Marietta Designer to Compete in HGTV 'Design Wars'

An interior designer is the latest in a series of Marietta business owners and artists to hit the television screen to compete against other specialists in their fields.

Interior designer and blogger Lori May will show off her skills on HGTV's Design Wars. Three designers went into one Kennesaw home in July and redid the guest bedroom and kitchen area. The competition will air Friday at 1 p.m.

Last month took and came home a winner. on NBC's The Voice. Marietta's .

May has blogged and done interior design professionally for a little over a year.

A journalism major, May's interior design skills are self-taught. "It's something I've always done, but now I'm getting paid for it," May said. "It's cliche, but I get to do what I love, and I get to do it on my own terms, but more importantly my kids get to see me doing something I love to do. I'm setting a good example for them."

The Kennesaw family whose home was redone on Design Wars got to see their guest bedroom and kitchen area done in three different ways. At the end of the competition, they chose the designer they liked best.

"Even after all these months I'm still not sure what to say. It was exhausting, crazy and fun all at the same time."

"Living in the South, I've developed a traditional style, but I throw in a bit of modern flare to keep it updated. It's more updated than traditional," May said.

The designer the family liked best was chosen to decorate the family room, while the other rooms reverted back to their original state.

"It's actually kind of sad," May said. "They see these rooms redone, and they love it, and then we take it all out."

May competed against designers Allison Harper and Jason Dunn with the help of her friend Heidi Meister.

"I was just happy to be asked," May said. "Even after all these months I'm still not sure what to say. It was exhausting, crazy and fun all at the same time."

May noted that the budgets weren't large, but they were reasonable. The show was filmed over four days, and the designers were in the family's house for two weeks.

"I want to make the house feel like home and work for them, to work in a space and make it into something that fits that family's voice."

"If questioned right after the show, I'd say no," May laughed when asked if she'd do it again. "But now that I have some distance, definitely."

May blogs about three times a week. "It's a pretty intricate part of my business. I think it's how clients know what I can do and get a feel for my style and my voice as a person."

She has had a steady flow of work in the past year. She noted that the competition has been great for business and affected her blog traffic, but there are still a lot of clients who have no idea she was a part of the show.

The competition also helped May build new relationships. "One of my goals in the show was to use local resources, to stay in Cobb County for what I used. Part of that was because of time and part was because I felt it was the right thing to do."

One piece of art that was used for decorating in the show was borrowed from .

"There are a lot of answers, but my favorite part about designing is probably the client's reaction when I'm done, when they are happy with what I've done. I want to make the house feel like home and work for them, to work in a space and make it into something that fits that family's voice."

Create a plan, know what you need in your space and bring the plan and splotches with you when you go shopping, May stresses to people doing some redecorating.

"When you're sitting in the room, you know what you need, but when you go shopping, you forget, and you risk just buying. Don't buy stuff just to fill space. Make sure you fill up space with good stuff, or you'll make terrible mistakes and waste so much money."

Are you going to watch Lori May compete on "Design Wars" Friday? Have you seen her work before? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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