My goal is to help our clients live exceptionally well
— Frank Ponterio
— Frank Ponterio
Since founding his namesake firm in 1994, Chicago- and Florida-based designer Frank Ponterio has been driven by a mission to create one-of-a-kind environments for his clients that truly reflect their lifestyles. Frank has an innate ability to read people and places, to walk into a space and know exactly what it needs. Each project is tailored to clients’ unique wants and needs as well as their desired lifestyle. The firm’s work possesses the highest standards of excellence and delicately balances elegance with ease, artistry with approachability; these characteristics are non-negotiables for Frank and his team. Everyone at Frank Ponterio has an unwavering determination to deliver the absolute best, ensuring expectations are not just met, but exceeded, and that the firm’s work stands the test of time.
In addition to historic preservation of heirloom homes and luxury residential interior design, Frank Ponterio’s work includes boutique hotels such as the Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois which has consistently been named among the best resort hotels in the country by Travel and Leisure magazine, numerous private country clubs as well as private client jets.
Frank has also partnered with several renowned firms to develop exclusive fabric, furnishing and accessory lines. First tapped by industry leader Lee Jofa to design a line of understated yet elegant upholstery pieces, Ponterio subsequently launched a collection of furniture, lighting and accessories for Arteriors Home. Most recently, he released his first fabric and trimmings collection for the legendary Clarence House, the first guest designer in the company’s history. Available in more than 100 countries and represented by some of the world’s finest designer showrooms such as Holly Hunt and Kneedler Fauchère, the Clarence House collection was inspired by Frank’s strong ties to Italy where his parents were born and where he spends summer months with his wife Becky and daughter Isabella visiting with family and friends while sourcing unique art, furnishings and textiles for clients’ homes.
Frank Ponterio’s work has received numerous design industry excellence awards in historic restoration, residential design, hospitality design, furniture design, lighting design and more. His work has garnered attention from the finest design focused publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Cabana, Traditional Home, Luxe Interiors + Design, Florida Design, Naples Illustrated, Chicago Magazine and Modern Luxury publications including CS, Interiors Chicago and Men’s Book, and The Wall Street Journal.
After years of encouragement by clients, Frank Ponterio opened a second office in Naples, Florida in 2021 to enable seamless service to clients with homes throughout the state, including such areas as Palm Beach and Delray Beach. The firm also serves clients in other select markets around the country including Nashville, Tennessee and Sun Valley, Idaho.
Earning our clients’ trust allows us to execute a project to the very best of our talent and abilities. This means staying above board in all interactions, and always prioritizing the relationship.
Our clients have the same 24 hours in a day that we do. We streamline our meetings and decision making processes so our clients can save time and avoid getting bogged down in the minutiae.
We instinctively know what a home needs to look and be its best. Our job is to optimize layout, space, light and flow so every movement is intuitive and effortless.
Every drawer pull, every cabinet lining and every plank and beam can be a sensual experience when the very best material selections have been made and craftsmanship employed. We don’t cut corners. Our standard of excellence and attention to detail sets our work apart and ensures that it will stand the test of time.
Residential Interior Design
North Woods Lake House
No. 1 Resort Hotel in the Midwest and No. 7 Resort Hotel in the U.S., Travel and Leisure magazine*
1st Place: Private Jet
Interior Home Honoree
Top 20 hotels in the world, Travel and Leisure magazine*
1st Place: Unique Spaces, Bedroom Design
Best Classic Interior Design
Best Kitchen
1st Place: Furnishings
1st Place: Lighting
1st Place: Lighting, Retail
1st Place: Hospitality Design, Historic Restoration
(Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Midwest Chapter) Excellence in Interior Design: Thorndale Library
Best Lighting- Frank Ponterio Collection for Avrett, Francesco Fixture
(International Interior Design Association) Awarded Select Residential Singular Space
Runner-up
Nominee
1st Place: Historic Restoration
1st Place: Historic Restoration, Singular Residential Room
Awarded by the Lake Forest Foundation for Historic Preservation
1st Place: Showcase Room, Historic Restoration Honorable Mention: Over 3,000 sf.
1st Place: Historic Restoration Honorable Mention: Singular Residential Space Honorable Mention: Showcase Room
*Hotel and resort ranking includes facility and room design.
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