The Marquee Lounge | The Design Story

June 5th, 2023

What’s so particularly meaningful about this project was not only the lessons that came from it, but it was getting to know this ‘client’ and finding all our similarities and mutual connections we have both growing up in neighboring mountain towns. She was a Colorado girl just like me, and this design was rooted in that. I found so much joy in looking for ways to emphasize who she is and where she comes from throughout her home, as I can relate to so much of it. Her family, her love of color and Colorado, and her need for a comforting crash pad after long stints of travel are all so relatable - I love how we ultimately expressed that throughout her space. The Marquee Lounge was one of my most rewarding experiences to date, and I look forward to telling you how we got here.

Flashback to July 31st 2021: It was moving day and unknowingly the very start to my second design - the Marquee Lounge. You might be curious why I would jump back into living with roommates after living on my own for some time, but I was practically climbing up the walls of that 600 foot 1-bedroom in Gold Coast. Living alone through quarantine is not for the faint of heart, but doing so without central air-conditioning, a dishwasher or hostable living space was enough to send me over the edge. Those lonely years made me realize how badly I wanted to bring my melting pot of friends together and restore the feeling of family I once had before uprooting my life.

Lucky for me, Hannah, my long-lost freshman-year roommate from back in Boulder was looking for someone to fill a spot in their 3-bedroom the same month my lease expired. It was too good to be true. The condo had central air conditioning, in-unit washer/dryer, a dishwasher, incredible hosting space, and the added bonus of companionship.

Now, if you knew Hannah and I freshman year of college, you knew this was much more than companionship. Hannah was (and still is) my soul mate! We were randomly placed as roommates in Libby Hall and proceeded to blossom one of the most epic friendships I’ve ever had, telling everyone willing to hear we were separated at birth being born in the same hospital in Cincinnati. We filled that year with memories of each other being the truest forms of our goofy/weird selves until we were met with the heart-breaking reality of our separation the following school year. We attempted to maintain our best friendship, but the unfortunate truth was we were lacking overlap in our newly established friend groups from living in our respective sororities.

Hannah and I went 9 years following our monumental year together in Libby Hall until reuniting in the fall of 2020. We met at Gemini Bistro for a drink, which turned into hours of catching up on those 9 years lost. When it came to saying our good-byes, we hugged and walked in our separate directions when I turned around and called after her, ‘I love you!!!’, and she pronounced it right back. It was a reunion for the ages, and one I’ll never forget. We proceeded to keep up with various dinner dates and porch hangs before the Summer of 2021 when we decided to move back in together, and it just so happened to be exactly 10 years apart from our first go around.

The first couple weeks in The Marquee Lounge were just about as wild as our freshman year in Boulder. Hannah and I enjoyed the porch every night, frequently juicing cucumber margaritas with her boyfriend Pat and frequenting the neighborhood patios when one tipsy afternoon, Hannah and I decided we would crash one of Pat's wedding gigs. Pat, the lead singer to the Gold Coast All Stars, typically played the best weddings in town, including the one in which we crashed at the Four Seasons.

The afternoon before our planned wedding crasher’s night, we spent in Pat’s backyard, studying the wedding website and consuming endless margaritas with the looming reality of our adventure ahead of us. By the time we made it to the ballroom, Hannah and I found ourselves completely obliterated in matching silk slip dresses for our perfectly timed arrival during the Moroccan dancer's performance. If our black-outs or shuffle-running across the room didn’t give us away, it was that we were the only two people in the room death gripping our purses.

Hannah and I made our way to the drink line (like we needed anything else!), and a friendly man started making conversation with the two of us. Lucky for me, I don’t remember this exchange, but Hannah accounts him asking how we knew the bride and groom. We proudly announced we were friends from New York, but unfortunately he too happened to be a ‘friend from New York,’ and had never seen us before, so we beelined to the dance floor before further interrogations gave us away. Somehow we weaved ourselves in with ‘the single girls’ and were caught in several dance circles with the bride and groom without any other questions. Ready to celebrate our victory, we walked out with Pat and his band when the man from the drink line spotted us again, and yelled out ‘I knew it!!! Wedding crashers!!!” It was too perfect. We giggled and ran away, as it was too late for him to notice, and we were already on our way to our next adventure.

That fall, I enjoyed settling into my new space and evenings out on the porch with Hannah. Having a buddy to work next to and wind down from the day was such a refreshing change of pace from the confinements of being alone, but I was unsettled by my inability to fully nest into it. The condo was owned and previously decorated by my other new roommate, Taylor, so I was very conscious of my need to take a gentle approach when integrating myself and shifting things around.

Pat and Hannah frequently made fun of me for the hours I spent staring at the bookshelves. It was my hesitation and fear of overstepping that was holding me back, but one night I caved and just went for it. Taylor came home and her eyes immediately lit up at the shelves. She loved them! I was beyond thrilled with her reaction, and it encouraged me to keep dreaming of further improvements we could make to the condo.

Taylor started asking what I would do about a piece here and there, and I could sense she was joining in on my excitement. For every apartment, I’ve created shared Google Docs and PowerPoints to Photoshop selections, so opening that up with her was too good to be true, especially since Taylor wasn’t just any roommate / landlord. She was ~Taylor McGregor~ the face of Chicago’s Marquee Network and sideline reporter for the Cubs, but her reach goes much further than that. Taylor reports for ESPN during college football season and guest hosts for the MLB Network, amongst many other networks. Denver friends may recall her last name, as McGregor Square was recently named after her dad, who also happens to be a legend in Denver sports. Needless to say, I was beyond overjoyed with the opportunity to help Taylor re-decorate and potentially grow an awareness of my talents far wider than my small corner in the world.

We proceeded with our changes piece by piece. If I could do it all over again, I would insist on designing everything as a whole with a full understanding of what is staying and going, as well as every new product approved prior to purchasing; but you would be surprised how difficult it is to get people to sign onto that approach. Taylor was not alone, and I’m sure she didn’t have a clue we would be changing lighting from day one. I sure didn’t!

The benefit of a fluid approach is it helps slowly build trust and credibility, but I insist this is how mistakes get made. A design is a puzzle, and every piece affects the others. The entire puzzle must be solved beforehand, and the lengthy time it takes (not to mention the shipping delays) needs to be nurtured and cared for, as we are creating an art piece in the design of your new home. Patience will ultimately save you time and money in the long run, so live with your old furniture until your design is complete! Invest in an extremely patient and thoughtful way.

While we didn’t necessarily approach The Marquee Lounge’s design with patience for many reasons, we did not lack thoughtfulness. Taylor is a well-known reporter through and through and let me tell you she is quick, she is well-thought out, and she will challenge you. Taylor understood the assignment, and that was perfection. She questioned and negotiated most recommendations (as most clients should and will), but my lack of experience and confidence would sometimes lead us down a road of over-thinking. It became exhausting for both of us, so at times, it would be easier for me to give in, or rearrange, purchase and paint things without asking. This is where lines were crossed, and I am extremely lucky Taylor was so understanding and forgiving when these instances did happen.

Though the Marquee Lounge was a mentally challenging experience (mostly because I was living in an unfinished project I did not have full control of), it was immensely rewarding. The learning experience gained from the Marquee Lounge has carried into my approach and communication skills in the projects that followed, and I am now a firm believer in rendering out every design. 3D renderings could’ve saved us a lot of time and energy, fueling collaboration and supporting our vision in a tangible way that Photoshop and explanations could not; unfortunately we did not have that luxury at the time. I am so relieved now that we do, thanks to these challenges we faced.

Reflecting on this project, I am beyond humbled and thankful to Taylor for her trust and patience. She was my first client, and I had no idea what I was in for, especially as roommates and fellow head-strong perfectionists. I couldn't have learned more from this process or be more grateful to Taylor for bearing with me through it all.

The Marquee Lounge will forever hold a space in my heart. All of my dreams came true moving here. I found my family, made lifelong memories hosting around the island, and took the first few steps toward becoming a legitimate interior design business. Not to mention, I also gained the luxuries of central AC, a dishwasher, and even a new friend. Life is good.

✥ Lauren