Biography of Laurie Smith

Laurie Smith was the one of the first designers to hit the airwaves on TLC’s breakout hit show Trading Spaces. Now, in the show’s seventh season, and multiple Emmy nominations to boot, fans get to see Laurie’s modern classic design each week as they remake a space in just 48 hours. While design is now Laurie’s first passion, her roots began in television first.

After receiving her Bachelors Degree in Broadcast Journalism from SMU in Dallas, she worked in Marketing at Turner Network Television (TNT) in Atlanta before moving to Manhattan to attend the New York School of Interior Design. Once in New York, she knew that she had found her true calling.

From the exposure that Trading Spaces has afforded her, Laurie has branched her style and eye for design into various lines of products. Launching February of 2005, the Laurie Smith Fabric line was unveiled selling exclusively through Hancock Fabrics. The line, which includes 40 different patterns, allows the consumer to use high quality, vibrant material in various home decoration projects.  A secondary line of fabrics for juveniles launched September 2005, spanning ages from babies to pre-teens.

Additionally, in 2004 Laurie began a relationship that still continues with Lane Home Furnishings appearing as their spokesperson through commercials and in-store appearances to launch Lane’s dedicated furniture stores across the country. In November of 2005, fans were able to purchase Laurie’s first book, Discovering Home – Find Your Personal Style, which takes the reader through her personal, documented journey of renovation and design of her mid-century home. The book is a “how to” manual for anyone wanting to plan, shape and redefine a space in their house.

Laurie has appeared on The View, several times on The Today Show, where she decorated Katie Couric’s office, and has been featured in numerous magazines, such as House Beautiful, House & Garden, Metropolitan Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, Woman’s Day, Guidepost, and O Magazine.  Laurie currently writes a monthly column titled “Solving Spaces” for Better Homes and Gardens.
 
Self described as a “modern classic,” Laurie uses color and vibrancy to create new spaces and always does so with style and passion.  Always bringing forward up-to-the minute color and style, however, when it’s all said and done Laurie doesn’t stray away from her classical training.  She has now returned to her Southern roots and settled in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband, Brad, and her 4-year-old son, Gibson Witherspoon, and new baby girl India Dawson born in November 2006.