The Designer's Office by Lori Morris
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Welcome to Lori Morris’s extraordinary private workspace, located within the larger award-winning residential project Regal Seduction. More than simply a home office, it is a creative and business centre used for elaborate client presentations with her design team, collaborative sessions and important meetings. At the same time, the space remains intensely personal, representing Morris’s own vision of how she wanted to work and create.
After more than 30 years designing multimillion dollar interiors for an elite clientele, Lori Morris is one of the world’s leading interior designers, renowned for unapologetic luxury, fearless creativity and interiors that are true works of art. With 27 international interior design awards won in just the past three years, she has established a formidable presence at the highest end of the design world.
For someone who has spent decades interpreting the dreams of clients, designing her own office offered the opportunity to turn that vision inward. “I work on a no rules basis,” Morris says. She wanted the room to feel like a conservatory and envisioned what she calls a “blue and white Wedgwood jewelry box.” The result is delicate yet architectural, whimsical yet meticulously considered.
Powder blue, cream and white are layered with gold and brass, while pearlized chinoiserie wallcovering envelops the room in flowering branches, birds and botanical imagery. Through the surrounding windows, trees and gardens extend the visual narrative beyond the walls.
Overhead, custom designed ceiling millwork creates one of the office’s defining architectural statements. An intricate cream lattice follows the soaring ceiling, illuminated by ample natural light. Crystal chandeliers are partially concealed beneath oversized custom lampshades edged in gold which is a signature Lori Morris design element, transforming familiar proportions into something unexpected.
Crystal cascades beneath the shades like jewelry, inspiring Morris to call them her “dancing chandelier parties” and “a celebration of sparkle.”
Texture is equally fundamental. Morris combines wool, velvet, linen, bouclé and fur with animal inspired patterns. She calls the combination her “texture party.” “I’m a texture girl,” she says. “For me it’s velvet, bouclé and fur.” These tactile materials bring warmth and sensuality to the controlled palette.
A section of original stone provides an architectural counterpoint. Once part of the home’s exterior wall and the reverse side of the fireplace in the adjoining room, it was deliberately preserved within the new extension to give the office what Morris calls “authenticity.” Contemporary art positioned against the stone introduces modern energy to the romantic surroundings which towers above built-in bench seating paired with a large work table. An additional seating area comprised of a custom-made sofa with sculptural chairs and a brass table add comfort to the space where clients can gather with Morris and her team as fabrics, finishes, drawings, samples and concepts are presented and the vision for extraordinary residences begins to take shape.
Her custom desk was designed specifically for the proportions of the office. Finished in glossy powder blue with hand carved appliqués and delicate brass gallery rails, its generous scale complements the soaring room.
Behind the desk, custom designed and built cabinetry rises toward the ceiling. Finished in the same powder blue and cream, it incorporates antique inspired oval mirrors, carved detailing, brass accents and a sliding library ladder. Behind its decorative façade is Morris’s extensive collection of fabrics, finishes and interior design samples, keeping materials immediately accessible for presentations and creative sessions.
The relationship with the outdoors may be the office’s greatest luxury. Expansive windows fulfil Morris’s conservatory vision, filling the room with views of trees and gardens. Soft blue Roman shades, sheers and full-length cream linen draperies frame the landscape, while a pale textured carpet contrasts with warm wood flooring.
Outside, the ethereal interior gives way to a dramatic dark façade punctuated by oversized lanterns. Distinctive circular porthole windows soften the architecture while admitting daylight high into the office. French doors open directly onto a private garden terrace behind the office where black woven seating, colourful cushions and abundant flowers create an intimate outdoor extension of the workspace.
The result is more than a beautiful office. It is a portrait of Lori Morris at work. Romantic and rebellious, feminine and commanding, functional and fantastical, her blue and white jewelry box is where business, creativity and imagination converge, a personal dream realized through architecture, craftsmanship, colour and light.
