Our Story

Studio 818 is a full-service Design + Build Management firm led by husband & wife team John-Paul & Janie Micek. Located in Fort Lauderdale our firm works with residential and boutique commercial clients throughout South Florida.

Our team handles all the headaches of designing and building-out major renovations and new custom home construction while providing you a single point of contact and single source of responsibility throughout your entire project. This includes design, architectural plans, sourcing & receiving finish materials, contractor bidding and build management.

The entire process is designer-led from initial concept to us handing you the keys to your new home. Unlike conventional contractor-led or architect-first approaches we create the optimal master-design to match your lifestyle and goals then carefully guard that vision throughout every twist, turn and step of the project. The result is a superior product built as-designed and delivered at the best possible value.

Studio 818 is the only Design Firm in South Florida with over 20-years of real estate investment and direct development experience. With our in-depth understanding of the real estate market we provide you with critical financial insights on site selection, pre-purchase budget analysis and projected post-construction property valuation. Our expertise in generating optimal returns for investors on designer Spec homes means that we’re focused on top quality at the best possible value. We guide you in the decision-making process helping you get the best return on your investment.

Unlike conventional design-build firms that lock you into a single contractor-led team, Studio 818 matches you with the professionals best suited for your project. We continually vet the best architects, contractors, vendors and suppliers so you don’t have to. Our Six-Phase Design + Build Management process systemizes and streamlines every component necessary for your project’s success.

Visit our services page to learn more about the Design Packages we offer.

The Backstory

Janie and John-Paul met in 2010 as fellow East-coasters transplanted into the greater Los Angeles area. John-Paul was already developing homes in areas East of Los Angeles and Janie was an Interior Designer, so . . . less than a year after meeting they formed their first business together; Restore 818 Inc. The company was formed as a design-based real estate investment and development firm specializing in buying, designing, and renovating pre-1940’s homes for sale in up-and-coming neighborhoods of Los Angeles between Burbank and Pasadena.

In December of 2012 they moved their then fledgling design-driven development company from LA to the East Coast. They chose Florida based on John-Paul’s market research which showed the state having compounded growth factors in its’ favor. The most powerful of those factors was (and still is) the increasing pressure on housing prices due to the rapid growth of Florida’s population. Migration to Florida is so strong that it surpassed New York as the third most populous state in 2015, five-years ahead of projections. Add Florida’s zero income tax and the pro-business policies and it was clear to see the state was on the path to economic growth and industry diversity.

John-Paul and Janie zeroed in on South Florida based on indications for a coming wave of new development and community revitalization driven by geographically-limited buildable land in the tri-county area. Fort Lauderdale with its’ vibrant community and laid-back vibe made it the ideal home-base centrally located in the rapidly growing Tri-County South Florida market.

Initially Janie’s bright and clean design aesthetic was reserved solely for the buyers of Restore 818 Designer Homes. But as each new turn-key home hit the market, more and more requests came in for Janie and John-Paul to provide design services directly to clients. In the early 2018 Studio 818 Design + Build Management was spun off from Restore 818 Inc. to answer that call.