The SKIN interior design team is driven by Lauren Lozano Ziol and Michelle Jolas who are leaders in the industry. By combining their expertise in interior and graphic design, the pair has unveiled unexpected and provocative interiors around the world, propelling SKIN into a position as a top interior design firm. Their shared passion for surrounding their clients with beauty and their complementing design styles and strengths has inspired countless spaces with the power to enhance overall well-being.
SKIN’s design philosophy is timeless, classic, chic, with an edge. A staple of SKIN is revitalizing vintage pieces and pairing iconic pieces in furniture history with eclectic wallpapers, rugs, and colors in a way that is sophisticated and daring. “We could easily combine a Louis XIV table with Milo Baughman chairs,” says Lozano Ziol.
We love sharing our love of furniture and art history. Behind SKIN’s philosophy is a dedication to educating clients on the provenance of the pieces being carefully curated to transform their space into a unique environment with a personality behind it. Each client vision is unique and the result is exclusive designs that have been featured in leading publications around the world. SKIN has been recognized as a top interior design firm as a finalist and recipient of many global design awards such as design et al and SBID International Design Awards. SKIN has also been featured in design et al’s The World’s Most Glamorous Homes of 2020 and, most recently, in Architectural Digest and Elle Decor.
Lauren’s extensive experience in interior design, antiques, and art history has gained her recognition across the luxury design space, being featured in international publications all over the world including Elle Decor, Country & Town House Interiors, Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, and more. With projects around the globe, her passion shines, pulling inspiration from her degrees in both Interior Design and Art History- with an additional year spent studying Art History at University of Oxford. Living in London, Paris, and Chicago, along with her deep portfolio of travels, has helped Lauren refine her eye for history, detail, and cosmopolitan design, as well as inspire her own line of furniture available through the SKIN shop. Lauren is the principal designer of the SKIN London and Chicago offices. Lauren was the founder of her own design firm, Lauren Lozano Ziol for 20 years before she co-founded SKIN Interior Design with Michelle Jolas in 2016.
As a co-founder of SKIN, Michelle Jolas brings unparalleled skill in graphic and interior design to the table, helping propel SKIN to a position as a top interior design firm. Michelle’s affection for design spans from the graphic arts to cultivated interiors to worldview photography. Before SKIN, she gained experience at top global advertising agencies by managing campaigns for luxury brands including The Peninsula Chicago, Beverly Hills, New York and Hästens Beds. After owning a boutique graphic design and advertising agency for 17 years, she joined forces with Lauren to now share her talent through a keen eye for vintage finds and intriguing photography available for purchase through the SKIN shop.
Nicole is a graduate of Iowa State University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design. She is working as a Senior Interior Designer at SKIN and sharing knowledge of art and culture she obtained throughout her years of study. Not only having an eye for everything and anything design, Nicole is the powerhouse behind the drafting done for all our projects. Having lived in Italy for a period of time, along with gaining the opportunity to travel to many other countries, Nicole has developed a love for European style and strives to mix old-world beauty with the modernized design we see today. Herself being an avid collector of art and antiques, her strength is to always design with purpose while making sure she stays educated in furniture history in order to create spaces that stand the test of time.
"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!"
"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!"
Introducing luxury global decorating shopping trips inspired by our loveof travel, education, furniture and design. These customized shopping trips offer the world’s most sought-after insider furniture markets, design shows and antique stores.
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