543 Valley View Dr., Fontana | 262-298-5800 | lidia-design.com
If you’ve ever looked at an empty space, wall or surface in your home and felt overwhelmed or uninspired, you are not alone. Interior designer Lidia Pastiu of Fontana’s Lidia Design embraces these challenges. With more than 30 years of expertise in interior design, architecture and decorating, Lidia and her husband, Nick, of Nick‘s Upholstery opened their second location in 2014 after first successfully building their client base in Highland Park, Illinois.
“Many of our customers had homes in Illinois and Wisconsin, and we were frequently asked to work in
both places,” Pastiu explains. “We had a home in Wisconsin already, so the thought of opening a second location made sense. Nick and I made the Fontana space into a store, Lake Home Living, displaying and showcasing our unique abilities to meet the customer’s style needs for homes around the lake, including new and restored quality furniture pieces, as well as many home accessories.”
Pastiu has a unique background. Having worked in an architectural firm for almost nine years after graduating from interior design school, she had the opportunity to experience all aspects of the building process: from architecture and design, to new construction, additions and remodels, kitchen and bath design, lighting, material selections and much more. Not to mention working side-by-side with Nick‘s Upholstery for many years to understand the craft of furniture- making and textiles in so much more depth. This type of experience you can only get from working in the field. Thanks to this background interacting with so many aspects of the building process, Pastiu feels she has an edge over the competition, while also excelling at the traditional interior design tasks like selecting the proper furnishings for a space; choosing fabrics, window treatments and rugs; shopping for clients; and ultimately beautifying a space.
Pastiu points out that respecting the architecture of a home can be particularly important in the Geneva Lake area, where many homes/ estates are older and have been passed down through generations of families. “It’s rewarding and gratifying to preserve and improve on something that has meaning and which a customer calls home,” she says. “Updating each home to today’s standard of living and comfort, all while preserving its style and history, is important.”
Pastiu and her team tackle projects of all sizes, whether it’s repainting and redecorating a single room
or providing full-service interior design for a new home construction or remodel. Lidia Design works with clients so their homes ultimately reflect their individual styles, interests and experiences. Her goal is to bring warmth and continuity to a client’s home, and this is achieved by good design skills, good communication between all involved, listening and valuing the wishes of her clientele.
“I want to understand my customers’ expectations, budget and the project,” she says. “It’s important that customers have complete trust in our abilities. Once I have a complete understanding of their vision, we create spaces that often go beyond their expectations.”
