Monica Bittenbender is the founder and principal designer of studio MASI. Monica grew up in Portugal and is currently finishing her Bachelor’s degree at the New York School of Interior Design, in New York City. Her journey into Interior Design has been anything but traditional. From a young age, she found joy in rearranging and styling her bedroom or sketch houses with her father, drawn to the balance between beauty, function, and minimalism. That creative instinct grew through a career in fashion modeling across New York City and Europe, where she developed an appreciation for texture, form, and color. During this process, she had been a professional athlete, a mother, and an executive assistant in the wellness industry. Today, she pursues a lifelong passion with the goal of creating functional, comfortable, and beautiful spaces that help elevate everyday living. To Monica, Interior Design is more than just aesthetics – it is a way of telling someone’s story through making them feel seen, grounded, and at home.