Meet Lauren Field

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Field.

Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I come from a long line of creatives who work with their hands and had a very creative childhood. Fast forward to my teens, where I started working retail where it was part of my job to work on display windows and editorial sets for a national company. While working for this company nights and weekends I started to have a rapport with local designers and clientele and frequently got asked to help them with their personal or professional projects. I was always surprised because of my age, but learned early on that I was a Type-A creative and somehow managed to juggle a full time school schedule and a slew of miscellaneous design projects alongside my job. After a while, I decided to declare a major and formally study architecture in college, were my two very opposing artistic yet analytical creative types thrived. I learned from some of the most amazing architects, artists, and colleagues when there were only five women in my graduating class. I went on to live and travel alone in Europe and decided to continue my education in Architecture by attending a graduate program in St. Louis when I returned home. My early and mid-twenties were spent experiencing: spaces, places, and art and were the foundation for shaping the way I see the world. I started practicing architecture and interior design in 2006 on the side while working part time jobs until I landed more traditional roles at some very celebrated firms. In 2013 I met my now business partner Elaine when we were both hired to style homes around the St. Louis metro area. We had an instant connection and started to work on editorial projects together that turned into designing weddings and other events. We now take on a select number of weddings each year for discerning clients who seek a truly curated experience.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but I left home at 17 after I graduated high school and know a little bit about resilience. In the beginning, we always believed in our portfolio and that our work would speak for itself, and while it has, learning our own marketing was a struggle. As inherent creative directors, we had to learn how to find our voice with those who photographed our work so that we were receiving a product that was on-brand for us. After having some of our favorite designs captured in ways that did not showcase our work, we quickly realized that the photographers we chose to work with would be the single most important decision we have done our business. It is for this reason that we connect with so many fine art film photographers. Another struggle we have had is sourcing a certain color or type of object or tabletop piece that fits our design vision. In the early days, we would sometimes make, paint, collage or buy our own items that we should have been sourcing from places our clients could have paid for more of that didn’t require our time. It’s really hard to settle when you have an idea, but now we have those collaborative partners who want to create alongside us.

One of the challenges we have faced is others in the industry not necessarily thinking we would be successful by basing our brand on design-centric principles that we have never wavered from. It has taken a long time for others to come around to the idea that we provide more than just a service, we bring an incredible amount of vision to the table and those who recognize that trait in us are our clients.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Lauren Field Design is a creator of wedding + editorial design experiences and we design, plan, and style. We truly design an experience for wedding/event guests that they can’t stop talking about because every last detail was thought of and brought to fruition with an impeccable level of service. After years of next level design thinking, we are here to wow. We specialize in creating celebrations that are a true reflection of those we serve. We are able to do this with an incredible amount of work getting to know our clients early on. In addition to weddings/events, we work with brands to creatively direct editorials for their product or portfolio imagery. We would love to work with more local brands in Austin. The other branch of our business is detail/prop and fashion styling, which is a little bit of a newer concept in the industry. As detail stylists we are hired by other wedding planners, photographers, and the general creative team to style flat lays of details and work alongside the event photographer to help curate the objects in the frame to tie the whole event story together. Next level professionals want to hire us to focus on all the small details like the stationery etc. so they can focus on their clients and that golden referral so their business can grow even faster. The industry is finally starting to come around to this idea and we are excited to be the first to offer this in the Austin wedding industry. We are known for our exceptional approach to color, the use of unexpected materials, and the elegant editorial flair we bring to our events. We have been known to do just about anything to get the perfect shot and have so much fun doing it.

How do you think about luck?
I don’t know that I necessarily believe in luck for my life. Most of the things I have now required a significant amount of grit. Looking back, I have made the right connections with people at the right time, but only after a few missed chances. I believe everything happens for a reason and rely heavily on my faith to see the past and look to the future. In my business, I view it more as doors closing and opening when I was truly ready for what was or wasn’t behind them.

Contact Info:

• Email: lauren@laurenfielddesign.com
• Website: www.laurenfielddesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lauren_field/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenFieldDesign

Image Credits
Image 1-5 Kristin La Voie Photography, Image 6,7: Gracie Byrd Jones Photography