A Chicago-based interior designer for 36 years, Greg Geidel, ASID, bought a vacation condo in Sarasota three years ago and quickly eased himself into full-time residency and the city’s downtown retail scene. “The first year I flew back and forth from Chicago 12 times. Then I decided I wanted a house with a pool,” says the Arlington Park resident and owner of Mélange Home on Palm Avenue.

Geidel’s shop carries designer brands Sferra, Yves Delorme, Hamburg House, Peacock Alley, Matouk, Juliska and more. “Every brand is luxurious and upscale; I pay no attention to trends,” Geidel says. “If a design is good it holds and lasts. Harvest gold and avocado were trendy, and they had no lasting power. Good design will endure.”

Inside the Look

What influenced your decision to become a designer? “I was pushed into interior design at an early age by my aunt and my mother. My aunt had an antiques store, and I loved learning the history of the pieces, so they thought I would do well in art and design.”

What inspires your interiors? “Weird things inspire me, but it always comes back to beautiful architecture. I like to photograph unique buildings and architectural elements. In Italy, I did a collection of entry doors and church interiors; in China, a mosaic floor outside a monastery.”

Most prized possession: “Original 18th-century Giovanni Battista Piranesi prints from a book purchased in London by an old-guard Chicago designer I worked for. In the ’80s, we cut it up and sold the prints; I have eight of them.”

What this town needs: “A cohesive effort between all merchants’ groups to build a better shopping experience downtown. The model would be the St. Armands association. I’d pay to be part of a group that would act for its members the way they do.”

Can’t live without: “Travel. I’ve been to most of the places in Europe and Asia on my bucket list, but I’ve always wanted to do more in South America and to spend time in Morocco.”

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This article appears in the March 2014 issue of Sarasota Magazine. Like what you read? Click here to subscribe. >>