Lori's List » Lori Dennis

Top Interior Designers Decorate Beverly Hills Mansion

Lori — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:21:40 +0000

Please enjoy the opening night videos of Maison de Luxe from our friends at Editor At Large featuring huge design stars like Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Mary McDonald, Nathan Turner, Jaime Drake , Holly Hunt, Jeffrey Alan Marks , Phillip Gorrivan and me!

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Top Interior Designers Selected for Greystone Mansion Showcase

Lori — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:13:28 +0000

Getting ready to settle into a relaxing Fourth of July weekend, I kicked back and opened the latest issue of LUXE. Then I saw it, my name in the first, official ad for the Greystone Mansion Showcase House. What a way to start the holiday!

LUXE Maison de Luxe has chosen over 20 top leading designers from all over the world to participate in this fall’s show house for the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. You can imagine how excited I am to be included. This event is one of the largest and most majestic show houses in the country and is sure to be awe-inspiring.

Lori Dennis

HGTV and my show The Real Designing Women will be following the action, along with celebrity friends like Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Nathan Turner and Mary McDonald from Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorator.”

Any reputable showcase designer list would include the old gaurd and this one is no exception. You’ll see legends like Hutton Wilkinson, Jamie Drake, Barry Dixon and Suzanne Rheinstein.

My Fabulous Friend Hutton Wilkinson

Colorful Jaime Drake

Lady Suzzane Rheinstein

Lord of the Manor Barry Dixon

Built in 1928, this Baronial-style estate is over 46,000 square feet with 18.5 manicured acres of land. It’s our city’s most famous palace and certainly rivals those of Rhode Island Coasts.

Show House Tour runs November 4-20, 2011 and Designer Lecture Series are November 4, 11 and 18. For more information, Please visit www.beverlyhills.org/maisondeluxe.

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The Beauty of Composting Toilets

Lori — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:23:33 +0000

I just got back from the wettest spot on Earth, Kauai’s Mount Waialeale. Having been told that it’s the prettiest and greenest of Hawaiian Islands, I expected the flora and fauna to be out of this world. It was. However, something utterly mundane impressed me so much more, a composting toilet at Limahuli Garden .

Having written an entire chapter on plumbing fixtures for my book Green Interior Design, I know quite a bit about composting toilets. But reading about them and seeing them in pristine showrooms was altogether different than actually using one. Walking into the small, public bathroom at Limahuli, I immediately noticed the toilet and a friendly sign posted above it (instructions for use). I confess, visions , and worse, smells, of outhouses danced in my head. Getting ready to lift the lid, I braced myself for “the stank”. The stank never happened. On an 87 degree, humid, sunny day in a public bathroom that had no air conditioning, IT DIDN’T SMELL… AT ALL.

I live in Southern California, literally a desert , where we import billions of gallons of expensive, fresh water from thousands of miles away. Composting toilets do the job without a drop of water. I’m thinking if the wettest spot on Earth finds the composting method useful, shouldn’t we start installing these in every public space in our arid state?

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An Artful Weekend in Beverly Hills

Lori — Tue, 24 May 2011 01:17:18 +0000

This spring’s Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens was the busiest I’ve seen in five years. The park, full of fine art, live music and gourmet vending trucks seemed to lure out every resident in the village. Kids were dancing, parents were shopping and the artists all had smiles on their faces, saying, “ the Affaire in the Gardens is back!” That means people were buying art and lots of it.

My “best in show” ribbon went to the geometric cocktail table made of reclaimed wood pieces by Terry Hansen. I’m hoping to use this in our funky, meditation room at Maison Luxe Greystone Mansion Showcase Event.

Came Sculpture playful metal pieces put a smile on every one’s face, captivating young and old.

A sucker for anything high glossed and nautical, I loved the combo by Neil Zeye.

Malen Pierson delighted with his life sized animals made of recycled iron.

The glazed pears by Ojima Ceramics were sublime.

Other worth mentioning were: Gabe Leonard’s spin on movie art, Iris Work’s large landscape photographs, Steve Keating’s photography and Veronica Schmitt paintings.

Later that night we headed over to Robert Reynold’s studio for a birthday bash. The beginnings of his latest body of work were on display - a Zen inspired boat. Perhaps he’s feeling a bit free these days due to the move he and studio director Gemma are making to LA’s Old Building District. They’ve scored an amazing studio on the roof with a birds eye view of the city from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The bonus here for all you art buyers is that the entire 5,000 square foot studio (in the LA Arts District) is on SALE. The studio at 821 Traction Ave. is open 9-8 throughout Memorial Day Weekend.

This one’s favorite and I’m trying to score it for a client, so hands off!

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If You Want to Get the Word Out, Befriend a Blogger

Lori — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:12:13 +0000

Recently my book, Green Interior Design was released. Like most people who have never written a book, I thought the days of sitting in front of my computer coming up with hundreds of pages of clever material was the hard part. Visions of Hollywood scenes featuring authors and their publishers led me to believe that I would be traveling around the country on a glamorous book tour (television, radio, chic book stores, exclusive parties) staying at posh hotels, selling millions of copies and having my editor pick up the tab.

I mean isn’t that what JK Rowling gets to do? Ha ha. The joke was on me. After you write your first book, you the author, get the pleasure of marketing it too. Ok fine, how hard can it be? I contacted a PR person known for her prowess in marketing books. She quoted me $20,000- but no Internet marketing . I did the math. I make about $1 a book , multiply that by a million copies, equals… this sounded like a great plan. Only when I asked how many copies she thought I could sell, she said about 15,000. I confirmed the number with some other design authors. My next thought was, I’m going to need to look at some other options.

Then it hit me- THE BLOGGERS. One of the greatest things about blogs is that unlike magazines that have 3-12 month lead times, blogs can post content immediately. Plus the bloggers put a link (straight to a shopping cart) in the article. I immediatly started contacting the blogs I know and love.

In no special order here’s the list of the blogs who saved me $20,000 in marketing and helped me publicize my book. Thank you thank you thank you! Give em’ a read and be sure to tell them if you have something compelling to announce, they’re happy to help you spread the word.

1. All The Best Blog

2.Belle Vivir

3.Crib Candy

4.Absolutely Not Martha

5.Blue Ant Studio

6. Chasing Davies

7. Being Tazim

8. Eco- Modernism

9. Live Modern

10. Just One More Page Or Two

11. Examiner.com

12. Design Shuffle

13. Design Addict

14. Book Page

15. Ink + Wit

16.Shoe Box Decor

17. HGTV Design Happens

18. Charm Home

19. Design For Men Mag

20. Yossawat

21. LA Mag

22. Lush Pad

23. An Inspired Walk

24. Three Men and A Lady

25. The Jinks Family

26. Cincinati Enquirer

27. Simple & Wonderful

28. Moore Minutes

29. Bijou Kaleidoscope

20. Go Design Go

31. Cliff Spencer

If I missed anyone, please let me know! MWAH to the bloggers.

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How Nature Inspires

Lori — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:15:00 +0000

I’m not quite sure what was going on at the beach this weekend, even for LA, there was a ridiculous amount of photoshoots. Every few steps a professional lense was pointed at a smiling face, a wet, sexy body (or two Kardashians), a chubby baby, a happy family or a group of tourists. It may have had something to do with the unusually warm weather for mid November or the outrageous sky colored in vibrant blues, pinks and oranges that turned to deep purples, fushias and burnt ambers as the sun set over the Pacific.

Taking in the natural beauty, I began to flip through my porfolio of work in my head and realized that I often design in hues that resemble this late November afternoon on a Southern California beach. Touches of beachy blues, stimulating oranges, sunshine yellows and driftwood browns, combined with muted backgrounds of sandy creme have become my signature. Spending so much of my life on these shores has really influenced the way I approach the built environment.

I suppose the next time I’m asked “what inspires you?”, I’d better fess up and give nature some props.

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Green Day at the WDC by Jennifer Sergent

Lori — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:51:26 +0000

Today we have a special treat, guest blogger Jennifer Sergent. You may know Jennifer from her former positions as senior editor at Washington Spaces and HGTV Magazine. Currently she is the Marketing Director of the Washington DC Design Center and was kind enough to invite me to speak on Green Interior Design and lead a tour through DC’s finest green showrooms.

Take it away Jennifer:

We had the most fun last week when Los Angeles designer Lori Dennis, who has become nationally known for her expertise in green interior design, came for a visit. Her new book, Green Interior Design, will be out later this month:

I knew Lori back when I edited a publication for HGTV, so when she called to say she’d be in town, I invited her to lunch with a few green experts, gathered through builder Mark Turner of Greenspur, who built the CharityWorks GreenHouse in McLean last year.

Left to right: Architect Ernesto Santalla of Studio Santalla, who designed the meditation/spa room in the Green House; Theresa Norton; Mary Anne Duffus, founder of the ultra-green Brooksfield preschool in McLean; Marcia Twomey, president of the McLean Chamber of Commerce; Lori Dennis; Designer Barbara Hawthorn, who designed the outdoor space at the Green House; (me) Jennifer Sergent, Director of Marketing for the WDC; Designer Skip Sroka, one of the design chairmen of the Green House; and Annie O’Connell, manager of the Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman showroom, where the photo was taken

We toured through showrooms with products that Lori writes about in her book, which will be out on Nov. 16. We started at Donghia, where showroom manager Liz Allner welcomed us with coffee and pastries.

Liz had laid out many different fabric lines that are totally green, including Brentano and Pollack. But the coolest show-and-tell examples were the dazzling samples of Maya Romanoff wallpaper:

During the tour, Lori and the showroom managers talked about products that were not only green in and of themselves (Maya Romanoff uses recycled glass for its beads), but also the companies who make them, which practice green standards. Overseas, child labor, too, is a big problem — and these companies try to stay away from factories that are caught using school-age children on their lines.

Next, we went to Farrow & Ball, which is now totally green in all its varieties of paint. They have stopped offering oil-based paint, as well.

Showroom manager Eve Fay describes the green characteristics of Farrow & Ball.

The greatest thing about green products for the home these days (if we haven’t already learned from the stunning CharityWorks GreenHouse), is that going green does not mean sacrificing quality. In Farrow & Ball’s case, it means that their pigmentation is still the best around.

Here’s an example of Rectory Red, on the right, which Eve had “matched” at two other paint companies. Not possible, as you can clearly see.

Moving right along, we went to see the ever-charming and charismatic Brian Benavides at Robert Allen | Beacon Hill, which has an impressive line of green fabrics, from sturdy contract quality to top-of-the-line residential.

Here’s Brian and Lori. Even in a still photo, Brian’s infectious personality comes across.

Jaunty pillows with Robert Allen’s eco-friendly fabric

Robert Allen has an entire green section in the showroom, which Brian pointed out that designers can use to demonstrate to their clients — once again — that the quality of the fabric is never sacrificed just because harmful chemicals aren’t used in the production or milling.

The texture of this fabric is so yummy! The green leaf on the label is a symbol that the fabric is green.

Next, we went to Edelman Leather, where showroom manager Emily Payne not only welcomed us with open arms, but sat us down in the sumptuous (all-leather) sitting area in the front of the showroom.

Emily Payne of Edelman Leather

How is leather green, you ask? Well, for one thing, Edelman uses only leathers produced in Europe, which actually has more stringent green standards than the United States when it comes to using non-toxic chemicals, clean factories, etc.

In addition, no animal is ever killed just for its hide. Emily pointed out that all leather comes from animals in the food industry, where hides are a by-product. So talk about reuse and recycle…

Can you believe this wood-grain pattern on Edelman’s newest leather product? Like, on a wing chair? Amazing. The surface of the cocktail table beneath it, by the way, is also an intricately textured leather.

Emily sent us away with the cutest gifts: small holders for change, credit cards, or business cards. I have already put mine to use!

But probably no one was as thrilled as Mary Anne Duffus, who runs the green Brooksfield School in McLean — Emily gave her a big bag of discontinued leather samples for the toddlers in her preschool to use in their art class. Mary Anne pointed out that no material in their art classes is ever bought new — it’s always reused from something else.

The final stop before our luncheon was Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman, where manager Annie O’Connell told us about her company’s “Pure” line of furniture.

Annie O’Connell

Because this was the last stop on our tour, everyone wanted to take some time to sit down and really “try out” the furniture. Not only are the fabrics, but the frames and even springs in the furniture is green: the wood frames are cut from sustainable forests, and the metal in the springs is recycled.

Theresa Norton sits on one of the “Pure” chairs, which was designed so a lady could sit on it, cross her legs, and look sexy. Mission accomplished, right?

Ernesto Santalla’s purple jacket blends wonderfully with the green silk of this sofa — green in color and concept, that is.

Theresa Norton, Mary Anne Duffus (with her art-class samples from Edelman), and Marcia Twomey also try out the sofa.

Two of my favorite designers came along on the tour with us — and they could have helped Lori quote chapter and verse on green interior design: Skip Sroka, whose new house is a poster child for green building, down to the recycled rubber tiles on his roof (see a story and photos of it here), and Barbara Hawthorn, who’s been doing green probably longer than Lori.

Skip Sroka and Barbara Hawthorn

Skip and Barbara have known each other a long time, and their mutual affection is adorable — I love this candid shot:

There are so many green products in our showrooms that we did not have enough time to see them all, but I’ve been talking to Lori about coming back and expanding our little tour to a larger event during our Capital Design Days in the spring. I was so impressed not only with Lori’s command of the subject, but also of our showroom managers’ knowledge, and our guests’ own experience with the green movement. It was an inspiring day, and I can’t wait to read Lori’s book.

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Lori Dennis Shop is open for business!

Lori — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:13 +0000

For years I’ve been getting calls and emails from around the world asking…”where can I buy this (lamp, rug, throw, pillow, chair, sofa, etc) that I saw in your design. I’ve also received thousands of inquiries from people asking how they can make their rooms look like the ones I’ve designed. When I tell someone what is involved (especially the fees) in putting these rooms together, the average person, understandably, is less than willing to commit. So after decades of reading fashion magazines’, “get the look” sections, a light went off. I’ll offer “get the look” for people who love high design without the high end fees. In the Lori Dennis Shop you can instantly find the treasures that took me an entire career to locate. Everyone who has seen the shop, loves it and People magazine recently featured our sheep throw.

Some of my favorite items are the beeswax candles, which are eco-friendly, 100% beeswax, long burning candles that contain no artificial dyes or fragrances and are made in the USA. Sweet, light honey smells fill the air and the wicks contain no metal or lead.

Since the weather is so nice, I am also loving the outdoor furniture, especially the Maui Bed. There is nothing like getting some fresh air and lounging while returning work emails!

If you have some time, check it out, I’m sure there’s something you’ll love.

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Los Angeles Interior Designers…Who's on Top?

Lori — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:21:40 +0000

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of market research for our new retail shop and discovered who ranks where in the Los Angeles interior design world (based on keyword searches, recent publications and blog/website mentions). Being number four never felt so good.

1. Kelly Wearstler- licensed everywhere, hosts Top Design, is entirely FAB.

2. Rose Tarlow- old guard, always refined, boyfriend isn’t too shabby

3. David Phoenix- designs for governors, streamline traditional, entertainment industry darling

4. Lori Dennis- green guru, rustic modern, organic chic

5. Karin Blake- AD 100, Americana, Malibu Mama

6. Kathryn M. Ireland- European flair, relaxed fabrics, joie de vivre

7. Nathan Turner- smart retailer, impecable style, location location location

8. Martyn Lawrence Bullard- exotic tastemaker, bold interiors, excellent name

9. Molly Luetkemeyer- Wearstler protege, funky vintage, no charity is too far

10. Barclay Butera- west coast answer to Ralph Lauren, hell of a sweetie, knows a good outdoor lantern

and there you have it.

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Cherokee Studios Rock N Platinum Showcase

Lori — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:40:56 +0000

Alcie Cooper Lyrics

: Platinum records for the Platinum loft

Thursday night, across the street from Genghis Cohen and behind a secretive, black curtain Rethink Development unveiled the rock n’ roll lofts at the Cherokee Recording Studios LEED Platinum Lofts Showcase benefitting Habitat for Humanity. We (Lori Dennis and Brook Casey of the Dennis Design Group) were in charge of the Alice Cooper pad and took our assignment very seriously, literally dressing the part.

Dennis Design Group gettin' down in bed?

Our shock rock loft never could have been possible without the generous donations of our many vendors and time from our interns, Sara, Rob and Natasha. Plus it’s not really a party if Tony of Francois and Roy from the SoCal Contractor aren’t in tow. In the bedroom Heritage Draperies fabricated and installed our padded, chained window treatment and Mike Ragan of Rags put together this amazing patchwork, padded wall with fabric from Jason Asch of Diamond Foam. The stars were out in LA on Thursday night and two showed up at our event: Jodie Sweetin , who we all know and love as the old Stephanie Tanner from Full House and Calico Cooper, Alice’s daughter and former co-star of his stage show.

Calico Cooper representin' for Papa

Looking at these pictures you would never know that a mere 24 hours before the event we had no stairs and were finishing up our super style in a deadly, construction zone! Sparks from the welding were hitting us, the wall, the furniture and Sara even got smacked on the noggin’ pretty good by a wayward steel beam. It’s a good thing she has a better work ethic than that witch who hit her head on the Apprentice and wasted the team’s time going to a hospital. No, not Sara… she just kept on hot glueing those recycled, reclaimed water bottles that we used as wall art in the guest bath. Through it all Brook and I just kept hammering the boxes and boxes of nails into our wall eating snake. Jason Asch over at Diamond also donated this massive amount of rocker, (faux) snake skin fabric.

Lori and Brook Nailing

Still nailing...

and finally it was done.

I was afraid Brook was going to hang himself. But he stuck it out and we even finished the lyrics on the bathroom wall so Tony from Francois could learn them and sing along.

Don't do it Brook!!

When the doors opened at 7PM we all took a shot of Skull Vodka and welcomed our guests to Alice’s Lair. Francois provided the Gothic mantel in the living room, serving as the perfect backdrop to the snake skin bench from Bausman and Co. and upholstered chairs from Cisco Brothers. All the kitchy 60s, 70s and 80s accessories from Retropia and the original props from Alice Cooper’s show gave our loft an authenticity rarely seen in staged showcase homes. Big Red Sun even landscaped our balcony in a true, desert decor representative of the golf courses in Phoenix that Alice so dearly loves.

Alice's Lair

You'll never guess what these balls are for!

Cooper Gang in the Loft

The most shocking thing about our shock rock loft was the dirty, little secret in our turquoise blue, laundry room. Really, how could you not go there in this loft?! Pleasure Chest hooked us up for the event and I’m not going to reveal we did or didn’t use before hanging it on the walls.

Green bondage-stay in and save gas!

All in all the showcase was an event to help the developers sell property in a really tough market. Habitat got more than a few bucks, we had a blast and I heard someone is making an offer on our loft today!

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