Interior Architecture & Design Firm | South Florida
Where Modern Design Mastery Meets Developer-Informed Planning
HERITAGE
Founded by Janie and John-Paul Micek, STUDIO 818 was built on a decade of designing and building 50+ luxury custom spec homes across Southern California and South Florida — each held to the same standard: distinctive design, investment-grade outcomes, and complete accountability from concept through sale.
That foundation is what we bring to every client project.
APPROACH
A homeowner building or transforming a distinctive residence faces many of the same challenges we navigated as design-focused developers — translating a vision into a fully realized home while coordinating architects, builders, and every detail in between.
The difference: we’ve done it with our own capital on the line. That experience is now entirely in service of your project.
Distinction at the highest level of residential design requires more than vision alone.
- Developer-informed pre-construction planning that aligns your vision, scope, and investment before design begins
- Applied construction intelligence at both the drawing table and on site — anticipating realities before they become problems
- A proven execution framework that ensures design, procurement, and lifestyle delivery meet the most exacting standards
The result: your vision is fully realized, every detail orchestrated with concierge-level precision through fully furnished move-in.
Designed For Distinction™
Developer-informed planning.
Modern design mastery.
Concierge-Level execution.
What distinguishes STUDIO 818 is not design aesthetic alone — it’s the developer-grade intelligence behind every decision.
Construction Fluency
Before founding STUDIO 818, our principals acted as developer and de facto general contractor on more than 50 luxury custom spec homes — with their own capital at risk on every project.
That experience means we understand construction realities at a level most design firms never encounter: how design decisions impact timelines, costs, and constructibility before a single wall goes up.
Investment Optimization
Every design decision is evaluated through three lenses simultaneously — aesthetic impact, construction feasibility, and long-term investment value.
The result is a residence that performs as beautifully as it looks, with every dollar working toward both the life you want to live and the asset you’re building.
Execution Certainty
Our Design Execution Framework™ anticipates challenges before they surface — resolving design, procurement, and construction decisions before they become job site problems. By the time your builder mobilizes, every detail is specified, approved, and documented.
What gets built is what you approved. No surprises. No compromises.
Turnkey Lifestyle™
Most design firms treat furnishings as a final layer — added after the architecture is complete. We integrate furniture design, custom built-ins, and finish selections alongside the floor plan from day one.
The result is a fully furnished, move-in ready residence where every element feels inherently part of the architecture — not placed within it.
Historic Preservation Mastery
STUDIO 818’s origins are in the historic homes of Los Angeles’s 818 area code — pre-war residences built in 1928 or earlier, each requiring mastery of complex structural challenges, preservation standards, and the delicate balance between contemporary function and architectural heritage.
That foundation informs how we approach every project where history and modernity must coexist without compromise.
Our Background. Your Advantage.
STUDIO 818’s roots trace back to Los Angeles in 2010, where Janie and John-Paul Micek built their reputation modernizing historic homes across the 818 area code. Those early projects—each built before 1928—demanded creative precision and construction mastery, teaching them how to preserve heritage while introducing contemporary function.
In 2012, they brought that expertise to Fort Lauderdale, evolving from historic renovations to large-scale residential development. Before founding STUDIO 818, they had designed and delivered more than 50 private residences—full-scale developments where every decision impacted value, timeline, and lifestyle.
That legacy now informs every project we take on, distinguishing us from traditional interior design firms and ensuring clients benefit from both visionary design and developer-grade discipline.
How Our Background Benefits You
Our development heritage means your project is approached with an owner’s mindset. Every design decision is tested against constructibility, cost, and investment impact before it’s ever drawn. You avoid wasted time, costly surprises, and design compromises.
Instead, you gain a process where architecture, interiors, and furnishings are orchestrated seamlessly—so your vision builds as beautifully as it was imagined.
Lifestyle Optimization Delivered
At STUDIO 818, we know the true measure of success isn’t drawings—it’s how you live in your home. Our proprietary Design Execution Framework™ integrates planning, interiors, and furnishings into one cohesive process, protecting your time while creating a fully appointed residence.
The result is turnkey confidence: move-in day arrives, and every detail is in place to support the lifestyle you envisioned.
The Principals
Two Disciplines. One Standard of Excellence.
Janie Micek – Founder / Interior Architect & Creative Director
Licensed Interior Architect. NCIDQ-certified. LEED Accredited Professional. Twenty years designing large-scale residential and commercial projects — including multi-million-dollar engagements with budgets exceeding $100 million in Los Angeles — before personally designing and managing construction on more than 50 luxury custom spec homes across Southern California and South Florida.
Every design decision she makes is as strategically intelligent as it is aesthetically compelling.
John-Paul Micek – Founder / Operational Strategist & Developer
Serial entrepreneur who has overseen more than 200 residential and commercial projects across the mainland U.S. and Hawaii — from single-family homes to 350-unit apartment complexes. At STUDIO 818, he leads operations, construction oversight, and client strategy with one mandate: protect your investment and align every decision with your goals.
The Principals Behind Every Project
Janie Micek
Founder / Interior Architect & Creative Director
Janie Micek is a licensed Interior Architect, NCIDQ-certified professional, and LEED Accredited Professional — credentials held by fewer than a fraction of residential designers. Her career spans Boston’s premier commercial firms, Los Angeles’s adaptive reuse movement, and more than 50 luxury custom spec homes developed with her own capital at risk across Southern California and South Florida.
The result is a design philosophy grounded in a standard most firms never face: every decision must be as strategically intelligent as it is aesthetically compelling.
Her Professional Journey
Janie’s career began at one of Boston’s premier commercial interior architecture firms — managing multi-million-dollar projects for international clients across diverse building types. A move to Los Angeles deepened her aesthetic sensibility, exposing her to adaptive reuse, Mid-Century Modernism, and the timeless character of pre-war architecture — where she went on to manage design projects with budgets exceeding $100 million across some of the city’s most complex building types.
Stepping into real estate development, she personally designed and managed construction on more than 50 investor-funded luxury custom spec homes across Southern California and South Florida. These were not design projects with a client absorbing the risk — they were full-scale developments where every decision carried direct investment consequences.
That experience established the standard she brings to every STUDIO 818 project: design that performs as beautifully as it looks.
John-Paul Micek
Founder / Operational Strategist & Developer
John-Paul Micek has been building and optimizing businesses since age twelve. Before co-founding STUDIO 818, he oversaw more than 200 residential and commercial projects across the mainland U.S. and Hawaii — from single-family homes to 350-unit apartment complexes. As a licensed Florida real estate agent working exclusively with STUDIO 818 clients, he brings investment-grade discipline to every engagement from property acquisition through fully furnished completion.
His role is precise: protect your investment, align every decision with your goals, and ensure your project is executed beautifully, logistically, and financially sound.
His Entrepreneurial Foundation
A serial entrepreneur by nature, John-Paul launched three service-based companies before age 30 — including an estate-level landscape design-build firm managing projects with budgets between $350,000 and $1.2 million in 1998 dollars.
That entrepreneurial foundation led him into real estate investment and development — where he oversaw more than 200 residential and commercial projects spanning the full lifecycle of acquisition, planning, design, construction, and asset strategy. From single-family homes to 350-unit apartment complexes, his experience encompasses the complete spectrum of residential and commercial development across the mainland U.S. and Hawaii.
At STUDIO 818, John-Paul leads operations, construction oversight, systems development, and client strategy. For every client, his mandate is the same: eliminate inefficiency, protect the investment, and orchestrate a process where complexity gives way to confidence.
Together, Janie and John-Paul bring something the luxury residential market rarely sees — principals who have put their own capital on the line, managed their own construction teams, and delivered results measured not just in aesthetics but in investment outcomes.
For clients who expect more than beautiful design, that foundation makes all the difference.
STUDIO 818 makes dreams come true
“STUDIO 818, you are exceptional! Words cannot express how thrilled I am with my home. Working with Janie and John-Paul was an amazing experience—every detail of the process went smoothly, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. My life is forever changed, and my home at 2124 Dreamlodge is truly my dream home!
Janie, John-Paul, and STUDIO 818 make dreams come true. Janie has an incredible designer’s eye, and together with their team, they can transform any space into something extraordinary!”
~ Joe Delmonte - Fenwal, Inc.
Design leadership & builder collaboration
Where Vision Meets Mastery
At STUDIO 818, design leadership and builder collaboration are more than a process—it’s an art.
When leading a renovation or estate transformation, we curate architects, builders, and artisans into a unified team and we orchestrate every detail necessary to bring your vision to life.
When engaged as part of a team on a ground-up custom home, our dual fluency in design and property development allows us to speak the language of construction professionals, streamlining the build process while protecting and advancing your vision.
The result is seamless alignment, fewer unknowns, and a residence executed at the highest level of distinction.
When You're Ready, We're Ready.
STUDIO 818 accepts a limited number of projects each year — by design. Every client receives principal-led attention from the first conversation through fully furnished completion.
Begin with a Complimentary Design Consultation — where we explore your vision, align your project scope with your investment targets, and determine whether STUDIO 818 is the right fit for what you’re building toward.