“I love vintage properties and the character they naturally possess,” says Chicago-based designer Donna Mondi. The catch? Many of the firm’s projects are new builds and luxury condos that don’t necessarily come with built-in character. In a renovation, Mondi frequently contrasts classical features with modern art, but in a new build, the reverse often occurs. […]

“Kindness and generosity,” are the words Joyce Romanoff uses again and again to describe her late husband, Maya. “It was important to him to create a community of people from all walks of life,” she recalls. “The heart of our company is our people.” Today, Maya Romanoff is the largest manufacturer of handmade wallcoverings in the […]

A partner at the prestigious architecture and interior design studio McAlpine, Ray Booth discovered PAGODA RED online years ago before visiting our Chicago space in person. “I have always felt a spiritual connection to Asian culture and antiques,” he says. “There is a simple, ethereal quality to them.” The same could be said of his […]

Clients who enter the PAGODA RED gallery often tell us they feel they’ve been transported into another world. Inspired by classical Asian elements but designed with a modern sensibility, our space is influenced by the belief—shared by world philosophies including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and many Western practices—that balance can be achieved through the coupling of […]

Tom Stringer is well known for his worldly and client-centered approach, which he takes further than most designers. His process often involves traveling with clients, searching and shopping together as they make their way across markets, cities and countries. For him, it’s a natural extension of the design process. He explains: “Part of the process […]

We can’t control what happens outside ourselves, but we can reshape our interior worlds. Laura Pavolich, owner of design firm Therese Carmel, opened her new Laguna Beach showroom just one day before before California’s governor mandated that retail stores close. Fortunately, the firm had plenty of one-to-two year projects in the works, and they found that […]