Reviews

 

 

"Every time Lauren presented an idea, I trusted her implicitly and we implemented all of her ideas. I am so very happy I did. I never imagined my home could look and function as beautifully as it does, and it's all thanks to Lauren's inspired design. I absolutely love how she mixed classics from so many different eras throughout my house, which resulted in a timeless yet modern style. I highly recommend working with her."

-AB, Chicago, IL

"Every time I walk through my front door, I'm reminded how grateful I am that we hired Skin to create new space(s) for us. Our living/dining room needed new life. It felt outdated and boring. Michelle and Lauren walked in, and immediately had so many amazing ideas to brighten up our space. We had a few pieces we wanted to incorporate, and they selected affordable, yet high end furniture, artwork and lighting to liven up our space, and make it all flow. They made us feel a part of the process, and were always available by email/phone to run ideas. Most importantly, they made the process fun! We ended up doing the kids homework area and powder room with them as well. We would hire Skin again and again!"

-SB, Chicago, IL

"I have had the pleasure of working with Michelle Jolas and Lauren Lozano Ziol for the past 6 months. During that time, they transformed my first floor from a dated, ugly space to an elegant yet comfortable living area which is absolutely perfect for our family. Michelle and Lauren are talented designers, adept at understanding my comfort zone while providing unique and creative suggestions to inspire me to take it up a notch. In addition to suggesting several unexpected but delightful design elements, they were able to use many existing pieces, but in a new way which changed them completely. They worked extremely cohesively as a team and with outside vendors to ensure seamless and timely delivery of all aspects of the project. It has been a wonderful experience, so much so that floor #2 is currently in progress with more to follow!"

-CL, Chicago, IL

"I cannot provide a higher recommendation than I can for Lauren Ziol. She is simply the best designer that I have ever worked with, both professionally and personally. Lauren’s taste is exquisite. Equally important, her business sense matches her design sense, which is a rarity for designers. She adheres to budgets, schedules and is wonderful at suggesting high impact, cost effective options each step of the way. She is truly amazing."

-E&A L, Chicago, IL

"Simply put, Lauren is amazing. Lauren has helped us create the home of our dreams. We had just built a new home, so her canvas was blank, with the exception of trying, and successfully, incorporating some of our existing pieces, but in a manner that was current and consistent with the whole home. The result was a home that is true to her motto “timeless and classic.” Her selections were unique and allowed us to be creative, but held to the roots of what we had. Lauren listened carefully and thoughtfully to us and transformed our fleeting thoughts/requests into fabulous selections and ideas, each of which are personalized and beautiful and reflect our individual personalities. Lauren not only took into consideration the bones and architecture of our structure, but also considered our history and path to where we are to make it a space that is truly our own.

Lauren’s extensive knowledge of period furniture and designers combined with her soft, yet bold decorative style and her excellent resources for furniture, fabrics, trims, and fixtures resulted in a remarkable and special place. Lauren is organized and detailed and her process of creating concept boards was not intimidating, but more thought provoking and exciting. She tenderly spent time with each of our children to understand what excites them and incorporated those ideas in a manner that will last a lifetime.

Lauren continually communicated with us on progress and provided gentle reminders when decisions should be made to maximize efficiency. Lauren has a keen ability to find the perfect piece for her vision and is highly mindful of budgetary guidelines. Her demand for perfection in all of her work product is clear; she accepts nothing but precision and pushes her contractors to provide it. She also readily volunteersed to interact with our architect and builder to achieve the desired result.

Lauren unequivocally made this process less of a mountain for our family as she kindly, steadily and effectively led the way. My husband and I entertain frequently and there is not one guest we have had that has not been just “wowed” by our décor. Lauren’s work ethic is second to none and she is truly an expert, responsive and delightful to work with and generally be around. Thank you Lauren- we are grateful!"

-AM, Chicago, IL

Michelle and Lauren were amazing to work with, start to finish. They approached my project with a fresh perspective and design- savvy eye, incorporating my own ideas and aesthetics with their refined taste and panache. They provided thoughtful and innovative options, truly pushing the boundaries and allowing creative expression to reign. My home feels like a true extension of my inner self because of them; because they took the time to get to know my individual tastes and my family's needs, and collectively crafted a vision for our home.

Michelle has a keen eye for detail, a passion for boldness married with the classics and a genuine sense of impeccable style reflected in her suggestions and choices for every design element in the home. She is very organized, timely and professional and is a great communicator. She is a thorough, well-documented project manager. I feel her background as a graphic designer and brand manager is a tremendous asset to the project because she sees the macro vision: your home is your brand. Your home is an extension of you. Michelle invests in getting to know you, your personal style and taste, and ensures that the essence of you is reflected in your home.

-JW, Chicago, IL