Founded by Chicago interior designer Rachael Fonda Franceschina, Fonda Interior Design is named in honor of Rachael’s paternal grandmother who, from the 50s to the 70s, owned a residential interior decorating and furniture showroom business of the same name. Rachael had the privilege to observe client work and wander through the showrooms of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart throughout her childhood, and it was there she inherited her grandmother’s passion and instinct for interior design and the arts.

Rachael graduated from Miami University with a BA in Environmental Design (pre-professional architecture) but, after later working on corporate interiors, she sought deeper meaning and study behind human interaction within the built environment. Rachael went on to receive her Master of Arts Interior Design degree from the human-environment relations program at Cornell University.

Rachael honed her career and built her network working on corporate interiors at some of the most highly revered firms in Chicago including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Space LLC (now IA); and The Environments Group (now Perkins + Will). Since then, Rachael has intertwined her architecture and interior design experience to include full-spectrum residential design work, specializing in custom millwork, custom cabinetry design, and inventive repurposing of furniture and materials.