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Welcome to what would have been a marvelous party… $$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
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Hello, or bonjour if you will.
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Welcome to my “studio tour.” In a perfect world, this email would be an invitation to an actual real life studio visit. There would be wine, a sort of excessive charcuterie board, soft jazz playing, etc...but this year is far from perfect, as we all know. So instead, I invite you to pour a glass of whatever you fancy, make yourself a little cheese board, and come along on this somewhat guided “tour.”
Before we start on the tour, you might see how long this email is and wonder “is she really gonna talk about fringe this whole time??” I am here to tell you, yes. But that’s why I sent it out on a Saturday evening, because what else are any of us doing? Do Saturday nights even matter anymore?! Reply with your thoughts. Last week I took SCAD through a virtual tour of my studio and the design process. After watching the recording and seeing that it was not as bad as I thought, dare I say, it was even good; I decided I could muster up the courage to talk about it and drop a link so you can watch it. Be nice. I got a D- in my public speaking class in college so I’m a little paranoid. I specifically remember a structural column in the front of the classroom and my professor stopping me mid speech to ask that I come out from behind the column as I had gravitated behind it during my presentation. Anywho-let's use our imagination as we continue on this tour- shall we?
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Pretend we’re walking over to the central piece - the Morris Armchair. You see it and say, “Lulu I recognize this. You post about it weekly.” But did you know that this chair was designed all the way back in 2018 at The Savannah College of Art and Design for my senior collection?! Now reupholstered and crafted by a professional, this chair sets the tone for the entire collection - featuring a playful fringe that contrasts the strong walnut wood bends. The timeless bullion fringe contrasts the bolstered upholstery. Really just the contrast of two things is a major theme throughout the whole collection and my design process. I love it. The chair is William Morris’ namesake - the leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement and major inspiration. When asked what person alive or dead I would want to have dinner with, it's usually a tie between William Morris, the man whose woodblock wallpaper prints were revolutionary for their time, and Audrey Hepburn, the first woman to successfully domesticate a cat. Back to William Morris: his movement was a significant influence on this collection. His devotion to craft and detail inspired my collaboration with craftsmen, all local to LA. Because of this, production happened close to home. (By close, I mean I recently moved and I found out that one of the Craftsmen is LITERALLY my neighbor.)
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Now, let's discuss the best part, real quick - the mood board. The most time-consuming portion but becomes an endless source of happiness for me. While the roots of the collection reach back to 2018, ideation of this collection started in quarantine, a time where everyone needed a little joy. Parisian design, colors, style, fashion, really anything, is a huge inspiration. To elaborate on that point: when people pronounce my last name with a french accent, I never say “technically, that's not correct because while my family originates from France, they immigrated to Canada and eventually to South Bend, Indiana, where the accent was understandably dropped.” No, absolutely not. I just nod my head like a mysterious French girl who was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. The point is, naming this collection came easy, Joie de Vivre—meaning joy of life in French.
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Okay, back to the furniture. Next, we have the The Madox Cabinet, the second furniture piece. The cage of the cabinet is a loose, modern interpretation of French Treillage. I love to take “outdated” trends and couple them with this seasons’ hottest trends (please re-read that last sentence in Stefon’s voice from SNL). Painting this cage bright green felt right since treillage in architecture is usually green. But let me tell you—when I picked the cabinet up from a woodshop full of beautiful oak and walnut furniture, the color selection looked more like a highlighter than a beautiful trellis in a french garden. Thankfully, once it was in a styled interior, everything was okay. It felt similar to when the hairstylist cuts your hair way too short and you say it's fine, but then you get in the car and cry all the way home, but then the next day it actually looks great, it was just a moment of panic…We all know that feeling. Back to furniture, sitting pretty on top of the Madox is The Watts Table Lamp. These two are sisters, in a sense. The French treillage also inspires the Watts Lamp’s base, but in an even more loose and even more modern interpretation. And here’s a little secret, the inside takes a stripe from Watts’ book with this hint of cheerful orange. Speaking of small details, the Watts Lamp base design isn’t just a pretty facade. It also helped conceal the switch and cord in a snazzy way. Now the stained glass -- wow is this a treat. Picking out glass colors gave me the same feeling as being in a candy shop as a kid- the colors and textures that glass can have are incredible.
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Third-wheeling with those two love birds is the blue Bayes Boudoir Lamp. This little stunner is a real show-off with its stained glass. But let me backtrack because I’ve gotten some inquiries about how we got here. It started with pencil and pen, obviously. I use scrolls to sketch, which is terribly inconvenient when I need to reference anything, but allows me to design in a stream of consciousness style, but for lamps. After that archaic method, I bring the sketches into this century and go digital. Next, thanks to my partner-in-crime Cameron Ross, the lamps were 3D printed. This step is crucial. Having the physical objects helps me decide what I like before we get serious (and expensive) with the stained glass. Of course, I still change my mind, but it’s usually via a frantic email to a vendor to see if they’ve cut the material yet...
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Now, to this little cherry on top. The Garnett Pillow is candy. In the form of a pillow. It packs a punch with silk plaid and darling pom-pom fringe. Whenever I venture into the upholstery world, I always start with fringe, an essential element to anything I design. The Garnett pillow features Pierre Frey silk and Samuel and Son fringe. And last but never least, the wee Dearle Pillow. A silky stripe paired with a simple fringe might leave you thinking, “hmm this is pretty low-key for Lu,” but let me show you the matching outfit I made for it. Thanks to the genius of Ashely Ramosko for designing an outfit and shipping the patterns across the country. My dreams of matching furniture I designed came true.
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And there you have it, folks! Thank you for joining me on tour. Of course, you can’t get far alone so I’d like to thank my collaborators and conspirators- Specifically Claire O’Neill and Angie Stong. Sending love to you all,
Lulu LaFortune
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Before you go, may I interest you in an after party dessert:
Below are the conversations that started on Instagram but certainly don’t stop here- Question: Do you have any suggestions for online interior shopping would love to hear it-
Answer: It depends. For vintage goods, the instagram shopping scene is on fire. I recently just bought these, and it's as easy as a DM and a venmo. For more commercial requirements I recommend looking at the “new to order” section of 1st dibs to discover new designers and artists. Question: I was wondering what timeless trends you think I should know?
Answer: The word “timeless” and “trend” usually do not go together but I think in juxtapositions like this a lot because like I said in my “tour” I love contrast. To me a timeless trend means something that is adaptable, so I might recommend a Jean Royer Baltique dining chair that could be reupholstered or copper cookware that will only get more beautiful with age. Question: Where did you get your pants?
Answer: Most likely, Rent the Runway. Question: Favorite designers?
Answer: I don’t have a favorite! I look more at styles and moods rather than specific individuals. Question: In product design, do certain pieces go through multiple artisans or typically just one?
Answer: It really depends on the piece! In the case of my designs the two lamps require trips to multiple vendors. To be more detailed: While the lamp shade is being made by the stained glass artist the vendor who mills the aluminum will already have started. After that, because the base is a raw metal, the base will be picked up by me and delivered to the vendor who is going to be doing the powder coated base. Once that is complete, I pick it up and grab the completed lamp shade and take them to the business that is wiring the lights and attaching the hardware.
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