Contributor

Julie Laughton

Designer and General Contractor

Julie Laughton is a graduate of Iowa State University. After completing her Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design in 1985, she moved to New York City, where she spent the first 7 years of her professional career working for two different Architecture firms and serving as the Senior Designer for an Interior Design firm. As Senior Designer, Julie's responsibilities included all the hand-drafting of space and furniture plans, the selection of all the furnishings and materials, and the supervision of all installations. Her corporate clients in New York City included such established corporations as Bank of America's 5th Avenue Corporate Offices, Citibank's Park Avenue Corporate Offices, David Webb Jewelry on Park Avenue, Weinburg Law Offices, and Rizzo Law Offices. While in New York, Julie also collaborated with the Top 5 developers in Manhattan to help build many of the city's 40-story luxury high-rise condos. These developers included Philip and Cheryl Milstein (Windsor Court, Liberty Court, Normandy Court, and their home in Scarsdale), Zeckendorf Development (Zeckendork Towers, Park Avenue), J.I. Sphers Real Estate (The Monark and Astor Terrace), Landau Development (990 Avenue of the Americas), Lefrak Properties (Historical FRIARS CLUB of New York City and Newport City). In 1991, Julie left NYC, moved to Laguna Beach, California, and added a Certified Custom kitchen and bath Designer to her Interior Design License, and then also became a licensed General Contractor. She devoted her career to custom home design and remodeling, with a focus on historical homes. With her passion for the Art Deco Era, she fell in love with all the early California homes built from 1910 through 1930’s, the Spanish and Mediterranean styles, the Craftsman, and of course the California Bungalows. Julie has completed over 350 custom kitchen designs and remodels along the way. She has had the pleasure of working on such historical remodels as the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, California, built in 1938, the historical Friar’s Club in New York City, and an original Wallace Neff home in Pasadena, built in 1927 which was featured in Jane Fonda’s movie, "Monster in Law." Julie takes a hands-on approach for all her projects. Equipped with her ability to visualize and her talent to draw, Julie can conceptualize the end result before the project even starts. She applies her expertise and experience in the custom design arena to create plans that truly work. Always painstaking and meticulous with her design details, Julie is able to help her clients achieve their goals for their homes, whether it involves creating an inviting and functional kitchen, doing a room addition, remodeling the entire home, or building a dream home from the ground up.