The One Room Interior Designer Donna Mondi Will Never Forget

Interior designers and other experts in the home industry work on an impressive number of spaces throughout their careers. But even if some of the makeovers and redesigns start to blend together after a few years, there are some rooms that are just truly unforgettable. 

So, to give designers a chance to revisit their favorite projects—and to bring you plenty of inspiration for your own home—we’re sharing the one room these pros will remember forever. For some, there’s a sentimental connection, for others, there was an obstacle they never thought they’d overcome. But no matter what, these rooms are worth remembering.

Donna Mondi, founder and president of Chicago-based Donna Mondi Interior Design since 2001, always approaches her projects with a fresh perspective, never letting one influence the next.

"My style is always evolving but my hope is that with each project we finish, I can look at it years from now and still see it being relevant and current," Mondi says. "What better gift can I give my clients than years and years of style?"

And when your clients are family, you get to see the impact of your designs up close for years to come. Mondi designed this office space for her two step-daughters and their mother, so it "was more personal than most" of her projects.

"I love thinking of how our design impacts the lives of our clients," Mondi says. "With this one hitting so close to home, I love knowing how they use the space. The color still makes me happy too!"  

Though she loved working on the project, it didn't come without its challenges. The space needed to match the elegant vibes of the rest of the apartment while being "functional enough" for a college and high school student to use regularly. Plus there was an Eames chair that desperately needed a match.

"Our client already had one Eames chair in perfect condition but it was over five years old," Mondi says. "We were concerned that all our efforts to color match the second chair would fall short but the two chairs look perfectly matched side by side. It’s a great lesson in buying quality furniture; this never would have worked with imitation knock-off versions."

Though the chairs were definitely a success story, Mondi's favorite part of the space is the blue-green shade that envelops the entire room.

"Having the walls and the built-in cabinetry match really changed the look of the space," Mondi says. "There wasn’t much in the way of exposed walls so it would have seemed odd to have that contrast."

Though Mondi tackled the challenge of the Eames chair and landed on a color everyone loves, her proudest moment when she designs any room always happens at the very end of the process.

"It’s almost always as the last accessory is being placed when we step back and feel that pride," Mondi says. "It’s an amazing feeling to have a vision months before and see it all come together just how you imagined it.  What could be better than that!"