Founded in 2011, Graci Interiors is a locally and nationally recognized full-service interior design firm with a focus on richly appointed interiors. According to owner and lead designer Chad Graci, the firm manages projects from start to finish, including budget development, refinement and project management; space planning, furniture and lighting layouts; sourcing and procurement of furniture, lighting, architectural fixtures and decorative objects; paint and finish selections; fine-art advisory; design and fabrication of custom furniture and window treatments; as well as installation, moving and storage.
Over the years, his work with leading designers David Easton, the late Greg Jordan and Michael Carbine helped develop Graci’s signature interiors and honed his personal style. Today, he uses an innate understanding of order — and the interplay between furniture, fabrics and accessories — to design thoughtful and glamorously approachable spaces. He also has a talent for juxtaposing high-style antiques with vintage finds and modern pieces to create rich, curated spaces.
For example, one of Graci’s previous projects included an 1840s Creole townhouse pied-a-terre that needed a jolt of youthful glamour. Graci transformed the former guest house into a residential version of a New Orleans bar, complete with modern flair and an unmistakable layer of patina (think exposed brick walls and plenty of contemporary art).
The New Orleans native received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Louisiana State University and attended the New York School of Interior Design. After working in New York for six years, he decided to return home to open his own interior design firm.
While his original space (located Uptown on the corner of Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue) served its purpose for many years, Graci eventually realized he needed a larger office with a reception and gallery area.
“I’ve been at K&B Plaza now for about three years,” he said. “I have always loved this building and have known that I would have an office here. The iconic building is like a midcentury fortress with world-class art [lining the halls]. That, and the fact that the space already had leopard carpeting, was the selling point.”
While the new space at K&B Plaza did not require structural changes, Graci did need display and presentation space, as well as enough walls for rotating art. The new space now includes a reception/gallery area; a kitchen; a storage room; a large conference area with desks and a meeting table; and a sample room. Graci also added some built-in drawers for stone and tile samples, finish samples and paint charts.
“I love how much storage I have,” he said. “Each client that we’re working with gets a drawer. I also needed a pin-up board for presentations and a countertop for that as well, so that has been added.”
Luckily, the new office space already had most of the decor in place.
“The cork walls double as tack boards, and the leopard carpet was so ‘me’ anyway, that we just had to repaint everything a warm, soft white,” he said.
While Graci — who now has three employees — creates custom furniture, he decided to outfit his new office space mostly with antiques and art.
“The space is really a functional backdrop for a revolving door of art and furnishings that come in and out,” he said. “The design is overall classic with some eclectic pieces mixed in.”
Graci, who also taught design studio at Louisiana State University, has developed a devoted following for his richly layered interiors. In addition to New Orleans, he has designed projects in Indianapolis, Boston, Houston and Mississippi.
Graci Interiors, LLC
1055 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 222
graciinteriors.com // @graciinteriors
Quick Look
Number of Years in Operation: 133
Style of Architecture: Brutalist Mid-Century by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Square Footage: 1,266
Number of Employees: 3
Persons in Charge: Chad Graci
Interior Décor: Graci Interiors
Art and furnishings: A mix of modern and antique, punctuated with art
