I can say with 100% certainty that I would not be where I am as an interior designer or an interior design business owner without the treasure trove of free educational podcasts about interior design business and marketing. When I first started considering practicing interior design on my own, I
We purchased our 1980s contemporary style home in West Des Moines five years ago right before our son was born. We looked at a dozen or more houses that summer, and when we found this one, we knew it was the one. It had everything on my wish list except
We have a new project up on our Morris Lare project portfolio. We designed this kitchen remodel for a young family in Winterset, Iowa, which is in rural Madison County, just south of Des Moines. When we get our new Morris Lare blog up and running, we plan to share
This post was originally published in May 2020. Costs for remodeling have shifted so dramatically in the last two years that I edited this post to reflect more current pricing. I designed my very first kitchen back in 2006. We were living in the Woodlea Historic District of Central Phoenix,
Two months ago, I signed out of Instagram on all of my devices and deleted the app from my phone. Except for one very brief relapse, I haven’t gone back, and I’m not sure that I ever will. I was an early adopter of Instagram. It launched in late 2010,
Last weekend Keegan and I took our first “vacation” alone in a whole year and drove up to Decorah, Iowa, for a quick weekend getaway. Keegan’s mom grew up in Decorah, and we visited there together a few times while his grandparents were alive. But, we hadn’t been back since
Covid-19 has disrupted every facet of our lives. Even though we probably won’t be vacationing this year or any time soon, we may still travel to see family at the holidays. I can’t think of anything more comforting in these uncertain times than being surround by people I love and
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I love a good IKEA kitchen remodel and have used IKEA cabinets in three of my own kitchens. This IKEA + Semihandmade kitchen remodel for a Des Moines Beaverdale Colonial that I designed almost two years ago was
The Not So Big House, A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live, by Sarah Susanka, was originally published in 1998. Twenty-two years later, as Americans struggle with a global pandemic, we are spending more time together in our homes than we have in decades. For the last few months, families have been experiencing the nuances of our personal dwellings, for good or bad, all day every day with little relief.
Bringing the natural world inside (biophilic design) is one of the biggest movements in architecture and design today. And, house plants are one of the easiest, least expensive, and accessible ways to incorporate natural elements into your home. Today I’m partnering with my friend and sister-in-law Melissa Peterson to bring
I consult with clients every year who are trying to answer the question: do I completely remodel my kitchen or refresh my kitchen without remodeling? It’s a very common dilemma especially when budget and home value are primary considerations. First, what is the difference between remodeling a kitchen and refreshing
My first foray into interior design was as an assistant in the kitchen and bath department at the Great Indoors in Chandler, Arizona. I worked weekday evenings, and it could be quite slow. The Great Indoors was ahead of its time, and it had a Starbucks right inside and right
Welcome! I’m a Des Moines based interior designer, boy mom to one, avid reader and always aspiring artist. I started this blog when I moved to Iowa in 2008. Currently, I write about life in Iowa, personal development, and my creative journey.
COPYRIGHT © 2014-2022 · JILLIAN LARE – DES MOINES, IOWA INTERIOR DESIGNER
Jillian Lare is a Des Moines, Iowa, interior designer who is a co-owner and a principal designer of Morris Lare Interior Design.
