About Lauren
Lauren Ashley Allan is the founder of Lauren Ashley Allan LLC Interior Design & Architecture, a multidisciplinary design studio creating environments defined by artistry, craftsmanship, and personal narrative. With more than 20 years of experience, Lauren has held senior design leadership roles with three AD100 design practices—Kelly Wearstler, Nate Berkus, and Suzanne Lovell—serving as Senior Designer, Creative Director, and Senior Design Director, respectively. Her experience across luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial projects has cultivated a considered approach to the art of creating enduring interiors.
Founded in 2020, Lauren Ashley Allan LLC is an interior design and architecture studio based in the United States, with a collaborative team of designers and creative partners serving clients worldwide. The studio approaches each project as an opportunity to create environments that are personal, architecturally grounded, and enduring. Lauren believes the most meaningful interiors are a reflection of the lives lived within them, weaving together collections, travels, art, objects, and architecture to create spaces that feel timeless and authentic.
Lauren’s design philosophy is rooted in thoughtful juxtaposition: combining innovation with time-honored craftsmanship, contemporary pieces with vintage finds, and refined palettes with textures and patterns. Through collaboration and curation, she brings together bespoke elements and exceptional materials to create sophisticated and welcoming interiors.
The studio has cultivated longstanding relationships with private residential clients, many of whom have engaged the firm for multiple projects. In addition to its residential and commercial practice, Lauren extends the studio’s design philosophy through LAA Atelier, encompassing bespoke furnishings, hardware, textiles, wallcoverings, and original collections grounded in craftsmanship, materiality, and design.
With a foundation in both interiors and architecture, Lauren holds a BFA in Interior Design and a Master of Architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her architectural perspective informs a thoughtful approach to space, structure, proportion, and detail.
Lauren’s work has been recognized by leading design publications, including Architectural Digest, Business of Home, and Martha Stewart, and honored with national 1st Place ASID Design Excellence Awards. Her previous work with Kelly Wearstler and Nate Berkus has been featured in The World of Interiors, Vogue, ELLE Decor, and acclaimed design books.
Lauren is a frequent speaker at universities and industry events, contributing to the broader conversation around architecture, interiors, craftsmanship, and the evolving practice of design. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and children.
About The Studio
The studio believes that what can be accomplished through collaboration is greater than what one person can achieve alone. Together, a talented team of designers, creative professionals, and exceptional makers collaborate to create spaces that feel collected, considered, and personal.
The process begins with listening. The goal is to be thoughtful without overcomplicating—allowing each project to evolve with purpose.
Every project starts with understanding how clients live, what they value, how they want to experience their home, and what they hope the finished space will feel like. From there, the studio develops a design direction specific to the architecture, the location, and the people who will ultimately inhabit the space.
The strongest projects are well organized and built over time. Rather than approaching a home as a collection of individual rooms, the studio considers the entire experience—from the architecture and flow of the space to the materials, lighting, furnishings, art, and objects that give it character. Each decision builds on the next, creating a sense of continuity while allowing every room to have its own identity.
The studio works collaboratively throughout the process, coordinating closely with architects, contractors, artisans, fabricators, and craftspeople and bringing the right people to the table at the right time—from developing custom millwork and furnishings to sourcing antiques, selecting textiles and finishes, reviewing samples, and working through construction and installation.
The studio curates and sources objects with history, works with artisans to create bespoke pieces, and often develops custom solutions when the right piece does not yet exist. This artful combination of old and new, found and made, high and low is central to the approach.
From the initial concept through procurement, construction, installation, and the final details, each project is carefully guided to ensure that the vision remains cohesive while responding thoughtfully to the discoveries and decisions that inevitably arise along the way.
Influences
Lauren's creative perspective was shaped by her roots and by the places she has lived, studied, and traveled. Born in Illinois to a Greek father from Chicago and an Irish mother from New York, she grew up surrounded by family, warmth, and hospitality.
Her Greek heritage instilled an appreciation for gathering, conversation, and homes meant to be lived in and shared. Her mother introduced her to flea markets, where she developed an appreciation for objects with history, character, and a story to tell.
While living in Los Angeles, she was influenced by the light, landscape, and relaxed spirit of the California coast, particularly Malibu—an influence she brings to projects throughout the country. Her time studying abroad in Prague and Vienna while completing her M.Arch. shaped her approach to design, developing an appreciation for architecture, art, interiors, and the relationship between history and modernism.
Lauren's influences span disciplines and eras, from Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret, Jean Royère, Sol LeWitt, Peggy Guggenheim, Roberto Burle Marx, Pierre Chareau, Gio Ponti, Sheila Hicks, Jean-Michel Frank, Constantin Brâncuși, and Aldo Rossi to the Memphis and Dada movements.
Together, these influences create spaces that feel elevated yet welcoming.
“In this stunning 1920s residence renovated by designer Lauren Ashley Allan, modernity meets soul, spirit, and character, crafting a space that honors artful living. Throughout, the home combines eclectic elements and luxurious comfort, offering a tactile blend of styles that feel both sophisticated and grounded.” —Architectural Digest