Meet Laura Rose Davis. She’s a Chicago stylist and photographer and has been behind the lens at Unison store events, perfectly capturing our design-minded mixing and mingling. While we’ve long admired her rich, expressive photos, we also love her fresh approach to personal style. That’s not to mention the blog on her site, Everyday Charming, which is full of inspiration for parties, home and fashion.
We’re beyond excited to team up with Laura for a special summer in-store only promotion: Curate your home with favorites from our kids and baby department! With your purchase you will be entered to win a photo session with Charming Child. We will select a winner at random each month for a photo session with Charming Child to celebrate your well designed space!
It’s the perfect time to get to know this up-and-comer. Read our Q&A with Laura below!
Unison: What inspired you to start a business as a photographer and personal stylist?
Laura: My father has always fostered my creativity and love for aesthetics. He taught me a principle that I’ve carried with me in each creative endeavor — that it’s not just about taking beautiful photos; it’s about everything else around taking a photo. The textures, the colors, the hidden details waiting to spring forth.
Unison: Your business names, Everyday Charming, Charming in Love and Charming Child, are adorable. Why did you pick these names?
Laura: It began with Everyday Charming. I wanted a name that would further my belief that charming moments happen in everyday life. From the view of a trained eye, photography has the ability to freeze everyday moments. It made sense each time I’ve expanded my brand to carry on this compelling theme, from portraits to children’s lifestyle and then sophisticated nuptials.
Unison: You mention on your website that “style is a personal expression waiting to be discovered.” We love this! Tell us more about why you think this is so.
Laura: This circles back to our name, Everyday Charming. It’s difficult for somebody to truly recognize his or her own natural charm or style. I teach my clients to do this in an individual way that is most flattering to their unique bodies and the single dimension a lens portrays them in.
Unison: How do you help and inspire your clients to discover who they are and what they want to show to the world, from a style perspective?
Laura: Listening is my most valuable tool. I ask very specific questions about what they feel best wearing. Photography only shows one dimension. Often people forget this when dressing for a photo. An outfit that has endless motion and angles may photograph poorly at only one of these angles. It’s my job to help my clients recognize their best features and feel confident in their own skin and clothes. If a client doesn’t feel amazing they will never appreciate a photograph of themselves no matter how incredible it is.
Unison: You’ve said that a beautiful location and the right look are essential to great photos. What do you think is crucial to finding that perfect location and look?
Laura: I see a beautiful location and the right look as second and third to a client feeling confident. I believe that confidence leads and is followed by style and location.
Unison: A home is highly personal and also very telling about a person’s loves, interests and inner self. Why do you like photographing people in their own spaces, and what is the process like for you?
Laura: A home is the most intimate of places. And documenting a family has even more significance if it can be done in a place of meaning. You may see LEGOs scattered around and a sink full of dishes, but I insist there is a beautiful image here … an image someone will cherish years from now, reminding them of this fleeting time with their kids. There is charm in every home and it’s my job to show it off and celebrate it.
Unison: You have mentioned being a fan of The Selby and The Glow. What do you like about these blogs and where else do you turn for inspiration for your own life and home?
Laura: They remind me of my purpose with Charming Child: documenting real and, at times, raw moments. With Charming Child I focus on kids being their crazy-cool selves instead of looking picture perfect. I also photographed in Europe for a year and gathered so many inspiring experiences with my clients — no matter the dialect or language differences — that resonate with me and now inform my work in Chicago.
Unison: How would you describe your personal style? How about the style of your home?
Laura: My style and wardrobe is ever changing. I believe in fewer, better things. I try to practice this mantra in my home, too. I prefer my home and workspace to be decorated in neutrals and on the minimal side. This allows my mind to be clear and creative! I’ve just moved from a walk-up in Wicker Park to a fourth floor West Town condo with my husband. Our goal for this summer is to finish decorating our new space. I’ve hired a painter and have plans for a nearly black bedroom. (I’ve heard it’s like hibernating!) My eye is on dark floral wallpaper by Ellie Cashman. Our goal is to be finished by the end of June so we can apply for a membership with www.behomm.com, an international home exchange for creatives.
Unison: What are a few things in your own home that you’re loving right now?
Laura: I relish lazy evenings on our Walter E. Smithe leather sofa. I’m a big believer in beauty sleep, so my Cultivar French linen bedding and Unison’s shapes champagne pillow are high on that list. Does my Maltipoo, Stella, count? I’m smitten with her.
Unison: You keep a very active Pinterest board and Instagram feed. What, to you, makes for the most compelling photos?
Laura: I love an image that allows me to feel the moment. My three Charming brands are very different but the thing that they have in common is a sense of honesty. We work hard at coaxing out the best in our clients. However, my biggest goals are achieved when my subjects are confident and the emotion is real. These are the things that truly draw me into a photograph.
Thanks, Laura! And heads up to you Unison store shoppers: Don’t forget to take advantage of our summer promotion — shop our kids’ and baby collection, fill out a Unison loyalty card, and you will be entered to win a free at-home photo shoot with Laura. Spots will go fast!
Psst … don’t forget to follow Laura here:
Everyday Charming: Web, Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest