Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Litten
Hi Laurie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Laurie Litten, owner of ComeOnInDesigns, LLC. When my husband and I met in 2002, we were both divorced and blended our family of four children- essentially starting from scratch. Furniture, decor, housing and finances – we had to rebuild our lives from the ground up. This takes blood, sweat and tears! While both working full-time jobs, we started our new lives in a 900 sq. ft. rental home. We thrifted furniture for our kids and used Rubbermaid containers for our own ‘nightstands’ (I covered them with pretty pillow cases!). Sam is a master trim carpenter and quickly got to work building the furniture for our home. At that time, I would get Pottery Barn catalogs in the mail and rip out pages of pieces I loved: end tables, coffee tables, nightstands- even a “Hope” chest. After one year, we had scrimped and saved (no loans, no credit cards) and bought our first home together. That home was our first renovation – from top to bottom, we saved and then replaced/upgraded one item at a time. The end result was a beautiful family home, that we sold for much more than we paid – and we caught the bug! We purchased the next two homes (one had an inground pool that Sam rebuilt and the next pool he built himself) and did the same thing. Our kids were all young adults by now, and in the end of 2019, we then built a home next to a gorgeous country view. Sam then installed another inground pool at that home; we upgraded every possible feature and then boom! A life change – my elderly father, who had also built five houses down, expressed concerns of living alone. We discussed all of the options and the decision was made that we would look for another home for the three of us, which would enable my father to age in place. We found the perfect home in Jackson Township (where my father graduated from in 1955) and it brought us closer in proximity to two more of our children. We have been renovating and bringing our home back to life for the past year.
The desire to design has been a strong one for me for many, many years and in 2020, I decided to showcase my designs and front door decorating talents on an Instagram account. In 2022, I took the next leap and incorporated my business, built my website and haven’t looked back!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say that it hasn’t been a smooth road- but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I live for challenges and finding solutions. I also truly believe that there is a reason for everything and a lesson can be learned from every teachable moment. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve faced would be starting my design business while working a 9-5 job every day. I am an Assistant Treasurer for a public school district and work with numbers all day; my design business allows me to be creative for the other 16 hours (yes, I dream design in my sleep lol)! It takes a lot of dedication and getting up at 5 am, using my lunch hours and nighttime work to get things done.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My first love as a design professional is color theory. I can walk up to a home and pick a front door color; I can walk into a home and figure out which paint colors to use and why; I listen to my clients and incorporate their wants and needs into a custom design for them and I love helping love their spaces again. I help people prepare their properties to list for sale; I help clients once they’ve purchased a new (to them) home and help make it their own. All the while – I take their finances so seriously that it feels like it is my own investment. Just because you CAN buy higher priced items doesn’t mean you MUST buy them. Part of the fun is finding the balance between high and low end and creating ‘home’ while not losing sight of the clients’ vision.
I am somewhat of a lighting ‘savant’ – I know what kind of lighting, how many light sources a space needs, what ambient lighting can do for one’s mental health – just by walking into a room.
I am also known for front door design! In fact, that is how I launched my business. I got the idea from HGTV Magazine’s feature every month: they do a front door color, accessories and lighting. I already did our front porches so I started reaching out to friends and family and the first two front doors, I did free of charge. After that, I began charging and the rest is history.
Any big plans?
Our future plans are still under wraps but what I CAN divulge is that ComeOnInDesigns will be expanding. I am so excited to see what 2025 has in store for my husband and I – we have been planning for these moments for years and are so ready for the next steps. To be a full service brand is a dream come true and I cannot wait to show everyone what we can offer and how our experiences will better our client’s lives too!
Pricing:
- My rate is $100/hour
- Front door refresh $50/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.comeonindesigns.com
- Instagram: @comeonindesigns
- Facebook: ComeOnInDesigns
- Other: https://shopltk.com/explore/ComeOnInDesign
Image Credits
Laurie Litten (I am a one woman show currently)
