. Laurie Chriest Interior Design offers full-service design from plans to move in and beyond. Whether it is New Construction or Remodel, I work to blend architectural and interior detailing together with furnishings to create a unified composition.

The core principle of who I am as a designer is creative problem solving with the specific intention of adding material and personal value to the individuals whom I serve. As a young person, I always enjoyed puzzles and mysteries. My imagination would always explore “what if” scenarios in inventive and fanciful ways. This imaginative puzzle solving is the driving force which I apply to interior design,

I approach each client and project as a unique and individual mystery. I take clues from them from what they tell me and what they show me and from their personality. I consider their history, their family, their culture, their interests, and their lifestyle. Although I use my skills, training and resources, this process is not ultimately about me. I am a facilitator of their dreams in a process which is co-creating their new environment. My approach is to find the elements of who they are and who they want to become in this new space. Through my efforts, I am allowed to be involved in creating a backdrop for their life and their aspirations.

Developing a concept and then weighing each element against this concept is the puzzle solving part of the process. It’s like visualizing in your mind the final design and finding just the right pieces which will fit together to make this vision a reality. In this phase it is important to realize that there is not just one piece that will work for a particular element, but it does need to integrate with all the other pieces to complete a cohesive outcome. In design the possibilities are endless and unlimited. Success comes when the result is even better than was originally imagined.
Solving the final mystery results in interiors which are as distinctive as the people who they were designed for. When I look over photos of past projects, I take pride in the fact that they do not all look the same. “It’s almost like we planned it that way!” I say it often with a bit of sarcasm. Yes, this is all part of the master plan. The homes may be beautiful and enchanting, tailored, or dramatic yet, my barometer of success ultimately client satisfaction. I am always the most grateful for the experience of getting to know the people who will reside there and being of service to their life and their style. This is one of the most treasured aspects of the work that I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I last visited the Los Angeles area, I spent an entire day exploring the Getty Museum. It is a treasured memory and I absolutely loved perusing all the galleries and enjoying the architecture of the campus.

First on my list for my next trip is to spend a day shopping at the many Modern Furniture Stores in the West Hollywood area. This area is a wealth of resources for high design furnishings from around the world and an inspirational venture not to be missed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Shoutout for success and support goes to my parents. My mom always had plans and schemes to remodel our home and to continuously make design upgrades. I have many memories of going to the paint store and the floor-covering store. This was a common weekend outing that was just “fun” shopping with my mom. Throughout the years this taught me many lessons that I now see as wisdom which I rely on daily in my work. She showed me that no matter how big or small, making improvements in your surroundings can dramatically shift your perspective, affect your emotions and your overall outlook. She was always encouraging and taught that if there was something you were interested in pursuing you can find a way to achieve it. Hold the idea in your mind and persist by taking action. “Good things may take time, but they are worth doing.”

My dad was a very practical and resourceful person. He also was the king of figuring things out and fixing anything. If he didn’t know how to do something that he wanted to do or needed to do, he would study and just learn how to do it. There was no YouTube back then so, this entailed asking around, going to the library, or buying a book on the subject. One thing he said that sticks with me to this day, “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to work.” I love the simplicity of this and how it shifts our attention away from something which may be unattainable, like perfection and focuses on the actual task of solving the problem and getting the job done. Creative Problem Solving at its finest.

Website: www.lauriechriest.com

Instagram: @lauriechriestinteriordesign

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-chriest-b6a97a12

Image Credits
Miranda Estes Photography (all images including Portrait)