It's amazing how much we have at our fingertips these days. You can truly find anything online. Even design. As a thirty-something I am still a huge proponent of the old school face-to-face meetings. I'm less and less of a phone person, and still prefer to use paper and pencil (especially when drafting floor plans!). However all things considered, I think I am pretty "with it" when it comes to digital knowledge. 

The other day I turned to Eric and somewhat hysterically said, "When it comes time for Avery to go to college, all the kids will probably have some sort of microchip INSERTED INTO THEIR BRAIN that shoots laser beams out in front of their eyeballs to give them 3D renderings of the topic they are learning about! OMG. There might even not be teachers. There might just be teacher-bots. Maybe the little microchip in their brain will also have a voiceover as their Digital Professor. Oh, and there will definitely be self-driving cars. Our kids cars are going to DRIVE THEMSELVES!" 

YIKES. While the speed, intensity and natural skill demonstrated by our tiny human while she swipes the IPad to find "Melmo" is truly terrifying, there is no doubt it is the way of the future.

Although this Digital Age can be intimidating, overwhelming, dangerous and scary, there is a silver lining peeking through! In this crazy busy world today, we don't always have time for those personal meet ups. It's so easy to snap a pic with your smartphone, shoot a text, drop an email, like a photo, retweet an article. Even Great-Grandma can update her Facebook status, and an iPad can magically transform a cranky toddler hellbent on torturing a plane full of poor undeserving souls to a blissful, thumb-sucking angel with the tap of a finger.

I truly don't know what this says about our society, but the fact of the matter is, THIS IS HAPPENING (and has already happened) right before our eyes (which are focused down, brows furrowed in concentration on the text of the moment while crossing the street).

With the amount of time we design enthusiasts spend on Pinterest and trolling online furniture gallery flash sales like One Kings Lane, Dot + Bo, and Joss & Main , it's surprising that we don't have carpal tunnel syndrome from furiously typing into our search engines, looking for that perfect 36"W x 10"D x 31"H skinny console table for our teensy city-sized entryway. 

I hate this. And I love this. There is something to be said about stepping AWAY from our computers and social media and getting outside, or at least going out "in the field" for inspiration. For example that means me getting off my keister and trekking up to the D&D Building to see what is new in the market for inspiration, or going to that long put off design business seminar. (By the way, great podcast on stepping away to find inspiration by Tiffany Han here). Or it could just be simply taking a stroll around the block. Today, I had 15 minutes to kill between an appointment and picking Tiny Human up from daycare. Instead of scurrying indoors and typing away in the dark cavern of the petit a.p.t., I planted myself on a park bench and just sat there with my face tilted to the sun. It felt amazing.

I've been so lucky to be able to take advantage of one of the upsides of The Digital Age. I've been honored to be a featured designer at Laurel & Wolf, a new online platform that delivers interior design to your fingertips. It's getting a lot of buzz, especially in the tech world. And because of that buzz, I am able to spend more time buzzing around outdoors with Avery and Bear. Another bonus? I am able to bring interior design to the client who otherwise would have been intimidated by the process, would have shied away because of budget reasons, or who simply wouldn't have had the time. 

For these reasons (and so many more, like Diapers.com and Amazon Prime, hellooo!) I feel lucky to be living in a digital age that makes beautiful things that much more accessible and affordable to all.

I am probably making some interior design legends roll in their graves right now, and I'm sorry for that! Like I said... I am still a proponent of in person, in the space. It's always the very best, the most accurate. However, when that can't happen, why can't we still find design online?

I'm so excited to be rolling out my new DigiDesign Package in which you can purchase an online design consultation directly from my website. For more information, click here and use passcode "LSDigiDesign".

Below are just a few of the digital style boards I have created for clients.

So, how do you find design online? 

~L.S.

Interested in digital design or have additional questions?  Contact me here.