For Nicole Ficano, design always begins with place. Before materials, furniture, or form, there is geography, atmosphere, and context. Every project starts by anchoring the team in where they are and who they are designing for, a practice that shapes everything that follows.
Designing with a sense of place
Projects span Nantucket, Aspen, Florida, and the Midwest, each with its own demands and cues. Nicole is deliberate about keeping location front and center, often reminding her team to slow down and reorient. “Remember what place we’re in,” she says, explaining that concept presentations always begin with images of the surroundings. The goal is not to impose a studio look, but to respond to environment and lifestyle. “We’re not designing for ourselves. We’re designing for the client.”
That philosophy is reinforced by Workshop/APD’s multidisciplinary structure. With architecture, interiors, planning, and branding under one roof, interiors are never developed in isolation. Orientation, views, and site conditions all inform decisions long before finishes are selected.
Leading interiors inside a multidisciplinary studio
As principal of the interiors practice, Nicole balances creative direction with constant coordination. Interiors touch nearly every project at Workshop/APD, from ground up residences to renovations and furnishing only scopes. Growth after COVID accelerated the pace, and building a strong team became essential. The focus shifted to giving designers clear tools and frameworks so the work could move forward without constant oversight.
“I still work on all the projects,” she says, describing a role that blends hands on design with leadership. Trust is key, and so is preparation. Giving the team a clear road map allows them to manage logistics while she stays focused on vision and direction.
Learning to manage through doing everything
That comfort with complexity was built early. Working in small studios meant taking on every role, from interiors to accounting. Nicole discovered she enjoyed the business side as much as the creative one. “I like numbers. I like details and spreadsheets just as much as I like design,” she explains. That mindset led her to build systems that helped firms run more efficiently while still producing thoughtful work.
Those experiences shaped how she approaches leadership today. Process is not about control, but about creating clarity so designers can work without friction.
Problem solving in real time
Challenges are inevitable, especially at the scale Workshop/APD operates. Some are dramatic by design, like a three story spiral staircase tucked inside a primary closet in a Nantucket residence. The stair connects the closet to office suites above and a wellness level below, a sculptural element hidden within a private space.
Other challenges arrive unexpectedly. During installation, Nicole realized a large stone table would never make it up the narrow stair. “I had a moment of no sleep one night,” she admits. The solution required a quick pivot, bringing the piece through a top floor window instead. These moments reinforce what she sees as the most important skill in the field. Problem solving.
Even playful elements require careful planning. An indoor climbing wall built into a living space for a family with young children turned an unused area into a destination. Creative ideas only work when logistics support them.
Travel, momentum, and mental reset
Travel is constant, often involving ferries, planes, trains, and cars stitched together in tight timelines. The pace can be demanding, but exposure to different environments keeps the work sharp. Still, burnout is real. Nicole is candid about it, noting that it tends to surface around the end of the year. Reset comes through riding. “I could be completely burnt out, go ride on the weekend, and come back like, I’m great.”
As a leader, she is mindful of how energy shows up. Maintaining steadiness is part of the responsibility. The work moves fast, but the goal is consistency, for the team and for the clients.
Design that lives beyond one home
That desire for longevity also extends to product. Workshop/APD’s furniture collection grew out of pieces originally designed for private residences to fill gaps that could not be found elsewhere. Years of custom work created an archive of ideas, and launching the collection allowed those designs to live beyond a single project. “It’s been a labor of love,” Nicole says, describing the reward of seeing others connect with and live with the work.
Across disciplines, locations, and scales, Nicole’s approach remains grounded in clarity, adaptability, and respect for context. Design is not about avoiding problems, it is about meeting them head on and finding a way forward.
