More than ever before, women are seizing the opportunity to re-invent themselves—both personally and professionally. Dynamic career shifts, or “second acts” give us the freedom and opportunity to pursue new passions and perspectives on life. In 2003, I made the shift into interior design after spending most of my career in marketing and advertising. This summer, I made the decision to re-brand, working to ensure my interior design firm was continuing to adapt with me, our clients, and the industry. I started as a one-woman, home-based suburban firm and have since grown into a full-service design studio in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Studio Brunstrum is the result of a 15-year evolution of that original design firm.
As my love of travel and adventure evolved, it informed how I cultivated my design aesthetic. I constantly look for new ideas and inspirations as I travel the world seeking art and culture. I strive to subtly weave the colors, patterns, architectural details, craftmanship, and artistry into my work, always looking for what’s yet to be discovered. This passion recently inspired me to expand the reach of my firm, launching my introductory product collaboration—Elements, a rug collection inspired by my travels to Mexico.
Part of owning a business is evolving along with the industry, your clients, vendors, and the world around you. But while change is important, I also believe that some things in a business should remain the same. At Studio Brunstrum, the constant is our firm’s core philosophy to listen to and put our clients first. While we are an award-winning team with expertise indesign and architecture, our biggest passion lies in our relationships with clients.
Each chapter of my story has been marked with a change in living environment and lifestyle; I strive to create spaces that adapt with our clients and allow room for their story to constantly evolve.
We want every client to feel comfortable and happy as they inhabit our designs,regardless of the size and scope of the project. Re-imagining homes, workplaces, or commercial spaces and providing clients with design-based solutions totheir real-life problems—that’s what excites our studio team.
The story at the heart of every space is what intrigues me most about each project. Due to my life circumstances, I have lived the lifestyle of most of my clients. I’ve been single, married, widowed, divorced; and I’m a mother. From building a large family home in the suburbs, to gutting a condo in the city, to renovating a small historic home in the country, I’ve had almost every relationship with a home one can have. Each chapter of my story has been marked with a change in living environment and lifestyle so I strive to create spaces that adapt with our clients and allow room for their story to constantly evolve.
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned in life and in my years in business and the design industry, it’s that nothing is permanent—change is inevitable. The shifts in my personal and professional life have inspired me to explore passions and paths I didn’t know needed to be discovered. I seek to do the same for my clients, bringing them new and intriguing ideas, and allowing them to discover how interior design can represent their own ever-evolving dreams and lifestyle.
To learn more about Susan Brunstrum and Studio Brunstrum, please visit