Staci Munic is the principal and lead designer of Staci Munic Interiors, a full-service design-build firm based in Chicago and Palm Springs that works on projects coast to coast. Melding a big city edge with the resort lifestyle, Staci’s goal is to create vibrant, harmonious spaces that promote a sense of well-being. She comes to interior design with a unique perspective — including a diverse work background — as an entrepreneur and an educator, and has worked hard to build her business from the ground up. She’s not just about the pretty, though she’s good at it, she strives to create spaces that reflect her clients’ lifestyles, keeping their health and wellness top of mind. See Staci’s work in today’s Designer Friday.
Andrew Joseph: What inspired you to become a designer?
Staci Munic: Sometimes in life, you choose your career, and sometimes it chooses you. I grew up in the restaurant business, have a BA in Business and Hospitality Management, and an MAT, managed restaurants, founded and ran a wholesale bakery, tutored Spanish, and did my student teaching in a dual language program. And throughout my adult years, I managed to reinvent and renovate every apartment and home I lived in, which was a total of 17! Friends, architects, and contractors would say, “You missed your calling, you should have been an interior designer.” 10 years ago, I was in Nordstrom with my son, and the general manager, who had looked at my previous home that was on the market several years prior, approached me and said, “Staci, we bought a home in the suburbs and are moving from the city. It needs some work, and we want to reconfigure the space. Will you do it for me?” My son responded, “Yes, she will do it.” It was at a pivotal time in my life path where it had taken a left turn, and I went with it.
Colorful art, ceramics, and furniture fulfill the homeowner’s desire for a modern and warm aesthetic, accented with pops of color throughout.
AJ: What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on and how did you overcome it?
SM: My current personal project, and I am still going through it! Making decisions is easy for me, except when it comes to my own home and workspace.
AJ: Can you tell us about a design trend you are excited about?
SM: Not sure it’s a trend, but I have been incorporating bronze, gray, and black mirrors as kitchen backsplash. It brings the outside in and provides views while cooking, along with a bit of a retro 70’s vibe.
AJ: What is the most important element in a successful interior design?
SM: Proactive, open, clear, honest communication between clients, contractors, and vendors. Flexibility. Balancing and playing with scale, light, texture and color. Being able to see what is not actually there… the potential and the details.
Aptly named “Touch of Gold”, this home features striking gold accents on the hardware and lighting fixtures.
AJ: How do you stay creative and inspired?
SM: Travel, travel, travel. Last spring I went on a Nordic design x art x architecture trip, and 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen. I learned so much, and wherever I go, I bring ideas and nuggets, along with new sources, into my current projects. I also go back and forth between Chicago and Palm Springs. Being in the city infuses a creative energy into me, and the desert grounds me. Art, vendor presentations, design books, workshops, showroom visits, trade publications, podcasts… I’m a lifelong learner, so any type of training or education about makers, the business of design, and staying connected with people in our industry keeps me inspired.
AJ: What is your favorite aspect of your job?
SM: My clients’ reaction and appreciation for the work I do. Creating a space for them to live or work or experience in a way they couldn’t imagine was possible or to love it so much.
AJ: What design trends do you think will be popular in the coming years?
SM: Curvy, voluptuous furniture.
As a staple of the upcoming Palm Springs Modernism Week, Staci hosts a tour and poolside soiree in her home that she turned from a classic space into a Palm Spring Dream. Tickets can be purchased here.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be and why?
SM: Well, I’ve already been a restaurant manager, wholesale bakery owner, teacher, and tutor. I would like to be a writer. I would also like to start a non-profit to encourage high school students to pursue careers in the trade… electrician, plumber, carpenter, painter, etc., then connect them with trade schools and apprentice opportunities. I would also like to lead design x culinary-inspired tours in Palm Springs and Chicago. I’m also considering studying for my General Contractor license, and potentially partnering with an experienced GC to become a full-service design-build firm.
AJ: What would your dream project or dream client be right now?
SM: I would like to do hospitality. I recently did a very cool entertainment law firm, and did some work for the Hilton in Palm Springs (however the Hilton project didn’t come to fruition), along with a bit of work for my family’s Chicago restaurant several years ago. Because of my years of working in restaurants and hotels, I have a unique advantage in how to design in that arena. I would also love a residential client that says, “I love your work. Here is my checkbook… make my place amazing!” I treat my clients’ dollars as if they were my own, very mindful about spending, but that would be a dream, for sure!
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