Behind the Design: Ivy Designer Lori Dennis

I’ve been in Los Angeles for over 30 years. But, I’ll never loose my New York attitude or roots. I now split my time between our offices in Los Angeles and South Florida.

I have been a yogi since I was a little girl. It centers me when everything is in full spin. I sleep 8 hours every night and I am very conscious about what I eat – an organic and pescatarian diet. I give compliments to everyone I encounter and try to be positive. And although I never really stop working because I truly love my job, when Friday afternoon comes, I stop taking client calls until Monday 9AM.

It’s the same thing Michael Wollaeger, then Editor of LUXE Magazine told me decades ago, “Keep submitting good work.”  I followed his advice, and shortly there after, I landed my first national cover. Make sure your rooms are edited properly and shot professionally. Find Stacy Kunstel’s Design Bloggers Conference presentation on how to stage a room –her advice will elevate your work. Find a platform that resonates with your style and start submitting short sweet words with 1-3 great shots.

I am so proud to be an Angeleno. The level of design and art is world class and varied, but none of it is pretentious or stuffy. This is a place where anything goes, but it all has an air of being casual and easy.

When we find a good vendor, we stay with them forever. Years ago, when I was a nobody, Thomas Lavin treated me like a million bucks. I never forgot that, and as soon as I had a real client, I bought from him. He’s got the best taste. I also love Peninsula for custom furnishings, Westart Woodwork for cabinets and millwork, Heritage Drapery, and Black Label Logistics for warehousing and white glove. These people have become like family members and we couldn’t have reached the level of success we have without them. We recently became very close with the good people from Monogram and I am excited about their superior products and want everyone to get to know them!

Ferguson, Kneedler Fauchere, Glant, and Holly Hunt have incredible products and make our lives easier! Lesson here, be nice, be accommodating, and when you find a good vendor, treat them like gold, they’ll return the favor.

I feel simply glorious when I see or do good design. I am safe, happy, and life is worthwhile when I am immersed in the beauty our world offers.

The most challenging part of design is when a client is unhappy. One thing we do better than anyone else is listen and reflect back an edited version of what they really want. Nothing feels better than when they are happy and grateful for our efforts, nothing feels worse than when they are unsatisfied. My mantra is to be patient and put myself in someone else’s shoes. I work on it and get better each day. But, I also realize sometimes those shoes smell real bad and you need to take them off.

Get a good logo, get a good headshot or team picture, get 10 good interior shots. Label everything with your firm’s name and start posting everywhere you can. Clients and colleagues find you online and by having a consistent and professional online brand presence, you have a free 24/7 advertising campaign.

You gotta see what’s out there. You gotta be inspired. You gotta have fun. Going to markets and industry events kills three birds with one stone.

I’m all about healthy living and indoor outdoor. My home, an oasis in a concrete jungle, reflects how we live. I’m inspired by the work of the late and great, California designer, Michael Taylor.

You can expect modern infused with lots of nature; heck we’ve even got two chickens running around our yard. We’re a comfortable, casual family who loves to entertain. You can expect to have a great time.

You’ve got beautiful Instagram ads (there’s that online brand presence), you’re affiliated with Houzz (who we freaking love), and a designer who looked like me (physically and where she was in her career) couldn’t say enough good things about Ivy. I’ve been wanting to get onto a more streamlined management system for years but was unwilling to take the time to learn it. When I watched the demo, it really did look easy.

We are very organized. We use all of the same methods as Ivy, but it was never all in one spot. I’m looking forward to things being even easier.

We’ve accomplished the first one already, getting to Google’s page one organically for all of the important keywords.  We’re developing our own multi-family property projects, and, we’re partnering with new construction technology firms in AI and 3-D printing spaces.