Designer vum Dag Interview
18 Froen
I started my career as an architect but quickly realized that the architectural process is too slow and makes you feel like a small cog in a huge machine.
Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I started my career as an architect but quickly realized that the architectural process is too slow and makes you feel like a small cog in a huge machine. I wanted to see my designs come to life faster so I transitioned into interior design. Seeking more bravery and larger scale I focused on public spaces and successfully completed 10 major restaurant interiors. In every restaurant I created my own exclusive furniture. This was so exciting and fulfilling that I decided to co found a furniture factory from absolute scratch with my close friend. We started with zero production knowledge and literally studied the internal furniture construction from the inside out. I personally designed our production space using efficient Japanese manufacturing systems. Over the last 10 years we grew this project into the best furniture factory in Kazakhstan. Today all the most demanding and prominent interior designers in the country choose only us for their projects
How did you become a designer?
My path to becoming a designer was shaped from early childhood. When I was just 6 years old my father recognized my creative drive and took me to an art studio because I was too young for a formal art school. That early studio environment prepared me perfectly and I later successfully entered and graduated from art school. It was always clear to me that my future belonged to creation. Thanks to my strong artistic background and high quality skills I won a full scholarship for free education at the Architecture Institute and graduated as a professional architect. This deep internal drive to build beautifully combined with a powerful artistic foundation from childhood is what naturally led me to become the creator I am today.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
My design methodology centers on three non negotiable priorities harmony of proportions fabric curation and internal structural longevity. First I focus heavily on exact proportions because the same sofa can look completely different if built without a harmonious blueprint. In fact I revolutionized the industry in Kazakhstan by establishing the standard that furniture must be built strictly according to precise technical drawings whereas previously most local workshops manufactured items simply by looking at a picture. Second I analyze the interaction of textiles focusing on how warm and cold tones combine tactfully and visually ensuring the fabrics do not weigh down the product. Finally our core factory motto is that a client should return to us for new furniture not to repair the old one. Following this rule we focus on building lightweight ergonomic and indestructible internal frames that are perfectly symmetrical and visually beautiful even on the inside because I firmly believe that true beauty lives in the hidden details
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
For me the most powerful and beautiful emotion is the pure joy of seeing the finished product perfectly placed inside the client's real interior. While the initial sketch and the engineering process on the factory floor are highly engaging nothing compares to that final moment. Seeing how our furniture transforms a space and brings the client's home to life is the most exciting and breathtaking experience. This exact moment acts as a spark that ignites my creative energy all over again filling me with a fresh passion to look forward discover new ideas and keep creating.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Many people note that I carry a pleasant energy that makes them feel comfortable energized and ready to follow my lead. Alongside this charisma my main secret to success is an incredibly high work capacity. My core rule is that it is always better to do 10 additional tasks today that were planned for tomorrow. I truly believe that life is too short and we must aim to build something truly global because tomorrow might never come. That is why we must maximize our efforts and achieve our goals here and now with maximum speed
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
My future path is focused on leaving a lasting mark and my name in the global history of design. My ultimate dream project is to create an iconic piece of furniture that becomes a timeless world classic. To achieve this I want to build powerful creative collaborations with the famous Italian factories that I always admire at international exhibitions. I am deeply inspired by their rich heritage and legendary sofas and beds. My goal is to combine our technical manufacturing bravery with Italian design traditions to create something truly global and historic
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
I want to warn new designers that if they do not work at 110 percent right now they should not expect any growth tomorrow. At the beginning of your journey the Pareto principle always applies and it might often feel like your hard work is completely unnoticed by anyone. But you must keep pushing and continuing to create even if it is just for yourself. You have to understand that whatever you do your labor is never wasted because first and foremost it expands and elevates your own mind and creative intelligence.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
My top professional advice for anyone who wants to successfully enter furniture design is to immediately get a job at a real manufacturing factory. Start in any department and over time work your way through every single operational process. You must learn all the steps from scratch including the frame building workshop upholstery department sewing room packaging and quality control check. Only by experiencing all these steps from the inside will you truly understand how materials behave and how real furniture is engineered. Do not just be an artist who draws pictures learn the physical production physics from the factory floor
What is your day to day look like?
My days are incredibly dynamic because my business is my life and my creation. I start my business morning by managing the creative direction of our social media and checking our visual positioning. My day is a fast transition between high level management and raw factory floor engineering. I meet with clients to listen to their needs and discuss custom orders with my interior designer friends. Then I drive to our 2500 square meter factory floor. On the factory floor I act as a hands on crisis manager. A craftsman from absolutely any department or shop can approach me with a complex technical issue and I solve it right on the spot making bold creative choices about frame structure puzzles or upholstery sewing details. This immediate problem solving is what excites me most during the workday.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
monitor global design trends closely and I have a very strong natural intuition for them. Because of this I fill our upholstered furniture showroom with pieces that will become major trends for the next year or two. In fact I feel that I frequently move ahead of the trends. While I would love to focus entirely on creating my own highly unique artistic vision and collective art objects the reality of the local market in Kazakhstan forces me to find a balance. The market here is quite small and there is a limited number of clients who can appreciate and purchase pure conceptual art objects. Therefore my strategy is to sense what is coming next on the global stage and adapt those forward thinking trends into functional luxury furniture that fits the commercial scale of our region perfectly
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
For me a good design is defined by its power over human memory and its visual magnetism. It is a space or a product where your eyes constantly want to return to look just one more time. I believe a project is truly well designed when you can close your eyes and still clearly remember that interior. It is an environment where you wake up the next morning and the image of what you saw is still perfectly alive in your mind because it truly touched your soul. A good design is completely timeless. It does not follow temporary trends it creates trends on its own and it is built to live for many years remaining beautifully relevant and powerful across generations.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
This is an incredibly difficult question for me because the longer I work on a design the more I feel its imperfection. As a creator you always have an internal urge to refine alter and polish every single detail over and over again. Because of this continuous battle with perfectionism I had to invent a strict formula for myself I must learn to stop at the right moment. I decide a design is ready when the core physical harmony and engineering stability are achieved. I consciously open another tab in my mind to move forward to the next project because I understand that while a design can be infinitely improved in theory a true professional must have the discipline to freeze the concept and bring it to life in reality
What is your biggest design work?
The works I am most proud of are two breakthrough furniture concepts that reflect my deep love for storytelling and structural engineering. The first is our famous Princess and the Pea premium bed. I wanted to turn a classic childhood fairy tale into a high end physical reality. We engineered a massive frame that layers multiple custom mattresses and luxurious upholstery fabrics to create a sense of absolute height and royal comfort, hiding a symbolic metal bead inside the structure as a signature detail. The second is our new signature sofa concept, which I firmly believe has all the qualities to become a timeless design icon. It features brave, organic fluid lines that wrap around the human body, combining rich tactile materials like premium corduroy and bouclé. The engineering challenge was immense because we had to create a seemingly weightless, artistic silhouette without losing structural symmetry and ergonomic support. Both pieces represent my philosophy of turning fragile creative concepts into historical manufactured masterpieces
Who is your favourite designer?
My design philosophy is deeply rooted in the heritage of legendary modernist architects and functionalist pioneers. My absolute favorites are Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright because they understood the flawless relationship between architecture and organic space. I am also deeply inspired by Le Corbusier and the entire Bauhaus movement which proved that honest engineering and clean lines create the ultimate aesthetic value. When it comes to product design I highly admire Charles and Ray Eames. Their iconic chairs and innovative furniture pieces are the perfect example of how an architectural mindset can revolutionize industrial manufacturing. All these visionaries proved that furniture is not just decoration but an extension of structural space
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I am based in Almaty Kazakhstan a magnificent city surrounded by grand mountains and vast open steppes. My lifestyle is deeply connected to this unique natural geography and it heavily influences my creative vision. Right now I am working on a major dream project close to my heart I am designing a premium furniture collection completely dedicated to our Kazakh mountains and steppes. I want to translate the raw organic power of the mountains and the endless freedom of the steppes into furniture forms using authentic natural textures and a specific color palette of sand straw sage and pale sky blue. I firmly believe that good design is necessary for the advancement of society because when we bring the honest energetic purity of nature into our homes through high quality objects we elevate our daily psychology and lifestyle
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
Our business philosophy is built on absolute technical bravery and a strict commitment to product longevity. At the factory our core corporate motto is that a client should return to us for new furniture not to repair the old one. Following this rule we manufacture every single frame with an intentional margin of safety and extreme structural strength. In terms of work culture I have a perfect operational system with my close friend and co founder. She masterfully handles all the financial administrative and staff management which leaves me completely free to focus on technology design and global vision. On the factory floor I act as a hands on crisis manager. I look for craftsmen who respect the physical nature of materials and share our passion because our main challenge is turning complex creative architecture into indestructible furniture masterpieces
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
We focus our philanthropic efforts on supporting children with special developmental needs. Using the manufacturing power of our furniture factory we help equip sports and rehabilitation halls for these children free of charge. We manufacture specialized safety mats and custom soft play structures upholstered in durable leather designed specifically for their physical therapy and development. Additionally we provide financial support to help families cover the educational costs for special needs children who require specialized schooling. For us it is about using our real factory resources and craftsmanship to directly improve the lives and safety of these children
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A' Design Award?
For me this experience is proof that a person from distant Kazakhstan can win this global competition if they are willing to work hard. Winning this award shows that absolutely anything is possible when you find the perfect balance between creativity and pure labor. When my partner and I started with zero experience cutting a bed in half with a chainsaw it was a massive leap of faith. This recognition proves that our industrial bravery was right and that a factory built from scratch in Kazakhstan can reach the highest international standards. Being considered for the Designer of the Day promotion is an incredible honor that highlights our brand Dreamstudio to a global audience proving that real dedication always creates historic results.