Hi Everyone!

Super excited to introduce you all to this week's Inspiration Spotlight, Lauren Ashley Allan, whohas welcomed us into her home studio. Lauren has the kind of job every creative person dreams of! She is one of the Senior Designers for Kelly Wearstler,an interior design firm specializing in residential, hospitality and commercial projects.

As a designer, Lauren has a tendency to beinspired byanything and everything, which I can certainly appreciate. Talking about our daily routines, I felt a lot of common ground with her, when she shared hers with me.

"On a typical morning, I am up early! I love to be awake before everyone else, getting the most out of my day. I have a constant need to absorb visuals, inspiration and adventure.A lot of my life has revolved around this basic need to travel!! I have a driving curiosity for new inspiration. I am always evolving and changing. I am a triple type-A personality, life is non-stop. My mom calls me at least once a month from Chicago to remind me to slow down," Lauren explains with a laugh.

Haha! Knowing and relating to all of this, it really makes me happy to know that she chose theLa Dolce Vita series - Monterosso Cinque Terreas her first Gray Malin piece and it residesspecifically in her creative space.

Talking a bit about personal style, Lauren has a super cool take on it, referencing anIris Apfelquote,"When you don't dress like everyone else, you don't have to think like everyone else."

I couldn't agree more with Iris on this statement and I love that Lauren uses it to describe her own style. Delving a little deeper, Lauren goes on, "I appreciate good humor and wit, these are gifts. I like to dress up each day and make the most of it. This attitude effects everything you do, the way you sketch and put together a room. The way you visually communicate with people. It's so important to live in color!"

At Kelly Wearstler,Lauren isoverseeing a hotel in Californiaand a residential project in New York. The studio is very much a team environment and an extremely creative place to work. "There is a lot of cross-pollination of ideas with all of the different projects including Kelly's homeaccessories line, jewelry, custom lighting and furniture! Everyday is an adventure, everyday I take risks, discover new things and grow so much."

Sounds like fun to me! Oh wait, maybe that's because apparently Lauren and I have tons in common, like enjoying creative careers, interior decorating and collecting MANY coffee table books...her current favorite?

"I justreceiveda book from Kelly and the team for my birthday,_American Fashion Accessories,_everyone in the studio signed the inside. I love the inspiration filled pages and notes from everyone, it's extremely thoughtful."

Changing gears a bit from work, I asked Lauren about some of her favorites things to do since moving to Los Angeles from Chicago with her husband, Graham."We moved to LAthree years ago and haven't looked back. We love to travel, hunt local flea markets and take tons of photos. Graham sails during the week with a team on the pacific ocean. "

With this in mind, I don't think it's a stretch to think Lauren may be in need of another piece or two at some point down the road...maybe, a littleSail Awayfor Graham or a piece of homefor these Mid-Westerners.

Want to know more about Lauren and see more of her place? Keep a look out for her and her home in this Fall's issue of Domino magazine.

Until then...thank you all for joining us inside our Lauren's office. And of course, a special thanks to the woman herself, for bringing us into your creative space.I'm a big fan of Kelly Wearstler and love that I now know one of the creative minds behind this spectacular lifestyle brand.It was truly fun poking around and hearingall about what you love (family, friends, travel, & learning...always!).

Cheers,

xx

GM