Monica Rissler

Monica Rissler almost became a dental hygienist.

Fortunately, college art classes pushed her down a different path. Now, as a top-notch interior designer, Rissler helps others remodel their home and business interiors using a client-forward philosophy that combines function and aesthetics and, most importantly, garners lots of happy clients.

Mark Tuchman, owner of downtown craft and wine bar 99 Bottles, is one such client.

“She was a great listener who managed to translate whatever nonsense I was spewing,” says Tuchman, who came to Rissler with a binder full of Pinterest clippings. “And she didn’t miss the mark, as far as I am concerned.”

Rissler implemented unique details at 99 Bottles: sealed concrete countertops with a finished edge, hand-painted murals covering every inch of the bathroom walls, and clean, classic materials and controlled lighting, to name a few. Tuchman says Rissler’s talent for beautiful hand-drawn sketches and detailed renderings allowed him to visualize and approve design ideas throughout the process.

If you’ve had the privilege of getting inside the member-only social club Waterworks Sarasota, then you have also seen Rissler’s work there. But the honorary Sarasota native (she moved here when she was 2) didn’t always want to be a designer. Unsure of a career path after high school graduation, Rissler enrolled in community college until she figured it out. After vetoing careers as a dental hygienist and pediatric nurse, her natural talent reared its head in art classes. She was close to enrolling in Ringling College when a visit to a friend in Tallahassee inspired her instead to apply to Florida State University, home to one of the top 20 interior architecture and design programs in the country. Rissler got on the wait list and hoped for the best. In the meantime, she took a job as a teaching assistant in the department. After a few days of organizing and answering phone calls, that move paid off.

“The director of the College of Interior Design came up to me and asked if I was on the wait list and I said ‘Yes,’” Rissler recalls. “He said ‘Not any more. You’re in!’” Rissler took it as a sign she was where she was meant to be. Two and half years later she left FSU with an interior design degree.

After a slight detour to Gainesville, she returned to Sarasota and immersed herself in a series of jobs that allowed her to qualify for and pass the notoriously difficult NCIDQ test making her title of interior designer official. She continued working with, and for, others in the design world, but a year and a half ago she decided to go out on her own.

Although Rissler brings loads of experience in various aspects of remodeling, decorating, and interior architecture to the table she is upfront that it is all about her client’s desires.

“I don’t ever want a client to say ‘Uh, my designer talked me into this’ or ‘My designer told me I had to do this,’” she says. “I don’t have any allegiance to any one rep, either; it’s what is best for the client.”

When it comes to the personal design she’s inspired by clean lines and functional spaces. And although she is more than capable of decorating she thrives on the nitty-gritty construction details like cabinet design and tile layouts.

“I will draw a three- by five-inch tile, to scale, on my CAD drawing and put it exactly where I want it,” says Rissler. She’s been known to show up at a job site on install day and watch the contractors do the first few rows of tile work to ensure they get it right—a quality her commercial and residential clients can certainly appreciate.

“At the end of the day it’s not my house,” says Rissler. “I listen to them and get an understanding of what they like, and if I don’t know it I research the heck out it or I talk to them more to find out how they are going to use that space or what design they like.”

Rissler Tidbits

On her design philosophy... “I like making everything cohesive and visually appealing. Aside from that, I love the relationship I form with my clients.”

On commercial projects… “I basically like to use anything indestructible. Light is another huge statement in a commercial space. Clients want to be able to have control of it at different times of the day and create different feels.”

Good kitchens... Utilize all the space. Have optimal counter space for food prep, and that triangle for prep space, cook space, and refrigerator space. Also, an organized kitchen makes it more enjoyable to cook and prepare meals.

Remodeling your kitchen?… “Put that extra 10% into the construction. Like solid plywood versus particle-board cabinets.”

Kitchen trends she’s on board with… Microwave drawers. “I’d rather keep the microwave out of the focal point and see a decorative or stainless-steel hood instead.”

Beloved appliance… “When we remodeled, my husband had to have this nugget ice maker that was separate from our refrigerator and I was, like, ‘No, no, no.’ Now, I love it.”

Kitchen countertops… “The new man-made quartz products are pretty awesome because they are antimicrobial, and they withstand heat up to 450°.”

The little things matter... “One of my biggest pet peeves is having two handles or two knobs on a large drawer—I like one big one. And I don’t mind mixing different-size handles and knobs either. The handles and the pulls in the kitchen add such a personal touch.”

Monica Rissler Interior Design: monicarissler.com

VENDORS USED

Contractor
Ervin Miller Construction

Appliances
Mullet's Appliances

Plumbing fixtures
Gormans (Hansgrohe faucet & Rohl sink)

Countertop material
Pompeii Quartz Extra White

Countertop fabricator
Florida Design Works

Custom Cabinets
Witts Woodworking

Cabinet Colors
Salty Dog & High Reflective White
(Sherwin-Williams)

Backsplash tile
White Picket (Design Works)

Wallpaper
Linear Leaves (Wallquest)

Roman Shade
Thibaut Fabrics