ABOUT US

WELCOME TO ELLCE DESIGNS

RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DESIGN FOR CHICAGOLAND + BEYOND

Ellce Designs is passionate about creating spaces that are designed to inspire and unite families. Acclaimed designer Lauren Fasolo and her team take the time to listen to your needs and then carefully craft a home that speaks to everyone that enters. With Ellce Designs, you’ll benefit from Lauren’s coveted sense of style, fall in love with her attention to detail, and enjoy your space for years to come.

OUR SERVICES

Are you building a new place to call home? Ellce Designs helps clients create their dream home that expertly combines form and function with style.

If you’re planning on doing some renovations to your home, let Ellce Designs be a part of your design team.  We’ll listen to your needs and wants and then work closely with the rest of the team to create a space that speaks to you.

Choosing the right décor can be overwhelming. We understand that there are countless choices when it comes to furniture and accessories. Let us help navigate the choices while staying on-budget.

Professionally designed window treatments can complete the look of a room, add warmth, assist with light filtering, and protect your furniture and floors. Contact Ellce Designs to ensure your window dressings are the perfect complement to your room.

OUR TEAM

lauren fasolo

Interior Designer + Owner

Lauren found her passion in college during her first drafting class, organizing a space and creating good function by understanding scale and proportion.

Following her formal education at the Harrington College of Design, Lauren worked her way up the ranks until she was expertly managing high-end residential furniture showrooms in the iconic Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. While at the Mart she grew her hands-on experience with products, furnishing spaces, fabric-to-frame selections, buying, accessorizing, running a business, and working with designer clients on many high-profile projects.

Ellce Designs was founded in 2010 when Lauren started being regularly commissioned for design projects in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The success of those projects coupled with her entrepreneurial spirit and love of interior design ultimately inspired Lauren to make the leap to business owner.

Over the years Ellce Designs has experienced incredible growth thanks to glowing client reviews and regular referrals. Whether you’re building a new home, planning a renovation or need help sprucing up your current home, our team is dedicated to guiding you through the process with ease.

In February 2022 Lauren started a new chapter and opened her Design Studio + Shop on Jefferson Avenue in downtown Naperville, IL. The shop offers beautiful design inspiration and elements that capture Lauren’s coveted sense of style. The shop features “off the floor” and in stock designer furniture, beautiful rugs, elegant lighting, stunning art pieces, and a wide variety of home accessories. Guests of the shop are also able to schedule a 30 or 60-minute in-shop consultation with Lauren for a personalized discussion of their home’s needs.

kym cooper

Sr. Interior Designer

Kym Cooper is a second-generation interior designer with an eye for space planning and passion for textiles. A Naperville native, Kym has been drawn to creative pursuits – particularly interior design, art, and fashion.

After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design from Illinois State University, Kym went to work for a Chicago-based interior design firm that specialized in high-end residential work. Her responsibilities included CAD design, assisting with selections, and client management. Kym then transitioned into the commercial design businesswhere she managed professional services clients and served as part of the design team for prominent Chicago architectural firms.

Today, Kym is a valued Senior Designer at Ellce Designs where her 20+ years of experience in both high-end residential and commercial design are being put to good use. She is known for her space planning acumen and talent for helping clients weave together sentimental pieces, on-trend elements, and timeless touches. Kym’s innate understanding of how to “solve the puzzle” of each clients’ unique space makes her an integral member of the Ellce Designs team.

Leslie Blasgen

Interior Designer

Leslie Blasgen is a seasoned Interior Designer with a holistic approach to design and an eye for details.  Her clever use for combining meaningful materials brings creative impact to Ellce.

Leslie earned her degree in Interior Design from Illinois State University and began working as an Interior Designer for a nationally based commercial architectural firm.  Her talents evolved into a design-based photography company, focusing on both artistic family portraits and interior architecture photography. Her work is used by several general contractors and architectural firms in the US to showcase their work.

With a passion for combining impactful textiles, lighting, and space planning, her approach offers a breadth of options that complement each other seamlessly.  Leslie brings ideas that both answer the client’s initial vision and stretch its creative opportunities.

Tati Manzur

Architect

Tati Manzur brings over 10 years of experience in Architecture to Ellce Designs. She is excited to fuse her architectural background with the creative process at Ellce Designs by bringing vision to paper. 

She has worked on a variety of project types including multifamily residential, aviation, educational, civic and commercial.  In her role as a Project Architect, she collaborated on projects from schematic design to construction, working with clients, consultants, contractors, and city agencies. Some of Tati’s notable projects are the McCormick Place West, a 700,000+ square foot expansion; The Legacy, a 72-story residential tower in downtown Chicago; and the FedEx Cargo Facility at O’Hare International Airport–a LEED Silver certified project with the largest green roof in Chicago. 

Tati graduated first in her class from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela with a five-year degree in Architecture. She is a registered architect in the estate of Illinois and a member of the American Institute of Architects, AIA. 

Jenny Black

Office Manager

Jenny Black is at the center of both Ellce Designs and Ellce Home. As Office Manager and accountant she uses her expertise to ensure all business functions within the company run seamlessly.

With her degree in accounting and years of experience working in creative environments, Jenny helps make sure the business runs efficiently and continues to grow in a healthy, sustainable way.  Jenny’s talent for keeping track of all the details means she often ends up wearing more than just an accounting hat at Ellce – and she wouldn’t have it any other way! She counts herself lucky to be part of a thriving company that surrounds her with inspiring design, and incredibly talented people that she helps to make better each day.

Henriette Pentz

Social Media

Henriette Pentz is our creative social media, web and graphics designer. She is a woman of many talents, with an eye for the arts, photography and music that shows in her inspired reels and posts.

Henriette, a native of Denmark, has a teacher’s degree in Art and Physics & Chemistry. However, her passion is traveling, finding new experiences, and learning new skills, but always with an eye towards design. Her prior work in teaching and in the travel industry has ultimately led her to Ellce Designs where she uses this experience in creating and coordinating our social media, web, and graphic design.

Seda Piazza

Shop Associate

Seda Piazza joined the Ellce Home team in 2022 after starting her career in sales and public relations. She enjoys working closely with customers to determine their needs.

Seda will take the time to talk to customers to really understand their vision, needs, and personal style, and then match that with her knowledge of all our products and services. Once a plan is set, Seda will hunt down just the right piece to complete your home. Furthermore, she is our resident photoshop expert so if you send her a picture she’ll even show you what a piece will look like in your space!

Seda fell in love with interior design after decorating her oldest daughter’s nursery. Ever since then she has loved to transform spaces into beautiful homes that can make you feel at peace. She loves to stay on top of current design trends and incorporate them with items you already have in your home. 

Mackensey Quintana

Shop Associate

Mackensey Quintana joins the Ellce team with a background in retail management and real estate. If you’re seeing a resemblance to Lauren, that is because they are sisters! She is thrilled to be back Downtown Naperville after running the town’s Gap location for more than 15 years.

Leveraging her extensive GAP experience is certain to help ensure a great experience for Ellce’s customers and clients.  She also works locally as a residential Realtor so Ellce Home is the perfect combination of her two passions: retail and homes.  At the heart of everything she does she knows it’s all about people. She is passionate about serving clients by listening and assessing their needs, solving problems, and helping a client turn their house into a home. Mackensey loves to help find functional, timeless, classic designs to incorporate into their homes that they will love for years to come.