Inside Regal Seduction: Where Luxury Meets Drama

Winner interviews

May 4, 2026

Inside Regal Seduction: Where Luxury Meets Drama

Project Spotlight: Regal Seduction

Regal Seduction
(Design: Lori Morris Design, Photo: Brandon Barre)

Regal Seduction by Lori Morris Design is a striking renovation of a 100-year-old stone house in Dundas, Canada, transforming it into a luxurious modern residence while preserving its historic character. Winner of Best Residential Interior Design in the House 400+ sqm category, the project blends old-world architecture with Lori Morris’s signature “Sexy French” aesthetic.

In this interview, Lori Morris shares insights into her creative journey, the bold vision behind Regal Seduction, and the fearless design philosophy that defines her work.

Interview with Lori Morris - Lori Morris Design Studios

Lori Morris

1. Can you share the story of how you entered interior design, and how your background shaped your creative practice?

I’ve always been a creative person. I’ve always looked through the lens of life from a very creative approach but I didn’t actually know what that was when I was young because it just seemed very normal to me. Whether it be loving to doodle or to redecorate my room with my mother or be interested in vintage things and things that maybe other people weren’t interested in, I took that for granted that everybody would be interested in it because this is how my brain worked.

As I traveled through school and was taking all kinds of different classes that had nothing to do with the artistic, creative flair of what was in my DNA, finally, after graduating from university, I realized, I wanted to create a career.

At that time there was no HGTV or social media and the interior design movement and industry was very small and very specialized so getting in it as a woman over 40 years ago was something Pioneer orientated, and I guess I was very fearless, and I didn’t really realize how fearless I was.

I started in the industry when I was very young, and I looked very young. I was very naive and I had no business experience, and I didn’t understand business, or the interior design industry or anything for that matter.

I think the best thing was that I was so young and so naïve, I think if I would have known what I know now maybe I wouldn’t have done it because I would have been scared.

But having no fear at that time is what got me to where I went, and I literally just went through the whole process of screaming and crying and being upset and trying to get through milestones and every hurdle that an entrepreneur business person goes through. My journey was no different than anybody else’s, it was extremely hard, extremely challenging but then at every 10 or 15 year mark in my career I got to a different milestone that sent me to another place and got me to another level.

And here we are.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

2. What was the brief for your winning project, and how did it inspire your approach?

Since it was my own house, it was my rules, which of course means no rules, as we all know. I wanted to take the deliciousness of design that I have created for almost forty years and pull inspiration from all the homes I have designed, gathering the elements and moments I have loved throughout those projects. I mixed all of those inspirations together, almost as if melting them into a shaker, shaking it up, and then entertaining my own personal world of design.

My favorite color is blue, so I wanted that to be the overarching influence and current theme of the space. From there, I layered in the beautiful Deco influences I love, infused with a French flair, and made every room feel fantastical and magical. The goal was to create a feeling of elegance and surprise, paired with an ethereal beauty that feels sumptuous and full of delicacy.

I incorporated intricate moldings, layering, latticework, chinoiserie wallpaper, luxurious velvets, grass cloth textures, metals, and other tactile elements to create a creative atmosphere with continuity throughout the home. The house itself was an old stone structure that I gutted before adding beautifully modernized classic French barn style extensions on either side, detailed with black architectural accents.

I used the surrounding natural landscape as inspiration and brought in vintage pieces to add personality and depth. The result is a dynamic, exciting environment that feels personal, expressive, and richly layered.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

3. What design choices or innovations in this project are you most proud of, and what challenges did you face while bringing them to life?

The most challenging part of this house was working with the existing older structure at the center, which had just under nine foot ceilings and a very traditional layout with smaller rooms, intimate areas, and little mysterious passageways leading to the main parts of the home. I wanted to honor that charm and romance while expanding the architecture in a way that elevated the experience.

I decided to flank each side of the original structure with spaces that had oversized ceilings, detailed moldings, and grander proportions. The goal was to create balance, allowing the home to feel both intimate and monumental at the same time. I wanted the transition between old and new to feel seamless, as if the house had always existed exactly this way.

Blending a one hundred year old home with modern architectural details and a more expansive layout while maintaining continuity was the greatest challenge, but also the part I am most proud of. Creating harmony between history, craftsmanship, and current design principles is what allowed the final result to feel intentional, romantic, elegant, and completely unique.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

4. What is your design philosophy and what principles guide your decisions?

No rules, fearless and creative. I design what I love. I don’t think about the parameters of will it work? Or will it not work?

Once the fundamentals are put in place as in proportion, functionality, form and function and all the basically rudimentary details of how design works in connection with architecture and the functionality of the space, then, to me, it’s just a matter of just go and whatever my creative brain is thinking about and in combination with what my client wants, I put together an original, creative, one of a kind, no rules, sexy, elegant, timeless creation. So far so good.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

5. How do you balance your client’s needs with your own creative voice?

That is a very simple answer. My clients’ needs come first, and what they want in terms of their style comes first.

I think it might be challenging to certain creative people that don’t necessarily have as large of a bandwidth of style and creativity that we do at the House of LMD, but because we can do any style, whether it be contemporary, classic, transitional, modern or classic modern, or any other style you want to make up, or anything in between. We are capable of doing all that.

I think that once we understand the parameters of what the client wants in terms of their finished product we’ll just work backwards and create it, that is what I bring to the table.

A twist, I bring the magic, and I bring in the interest and the excitement and the personality to an already leveled palette of elegance and interest.

Then, I’ll bring in my own creativity that is a one of a kind artistic approach, and that’s where we make it special and unique.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

6. What does receiving an INT Interior Design Award mean to you personally and professionally?

It’s always very humbling but at the same time very rewarding to be recognized amongst your peers and your industry with such a prestigious and honorable award because you feel that you’ve really accomplished something great.

That’s what it does for us. It gives us authentication of what we want to be seen as amongst our peers and all the other people that are witnessing and experiencing our design.

Regal Seduction (Photo: Brandon Barre)

Where Fantasy and Design Collide

Recognized by the INT Interior Design Awards, Regal Seduction reflects Lori Morris Design’s fearless approach to residential interiors, where history, luxury, and individuality converge. The project stands as a testament to bold creativity and the studio’s signature “Sexy French” aesthetic, redefining how heritage homes can be transformed into contemporary works of art.

Check out other inspiring projects:
INT Interior Design Awards Winners
Interviews:
Past INT Winners
Lori Morris Design:
Official Website

Winner interviews