Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

Specialized in Furniture Design.

Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

About Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

Shiva is a distinguished international award-winning interior designer. She holds a Master of Science degree in interior design from Pratt Institute, ranked number one in design intelligence worldwide, and Bachelor of Art in interior architecture from Oxford Brookes School of Architecture. Her works are identified globally mainly as top workplace projects. Strategic planning and design of the offices of J.P Morgan Chase, Tiffany & Co., Nascar, Tetra Pak, NFL, and many recognized brands are just a small part of her professional work. Her research and scientific reflection about collective innovation and design founded an emerging base for designing future cities at the industrial design department of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. One of her recently designed furniture has been published multiple times in high-ranked design magazines of the world for its sustainable approach. She is nominated and presented as one of the best designers of the world in 2020 and recognized as a design legend for her contribution to the world of furniture design by her unique and emerging design solutions towards sustainable design. She is currently the Creative Design Director at P-Design Studio and founder of the international interdisciplinary institute of p-design school. Shiva is the first design entrepreneur in Iran offering interdisciplinary design solutions for national and international design projects.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Furniture Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Furniture
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Interview with Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
My academic background turns back to Oxford School of Architecture where I received BA Interior Architecture from and Pratt Institute ranked number one nationally in the professional survey in Design Intelligence where I graduated with MSc Interior Design. I am certified in more than ten intensive design and human environmental health courses accredited by IDCEC and Hanley Wood University in Washington D.C. and my last certificate is from Harvard Graduate School of Design in Architectural Imagination.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
I do not make boundaries for my company, our clients are our partners. The first step of entrepreneurship is being optimistic and setting up multiple businesses, taking on risks and chasing profit. My description of what risk is and what advantage is not international and anyone should get their answers. Hierarchy is what I’m afraid to have in my business; everyone has a voice as long as they know how to define their ideas. The only rule is resilience.
What is "design" for you?
To me, the design is a tool to explore untold dreams in real life. We design to create an experience and a trial if it’s either a mind shift or strategizing a business model.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
Strategizing spaces, corporate commercial projects, and residentials but in general projects with limitations are my favorites regardless of their size, location, budget, and subject. Maybe the challenge is what I seek while designing.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Designing the headquarter office of NASCAR in Manhattan while I was a designer at TMA. It started with their corporate identity and developed into a special project. What makes it special for me is the fine connection between interior architectural elements and branding of the space and client’s brand identity that became tangible and visible in every material, form, and technology.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
It is funny! I was asked to design a logo for a Japanese restaurant. I ended up presenting over 40 pages of concept from how space should feel like and how the food should get served but the logo.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Anything futuristic, interactive, and smart! I randomly follow the laboratory for design technologies at Harvard University to learn about future technologies in the design discipline.
When do you feel the most creative?
When facing limitations or if the problem is not relevant to my profession.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
Concept to be told by a cohesive story in all elements of the result, no matter if it is a space or small product.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
I feel unbelievably excited like a child on the way to wonderland. Design for designers is like a gift that they are excited to open and at the same time, they are sure it is definitely a great gift!
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Delighted and astonished! I think there is always a better version of every design and if my work is out and it is realized by other professionals, it is the time to celebrate.
What makes a design successful?
Happy client! I start with client analyses to understand “what is the matter?”. Their relationship, lifestyle, work habits, business and profit matters to me. The design is a successful process which never ends. My projects are always alive in my head in an evolutionary process. My design methodology forms with design philosophies and creating design principles and techniques accordingly. Research is detachable from the design process, and in easy words, if the initial idea and the final result of any project are the same, it means there was no process; therefore, it is invaluable in any field design.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
If the need is answered and the problem is solved as well as if the concept is visible and eye-catching.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
Considering the effects of our project on our environment and the habits that it adds to our society is deeply the moral and ethical part of our job and I believe that designers including myself are responsible for the effects and side-effects of what we produce.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
Design is a young topic, and it is moving forward from the “result” based major to a “process”. That is why the relationship between designers and their audience is bold. Design trains designers to understand their clients. It equips designers to read their client’s dreams and analyze appearances. As a designer we have to see people as they are, every person has a character, fears darkness as well as many habits and dreams. They vision themselves in spaces and positions that we may be able to illuminate and create. According to many designers and my experience, people seek for their childhood dreams, and they are afraid of their bad memories. I believe that the future of design is when people and designers design together and this has a direct relation with understanding our society and their needs, it is fundamental to provide for them and make them trust us without convincing them.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
In Summer 2015 at Haworth inc in Chicago and the next one seems to be the A Design Award 2020!
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
Trusting random funny ideas and counting casual brainstormings as vital seminar! Believing that team works not individual and know the art of networking to accomplish with other business owners in a similar industry to hit the market.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
We start with client analyses to understand “what is the matter?”. Their relationship, lifestyle, work habits, business, and profit matters to us. The design is a successful process that never ends. My projects are always alive in my head in an evolutionary process. Our design methodology forms with design philosophies and creating design principles and techniques accordingly. Research is detachable from the design process, and in easy words, if the initial idea and the final result of any project are the same, it means there was no process; therefore, it is invaluable in any field design.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
I am a team-oriented person but I also enjoy developing design alone too.

Designer of the Day Interview with Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I have been in the field of design for more than a decade. My academic background turns back to the Oxford School of Architecture where I received BA in Interior Architecture from and Pratt Institute ranked number one nationally in the professional survey in Design Intelligence where I graduated with MSc in Interior Design. Currently, I am doing research on design studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. I am certified in more than ten intensive design and human environmental health courses accredited by IDCEC and Hanley Wood University in Washington D.C. and my last certificate is from Harvard Graduate School of Design in Architectural Imagination. I have worked with a wide range of clients, mainly executives of corporate commercial projects.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
Considering mother earth, communities and accessibility have always been the core of my attention while designing. Technical drawings and conceptual ideas are two different sides of the same story so to translate on to another it is essential to use rendering software and physical prototypes to make sure the final result is going to reflect your thoughts. On the other hand time and deadline of every project is one of a kind so it is important to decide if the physical prototype is going to worth the time or not. In general, my decision on the style of designing depends on project cost, deadlines, and complexity of the design itself.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
Excited! The design process is full of emotions, sometimes you get disappointed and at a certain moment, you find the solution and become over excited.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
Do not fall in love with the initial ideas. Take random funny ideas seriously. Brainstorm with end-users and ask for their perfect product, design, and what they want from the design.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Entrepreneurship starts with illusion and complex ideas, one of those skills is to have an analytical mind and broad vision. But the key is no to pass and take “what if’s? ” serious. They need philosophical explorations, ethical responsibility, aesthetic expressions, and practical applications in line with professional standards.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
I read articles, attend seminars and lectures. Continues education has always been a great part of my journey. Trends matter a lot because we want our products to follow the trend and become trendy so being acknowledged of what is out there is critical.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
I ask what problem is it solving? How appropriate to the target market it is? How timeless is it?
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Design is a never-ending process. you can go on and on again from scratch and design the same thing in many ways but there should be a certain moment to put your pencil down and for me, many circumstances cause this. Budget, deadlines, and standard restrictions, and clients are part of that. I always put addressing clients' needs as a priority and then design aesthetics. Therefore if the problem is solved and it looks as it should I will move on to the next project.
What is your biggest design work?
The headquarter office of NASCAR in Manhattan is one of my favorite projects I designed in 2016. My passion is for strategic design, more participatory, and co-working spaces now and I am doing research about it at Carleton University.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I trust random funny ideas and take them seriously to lead me towards innovative solutions. Good design comes from randomly highlighted problems by normal end-users so it is important to take society as a great part of the design process and design with them rather than designing for them. Design thought me to listen carefully, look for the problem and be creative to find emerging solutions throughout my life, I think I live design.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
Our clients are our partners so, at the p-design studio, I have to imagine our client'ss life or business pattern and cycle very well which is fundamental in the design process. If I can experience their culture by their food, I would taste it. I listen to their memories, look at their appearance, favorite pictures and understand which decade their soul might belong to! My philosophy is to understand people so I call it observation, whatever it is, it comes from the identity of clients so the philosophy would be rich research and analyses, digging in dreams and emotions.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
I believe the future is transdisciplinary. I have to confess that, as a designer and architect, I follow artists; in my opinion, they are the only community who understand the past very well with imagination and randomly right perspective of the future. each artist has their own taste of colors forms and subjects and I pick the art piece based on its possible connection to my project.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
The fact that your design is going to be evaluated by amazing critiques would be a very huge step towards understanding your approach in design very well and test if you're on the right path or not. On the other hand, when you win, you establish a position for your touch and innovation in design among distinctive designers of the world.

Extended Interview with Shiva Pouryousef Khameneh

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
My academic background turns back to Oxford School of Architecture where I received BA Interior Architecture from and Pratt Institute ranked number one nationally in the professional survey in Design Intelligence where I graduated with MSc Interior Design. I am certified in more than ten intensive design and human environmental health courses accredited by IDCEC and Hanley Wood University in Washington D.C. and my last certificate is from Harvard Graduate School of Design in Architectural Imagination.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
My passion is for strategic design, more participatory and co-working spaces
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
First, think outside the box but do not fall in love with the initial idea and be aware that evolution and adaptability are inseparable from any successful business. Instead of doing a massive business like a “dinosaur” that can’t move, think of many small models.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
It's when the end-user is involved and it's simple and earth-friendly.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
Entrepreneurship starts with illusion and complex ideas, one of those skills is to have an analytical mind and broad vision. But the key is no to pass and take “what if’s? ” serious. They need philosophical explorations, ethical responsibility, aesthetic expressions, and practical applications in line with professional standards.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Trusting random funny ideas and counting casual brainstormings as vital seminar! Believing that team works not individual and know the art of networking to accomplish with other business owners in a similar industry to hit the market.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
To me, interior design is a tool to create an experience and permission to understand people in real life. How they engage with their families and blend into social life. That’s why my business is my identity + Design Studio. We design a trial if it’s either a mind shift or strategizing a business model.

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