Victoria Chlebowski is best known publicly as Michael Imperioli’s wife, but her own career extends well beyond her marriage to the actor. Known professionally as Victoria Imperioli, she is a Russian-born multidisciplinary artist, interior designer, production designer, producer, and film director whose work has crossed interior design, theater, cinema, music videos, and hospitality. Her creative work has appeared in publications including Architectural Digest, while her professional résumé includes the design of Studio Dante, production design for The Hungry Ghosts, and later directing work for the New York indie-rock band ZOPA. She and Michael Imperioli have been married since 1996, and their family has included sons Vadim and David as well as Isabella Chlebowski, Victoria’s daughter from an earlier relationship.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Verified Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Victoria Chlebowski |
| Known As | Victoria Imperioli |
| Profession | Multidisciplinary artist, interior designer, production designer, producer and director |
| Birthplace | Russia; exact birthplace has not been publicly disclosed in reliable sources |
| Birth Year | Not reliably publicly disclosed |
| Nationality/Background | Russian-born; identified by the Getty as an American interior designer of Russian background |
| Education | Public biographies describe studies in philosophy, Buddhist studies, German and art history; exact educational chronology varies by source |
| Spouse | Michael Imperioli |
| Marriage | Married September 20, 1996, according to IMDb’s biographical record |
| Children | Two sons with Michael Imperioli; Victoria also has a daughter, Isabella, from an earlier relationship |
| Sons | Vadim Imperioli and David Imperioli |
| Daughter | Isabella Chlebowski |
| Known For | Interior design, Studio Dante, The Hungry Ghosts, film and set design, directing |
| Business/Career Connection | SVE New York and creative work in theater, film and hospitality |
| Current Public Profile | Maintains a comparatively private public profile while continuing creative work associated with design and directing |
The available public record does not establish a reliable birth date or birth year for Victoria Chlebowski, so those details should not be presented as fact. Getty’s Union List of Artist Names identifies Victoria Imperioli as a contemporary American interior designer, Russian-born, with New York City associated with her professional and residential history.
Who Is Victoria Chlebowski?
Victoria Chlebowski is the birth name of the woman now widely known professionally as Victoria Imperioli. Her public identity is closely associated with Michael Imperioli because of their long marriage, but contemporary profiles show that she has developed a creative career of her own. Architectural Digest profiled the couple’s Tribeca home and described Victoria as an important force behind its renovation and design, while the publication also reported that she had established the design firm SVE New York with Sonya Chang. Her work demonstrates an unusually broad movement between disciplines: rather than limiting herself to conventional residential interiors, she has worked on theaters, film sets, music-related spaces, hospitality projects and directing.
Her design philosophy has also been documented in unusually detailed fashion. Architectural Digest’s profile of the Imperiolis’ Tribeca residence described a restoration in which Victoria worked extensively with historical architecture, furniture, color, texture and collected objects. The resulting home reflected her interest in creating atmosphere rather than simply reproducing a particular historical style. The same profile described her as someone comfortable with the physical work involved in renovation, including demolition and restoration, and noted that she preferred an intuitive approach to interiors. This provides useful context for understanding why her later theater and hospitality projects were not simply decorative assignments but extensions of a broader artistic practice.
Background in Interior Design and the Arts
Victoria Chlebowski’s professional background combines formal study with hands-on artistic work. Architectural Digest reported that she studied philosophy and German in Munich before studying art history at Parsons and The New School. Her current professional biography, meanwhile, describes her as having degrees in philosophy and Buddhist studies. Because the public sources describe her education somewhat differently, it is more accurate to say that philosophy, Buddhist studies, German and art history have all been associated with her educational background rather than asserting an unsupported chronological account.
Interior design became one of the clearest foundations of her professional career. Her résumé identifies projects ranging from private residences to entertainment venues and theaters, while Architectural Digest’s 2003 feature gave her substantial attention as the designer behind the Imperioli family’s Tribeca home. Her work was also associated with publications including House Beautiful and InStyle, and her résumé records participation in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Getty’s art-authority record further identifies her professional role as an interior designer and connects her work to Architectural Digest’s March 2003 coverage.
One of the most important aspects of her design career is its emphasis on transformation. Rather than approaching a room simply as a collection of furniture, Victoria has described design in terms of mood, history, color and the experience of the people using the space. The Tribeca renovation became a particularly visible example. The building was a 19th-century factory structure, and the couple undertook a substantial restoration rather than moving into a finished luxury apartment. Architectural Digest documented how Victoria helped transform the property into a highly personalized family home filled with European art, antique furniture, historical references and custom architectural details.
Her father, Ryczard Chlebowski, was also involved in some of her design projects. Architectural Digest identified him as a master artisan responsible for custom paneling and moldings in the family’s home and described his collaboration with Victoria on the renovation of a theater in Chelsea. This family connection is particularly relevant because it shows how Victoria’s work combined design vision with practical craftsmanship. The Chlebowski name therefore appears in the public record not merely as Victoria’s birth surname but also in connection with the hands-on construction and restoration work surrounding some of her best-known projects.
Marriage or Relationship with Michael Imperioli
Victoria Chlebowski married actor Michael Imperioli in 1996, and their relationship has remained one of the most enduring parts of both of their public biographies. IMDb records September 20, 1996, as their marriage date, while other biographical sources consistently identify 1996 as the year they married. Michael Imperioli became internationally recognized for playing Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, but his career has also included film acting, writing, directing, theater and later television work such as The White Lotus. Victoria’s career developed alongside, but independently of, that public acting career.
The couple’s professional lives have frequently overlapped. Before their marriage, Victoria had opened the Chelsea bar Ciel Rouge, and Michael later described how they effectively ran it together after they met. In a 2024 interview with Cultured, Michael explained that Victoria had built and opened Ciel Rouge before their relationship and that the pair subsequently ran it together. The project became an early example of their shared interest in creating distinctive environments rather than simply operating conventional businesses.
Their collaboration continued with Studio Dante, an Off-Broadway theater in New York. Playbill reported that Victoria co-founded Studio Dante with Michael in 2003 and provided set and costume design for its productions. Other theater coverage described her as responsible for the design of the space as well as costumes and sets. The theater became an important part of the couple’s creative life, allowing Michael to work in theater production and directing while Victoria applied her design skills to an artistic environment.
The couple have also continued collaborating in hospitality. In 2024, Cultured reported on their involvement with Scarlet, a New York bar that opened in December and whose visual identity was strongly shaped by Victoria’s design approach. Michael explained that the project was different from their earlier bar because other partners handled much of the operational work, allowing the couple to concentrate more on atmosphere and creative direction. Victoria discussed the use of red as a central visual element and described her preference for strong, natural colors.
Parenthood and Family Life
Family life has been another important part of Victoria Chlebowski’s public story, although the family has generally avoided the level of exposure associated with Hollywood celebrity households. Victoria and Michael have two sons, Vadim Imperioli and David Imperioli, while Isabella Chlebowski is Victoria’s daughter from an earlier relationship. Architectural Digest’s 2003 profile of the family’s Tribeca home identified Isabella and Vadim and also mentioned the arrival of baby David, providing an unusually detailed contemporary record of the family structure.
The same Architectural Digest feature showed how strongly family needs influenced Victoria’s approach to design. The Tribeca residence was not presented simply as a showpiece but as a functioning home in which rooms were organized around children, entertaining, music, reading and everyday family life. The article described dedicated sleeping areas for the children and custom architectural details throughout the home. This is relevant to understanding Victoria’s work because she has repeatedly spoken about design in terms of comfort, atmosphere and how people actually live in a space.
Earlier reporting also documented Victoria’s approach to raising her children. A 2007 Observer profile described Isabella, Vadim and David at different ages and reported that Victoria spent significant time with them, including traveling and tutoring during summers. Because those details come from an older newspaper profile, they should be understood as historical rather than current information about the family’s private life. More recent Architectural Digest coverage described Victoria and Michael as empty nesters, indicating that their children have since reached adulthood and moved into a different stage of family life.
The public record does not provide a comprehensive account of Vadim Imperioli, David Imperioli or Isabella Chlebowski’s current careers, relationships or private lives. That absence is important. Although their names appear in older reporting because they were part of the Imperioli household, there is not enough reliable public information to construct detailed biographies of the three children without risking speculation. A responsible biography of Victoria Chlebowski should therefore focus on information she and Michael have publicly shared rather than attempting to fill gaps with unverified claims.
From Ciel Rouge to Studio Dante
The transition from Ciel Rouge to Studio Dante illustrates how Victoria Chlebowski’s career evolved from hospitality and interiors into a broader creative practice. Ciel Rouge was a Chelsea bar that Victoria opened before meeting Michael Imperioli. Michael later recalled the venue as an important part of their early life together, describing it as a late-night gathering place. The experience gave Victoria an opportunity to shape not only a physical environment but also its atmosphere, identity and social experience.
Studio Dante represented a much more explicitly theatrical chapter. Founded with Michael Imperioli in 2003, the small Off-Broadway venue became a place for new theatrical work, and Victoria was deeply involved in its physical and artistic presentation. Playbill documented her set and costume work, while other theater coverage noted that she designed the theater itself and created the sets and costumes for productions. Her father also contributed to the physical renovation, making Studio Dante another project where architecture, craftsmanship and artistic programming came together.
The theater’s design became part of its identity. Contemporary descriptions emphasized its intimate scale and distinctive atmosphere, while Victoria’s work helped establish a historical aesthetic within a newly constructed theatrical environment. Her role therefore went beyond conventional interior decoration. She was helping create a complete artistic setting in which actors, directors, writers and audiences would interact. This experience helped establish the multidisciplinary character that would later become visible in her film production design and directing work.
Studio Dante also demonstrated the complementary nature of Victoria and Michael’s professional partnership. Michael brought acting, writing and directing experience, while Victoria contributed visual design, production and environmental storytelling. Their work together did not mean that one person’s career depended entirely on the other; instead, their public projects show repeated examples of two different creative disciplines meeting around shared cultural and artistic interests.
Life After the Tribeca Renovation
The Imperiolis’ Tribeca home became one of the most visible examples of Victoria’s design work, but their later life shows that her creative interests continued to evolve. Architectural Digest revisited Michael’s New York home in 2023 and described the couple as empty nesters who had downsized from their Santa Barbara home to a historic two-bedroom New York apartment. The article emphasized Victoria’s role in transforming the space and described the interiors as reflecting the couple’s longstanding interest in art, history and historical design.
The 2023 Architectural Digest home tour offered another direct look at Victoria’s influence. Michael explained that many of the elements in the apartment had been selected or installed according to Victoria’s vision and identified her as both an interior designer and set designer. The apartment’s character was deliberately connected to the history of its building, which had originally operated as a hotel. This continued a pattern visible throughout Victoria’s work: understanding a building’s past and using that history as part of its contemporary identity.
Her professional work has also expanded into entertainment venues. Her résumé lists extensive design and renovation work for the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, including dressing rooms, a green room and backstage areas. Her professional biography similarly identifies the historic Wiltern as one of her major projects. Rather than focusing exclusively on private residential interiors, this work demonstrates her ability to design spaces used by performers, crews and large audiences.
Another major development has been directing. Victoria’s professional biography identifies her as a New York City-based film director and says that she began directing music videos for ZOPA in 2021. ZOPA is Michael Imperioli’s indie-rock band, and Victoria’s work for the group has included videos such as “Buddha’s Embrace,” “Red Sky,” “A Still Life” and “Long Term Parking.” Her move into directing is consistent with her earlier work in visual design because music videos allow her to combine atmosphere, composition, performance and storytelling in a single medium.
Career Highlights and Public Recognition
One of Victoria Chlebowski’s clearest film credits is The Hungry Ghosts, Michael Imperioli’s feature directorial debut. The International Film Festival Rotterdam lists Victoria Imperioli as responsible for production design, while the AFI Catalog credits her both as a producer and production designer. IMDb’s production records also list her as a producer. These independent records establish that her involvement was substantive rather than merely a family connection to the director.
The Hungry Ghosts premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2009, where it competed in the Bright Future section. The film was written and directed by Michael Imperioli and explored characters searching for emotional and spiritual fulfillment. Victoria’s production-design contribution was particularly relevant to the film’s visual world because her background already combined interior design, theatrical environments and an interest in Eastern and Western philosophical traditions.
Her theater credits provide another significant measure of her career. Playbill records Victoria’s set and costume design for productions at Studio Dante, while theater reviews identify her as the designer for individual productions. Her résumé also credits her with designing Studio Dante itself, as well as the Wiltern Theater and other spaces. These projects demonstrate a sustained body of work rather than a single celebrity-associated design assignment.
Victoria has also received recognition through design publications. Architectural Digest’s 2003 feature on the Imperioli home placed her design work prominently in a major international interiors publication. Her résumé lists additional coverage in House Beautiful, InStyle Home, the New York Times and other publications. Getty’s art-authority database independently preserves her identity as an American interior designer of Russian background, providing another institutional record of her professional status.
Her professional profile therefore cannot be reduced accurately to the phrase “Michael Imperioli’s wife.” That phrase explains why many people first encounter her name in search results, but the documented record shows a career spanning interior design, production design, theater, film production, directing and hospitality. Her work has repeatedly involved creating environments, whether the environment is a family home, a theater, a film set, a music video or a bar.
Why People Search for Victoria Chlebowski
Search interest in Victoria Chlebowski largely begins with her connection to Michael Imperioli, particularly because Michael’s long career on The Sopranos made his personal life a subject of public curiosity. People searching for “Michael Imperioli’s wife” commonly encounter the name Victoria Imperioli, while searches for her birth name lead to the same person. The name difference can cause confusion, especially because professional and entertainment databases generally use Victoria Imperioli, whereas Chlebowski remains important as her birth surname.
Another reason people search for her is that she has a career that is unusually connected to visual culture. Readers interested in the Imperioli family’s homes may discover her through Architectural Digest, while theater audiences may encounter her through Studio Dante and film audiences through The Hungry Ghosts. More recently, people interested in Michael’s music projects may encounter Victoria through her directing work for ZOPA. These different search paths explain why she appears in sources covering entertainment, architecture, theater, film and design rather than in celebrity-family coverage alone.
Searches for Vadim Imperioli, David Imperioli and Isabella Chlebowski also often lead back to Victoria because the three are publicly identified as members of her family. However, the amount of verified information available about them is limited. Isabella is Victoria’s daughter from a previous relationship, while Vadim and David are her sons with Michael Imperioli. Beyond those established family facts and historical mentions, their adult lives are largely outside the public record, and it would be inappropriate to invent details simply to make a biography appear more complete.
Privacy, Accuracy and Public Information
Victoria Chlebowski occupies an interesting position in public life because she has worked in highly visible creative fields while maintaining a comparatively private personal profile. Reliable sources provide substantial information about her professional projects, design philosophy and marriage to Michael Imperioli, but they do not establish every personal detail that biography websites sometimes publish. In particular, a reliable birth date, exact birth year, precise birthplace in Russia and a complete account of her early life have not been consistently documented by authoritative public sources. Those details should therefore be treated as undisclosed rather than estimated.
There are also differences among public biographies regarding her education and career chronology. Architectural Digest reported studies involving philosophy and German in Munich followed by art history at Parsons and The New School, while her own professional biography describes degrees in philosophy and Buddhist studies. Rather than choosing one account without qualification, the most accurate approach is to acknowledge both descriptions. This is especially important for E-E-A-T-focused biography writing because transparent handling of conflicting or incomplete public records is more trustworthy than presenting uncertain information as established fact.
The same principle applies to Victoria’s family. Public reporting confirms her marriage to Michael Imperioli and identifies their children, but current information about the adult lives of Isabella Chlebowski, Vadim Imperioli and David Imperioli is not sufficiently documented in reliable sources to justify detailed claims. A respectful biography should distinguish between historical family information that has been publicly reported and private matters that have not been disclosed. Victoria’s own professional accomplishments provide more than enough verified material to understand her career without intruding into the family’s private affairs.
Conclusion
Victoria Chlebowski, professionally known as Victoria Imperioli, has built a creative identity that extends far beyond her status as Michael Imperioli’s wife. Her documented career includes interior design, production design, theater, film production, hospitality and directing, with projects ranging from the Imperioli family’s historically inspired homes to Studio Dante, The Hungry Ghosts, the Wiltern Theater and music videos for ZOPA. Her marriage to Michael Imperioli has been an important part of her public story since 1996, but the available evidence also shows a sustained independent body of creative work. For readers researching Victoria Chlebowski today, the most accurate picture is therefore that of a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose public career has developed alongside a long-running family and creative partnership with Michael Imperioli.
Also read: Molly Kunz: A Remarkable Journey as an American Actress in Film and TV
FAQs
Who is Victoria Chlebowski?
Victoria Chlebowski, professionally Victoria Imperioli, is a Russian-born multidisciplinary artist, interior designer, producer and director married to actor Michael Imperioli.
When did Victoria Chlebowski marry Michael Imperioli?
Victoria Chlebowski married Michael Imperioli on September 20, 1996, according to IMDb’s biographical record, and they have remained married since then.
Who are Victoria Chlebowski’s children?
Victoria has two sons, Vadim and David Imperioli, with Michael Imperioli, and a daughter, Isabella Chlebowski, from an earlier relationship.
What does Victoria Chlebowski do professionally?
Victoria works across interior design, production design, theater, film production and directing, with documented projects including Studio Dante and The Hungry Ghosts.
Did Victoria Chlebowski work on The Hungry Ghosts?
Yes. Victoria Imperioli was credited as a producer and production designer on The Hungry Ghosts, Michael Imperioli’s feature directorial debut.
Is Victoria Chlebowski still married to Michael Imperioli?
Public sources identify Victoria Imperioli and Michael Imperioli as married, with their relationship dating to 1996 and continuing in recent profiles.
