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Why Good Design Is About Concept, Not Cost with Marta Gordiychuk

Space by Stansons · 2026-09-01 · 33 min

0:00--:--

Key moments - from our scoring

Substance score

35 / 100

Five dimensions, 20 points each

Insight Density7 / 20
Originality6 / 20
Guest Caliber11 / 20
Specificity & Evidence5 / 20
Conversational Craft6 / 20

Marta Gordiychuk, a project designer at Marist, joins the Space by Stanson podcast to explore how design philosophy transcends budget constraints. Recording in Paris, she shares her perspective on creating workspaces that go beyond mere functionality by incorporating emotional resonance and cultural influence. The episode emphasizes the importance of honest material choices - using solid colors as features instead of faux marble laminates - and maintaining a strong design concept as the untouchable heart of a project. Gordiychuk draws parallels between French and Ukrainian cultures' appreciation for aesthetics and lifestyle integration, contrasting these with UK attitudes where purpose often overshadows experience. Her transition from residential design (where she honed skills in color and shape as primary design languages across budgets) to workplace design informs her approach to creating breakout spaces and collaborative environments. The discussion covers how to bring nature into interiors through organic shapes rather than token plants, the value of spending time on thoughtful material and color selection, and protecting core design concepts when budgets force trade-offs.

Key takeaways

  • →Be honest about materials and budgets - use solid colors as design features rather than faux materials that pretend to be something they're not.
  • →The heart of any design project (its core concept) should be untouchable and protected even when costs require cuts to decorative elements and supporting details.
  • →Good design comes from understanding your concept first, then using color and organic shapes as primary design languages that work across any budget level.
  • →Workspace design should provide more than functionality by creating emotional breakout spaces where staff can recharge and feel connection through cozy environments and thoughtful aesthetics.
  • →Color selection and material choices require intentional thinking - the presence of taste and order in everyday life (like Paris's consistent green chair colors) is never random but always conceptually driven.

Guests

Marta Gordiychuk

Topics in this episode

Workspace designMarist (design firm)Material honesty and selectionDesign concept as core principleBreakout spacesColor as primary design languageOrganic and curved shapesLaminate versus natural materialsParis design cultureUkrainian design culture

Questions this episode answers

How do you design on a tight budget without using cheap-looking faux materials?

Work with what you have and be honest about it. Use solid colors and different materials as features, and leverage color as your primary design language since it's available at any budget level, high-end or cost-effective.

What's the difference between a good breakout space and a mediocre one in an office?

A good breakout space functions as a getaway where staff can recharge with privacy corners, comfortable seating, nice colors, and a different environment from their desks - it's about creating emotional connection and communication, not just showcasing company culture.

Why should you avoid laminate that mimics stone or marble?

Laminate trying to look like natural materials is visually dishonest and reads as cheap because you can see and feel it's not the real thing; it's better to use solid colors or embrace a different material entirely.

How do you incorporate nature into office design without it feeling cliche?

Use organic and curved shapes throughout the design language from the start, and let nature inform your spatial flow - it's not just about placing plants, but about following natural forms and paths in your overall concept.

What should you never cut from a design project when budgets get tight?

The core concept - the heart of the project - should remain untouchable; you can cut decorative elements and supporting details around it, but once everyone understands and protects the central concept, the design maintains its integrity.

What our scoring noted

Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.

Insight Density

7 / 20

The episode contains some useful design principles (honesty with materials, concept-first thinking, balance of aesthetics and function) but relies heavily on tangential personal anecdotes, food discussions, and lifestyle observations that dilute substance. Actionable insights about workspace design are sparse and repetitive, with much filler around Paris tourism, fashion, and cultural comparisons.

You need to work with what you have and be honest about it. And you always can make a feature with a different material. And you always can make a feature using colors.
Once you know your concept from the beginning, you understand where is the boundary and you know like everyone else in a team knows like this is untouchable.

Originality

6 / 20

The core ideas - concept-driven design, material honesty, balancing aesthetics with budget - are standard interior design thinking. The guest offers no contrarian or first-principles arguments, no novel frameworks, and mostly repackages conventional wisdom about design principles that have circulated for years. The Paris-London comparison adds cultural texture but no new design theory.

If it's not marble, don't act like it's marble.
So I think what makes um interior approach in workspaces specifically sometimes look a bit cheap is just sometimes people really want that higher end look but for cheaper money.

Guest Caliber

11 / 20

Marta is a practicing interior designer at a firm (Maris) with demonstrated workplace design experience, which is relevant. However, she is mid-career (3 years in workspaces), not a senior operator or founder, and her specific scale and revenue impact are not discussed. She speaks thoughtfully but is more of a practitioner-level guest than a high-caliber authority who has built something at significant scale.

I'm creating workspaces. Yeah. So it's not connected with food. Yeah. But uh my understanding I think it's always nice to of course to provide something more rather than the purpose.
During last four years I've been through like junior self awareness.

Specificity & Evidence

5 / 20

The episode is extremely light on concrete examples, named projects, metrics, or data. Marta references general observations about Paris cafes and London parks but never names a specific workspace project, client, budget, timeline, or measurable outcome. The only semi-specific example is her mention of chair colors in Paris parks, which is vague. No numbers, no case studies, no hard evidence.

So like for example we were walking here I just noticed that in one of the restaurants they very nicely combined um an old building an old space with the vintage chairs.
that specific color uh people actually wasted a lot a lot of time to choose this specific color for all the green areas in Paris.

Conversational Craft

6 / 20

The host asks softball, lifestyle-oriented questions that rarely push Marta on substantive design challenges. Questions veer toward personal preferences (pasta vs pizza, croissants), tourism observations, and inspirational soundbites rather than pressing on project tradeoffs, failed designs, or scaling lessons. Follow-ups are rare and the host rarely challenges claims or dig deeper into methodology.

Are there any materials that you're seeing that you're loving that are quite unique to uh or not unique because I guess we've got all the materials all across the world.
So does this. M. Do you think your love for Paris does it resemble Ukraine at all?

Conversation analysis

Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.

Share of words spoken

  • Speaker A40%
  • Speaker D31%
  • Speaker C25%
  • Speaker B4%

Most-used words

space34food23different21nice17paris16interior13feel13color12london12design11experience11concept11understand10coffee10french10budget9

Episode notes

Subscribe to Show Notes for more from Space by Stansons at This week on Space by Stansons , Guy heads to Paris with designer Marta Gordiychuk to explore how taste, emotion and honest material choices can shape spaces that feel memorable rather than simply functional. Marta shares why Paris is a place she returns to for inspiration and recharge, from its food and fashion to the way interiors combine beauty, simplicity and everyday experience. She reflects on the connection between environment and emotion, and why good workplace design should offer people something beyond the basic purpose of getting work done. The conversation also explores breakout spaces, materials, budget and the importance of a strong concept. Marta explains why a breakout area should feel like a genuine getaway for staff, how colour and shape can communicate an idea at almost any budget, and why designers should be honest with materials rather than imitate high-end finishes cheaply. From natural surfaces and organic forms to the balance of old and new found across Paris, the episode looks at how thoughtful design decisions create spaces with identity.

Full transcript

33 min

Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.

Speaker A: Sometimes people really want that higher end look but for cheaper money. But it doesn't work with Ray. You need to work with what you have and be honest about it. And you always can make a feature with a different material. And you always can make a feature using colors. And color is available in any budget, whether it's high end or cost effective. First you need to understand the budget and then you just go with what you have.

Speaker B: Three years after we've started this podcast, we thought it was time to make sure that those lessons and the takeaways from our amazing guests were actually actionable. Something you can really put into place. So we have launched Show Notes, a bi weekly email. Get into your M inbox and that will give you the key headlines that is indexable, findable, actionable. We can really start to make a difference in creating healthy, happy workspaces. So the links below or you can head to stanson.co.uk space. Look forward to seeing you sign up.

Speaker C: Hello and welcome to Space by Stanson, where I go with Marta. Ah, from Maris. I'm not going to say your surname because I mean, I don't know how you say it.

Speaker A: Uh, Goody Chook.

Speaker C: Goody Chook. There we go. Marta Goody Chook, project designer at Marist. And Paris is where she goes. I mean this is by far the hardest episode I've ever recorded. I woke up this morning, I couldn't be bothered. Horrible country. It's very, very boring.

Speaker A: Uh, it's a lot of effort guys, to go, you know, to admire every street and um, it takes a lot of effort. I hope you appreciate what we're doing here for you guys.

Speaker C: We will also try and do a little tour of the spaces. So if you're listening on Spotify or Apple, it will also be on YouTube. So I will walk around and show you the space. Anyway, Marta, welcome.

Speaker A: Yeah, thank you so much.

Speaker C: Just quickly, why Paris?

Speaker A: Uh, Paris is one of the places where I get my inspiration from. Yeah, just tasty, tasty place, amazing, uh, culture, uh, great, uh, acknowledgment, how to enjoy life. And uh, yeah, good coffee, good food. I'm just um, yeah, I'm just recharging here.

Speaker D: So. Yeah.

Speaker A: Ah, that's why. Yeah. And recharge designer means good design means good work.

Speaker C: Yeah. So Paris, are you pasta, uh, or pizza?

Speaker A: Uh, mhm, Food Bones.

Speaker C: Both.

Speaker A: Yeah, but why pasta and pizza? This is from Italy.

Speaker D: Wow.

Speaker C: Pasta. Well, because I see pasta pizza shops everywhere.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's very tight.

Speaker C: What do we get here then? Croissants.

Speaker A: Croissant croissant and pain au chocolate.

Speaker C: Oh yeah. Which one would you have?

Speaker A: Croissant.

Speaker C: Croissant.

Speaker A: There we go.

Speaker C: And you probably croissant because pain de chocolat's got even more calories.

Speaker D: Yes.

Speaker A: Uh, but you, in Paris you don't count. Do you know that in Paris calories

Speaker C: are not a thing. Do you like the fashion here?

Speaker A: I like the fashion here. I believe that French people, they are born with a sense of taste. I ah, wish more people were born like that. Yeah. So uh, it just comes out ah, comes out so naturally for them. And yeah, this is something to learn I think for me as well, like in um. So for three things. For how I create design, how I um, enjoy life and how I dress up myself for example, because it comes to my personal style as well. So French people and French culture is great example for me because again, in very easy, simple way they just do it. And um, for them it's not a big effort.

Speaker C: For you, home is Ukraine, right?

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker C: So does this. M. Do you think your love for Paris, does it resemble Ukraine at all?

Speaker A: Yes, it does, it does. Uh, again with food and style, same thing, quite similar. Yeah they are, um, because um. So there is a Korean fashion and world knows about Korean fashion and there is Ukrainian fashion as well. So that's why I like um, style and um, all my friends, family members, they like um, stylish things and. And I think just common for our culture to be dressed up a little bit more. Mhm. And that's why I find this is something familiar in French people as well. They do it as well. They like to style themselves. Yeah. But also they do it without a lot of effort. It just, it's quite minimal, natural.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker C: We were chatting on the way, just walking down this street like so many like pockets of like boutique, like one off beauty, beautiful everything. Coffee shops included. That's not something we really see in England. Why do you think that? Why is that?

Speaker A: Again, another thing, what connects me and my country culture with French culture. I believe for me personally that um, this is the understanding that life should be enjoyed. Like aesthetics of life should be enjoyed altogether. Food and what you see um, when you eat. M. So for us, uh, it's very common uh, to get this in the same time. But I noticed that uh, in uk, uh, people usually when they eat, the purpose for eating is eating. And um, it's not necessarily the best design, uh place, well designed place, uh, but a good food for example, and they go there for food, they have their food and they go Out. But for us, in my culture is always like, you go to the place for food, uh, but you also go for the emotion and you enjoying the space. And even if you're like really hungry, but you have not nice place close to you, you won't go there because it doesn't have nice interior. Yeah, it's interesting thing because if you're hungry, so your purpose is, your goal is to eat, but not for us. We need to eat and also enjoy our company and enjoy the environment, enjoy the space. And uh, in French culture I notice this as well. Uh, so every time you have nice, great, tasty food, tasty coffee, even if it's a tiny coffee shop like that one where we are sitting at the moment. So everything needs to be nice and beautiful as well. So they go deeper into the um, aesthetics rather than um, covering just the food, just a drink. Uh, so it always contains something else, something more, uh, more beauty. Uh, so for me, I think what is nice is the connection of food and emotion, which you get experience, nice interior. So all two things combined. I think French people know, um, how to enjoy that and serve with these instruments to other people as well.

Speaker C: Is that something you take into the designs and the work that you do like, and how do you do that?

Speaker A: M yeah, it's a bit different because, um, at the moment I'm creating workspaces. Yeah. So it's not connected with food. Yeah. But uh, my understanding, I think it's always nice to of course to provide something more rather than the purpose. Why. So there is a direct purpose why you're creating this workspace. People need to work there. Right. This as simple as that. But also you're adding something else to it. Like for example, what about the heart of the space? What about the breakout space? What about the space where actually people do their coffee and uh, having their breakfast or lunchtime during lunch break. Uh, so what they are experiencing there, uh, do they have nice environments? Do they have nice interior? Is it cozy? Is it something different from their desk so they can get away for a little bit and have a bit different 15 minutes, one hour, and then go back to more productive work because they spend time in something different, a little bit more different environment, a little bit different color and a little bit different approach of a space.

Speaker C: When you say nice, how you have a nice environment or a different environment, what would you look to put in? What. How would you like people to feel when they are going to that breakout space?

Speaker A: M. So there is a difference, different, um, approach to breakout space. It depends on the company. So, so it depends who client is. Uh, but most of time the space for communication between internally, for staff, uh, sometimes it's also uh, representing what people are doing inside of the company for their clients to show look how we spend time, look that we are very collaborative, we are open and this is our culture. So this is a place to present their own culture to outside people, to external people. Uh, but I like breakout spaces when it's more dedicated to the stuff. Uh, and in my opinion breakout space should be like a getaway space. And you need to recharge, so you need to have a little bit of a. Privacy corners, if I would put it that way. And uh, you can just uh, sit and recharge your brain with just with your coffee or a little bit of meal. Um, and also this is a space for communication between your team because out, out there, on, at your desk, you don't communicate much. It depends on the company of course, but sometimes you might feel a bit lonely with your work. And uh, charting is great, but it's not like Ching with a coffee in a nice breakout space with a cozy sofa and nice colors.

Speaker C: If there was one thing you could steal from Paris, is there anything in the design of French spaces that you see that you particularly like? Any element that you love?

Speaker A: I like, I like how they combine uh, traditional inheritance with the modern, modern approach. So like for example, we were walking here, I just noticed that in one of the restaurants they very nicely combined, um, an old building, an old space with the vintage chairs. But in the same time on the ceiling they have acoustic panels and it's ah, like modern kitkat tile, uh, at the bar. So it's all very well balanced and combined. I think um, it's a legacy of French taste which comes naturally.

Speaker C: Yeah, that's interesting. And if there was one thing you could take from London and bring it to France or bring it to Paris, is there anything you'd bring or would you. Is there nothing?

Speaker D: No.

Speaker A: Uh, me, myself, I would bring myself

Speaker C: to Paris from London. Okay, so we don't need anything from London. Paris has got it. We are happy with that.

Speaker A: I love London. It's just different space. London inspires me in a different way.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: But the reason why we came here and why we are specifically in Paris, this is something that you can't see simplicate in London.

Speaker C: Yeah, no, it is very inspiring. It's also somehow very slow and relaxed without being like physically asleep. But people seem to work in a much more like nomadic, relaxed way. Seem to have more Time.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker D: I think we should give uh, as

Speaker A: well to, to that fact that um, London is very busy capital.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: And because our, our specific of working we most of time we work in central part of London.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Uh, so yeah, it just keeps us busy even more and it keeps us very stick to that atmosphere.

Speaker D: So.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Are there any materials that you're seeing that you're loving that are quite unique to uh, or not unique because I guess we've got all the materials all across the world. But how they apply materials, new materials. Is there any surfaces you're loving?

Speaker D: Oh yeah, of course.

Speaker A: I love marble. But this is something that not necessarily is implemented quite widely in places.

Speaker C: Yeah, it was available though.

Speaker A: Yeah. It always comes to the budget as well. So this is a good balance in between your taste, clients brief and the budget that uh, they would like to have and they have for the project. And also you need to be wise as a interior designer to have to provide the best quality and then still make it with the budget that they have. So not necessarily the marble in every corner. But uh, yeah, I think my approach would be whatever is possible. Uh, so let's just do something natural just a little bit. If you really need to make a feature of the vid, but everything else, um, just don't copy too much of a natural materials. If you don't have budget for natural material, just put color, don't copy, don't original textures.

Speaker D: Yeah, I would say.

Speaker C: Okay, so if you've got the budget for a natural surface like a marble, go out, do it. Yeah, but if you can't afford a marble, you would just go with a block of color.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Instead, exactly. Just like pretending.

Speaker A: I think it's about um, honest approach. If it's not marble, don't act like it's marble. Uh, so I think what makes um, interior approach in workspaces specifically sometimes look a bit cheap. It just, sometimes people really want that higher end look but for cheaper money. But it doesn't work that way. Uh it's always. You need to work with what you have and be honest about it. And you always can make a feature uh, with a different material and you always can make a feature using colors. And color is available in any budget whether it's high end or cost effective. First you need to understand the budget and um, then you just go with what you have. But yeah, be honest with materials. I would recommend. So you didn't. No one asked me about recommendation, but I would recommend.

Speaker C: Yeah, no, no, I love it. It's really good to hear how people tackle that and whether to put in a, like faux material or put in just, just go all out and do something completely different. I like it seems like the intelligent approach. Like I can see how that works. Although there is a lot of foam materials that do look incredibly realistic. Yeah, it's a, um, it's a balancing act, isn't it? Yeah. I mean, yeah. So what's a material that. That's not a natural material that's trying to be like it that you really don't want to use or you don't want to see?

Speaker A: Any kind of laminate, I think. Uh, so laminate has uh, different colors, options, so you can use that. But obviously we have like different, uh, laminate, stone laminate, marble laminate. It's obviously not a stone. Yeah, but it's um, just trying so hard so you can feel it and you can see it. So. Yeah, I would avoid that.

Speaker C: One thing that I'm spotting here is that every space is already individual. Like. Yeah, haven't got. So the chain feel somehow every, every space we're walking into feels very unique and like embracing its unique beauty rather than trying to conform to all the other chains and like completely the other chains, I'm getting this real sense of uniqueness in each space. Leaning into the like actual ancient architecture. Uh, the, the materials used are beautiful. So yeah, I'll walk around here. The staircase is really cute, spiral, like tiny, like raw iron staircase. Lots of curves, lots of soft materials, lots of marbles. Also see like the glass fronted of the space, um, these arched doorways.

Speaker A: So would you say about the interior that's actually how, uh, it's done? And actually every coffee shop here, by the way, which we are uh, seen when we were walking here, uh, it's actually like a. Would you say that interior design is actually a good instrument rather than my. The. Rather than main concept? Because they're using the exactly like you said. They're using something that they have and they're using something that they adding to it rather than re. Changing. Directing that good m. In balancing things.

Speaker C: Yeah, what I'm seeing is they are creating environments everywhere they go. Uh, like memorable environments. Because I think it's what we need to do in the office in terms of creating a memorable environment. A space to create good memories, A space for clients to come to, staff to come to and make good memories. So they feel connected to the space. They feel warm, they feel welcome, they feel energized or whatever the space is going to be doing. This is a really great first pit stop. And we will keep moving along.

Speaker A: Thank you.

Speaker C: What would you say, like, is something that you're seeing, like the common thread you're seeing throughout. Everywhere you've been, all the streets, you've been to some shops, done some clothes shopping.

Speaker D: So what I see, I think it's like a presence of taste. And we were unbalanced taste problems and, um, order to everything. And because of that, everything, uh, is just beautiful. And I think beauty is insufficiency. But of course, about Paris, you wouldn't say every time that this is simple city. It's quite complex, um, architecture.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker D: And it's just remarkable how you see some buildings like you wonder, oh, how people build like that back then. Uh, but also I think this is something a bit different from living here. And living is simple. And uh, how people treat, uh, for example, like in terms of interiors, how they take all space and refurbish it and they connect, as we talked about previously. They connect, but they already have. They connect inheritance with something, um, modern. And they do it in very, very nice way. And I think even, uh, the proof of that actually are the chairs that we sit in. Because, uh, that specific color, uh, people actually wasted a lot, a lot of time to choose this specific color for all the green areas in Paris. That's why it looks so natural, so, uh, convenient for the eye, uh, in green areas. Uh, which keeps me thinking about when you spend time on choosing something wisely, it's not just random color. It's not just random detail, random shape. It just. There is a concept behind that always. And the purpose, why you done this? Um, so I think if you follow those things, you will just end up with something beautiful. As French people do.

Speaker C: Yeah, no, they definitely do. I'm definitely experiencing it and hopefully we can capture it. Um, and audience watching can sort of experience a little bit what we experienced.

Speaker A: Unfortunately, you can't experience food with us and taste and smell, but it's just amazing.

Speaker D: It's an inspiration for me every time I come here.

Speaker A: And I just.

Speaker D: Yeah, I'm just renewing myself all the time I'm here.

Speaker C: Is there any pockets in London that you've got this?

Speaker D: Um, so, yes, I have a few nice spots, uh, like alternative coffee shops where I can go and recharge myself. And also a few parks as well. Like, uh, what I actually like about London, we have those big areas with parks.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker D: And park is not like tiny, tiny with one bench, but you actually can go explore. And it's just one hour walk, uh, easily because it's so big. Uh, so, yeah. Any connection with nature? Actually, yeah, this is maybe advice for, um, exhausted interior designers out there like

Speaker A: me, who struggle to recharge themselves.

Speaker D: And I think, yeah, the best advice would be just find any connection with nature. This really helps.

Speaker C: How do you bring in like nature to your designs without it just being cliche? And plants.

Speaker D: Yeah. So if it's the goal for the client, because not necessarily every client needs that.

Speaker A: Some companies, uh, are quite tech and

Speaker D: they want to, uh, make it as a feature through all of their interior to feel a tech environment. So it's not connected much with nature. But, uh, once we are allowed to do it, once the brand story is about organic nature, um, and free floating shapes. So we go actually for floating shapes, for very curved shapes, for very natural shapes, organical shapes. So this is how you can do it. Not only because you brought a plant

Speaker A: in the middle of an office, but

Speaker D: also you can just use more, um, organic shapes. Not so strict, not so direct. Uh, just follow how the nature goes. Just follow how the um, path in the park goes, for example. So yeah, it's a. Yeah. Once you start to do this, uh, from the concept, from the starting point, once you put this as a mainstream for everything, it should, it should be easier to reflect on everything else and finishes as well.

Speaker C: But talking about finishes, what's the last thing that you allow to be ve. What do you absolutely cling on to?

Speaker D: Yeah, this leads us actually to the concept itself. Once I settle the concept and then you, you know, this is your like a heart of it. So once you starting cut off from the heart, this is like, no go. This is not. We can, ah, we can c. We can cut decorations around, we can cut some supportive, uh, elements around which I understand because again like designing build it

Speaker A: very often works with challenging cost. Not actually like designer would imagine how, how uh, you would like to reveal yourself as a designer.

Speaker D: But still, um, yeah, the heart should remain.

Speaker A: And then this actually helps.

Speaker D: Once you know your concept from the beginning, you understand where is the boundary and you know like, and everyone else in a team knows, like, this is untouchable. Don't touch it.

Speaker A: You can cut this, this, this, you can rewrite this, you can rethink that.

Speaker D: But this is untouchable.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker D: And once you um, understand how to deliver this message to the client, this is the heart. We're not touching this. So at some point everyone is protecting your hard concept of the project. It's not only you defending this, but, uh, also internal team and the client.

Speaker A: They Understand the concept.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker A: So I think the secret, how to

Speaker D: protect the heart of the project actually to deliver the importance of it.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: You did residential design before you did workplace design. What's one thing that you still harness from the residential experience that you still put in the projects now in a workspace?

Speaker D: Uh, I think my experience probably, uh, working with quite low cost. So.

Speaker C: From residential?

Speaker D: Yes, because a lot of times I worked with. Yeah, quite so. People are keen to personalize their space. But still many of those people don't have a lot of opportunities. Like they don't have um, allowance for Italian furniture, for example, natural wood and piece vintage piece. So we need to understand how we make it work around our idea. Uh, so I think it's a good skill. And also.

Speaker A: Yeah, because of that I think when

Speaker D: I actually um, was talking earlier about the color. So color and shape was always my

Speaker A: main language in period.

Speaker D: Because color and shape, uh, quite often has uh, the um, you can find it at high level costs, uh, and you can find it in low level costs. So. And it's also always the same language. So you can translate yourself and to communicate with help of those things.

Speaker C: What shocked you when you went to workplace?

Speaker D: What were you surprised how fast it was? Fast how fast it was and how big scale it was?

Speaker C: Yeah. Okay, fair enough. And coming back to Paris, what you're loving, what's something in the next five years you're going to try and be putting more into to evolve your designs. Like what? From your inspiration.

Speaker D: I think, um, to be honest, I don't have answer to this question. Direct answer. Because I'm still exploring myself in sun and field. I've been here only for three years. Mhm.

Speaker A: So I'm just like.

Speaker D: It's a lot of new things I still want to explore for myself and find my own path. But I think naturally I'm uh, leaning towards minimalistic things anyway. So it's just my predictions that I think intuitively I will just. I would lean to more minimalistic ideas and um, more conceptual uh, design rather than decorative at all.

Speaker C: Yeah. Would you ever go into like food and hospitality because of your love for food?

Speaker D: Yes, I think this will happen at

Speaker A: some point because I never thought about

Speaker D: workspaces and here I am.

Speaker A: And uh, with food is quite opposite. I think about it a lot. So I think it's just naturally I need to step in at some point.

Speaker D: Uh, I did some tries uh, in the past, but those were like tiny coffee shops.

Speaker A: Uh, so I think maybe, maybe this

Speaker C: is something in the future if you could design anything. What would you decide in terms of food? Any interior space at all?

Speaker D: I think that would be an exhibition space, uh, which is created for people to experience some emotion. I think I would communicate like emotion and space. I would make it work for people to live through something in there, in that space and have their own personal experience. I would decide like that for me is number one, is always the concept. The concept might be achieved with any cost that you have or almost any cost that you have. So it's not only about the money. It's not actually about the money. It's actually about how well you understand your language as an interior designer and how well you can explain those things, like things that you have in your mind, your thought, your dreams, your creation, how you can explain this and like to translate it, to translate it to other people. I think this is the secret of everything. It's not the cosmos, language. Uh, it's more like. Yeah, it's concept, color, shape, old good, traditional stuff.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, it just works.

Speaker D: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker C: It is really inspiring being here. I can totally see why you love it. And I can also see, not that I've ever been to Ukraine, but I, from how you're talking, I also feel that the connection to home. So that's special.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: Uh, so my connection, um, every time I go to Spirit, I think it's because of food as well. And because Ukraine is quite tasty country and we experience through food a lot. Uh, so our connection to food, like tasty, uh, food and interior experience is all the same. We can't split it.

Speaker C: One experience.

Speaker D: Yeah, one experience always. And I think for us as well. So that's why every time I come here, this reminds me of my home. And I'm just enjoying the way that I would enjoy space and food.

Speaker C: What would you tell yourself like 10, 20 years ago? What would you say to back then?

Speaker D: Um, I think I would say, never stop, achieve your dreams, don't listen to anyone and just do what you feel you do.

Speaker B: Nice.

Speaker C: Never stop, chase your dreams. What was Martin like that then? Was she nervous? Was she confident?

Speaker D: Uh, I think she was confident, but in other way. I think I've been through last. During last four years, I've been through

Speaker A: like junior self awareness. Then something broke and then the awareness that I have now, it's completely different

Speaker D: from what I had in previous time.

Speaker A: So it feels like I brought myself

Speaker D: back, but not exactly because I'm more experienced now. Uh, it's not only about interior design. It's like life overall.

Speaker A: Life happens with you every year you

Speaker D: have some path, you have some steps. And uh, after my tiny trip, everyone got his own.

Speaker A: And I just feel I'm just re

Speaker D: recreated myself I think. But it's completely, it's something different. It's not like I found myself back there where I left myself. It just different personality which I like and I respect previous one. But I also looking forward to do some nice things with my new personality.

Speaker C: What surprised you most about uh, London, Manura?

Speaker D: It was beautiful. To me, it still is. Uh, and also I understand that I think you need to find those beautiful places for you. You need to look for it. It's not necessarily like on the plate. Uh, you just need to put an effort to find the people your place, your food, your corners, uh, of recharging. Uh, yeah, it's like, takes a bit of an effort.

Speaker C: Yeah, I can imagine. Did you know English before you came?

Speaker D: Yes, I did.

Speaker A: Yeah. It's funny enough that uh, before four

Speaker D: years ago I thought like, oh, I know English. And then I come to London and

Speaker A: I'm like, right, I don't know English at all.

Speaker D: So I was struggling with different type of accents that you have.

Speaker A: And yeah, it was interesting.

Speaker C: How did you learn it so well?

Speaker D: Um, because of our fast paced environment. Because you meet so many people that at some point you just need to understand them.

Speaker A: And uh, yeah, you have struggle on

Speaker D: the way, of course, but you just adjust yourself.

Speaker C: Thank you, Marta. I really appreciate you bringing me there, showing us everything. Before we go just on your mute, would you read a book or would you visit a podcast?

Speaker D: Uh, no offense. No, I would read a book because

Speaker A: we are kind of in a podcast.

Speaker C: Oh no, but that's fine. You would read a book. And what book would you read?

Speaker D: Uh, I like something about exploring topics rather than uh, just some poem or some story about someone.

Speaker A: So I like something that will give me just a tiny bit of an

Speaker D: upright, um, in life, anything, it can be anything. Like money, psychology, spiritual thing, uh, mental support and love it.

Speaker C: Thank you, Marta. Uh, thank you everyone for tuning in. Thanks for coming to Paris with us. Hope you enjoyed the show. Please do your thing. Um, please like and subscribe. Also when you rate the show, it does that you do wonders. So go ahead, do your thing and we will see you next time.

Speaker D: Can I say something?

Speaker A: I always rant about it. Hit the follow button if you like. Like that sort of thing. I always dreamt about it.

Speaker C: Right, there we go. If that's not your message to hit the follow button, you've got to do Ciao. Ciao. See you later. Au revoir. Ah.

Speaker B: I find it simply fascinating how physical space can totally change how we think, feel and behave. Meaning it can pause distractions, it can connect us. It can mean we do our very best work. And that's where Stanson's steps in this show is created by Stanson, who design, make and install curtains and acoustics to create the perfect environment for people to flourish and do their very best work. You've got a project on, um, we know how it feels. Reach out and we'll start to talk.

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