BizTucson Magazine — Fall 2021 — By Romi Carrell Wittman — For more than three decades, Lori Carroll has transformed homes, businesses, and outdoor spaces with her creative and chic residential and commercial designs. Her work can be seen in medical offices, restaurants, hotels, and countless luxury homes across the region. Carroll and her team at Lori Carroll & Associates have built a solid reputation for desert sophistication and style while retaining the individuality of their clients. “I don’t have a huge calling for opulence here,” she said. “It’s more understated elegance – beautiful indoor and outdoor living.”
From her Tucson headquarters, Carroll has also built a large client base across the United States, from California to New York for her world-class, award-winning designs. In fact, she’s won more than 100 local, national and international design awards, including the International Design of the Year for Powder Rooms, the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Pinnacle of Design, the NKBA Kitchen of the Year, and NKBA Bathroom of the Year.
In her new book, “Circle Square Balance Hue,” which highlights some of Carroll’s favorite projects through the years, she details her approach to design. “Spaces should capture the imagination while honoring the clients’ needs and lifestyle,” she wrote. Her straightforward yet innovative aesthetic, coupled with her boundless imagination and singular work ethic, is at the core of her design practice. “Every single project we create, I love that project at that time. We put our heart and soul into it,” she said. Here’s a look at many of her note-worthy designs over the years:
The Good Life Ideal Living Room Designs
A home’s living room is one of the most multi-functional, highly used rooms in any house. “No two living rooms are alike,” Carroll said. For some clients, a living room serves as a retreat from the world, a place to relax and tune out the stress and anxiety of daily life. For others, it’s an extension of the kitchen gathering space, available for both large and small gatherings of friends and families. At the end of the day, however, the space must be practical as well as beautiful.
One of Carroll’s favorite living room projects is a testament to her knowledge and application of color, with the use of crisp greens playing off crimson tones in the artwork for a beautiful contemporary feel. “This is color at work for an energizing design.”
Using the beautiful, rugged desert as a breathtaking visual backdrop is also her forte, as seen in a Foothills home that is “a sanctuary like no other,” Carroll said. “I feel totally comfortable mixing textures and fabric to create a memorable and dynamic space. When it’s done well, it’s gorgeous.”
Another luxurious Ventana Canyon home is a feast of textures created from top with the wood latticework to bottom with rustic brick flooring and impactful rugs and lighting. “This is a wonderful environment where durability and beauty co-exist together,” she said.
The Heart of the Home Stunning Kitchen Designs.
Kitchens serve as a home’s central nervous system, according to Carroll. They serve as a place where food is prepared, where people gather and converse, and where work is done. As such, functionality is of utmost importance.
“While function may dictate the general scope of the kitchen, there is plenty of room to push the envelope,” she said.
Advances in materials and kitchen technologies have made for many opportunities to create statements. Carroll said she views kitchens as the ultimate place to meld impeccable design with practical functionality.
One of Carroll’s ultra-modern kitchen designs for a Foothills home won the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s 2016 Kitchen of the Year. The room was completely wrapped in afromosia, a wood with beautiful, exotic qualities. “When we first started creating the initial concepts, this project just felt really good,” Carroll recalled. “I told one of my team members that the project was definitely special.”
Modern kitchens, she said, provide a perfect opportunity to make a visual impact. An open uncluttered layout is critical. In the Foothills kitchen, the wrap-around wood warms what could have been a cold and dark space. Additional lighting draws attention to the height of the room and its clean lines. While the design is minimalist, with multiple spaces to encourage small gatherings, it’s inviting and functional. “The handcrafted materials, artisan touches, and timeless styling here really made for a dramatic statement,” she said.
A transitional style reigned supreme in another of Carroll’s welcoming kitchens, where warm ivory cabinets encircle a complementary gray and tan wood island. The granite marries the palette of both and the expansive lighting fixtures illuminate the entire space. “This design is inclusive, inspiring and innovative,” she said.
Click here to read the complete story, which begins on page 126.
Carroll, who is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), the International Design Associates (IIDA) and NCIDQ certified, is working with Robinette Architects, Inc to bring her imaginative thinking to the residences at Moonlight Canyon at Saguaro Ranch.
###
To learn more about Saguaro Ranch and the luxury residences at Moonlight Canyon call (520) 833-6141 to be put on the guest list and to arrange your personalized tour. Brokers are protected.
