With more than 1,000 custom homes and remodels under her belt , Julie Laughton continues to seamlessly handle both the design and construction aspects of projects throughout coastal Orange County as well as Beverly Hills , Hollywood and Pasadena .
As CEO of Julie Laughton Design Build , she ’ s committed to making the process as easy as possible for clients . “ I love helping people make their dreams come true for their remodels or custom home projects ,” she says . “ I have been doing this for 35 years and I still have passion for what I am doing .”
Over those three decades , a few memorable projects stand out in her mind , including the Mediterranean-style 1928 Wallace Neff home , which was featured in the movie “ Monster-in-Law ,” and the English Tudor hilltop estate of Disney
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Imagineer Tony Baxter .
Originally from Le Mars , Iowa , Laughton ’ s family goes back five generations in this small town . “ The Laughton farm is still active and in use today , almost 150 years later ,” she shares .
Laughton graduated from Iowa State University , where she studied architecture , landscape architecture and interior design , then moved to New York City , spending nearly seven years working for the top five developers in Manhattan , before moving west .
“ I relocated to Los Angeles on a whim after visiting a college buddy in La Jolla ,” she recalls . “ Less than two years later , I moved to Newport Beach , briefly , and Laguna Beach was where I found my new home .”
While eventually moving inland , her
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business office remains on Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna , where she oversees the full design and build process for homeowners .
“ I realized my true passion was how individuals work and live in a space ,” she says . “ That led me to interior design . My skills in architecture and interior design combined with becoming a licensed general contractor solved all the issues my clients were experiencing running their projects .”
In addition to this work , Laughton has a podcast , “ Julie Laughton Living ,” which is about “ building the life , business and luxury home of your dreams .” Available on her website , julielaughtonliving . com , as well as on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and other platforms , Laughton shares tips
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and experiences from more than three decades in the design-build industry .
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE : What do you like about working in Laguna ?
LAUGHTON Page 2
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