Search Results

April 2024 Finding furniture in a world filled with chemicals! Where to look? Check out my top 5 sites below and why you should consider a little sustainability. Photo from Maiden Home website My top five favorite sites for sustainable furniture Maiden Home Maiden Home is known for its luxury sustainable pieces Eva Eva is an Australian top sustainable pieces that focus mostly on bedrooms Parachute Simple modern pieces that focus on bed and bath furnishings. The Citizenry Simple elegant design for everyday life. West Elm Not everything at West Elm is sustainable but they do have a great collection. Why sustainability is important! Where do I begin? There are so many reasons, but let's start with our health. Did you know we as humans on average spend 90% of our time indoors? Think of what happened with the pandemic. Most buildings don't have the proper HVAC system to reduce the spread of gems within a building. This is just one reason the air exchangers are required for all new construction. Health risks are a big reason. Those were germs in the pandemic but air pollutants are a great place to start removing harm from your life. Here are the "Terrible 10" health risks from breathing polluted air from American Lung Association: Premature death: Science shows that both short-term and long-term exposure to unhealthy air can shorten your life and lead to premature death. Medical experts have known about this risk for decades —remember our blog about the great smog event depicted in "The Crown"? Asthma attacks: Breathing ozone and particle pollution can lead to increased asthma attacks, which can result in visits to the emergency room and hospital admissions, not to mention missed work and school. Cardiovascular disease: Air pollution can increase the risk of both heart attacks and stroke. Lung cancer: In 2013, the World Health Organization determined that particle pollution can cause lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. Developmental damage: Exposure to air pollution can slow and stunt lung development in growing children, harming their health now and reducing their lung function as adults. Susceptibility to infections: Air pollution increases the risk of lung infections, especially in children. Worsened COPD symptoms: Exposure to air pollution can make it even harder for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to breathe. Severe symptoms can lead to hospitalization and even death. Lung tissue swelling and irritation: Even people with healthy lungs are susceptible to irritation and swelling. For those living with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, these effects can be especially harmful. Low infant birth weight: Some studies show exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of low infant birth weight and infant mortality. Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath: Like many of the other conditions in this list, these can be caused by both long-term exposure and short-term exposure to high levels of air pollutants. So what does this have to do with the furniture we buy? A lot of furnishings off gases which contribute to air pollution inside and outside. If your home is not equipped with an air exchanger or HEPA filter in the HVAC system you could be at risk. By supporting sustainable products we can create a healthy world to live in. It's not that difficult. If we all pick one thing to work on we be taking steps for healthier living. Don't get me wrong we will never eliminate everything because some of these products make life safer in other ways. It's a double-edged sword so to speak. Hospitals generate a lot of trash and use materials that help and hurt us at the same time. Radiation is just one example. It can help kill cancer cells, but can be deadly to our overall health so we need to pick and choose things carefully. But from an interior design perspective removing as many products as we can that off gas will help many people. I could go on forever but I think you get the point. A small juster can go a long way to a healthier environment.

March 2024 We can’t always be home, but designing your home with technology so you can monitor it from afar is a great way of having peace of mind. Many of our clients are seasonal residents so their homes are vacant off and on throughout the year. I often recommend installing monitoring systems so they can check on their home when they are away. Good home design includes more than pretty spaces. Your home should provide you with security and peace of mind both when you are there and away. With today's technologies, you can schedule lights to come on and off so it always looks like someone is there. Monitor heating & cooling systems, install cameras to see who may be popping in unexpectedly, and play with your window shades from within the home or while you are away from your phone. Top Reasons for Home Technology Surveillance/Safety Home Assistance (Alexia) Heating & Cooling monitoring & adjusting Kitchen Assistance Peace of mind. Does your home need a little upgrade? Remodeling projects are a great time to install this technology to bring you the peace of mind you deserve.

How to make your home a comfy retreat during Maine Winters! It takes a special bread of people who can embrace the winters of Maine. As an outdoor enthusiast myself I completely understand the need to get out and get fresh air in the winter. Whether it be a hike up Biglow Mountain, skiing, or some fat tire biking there are hundreds of options for enjoying Maine winters. Afternoon walk in the woods. But as much as I enjoy getting out in the winter, I love getting home to a warm cozy home to relax till my next adventure. That being said I have learned over the years that there are a few things that make the return home even better. So here's what I recommend from a designer's perspective. A well-organized mudroom or as I like to refer to is a gear shed if you are into lots of sports. The essentials for a basic mudroom will vary from person to person but as a minimum, it should have a few basic items Coat hooks for backpacks and coats Bench to sit on and pull off your boot. A place for your boots to dry. I like cubbies I like the laundry room nearby so dirt from your adventure doesn't get tracked through the house. And an LL Bean Water hog matt so the floor doesn't get slippery. After you've dismantled and stored all your gear I recommend a place where you can kick back and relax. This place should have cozy seating for you, your family, and any guests you may have. It is nice if you have a small bar area set up with coffee, hot chocolate, or whatever drink you desire. And my favorite is a fireplace to warm up in front of. I used to lean toward a wood-burning but if you like me and don't want to clean up after a wood-burning fireplace a gas is a great alternative. After you've had a chance to warm up It's time to hit the outdoor patio. This area should have a large central firepit. Great for toasting marshmallows or cooking a hotdog or two. If you like to entertain an outside bar area is great! If you're going to serve a dinner then an outdoor kitchen is also a great option to eat under the stars. Designing your home to work with your lifestyle will bring you more joy and less stress. Learning to embrace four-season living is just the best quality of life! Any of these spaces and designs will enhance any season not just winter.

At LaRochelle Interior, we believe that adding value to your home is about adding value to your life not just your property. From small updates to complete remodels, the approach every project should have the same level of care and attention to detail. The goal is to create spaces that not only look beautiful but also enhance your daily life. Interior design is not just about making a space look aesthetically pleasing, it is about creating an environment that enhances your daily life. With a focus on embracing nature for your mental health, Functionality, and comfort to improve the functions around everyday life. It should transform your space into a place that makes you feel good. From choosing the right colors to maximizing natural light, Good design will enssures that your space is both beautiful and practical. Good health is priceless, but not creating a healthy environment to support our daily living can sometimes come with a cost. to your health and your wallet if everything take extra time. We all know that time is money. A healthy lifestyle should be accessible to everyone. Having the right setup and tools for life can help create a healthier lifestyle. Whether it's through wellness designs, ergonomic, or creating a custom kitchen for preparing healthy food options, make the most of your homelife. It's far more valuable than your property values. Life is short, design it to free up time so you don't have to work hard, but can play hard! Weather that is hiking a mountian or reading a good book to unwind you deserve it to have a home design for you and your family!

If you're planning to build a home or remodel your existing one, hiring an interior design professional can be one of the smartest investments you make. Here are ten reasons why: 1. Narrow your goals: A design professional can help you articulate your goals for your home and narrow down your options to create a cohesive vision. 2. Help pair your end goals with your investment: A design professional can help you make informed decisions about how to allocate your budget and ensure that your end goals are aligned with your investment. 3. Save time: By working with a design professional, you can save yourself the time and hassle of researching and navigating the complex world of construction and design. 4. Expertise and attention to detail: Design professionals have the experience and expertise to ensure that your project is executed with the highest level of attention to detail and quality. 5. Help with visualization: A design professional can help you visualize your space in 3D and make informed decisions about how to optimize your layout and design. 6. Understand what the contractor needs: Design professionals can help bridge the communication gap between you and your contractor, ensuring that your vision is executed to your satisfaction. 7. Access to resources: Design professionals have access to a network of resources, including contractors, vendors, and suppliers, that can save you time and money. 8. Sustainable design: Design professionals can help you incorporate sustainable design elements into your home, reducing your environmental impact and saving you money on energy costs. 9. Collaborative approach: By working with a design professional, you can take a collaborative approach to your project, ensuring that your vision is executed to your satisfaction. 10. Value for money: While the fee for a design professional may add to your construction budget, it's a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your project is in expert hands. On average, a design professional's fee will cost you about 5% of your construction budget.

Hello Everyone! This is Lori A. LaRochelle of LaRochelle Interiors, LLC. With over 30 year experence I have learned that there isn't enough time in a day to do everything, so I now specialized in living inside and outside. With a large number of my clientelle not living in Maine my firm has mastered the art of remote design! As a full service interior design firm we do everything from concept designs to placing the laste piece of furniture and art. So if you or someone you know loves theoutdoors and wants a low maintence, but beutiful home this is the place! Just because you love the outdoors doesn't mean you can't bring a little outdoors inside and have a beautiful fuctional home! Older Home Some of the best locations for home have existing home that have been throught the test of time. I think of life as an evolution changing with time. Our homes are no diffierent, we believe that our homes are the same, they need to evolve with time. Old homes often have charished memories, keep the memories, but live for today! Share this blogs with friends and family! Maybe we can help them with there charish home to be a bit more functional