Hidden Gems: Meet Lauren Lerner of Living with Lolo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Lerner.

Hi Lauren, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Lauren Lerner and I am the principal designer and founder of Living with Lolo, a full-service interior design firm based in Scottsdale, AZ. I spent many years in sales and management before turning my passion for interiors and styling into a successful career.

I am incredibly proud of the firm I built and beyond grateful for my team and clients, who are a constant source of inspiration. In five short years, I have created a multi-million dollar business. I love learning about my clients — from discovering their personalities to what their dream home looks like — and creating gorgeous, livable spaces that will help them actualize their vision for the life they want to create.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I love this question because people always assume that my business was an overnight success and that everything is glamorous and picture-perfect when looking at the world of design. Honestly, this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. I decided to shift gears in my thirties and make a major career change after the birth of my son. After 15 years of sales and management in the fashion, beauty, and skin care industries, I decided to pursue my passion for design, and it was the best decision I ever made!

I had to step out of my safe zone and discover an entirely new world, but I knew I needed to trust my intuition. I think it’s important that we all take time to find our passions and what truly drives us. I can now proudly say that our work has been featured in House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, Luxe Interiors + Design, and more. So yes, I had to start from the ground up and put in many long days and nights… but taking that leap of faith was absolutely worth it!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Living with Lolo is a full-service design firm that focuses on new builds, full home remodels, and furnishings. We love designing dynamic and welcoming residential spaces and are known for our eclectic and modern style, which translates to spaces that utilize clean lines, mixed metals, impactful colors, and timeless pieces.

Our clients often tell us how much they love that we pushed them outside their comfort zones to create spaces as unique as they are. I feel my approach to business and design is unique from other designers because my path was quite different than most; in turn, I don’t follow “typical design textbook rules.” I enjoy nudging my clients out of their comfort zone to help create an ultra-customized end product that is magazine-worthy!

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Absolutely! The design industry was hit very hard with supply chain issues and some vendor closures. While clients were initially understanding as the entire world was “on pause,” after months of waiting with continuous backorders and cancellations many grew impatient.

It was critical that our team made client communication an even bigger priority during this time of uncertainty, setting clear expectations with our clients from the beginning, and internally, that we all learned the importance of being flexible and adaptable. A change we implemented during this time was introducing virtual design, which was a huge hit for those who needed their homes to now serve as a temporary workspace, or for those just craving a change of scenery in their personal space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://livingwithlolo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingwithloloaz/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingwithlolo/

Image Credits
Life Created http://www.lifecreated.com/