Skip to content

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Bring the outside in — framing your windows in soft curtains or using shades that allow you to really optimize your outside view helps bring nature into the space and that is very grounding.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Czarniecki.

Lauren Czarniecki is the Owner and Principal designer at Czar Interiors, a high-end design firm located in Delray Beach, FL. Lauren is known for creating spaces that align her background in Interior Design and Art History as well as her extensive world travel and experiences in Los Angeles, New York and South Florida. Her designs boast a neutral, clean and sophisticated look creating a calm and serene style for her clients without compromising luxury.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve pretty much been involved in Interior Design and construction my whole life. My dad used to take me to job sites when I was a little girl — he’s also in construction. I pushed back a little while I was in university, but ended up applying for the Interior Design program and got in. I realized how passionate I was about it while in school and studying abroad.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

I think one of the most interesting experiences I have had is working with Kelly Wearstler in the beginning of my career and really being able to see her creative side and how she works to come up with some of the concepts, patterns, and designs she has created. It has really helped me as a designer to start with the conceptual and creative side of a project and bring the fun and life into our projects.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was in LA I was super excited to finally be able to go onto a job site for one of our projects we had been working on. As I was walking through, there were tile and wood installers near the entryway. We had a lot of beautiful patterned tiles in this house and for some reason I thought they were laying tile instead of wood floor and I accidentally stepped in the wood glue instead of the covered floor. It was kind of a mess but the installers helped me out and we all laughed. I told them not to tell anyone about it!

What did I learn? Watch where you step!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

We are working on some beautiful modern new construction homes right now in Boca Raton, Ft Lauderdale, and Delray Beach, FL. I love working on homes with clean lines and simple architectural styles — the devil really is in the details. When you have simple palettes and clean lines, you really focus on how things transition, what materials are being used, what textures are being used, etc. I work with my clients to create spaces that are warm, comfortable and inviting in spaces that still look like they were photographed for Architectural Digest.

I think that a lot of the current aesthetic has moved toward the look of cleaner lines, lighter and brighter spaces but I think our perspective and design lens brings the warmth back in — yes, we want you to have everything put in its place so to speak but we also design so that you can feel comfortable having your family sitting on the sofa, feet up, enjoying the Superbowl together without worrying that someone is going to mess up your home.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My guru always tells me to Love and Serve. This quote has given me such perspective in my personal life but also in my work life and how I connect and work with clients, vendors, employees, etc. Yes of course you have to put yourself first so you have something to give, but after that I remember that I do what I do because I love it and want to help people love and feel comfortable and happy in their homes. I genuinely am here to love our clients, their homes or spaces, and serve to achieve the goals we have set out together.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would say there are two people — most notably is designer Kelly Wearstler. The time I spent interning and assisting in her studio in LA was invaluable. I really learned how to research, see the world in a different light and find inspiration in the smallest details — her creativity is so inspiring and when I need a lift, I remember my time there and going back to step one to get creative again. The second person in Ryan Brown, another designer I worked for while in LA — although I had a construction background from being on job sites with my dad when I was younger, I wasn’t the one directing a job site at that young age (obviously!). But when I worked with Ryan, he helped train me and allow me to learn from the contractors, subcontractors, and artisans we worked with on site to understand the process of construction from start to finish. Both have really given me a well-rounded perspective on interior design.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Add fresh florals or greenery — even just a flower in a bud vase can liven up a space!

2. Scent — add a candle or diffuser with a scent that speaks to you — I love grapefruit and citrus scents and feel that they always give me more energy in my space.

3. Soft, cozy textures — having furniture that has comfortable textures is a great place to start. If you already have your key pieces, adding soft pillows or throws bring warmth and comfort to a space.

4. Bring the outside in — framing your windows in soft curtains or using shades that allow you to really optimize your outside view helps bring nature into the space and that is very grounding.

5. Artwork — bringing in pieces of art that speak to each individual can really bring individual joy — I personally like adding artwork with pops of color into a neutral space.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

There are SO many things I am passionate about, but currently I am really into health and wellness — maybe because of everything surrounding Covid or just where I am at in my life. So, I would say I would start a movement around health and wellbeing and teach people all what they can do to be the healthiest, best version of themselves.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

The Queen of England — she has seen so much and been through so much change throughout the decades that I would love to gain some of her life perspective and I’m sure she has some great lessons to impart!

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can check out our portfolio and our projects on our website czarinteriors.com and follow us @czarinteriors on Instagram or like our page, Czar Interiors, on Facebook.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!


Lauren Czarniecki of Czar Interiors: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.