I think I was like 14-15 years old, while being in highschool, when my mom proposed to me to have a room of my own. Up to that point in my life, I shared two rooms together with my sister: a bedroom and a study room. I started to think about how I would arrange my room and realized there are a lot of options. I also remember that before that, a foreign magazine about attics fascinated me with the coloured photos and the nice high ceilings of attics. I believe that magazine had a huge impact on me and it kinda dictated what I wanted to do in my life. When I decided that this is it, this is what I want to do in life, I started preparing for the Art university, Industrial design. While I do believe that studies are important, I think that dedication and self-teaching are even more important. 

Why do you think Interiors designers are needed?

I moved to Berlin in mid 2020, when the pandemic had already started. I continued working remotely for my ongoing projects and then little by little I started to get new ones here. If there is something that pandemy taught us is that we can deliver great results even when working remotely.

When I start working on a new project, I need an architectural layout and an initial discussion with the beneficiaries, which can be done online or with a phone call. Photos of the space to be designed also help me to estimate optimal timings. After this I can elaborate a price estimation for the design services and delivery dates. I will then go for exact measurements and start working on the project. Because everyone’s time is precious I try to keep it as simple as I can for the clients and keep in touch by phone, email and online during the whole transparent process. For presentations we can do online meetings, on-site meetings or in-person meetings.

How long have you been working in interior design?

I graduated university in 2005 and my first job was regarding custom-made furniture. After that I was either working freelance or was employed as a designer in different companies that were handling furniture, metallic carpentry or other creative domains. In the beginning of my freelance career I was mostly dealing with furniture sketches and consulting for the right choice of materials, accessories and hardware. It was everything about details. But as it is quite difficult to plan a fully functional kitchen, when the electricity and the water are already in position, regardless of the needs of the clients, I started planning those as well. Then, there were always questions about the tilling, about the lighting or other matters. As I always loved the details and I was paying attention to all, I learned a lot and clients were trusting me more and more for a lot of matters regarding their projects. So, turning from furniture sketches to complete interior design projects was just the next natural step.

With whom do you work for implementation?

For construction work, renovations, plumbing or electrical works I work with specialists with whom I have worked before. I am also looking to expand my network and work with the contacts that my clients choose. Some of the most important things are to deliver easy to understand layouts and be on the worksite in key stages of the implementation process.

I look in detail for the custom made furniture as it is my specialty and I work with a list of suppliers that I can trust to deliver exquisite quality in good delivery time. Every now and then there is a need for new materials or products, so I do a lot of sourcing through my network and get the best recommendation.

How long does it take for a design concept to come to life?

The time needed for a design concept to come to life is not entirely in my hands. It depends also on external factors such as the stage of the project in the beginning phase or the efficiency and knowledge of the executing parties. From the designing perspective, creating a concept and drawing the layouts needed for implementation should start about 1-2 months before the actual works on the worksite begins. There are clients who call in the early stages of a project, before any electric or renovation works are being done, so we are looking at a long term collaboration that can stretch for up to even one or two years.There are also projects that are quicker, those that only require styling and minor works as painting a wall, putting a wallpaper or just window treatments. This takes between one or two months. Expecting for a project to take place in less than a month is not realistic since suppliers do not have everything in stock and we are looking at longer delivery times for items required.

Residential design and what else?

While most of the projects I do are residential projects, where I love interacting directly with the beneficiary and come up with personalized solutions, I also take commercial projects, offices or hospitality.

Which one is the most interesting project that you had?

Well, there is always the last project that you took that is in the concept phase that is the most interesting and challenging. This is the phase when I can free my mind and come up with out-of-the-box ideas, put them together and then sort them out till the final concept is ready to be presented. So, I do not have THE most interesting project, but you can look at the portfolio – I think it is quite diverse.

How would you convince your audience that you are the right person for their project?

Do not fear the new and try to be objective when decision making is needed! The tendency is to reject everything that is new, because they haven’t seen it or they haven’t thought about it before. I cannot promise 100% compatibility with all prospective clients, which is why I always propose a talk before taking up a new job. It should feel good for both sides. If what you are looking for is me telling you that your ideas are great and just need my approval, I am certainly not your designer. But if we can have a fruitful conversation, in which both of us have opinions, I am here for you.