Today we have Interior Designer extraordinaire, Irene Lovett on MiLOWE MAG. Irene and I first met at a networking event many moons ago and recently reconnected when I was looking for an Interior Designer to spruce up my house. Irene and her team worked their magic and I couldn't be happier with the end result. Seriously, could my bathroom be any cuter or my bedroom any dreamier?! Without further ado, let's get to the questions!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear little bit about yourself and your business.
Hi, I'm Irene Lovett. Interior Designer based in LA. Studio City to be exact. We offer full service interior design and consulting for those who aren't quite ready to dive into a full scale project. Spinach artichoke dip is my guilty pleasure and I've yet to find a high waisted paint that is as high as I'd like. I also get cold if the temperature drops below 70.

How many kids do you have, what ages?
I have a 6 year old son and three fur babies. Totally count the fur babies as my kids too.

What are your top three recommendations for things to do with kids in LA?
One: My husband and I are really into experiencing dining. We try to hit as many new or old restaurants in different LA neighborhoods as possible. It's important for us that Felix appreciate food early on and expose him to try things other than mac n cheese, pizza and chicken tenders. LA is so vast that when driving to a restaurant, we want him to take in the city too. As a designer I try to point out design elements inside each space so that he hopefully also learns to appreciate the details.

Two: We just moved across the street from a park. Beeman Park In Studio City. It's the ideal park size for us. Large enough that there are different activities going on and small enough that it fits within our neighborhood and could easily find anyone. My husband describes it as LAs best kept secret. ha!

Three: Skirball Center: Great landscape for running around with cute exhibits for kids.

How do you network as a parent and a business person?
Felix is now involved in sports and are socializing with a lot of parents with kids on the team. It's more socializing than networking, but it's been nice making new friends in our little community. Some of the kids from his preschool are now at his kindergarten and formed a network of parents we can reach out to for school questions and activities.

For business, I network with contractors, realtors, other designers, reps and vendors. I'm in a facebook group for interior designers which has been a godsend anytime I have specific questions. It's been so nice having that community of designers open to sharing their experiences and supporting each other. I used to be shy about networking but since I've become more comfortable with it, I'll talk to or reach out to anyone I think would find value in what I have to say and vice versa.

Where do you go for inspiration on the web and in real life?
I love studying other interior designers' website portfolios. Usually veteran designers with huge budgets and lots of experience. Looking through their portfolios on a computer, allows me to looks at projects on a larger screen and take in all the attention to detail. The majority of these images I haven't seen on pinterest or instagram so they all look fresh and unique. They each inspire to be better and try harder.

In real life I look for inspiration by people watching. People watching is fascinating. I love observing people's sense of style. I hardly have any time to shop for myself or spend time creating outfits so when I see things I like, I get inspired and try to make something out of it for myself.

What is the first website you visit every morning?

The weather app on my phone.

What are you three favorite Instagram accounts to follow?

Sincerely Jules. I've followed her since her early days on chictopia then her blog. I feel like she really blew up once instagram hit. I still find her sense of style most relatable and really enjoy that she's doesn't bombard her followers with every step throughout her day. She keeps her life pretty private, which in the case of an influencer is pretty uncommon. Erin Foster, came across her feed a few years ago and the caption on every image cracked me up. DemPrimarytracker2020 , I don't have time to keep up with politics but want to be informed. This keeps me up to date on the latest candidate news. Also it was created by my husband. He does a great job of curating the significant news for us in one source.

What is on your to do list for today?

Work on three service agreements. Follow up with upholsterer, electrician, confirm paint color for a home office project. Follow-up on a few inquires and respond to emails that came through over the weekend, go to the gym and read before going to bed.

Describe motherhood in one sentence.

Motherhood is trying your best to give your child the opportunities you didn't have.

And finally, where can we find you?

Website: www.designstiles.me
Instagram: designstiles