About Lora

After attending Pasadena City College as a Design major, she took a year off from school to save money for a life-changing, three-month solo trip to Europe. During this immersive experience, she immersed herself in European culture and documented the arts and architecture, which would play an essential role in her future design work. Upon returning, she enrolled in the renowned FIDM in Los Angeles, California. Before graduation, Lora received an invitation to work in Hollywood as a Set Decorator. She was mentored and trained by the Academy and Emmy Award-winning Production Dean Mitzner and Set Decorator Anne Mc Culley, who played a pivotal role in her design development and career. Quickly, she climbed the ranks from Set Decorator to Set Designer and then a Production Designer for Bill Hudson Productions, working closely with the talented director Jeremiah S. Chechik and the legendary Blair Hayes. Together, they created some of the most exciting, influential, and visually provocative commercials in the industry.

 

While designing sets, Lora was introduced to a new market: the Italian cycling industry. Her creativity knew no bounds as she began designing cycling jerseys for two of the most prominent names in the sport, Campagnolo and Giordana. Between her Hollywood jobs, Lora frequently traveled to Italy, creating loud, colorful jerseys that embodied the vibrant Italian culture in the world of cycling. Her designs were a hit, and she still sees them on the road decades later.

 

Some of Lora's clients include Coca-Cola, Ann Klein, Hallmark, Hospital Corporations of America, Twining Tea, and others.
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Lora's design market broadened to Commercial Design; two of her most memorable jobs were at the famous 1920s Hollywood Palladium and the LA Landmark Bonaventure Hotel, a city in itself.
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Lora combined her passions for design, travel, and fine dining into a successful business venture. She co-owned and opened several iconic restaurants, including Hansel's, Lumberjack Cafe, Wolfie's, and her personal favorite, Mozart's Bistro, which she considers her crowning achievement. Mozart's Bistro featured a custom-designed setting, blending modern and old-world styles with an authentic Austrian chalet aesthetic, nestled in the Southern California mountain town of Big Bear Lake. This award-winning fine dining establishment attracted a discerning clientele, including notable Hollywood figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kirsty Alley, and Jim Carey. The restaurant's artful fusion of food, design, and Mozart-inspired music created a truly exceptional dining experience that became a sought-after destination in Southern California. The success of Mozart's Bistro led to further prestigious opportunities, including hosting a televised New Year's Eve party for MTV and being hired by ESPN to manage and operate multiple hospitality event venues.

 

After moving to Northern California, Lora grew her thriving Interior Design business, quickly designing multi-million dollar showcase homes. Some of her notable clients include billionaire entrepreneur and famous car salesman Cal Worthington and his wife Bonnie. For nearly a decade, Lora became the exclusive designer for the well-known co-founder of a microbrewery.. Her projects included residential design, construction, and decoration of his various estates: an Italian villa in Chico, an old-style Craftsman Mountain home in Lahontan, Tahoe, a French chateau on a vineyard in Yountville, Napa Valley, and a fabulous beach house in Kona, Hawaii.

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Lora's design expertise and creative business ideas have led her to unique job opportunities and high-profile clients. She has enjoyed remarkable success in the realms of commercial, residential, and hospitality design. Lora embraces a wide range of styles, as long as they are expertly executed. With her extensive experience, she has collaborated with industry leaders, which is a testament to her creative and timeless work. One of Lora's current projects is serving as a Co-Executive Producer for Paradox Entertainment, where she is in pre-production for a movie called The Final Appointment. She is also the Executive Director of Forever A Queen Academy, an academy that focusing on the holistic approach to training young women to be community leaders and "difference makers" leading to Miss Chico, with the winers going to Miss California USA.

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Lora loves to run; she did a marathon last year and is training for another this year. She spends much of her time with her children and grandchildren. In addition to this, she continues to enjoy traveling and developing her mountain property in the Trinity Alps, where she delights in hiking, kayaking. 

Throughout her lifetime, Lora has had a heart for serving others, in addition to her love of the arts and great design. She loves to give back to her community. From 2013 to 2017, Lora helped spearhead weekly welfare visits to poor housing communities in Butte County. She collaborated with local food banks to deliver food to hundreds of low-income families and shut-in elderly. Lora's experience in design and hospitality has led her to use her gifts to put on special events for women in need. In 2013, she opened a beautiful, Refreshing Room for women coming out of human trafficking, and in 2015, she opened a women's shelter and food bank in Chico called The Blossom & Bloom House.

In 2017, Lora became a Spiritual Support Volunteer (SSV) at Enloe Hospital. She finds great joy in moving more freely within her community to support people during their most vulnerable and challenging moments. Lora's goal is to be a compassionate presence in their lives, letting them know they are valued and loved.  Lora serves as a board member for the International Institute for Literacy and is founder of  Forever A Queen Academy For Young Women and Children which is an educational academy dedicated to empowering and transforming the lives of young women and children through a holistic approach to social education that encompasses etiquette, personal development, and community engagement, which sponsors and will  hosting Miss Chico and Miss Teen Chico in the fall of 2024, the winner go to the state finals for Miss California USA.