Lulu & Me Design Boutique

Text by Katie Wood / Photography by John O’Hagan / Styling by Yukie Mclean

From fabrics and furniture to window treatments and wallpaper, Lulu & Me design boutique by the bay is a haven for home interiors.

As you step inside this charming shop in Fairhope, Alabama, you’ll be greeted by a range of high-end furnishings, home décor, and a rainbow of luxurious bolts of fabric cascading down the walls. You’ll also be welcomed with a smile by the chic young shop owner, Elisabeth Hays.

At just 24 years of age Elisabeth took over Tricia’s Fabrics and Furniture in 2010 where she worked for three and a half years after studying art at Auburn University. She reopened the home interiors shop under the name Lulu & Me, noting friends and family call her “LuLu.”

Lulu & Me specializes in fabrics and furniture, and the open concept of the shop allows clients the creative freedom to create a custom look. “We have a very educated clientele,” Elisabeth shares. “They want to be a part of the design world and are very involved with the process, which makes it more fun.”

In addition to sample books where clients can both touch and see the pieces that make their furnishings feel one-of-a-kind, Elisabeth says they also offer larger rolls of fabric on-site for a great price. “I try really hard to keep an eclectic mix that feels custom,” she says of the shop’s inventory. “It’s coastal but not beachy—think natural, white linens, with pops of color and fun geometric prints.”

While 90 percent of her customers are local, Elisabeth says the shop is continually growing and expanding into new areas. As she approaches her sixth year as a home décor maven, Elisabeth says she is still learning a lot about the business and touts her town as a building block of her success.

“One thing I really like about being a business owner in Fairhope is we have a great network of stores,” she says. “We all support each other, which just brings in more good businesses and more good shoppers and makes the town better.”

At LuLu & Me, the staff members work as design experts to assist clients in all areas of home furnishings and décor. And with all of the team’s assistance, Elisabeth says the final product is still completely reflective of their clients. “I like that we can go into 10 different houses and you wouldn’t really know that we were there,” she shares. “We can make it really feel like the owner’s.”