How our history helps make your project a success
As the founders of STUDIO 818 we’ve been in your shoes, many times over. Similar to the renovation, major rehab, or new ground-up custom home project you’re about to embark on we know what it feels like to invest hundreds-of-thousands or millions of dollars to bring a dream to reality.
That’s because before we ever served our first client we had the unique experience of designing, developing and project managing more than 50 of our own designer Spec Home projects in Los Angeles and South Florida. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, ‘Spec’ is short for speculative. Meaning homes designed and built for sale to an as-yet unknown buyer on the open market.
We directly executed or managed every aspect of these investment projects from property acquisition, master-planning, architecture, interior design and construction to property valuation, marketing and sales. Through this work we developed our systems, operating philosophy and an ‘owner’s mindset’ — all of which are a huge advantage to you when you decide to have STUDIO 818 design and manage your project.
Watch the quick video below . . .
Learn a little about the background of the founders of STUDIO 818 and what benefits that experience brings to clients like you.
The owner's mindset
The ‘owner’s mindset’ of the STUDIO 818 principals is unique in the industry. We know what it feels like to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring a dream to reality. We’ve poured our heart and soul into every one of our own development projects in an ownership role.
On spec home development projects we bear the responsibility of managing millions of dollars in funds entrusted to us by our investment partners for the purpose of delivering healthy investment returns. Our profit is dependent on how well we pre-screen & acquire properties, master-plan & design the project, and keep the project scope & investment in alignment.
As system designed by owners, for owners
This experience gives us an unparalleled owners’ perspective on every client project. STUDIO 818’s Design + Build Management framework is so different because it was developed by owners for owners. Our unique blending of real estate investment experience, outside-the-box design capabilities and construction management expertise makes our process unique to residential renovations and custom home building.
Thanks to our designer-led Design + Build Management framework you won’t have to fall prey to the problems, needless cost-overruns and disappointing results experienced by owners who follow a conventional industry path. We’ve got you covered from the first conceptual idea all the way through to your turn-key move-in.
Click here to see our Design + Build Management framework in more detail.
Our pain is your gain
We’ve experienced countless challenges in the course of completing these development projects. Costly problems that every owner will face when building a new home or completing an extensive renovation. But the really cool thing is that our responsibility for the entirety of these development projects allowed us to step back and identify the source of the problems.
Where most problems come from
You’ll probably be as shocked as we were to learn that the root causes of these gremlins were flaws and gaps in “standard industry processes” for renovations and custom home building. No wonder there are so many horror stories from homeowners out there. The source of pain and frustration is built into the very process these owners were told they had to follow.
The solution is not the industry norm
We knew we needed to turn the standard processes on their head and develop a better system to streamline our projects, mitigate these challenges and consistently bring stunning designs to life. The result is our designer-led Design + Build Management framework.
Over the last eight years we’ve developed, stress-tested and refined the framework on our dime and our time. Now you get to reap the benefits on your project — whether it’s an interior design focused renovation, major home remodel, or a new ground-up new luxury home.
Standing in the gap for you
One of the big challenges owners face with a design and build project is they are entering a world with its’ own jargon and multiple players each looking out for their own interests. When the typical industry path is being followed there will be no clear leadership on the project.
That means all the problems roll uphill to the owner. This makes you the the de facto arbitrator and decision maker in an dangerous arena.
Who stands in the gap for you
The founders of STUDIO 818 understand that your renovation, remodel or new custom home is one of the biggest financial investments of your life. And we believe you deserve an advocate standing in the gap protecting you and your interests.
That’s why our designer-led Design + Build Management framework is structured to take you from initial concept through to your move-in day with all the moving parts managed for you.
We begin by designing a master-plan for your project that delivers the design aesthetic, function and feel you want. Then we are your single point of contact and responsibility to keep your project on track every step along the way right up to your move-in day.
During the process we take the normally disparate and often contentious individual professionals required to successfully create an outstanding designer home and bring them together in a cohesive team. Your team! A team working together with a single vision under the protective umbrella of our Design + Build Management process.
The Backstory
STUDIO 818 began as Restore 818 in Southern California. John-Paul and Janie Micek founded the company in 2010 and immediately began buying, designing, and renovating pre-1940’s homes for resale in up-and-coming Los Angeles neighborhoods between Burbank and Pasadena.
The area code for these areas is 818. We’ve kept this as part of our name to help remind us of where we started. In December of 2012 we moved our design-driven property development company from LA to Fort Lauderdale.
Initially Janie’s bright and clean design aesthetic was reserved solely for the buyers of Restore 818 designer spec homes. But as each new turn-key home hit the market with another unique design more and more requests came in for Janie and John-Paul to provide design services directly to clients.
In 2018 Restore 818 began wrapping up their final spec homes and STUDIO 818 was started to answer that call.
Janie Micek, Principal / Creative Director
JANIE MICEK is a Principal and Founder of STUDIO 818 Design Inc. As Creative Director Janie directly develops or oversees all architecture and design for STUDIO 818.
She is a licensed Interior Architect with NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification.) Janie is a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional.) This is a Green Building credential that proves mastery in the highly specialized area of green building. The LEED AP exam materials are so voluminous that the reference guide alone is over 400-pages and testing so rigorous that it has only about a 30% pass rate.
Janie began her professional career with a large commercial Interior Design firm in her hometown of Boston. She then moved cross-country to work in Los Angeles. It was there that her aesthetic was influenced by the eclectic architecture of LA’s oldest neighborhoods and the Mid-Century Modern majesty of Palm Springs.
For over 15-years Janie has lived and breathed interior design, both commercial and residential. Her construction administration and project management experience ranges from one-bedroom condos to $100-million commercial projects. Janie’s direct development experience designing and managing over 50 investor-driven designer Spec Homes gives her an owners’ level perspective matched by few design professionals in the US.
John-Paul Micek, Principal / Chief Troublemaker
John-Paul Micek is a Principal and Founder of STUDIO 818 Design Inc. As ‘Chief Troublemaker’ he oversees operations including; systems development, sales & marketing, property acquisition & acquisition consulting, and construction management.
John-Paul has been in and around the design-build industry since age 12. He founded three businesses before his 30th birthday, including a landscape design-build company specializing in residential projects with budgets between $350,000 to $1.2 million.
John-Paul’s real estate investment experience began in 1995. He has invested in, developed and managed over 200 real estate projects in New Jersey, Hawaii, Texas, California and Florida ranging from single-family homes to 350-plus unit apartment complexes.
He is a licensed Real Estate Agent in the State of Florida working exclusively with STUDIO 818 clients to help them find, analyze, and purchase the best property to create their dream home.
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
AREAS SERVED
STUDIO 818 serves clients from Fort Lauderdale to Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach to Wellington. This includes surrounding areas such as Hutchinson Island, Palm Beach, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens.
We also work with clients on select projects throughout the US including client projects in Los Angeles, Burbank and Lake Tahoe, California.