Imparfait Design Studio, led by the husband-and-wife team of Rebekah Zaveloff and Nick Nichols, is known for its character-driven interiors. Their Lakeside, Michigan headquarters reflects this aesthetic, serving as a working studio, material library, and client showroom.
From Storage Unit to Inspiring Space
The studio’s transformation began with a complete overhaul. “It was basically a storage unit,” Zaveloff recalls, describing the space’s previous life as a realtor’s office with gray industrial carpet, 1990s sage green walls, and a dropped ceiling. They gutted the interior, exposing ceiling rafters and painting everything white. “We also took down a wall, added French doors, put in a kitchenette, and built out the patio on the side with a pergola, shed, fence, and garden,” she recalls.
The result is a space that embodies Imparfait’s design philosophy: collected, unhurried, and layered with vintage finds. “I love how the studio is a home for all this random stuff,” the designer notes. “Rugs, lighting, objects, things I collect for photoshoots or pieces that didn’t work on a project. It’s constantly changing.” Most pieces are vintage, sourced from sites like Chairish and 1stDibs, with a few modern exceptions, like the Rowe sofa.
A Dynamic Work Environment
Zaveloff’s workdays are anything but typical. She frequently travels to the West Coast for job site visits but also works from home and holds team meetings in the studio. “There’s no such thing as typical,” she says, describing her schedule. The studio serves as a hub for OAC Zoom meetings, more team meetings, and lots of phone calls with our clients’ teams.
Lakeside Location and Design Philosophy
“Lakeside, Michigan, is a small resort village 100 miles outside of Chicago,” Rebekah tells us. “You drive around the bottom of the lake and hit New Buffalo first, where the Amtrak stops, and then there are all these little towns with vacation homes and cottages as you head north up the coast about 20 miles.” Rebekah’s design philosophy centers on creating welcoming, character-filled spaces. “I love beautiful spaces and the feeling of being somewhere so welcoming and interesting that you don’t want to leave,” she says. “I want our clients’ homes to look like someone with really great taste did it on their own. Being able to create that for people is incredibly rewarding.”
