Laurie Smith
| Laurie Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Laurie Elizabeth Hickman May 23, 1971 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Other names | Laurie Hickson-Smith |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Bradley Witherspoon Smith (m. 1999) |
| 👶 Children | 2 |
| http://www.lauriehsmith.com | |
Laurie Smith (born May 23, 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American interior designer, author and public speaker. The designer is best known as the red-haired "Southern Belle" throughout the original run and current revival of TLC's design series Trading Spaces.[1][2]
Early life[edit]
Laurie is the oldest of two children, and the only daughter. Her father had a career in banking, which relocated the family to cities including Miami, Houston and El Paso; her mother was a "frustrated architect". Early interests included ballet dancing and theater. While attending SMU, she discovered a passion for writing, and graduated in 1993 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.[1]
Career[edit]
Before being known as a designer, she wrote marketing materials for the Turner Original Films division of Turner Network Television. Her best friend is Heather Dewberry, a designer with the Atlanta design firm Huff-Dewberry. The friendship and her minoring in art history while working at TNT ignited her own interest in design. At age 26, she moved to Manhattan to attend the New York School of Interior Design; after graduation, while working for an architectural firm, she attended night classes at the New York School of Film and Television.[1][3]
She was one of the original designers hired for Trading Spaces; of the original designers, only she, Hildi Santo-Tomás, Frank Bielec and Doug Wilson appeared in each season of the original run from 2000 to 2008 and both seasons of the revived series as of 2019.
In addition to her role on Trading Spaces, she was a designer for one episode of its spinoff show, Trading Spaces: Family in 2003[4], and appeared in two episodes of the online Training Spaces bootcamp, mentoring the three new designers who joined Trading Spaces in 2018 and challenging would-be designers in 2019.[5][6]
Other works[edit]
- She was a guest speaker for the Women of Faith tour in 2004.
- She has appeared in advertising for Lane Home Furnishings since 2004; and also did Zaxby's promotions in 2007.
- She had two lines of fabrics through Hancock Fabrics in 2005.
- In 2005, her first book, Discovering Home – Find Your Personal Style was published, which was nominated for a Library of Congress National Book Award in 2006.
- In January 2009, Charleston-based Quoizel Lighting released her "Illuminations, classic design for a modern life" lighting collection through national retailers.
Personal life[edit]
She married Bradley Witherspoon Smith on September 18, 1999, and the couple are parents of son Gibson Witherspoon Smith (b. August 2002) and daughter India Dawson Smith (b. November 2006).[7]
Further reading[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Helmer, Lauren. "Laurie Hickson Smith of 'Trading Spaces': FACES of the South". StyleBlueprint. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ↑ Schmidt, Mackenzie (September 21, 2017). "Inside the Moment the Trading Spaces Cast Reunited after 10 Years: 'We Cried Our Eyes Out'". People. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Laurie Smith". Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Laurie Smith". IMDb. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ↑ Training Spaces Season 1 Episode 5, "Laurie's Fabulous Fabrics", https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/training-spaces/full-episodes/lauries-fabulous-fabrics
- ↑ Training Spaces Season 2 Episode 2, "Repeat After Laurie", https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/training-spaces/full-episodes/repeat-after-laurie
- ↑ "Laurie Smith - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
External links[edit]
- Laurie Smith on IMDb
- Home page
- Laurie Hickson-Smith at OoCities
- Laurie Hickson-Smith designs on Pinterest
- Laurie H. Smith official Instagram page
- Laurie Smith at the 2005 National Book Festival, from loc.gov
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