Commercial Design

My commercial work has taken me from Kyiv to Amsterdam, Toronto and New York, designing spaces where atmosphere and functionality have to work equally hard.

One of the projects I'm particularly proud of is the 1991 Civic Tech Center in Kyiv, a coworking and events space developed on a very limited budget and an extremely tight timeline. Working with just one assistant, I took the project from concept through implementation, solving everything from acoustics and lighting to the challenge of making each room work for multiple purposes. The lighting was carefully calculated for both the space and the people using it, and it was especially rewarding to receive compliments from photographers about how well it worked.

I also designed several small cafés in Kyiv, where the challenge was to create warm, memorable places within relatively compact spaces and modest budgets.

In Amsterdam, I designed a small tattoo studio waiting room with a very particular brief: instead of creating the stereotypical dark, edgy or “wild Amsterdam” tattoo atmosphere, we wanted visitors to feel as though they had stepped into a little holiday in Thailand. The space became warm, relaxed and slightly unexpected, a completely different experience from what you might expect from a tattoo studio.

While living in Amsterdam, I also designed a farmers' market booth in Canada. The booth needed to be easily adapted for different events and configurations, so flexibility was at the centre of the design. It had to transform without losing its identity.

And then there is Vida Verde in New York, a project that remains one of the most influential in my career. I worked as an associate of the brilliant local designer Aaron Kirsten, whose bold approach and willingness to make unexpected choices continue to inspire me. Working alongside him gave me the opportunity to push my own thinking, while also giving me considerable freedom to select materials, develop shapes and contribute to the character of the space.

Across these projects, the settings and budgets varied enormously, but the fundamental challenge was always the same: how do you create a memorable experience while making a space work in the real world?

That is what I love about commercial design. Constraints — whether they are budget, time, acoustics, footprint or flexibility — don't limit creativity. They give you something to solve.

Offices · Coworking · Restaurants · Cafés · Retail