Today on the blog we are welcoming Lexi Grace of Lexi Grace Design to our spotlight series! Based in Gilbert, Arizona, Lexi established her design studio in 2013 after having spent years flipping homes with her husband. Designing both residential and commercial interiors, she has a serious love for neutrals and uses texture to add dimension. Continue reading to learn more about Lexi’s design philosophy and her advice to anyone who dreams of starting their own interior design company. 

 

 

 

What is your design philosophy?

Our design style continues to evolve as we travel and experience life, but our philosophy is always the same. We desire to create spaces that foster conversation, that inspire creativity, that bring people together. We want our interiors, whether residential or commercial, to encourage community, where everyone who enters feels like they belong there.

 

You used our TITIK wallpaper in your Arcadia nursery project. It looks so beautiful in this space! Walk us through the design process for this room and your choice to use TITIK.

We agree and LOVE the beauty Caroline Cecil Textile's TITIK wallpaper brings to this room.  We knew we wanted a statement wall that was a contrast with the other white walls in the space.  The black background makes the space feel a little more masculine, and TITIK is the PERFECT scale and adds just enough interest without feeling busy.  We decided to keep the wall clean and minimal with no artwork, but this print would also work well with art installed on top of it. The great thing is, as our client grows up the wallpaper will continue to be a versatile design element in his room.

 

 

“We want our designs, whether residential or commercial, to encourage community, where everyone who enters feels like they belong there and are entering a welcoming place."

 

We love how you balance texture and color! What draws you to neutral tones in a space?

Neutral tones are the best tones!  They allow a room to feel peaceful but not boring. There is something so sweet about a space where you can just let out a sigh… when your mind and body don’t have to work to feel at peace or relaxed.  We believe there doesn’t have to be an overwhelming pop of color or a sharp contrast for a room to be interesting. Neutral tones with different textures play so well together. Many spaces have “statement” pieces: bold light fixtures, wall details, graphic rugs, but we enjoy entering a space and not being drawn to one piece, but rather all of it.

 

You recently installed a pair of our framed textiles in a project. We love how you used them as the statement art in the dining room. Would you tell us a bit about your design process? 

Caroline Cecil Textiles framed textiles are quickly becoming one of our favorite art pieces because they have an amazing texture and work well with other neutral tones.  In this project, the framed textiles worked effortlessly with wood dining table, the linen chairs and the black steel cabinetry. Sometimes art can be very hard to commit to and too busy for a room. The framed textiles added a casual elegance.

 

 

 

What new projects do you have coming up? We'd love to hear about it!

Oh yes! We are working with some amazing clients right now and are really excited about each stage of the design process. We are working on a few residential builds and I am obsessed with the tile selections! Install days for these projects cannot come fast enough. We are also wrapping up renovations to our new office and warehouse which feels so good. We have grown out of the LGD barn, which is bittersweet, but now the barn is going to be used in a more special capacity to host events. We have had the opportunity to host bridal showers, baby showers, and workshops in the barn over the past couple of years which was a little difficult as it was doubling as our warehouse and design office. Now we will get to use it exclusively for these special events and I could not be happier about it! It finally feels like it will do what I have always wanted it to do… be a place where moments will happen and memories will be made! It will be a place people can book their special event, so if you are having a shower, hosting a workshop, need a space for photoshoots… reach out! We can’t wait to share the barn with other creatives and friends.

 

You moved to Arizona in 2005 - what is your favorite thing about living here?

The sunshine!!!  And the people. This community has quickly become our family.  We have some of the most amazing friends living life with us, encouraging us, dreaming with us, challenging us… not only in business but in all things: parenting, marriage, creativity.  Life is hard, hard things happen… but our community of friends is what keeps us in AZ even when we are melting in the heat of the desert summer!

 

What’s your favorite project to date?

Oh, that’s a hard question to answer!  I think my favorite so far has to be the Hainsworth and Co Salon.  It was a super small space, had a really tight timeline and was the first salon space we had ever done.  But it was so much fun partnering with my client to bring not only her vision to life but to also help propel her business forward as she started to see her dreams come to life. Working with another small business owner who cares so much about her clients made the project so meaningful!

 

You started your interior design career flipping houses with your husband. When was the moment you realized that interior design/staging is what you wanted to pursue as a career?

I knew it was the career for me when the LGD staging/design business became so busy I no longer had time for other projects. There was a point when I looked around and realized that this “hobby” or thing I would do to bring in extra money had become my full-time job. One day I just looked around and realized...oh! this is a thing, we have employees, we have inventory…” and we just haven’t looked back!

 

 

Lexi Grace Design was established in 2013 -  what is your advice to anyone who dreams of starting their own interior design company? 

Just start. Figure out the parts of the business that you LOVE to do and are good at, then find help for the other tasks. Find an amazing photographer and professionally photograph your work- all of it! Find other like-minded creative business owners and work alongside them. There is so much support and knowledge that can be offered by others in your field, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Oh and listen to podcasts for not only design tips but business tips too! 

 

 

Favorites:

Fabric and wallpaper from our collection?

Oh no! I can’t pick just one!!!! Ok, I think the fabric would have to be HANNU WHITE / NATURAL and KETUT for wallpaper.

Way to use textiles in a living room or bedroom?

Oversized and framed! As for pillows, one long bolster on a bed or as a Roman shade! We recently used your TITIK  White / Natural fabric as a Roman Shade in a kitchen and can’t wait to see how it looks! 

Style of drapery and why?

Right now, we are loving Roman shades. They provide the perfect amount of texture and coverage for privacy and room darkening, but also look clean and sleek in a space. Roman shades are also a great way to dress a window where drapes might feel too heavy or take up too much room. That said, we love pairing drape panels and roman shades too!

 

 

“Caroline Cecil Textiles framed textiles prints are quickly becoming one of our favorite art pieces as they add a casual elegance to any room.”

 

At the heart of LGD’s design philosophy is community and creating spaces where everyone feels like they belong. We love how their team has incorporated our products throughout their interiors, from our HANNU fabric as oversized pillows to our TITIK wallpaper in a nursery or our custom framed textiles as a statement art in a dining room. To inquire about our framed textiles, email sales@carolinececiltextiles.com. Want to read more interviews from our Design Spotlight Series? We recently sat down with Shauna Walton, Denise Davies and Lindye Galloway. 

Cheers!

Allanah