We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Nadezhda Kiseleva ("NK").
Nadezhda is a practicing interior designer since 2004. At the moment, she is mainly engaged in the design of residential and commercial interiors. During her labor activity, she took part in the design of shopping centers, religious and educational institutions, objects of Renovation, HoReCa. She believes that even a small facility can be made beautiful, comfortable, and functional and even a small budget can find interesting solutions for making the interior unique. Favorite styles of interior - modern, loft, and fusion.
Nadezhda Kiseleva Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Nadezhda Kiseleva.
Nadezhda Kiseleva Design - Polkota Feline Furniture Module
Designer Interview of Nadezhda Kiseleva:
DI: 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?
NK : I have loved to draw since childhood, as long as I remember, but the idea to devote my life to design came in high school, thanks to my favorite teacher and his subject - art and technical design. Initially, I thought that I would become an industrial designer, as I liked to design furniture and lighting objects, but eventually entered an art college with the specialty "Interior Design", and afterward, I did my post-graduation on "Teacher of Design: Interior Design". So my life turned out to be bound with interior design.
DI: What is "design" for you?
NK : For me, "design" is always about people. It’s about their convenience and comfort, including psychological. Design objects, be it furniture, interior or various tools should not only please the eye, but also be functional and ergonomic, and the task of the designer - to combine these items.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
NK : Most of all I like to design bars and cafes. In this field of activity, in my opinion, a designer is given more freedom and opportunity to realize some ideas that are not suitable for residences.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
NK : I admire Philippe Starck's Ghost chair. It is laconic, durable despite its apparent fragility, universal, combines past and present, plus it contains a certain amount of irony.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
NK : I started my professional career in a company specializing in residential decoration, so my first task was to design a classic style apartment.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
NK : My favorite material is wood. It's warm, environmentally friendly, and universal.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
NK : Usually, this happens after a holiday spent in another country. The unfamiliar environment and the abundance of new experiences give the brain the opportunity to overload itself and start looking at life from a different angle. A well-rested person is always full of productive energy.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
NK : Usually, I focus on all kinds of technical details: fasteners, carpentry construction, electric supply, and compliance with ergonomic and other standards. When designing, you always keep in mind the question: "How it will be realized?"
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
NK : I feel like Alice in Wonderland. For me, the realized interior is always a kind of miracle: here it is, printed on sheets of paper, but here it is for real, which you can touch and smell.
DI: What makes a design successful?
NK : Functionality, convenience, aesthetic appeal. There is another important criterion - the test of time. The LC4 Chaise Longue by Le Corbusier has not lost its relevance, as well as the Noguchi Style Table.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
NK : First of all, I look at the composition, then the combination of colors, and then I pay attention to the small details. If the design is good, it is perceived holistically, regardless of whether the person looking at it has an artistic taste or not.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
NK : The designer is always responsible for creating a quality product, be it the appearance and usability, or the materials used. Unfortunately, environmentally friendly materials are not always cheap, but you should strive to make the most of their capabilities. I do not think that mankind can completely abandon plastic, but already now there is plastic that can be recycled, I heard about the development of bioplastics - it gives hope.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
NK : Design has always been linked to industry, so as long as the industry is alive and design is alive, they are interconnected and develop together. New materials are emerging, and so are new opportunities for their use in design.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
NK : Every creative person needs a refill from the outside. For me, the most important resource of this kind is foreign travel. Immersion in a foreign culture has the most beneficial effect on creativity. You can always see something new and then use it in your work. In addition to trips, the sources are also exhibitions, viewing the works of other designers, and sometimes the most unexpected things like a pattern on the bark of a tree or a napkin in a café.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
NK : I don't have one style of work, I prefer to work in different styles, but my favorites are modern, loft, and fusion. I like functionality, conciseness, perhaps even asceticism. Recently, I started to like to use bright colors in my work.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
NK : I have no universal answer to that question. Each company will choose a designer for its specific goals. If the goals are the same, the designer will be good for the company.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
NK : There are a few of them: to keep an eye on the technical part of the project and the possibility of its implementation, to participate in competitions and not be afraid to announce themselves.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
NK : The plus is satisfaction with the process and results of the work. The downside is an irregular working day. It is impossible to just take and disconnect from the process, it will be present in the subconscious all the time. It is difficult for me, for example, to be in a cafe and enjoy food if I do not like the interior or there are serious shortcomings. This is the professional trait of designers.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
NK : Contribute to each project to its full potential.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
NK : A sense of good taste, a sense of composition, and color.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
NK : It helps to understand intuitively how long it takes to complete a task. Of course, where it is necessary to use inspiration, it is quite difficult to set exact dates, but it helps to add a few days just in case.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
NK : It depends on the size of the object and the tasks to be performed, but on average it is from two months to one year.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
NK : Nothing unexpected here: it is a question of price and terms.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
NK : It was participation in a reconstruction project of the Diocesan House of the Russian Orthodox Church. We practically lived on the construction site, reworked the project several times due to changing requirements, and at the same time solved problems arising during the construction process.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
NK : My favorite thing is to develop concepts. Usually, there are several ideas and you try them on for the project, leave something behind, and clean up something that needs it. This is the most creative part of the designer's work, in my opinion.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
NK : I will continue to work on current projects, I will definitely participate in competitions. I really want to work with clients from other countries.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
NK : For me, both types of work are good and experience is both. Working in a team, there are always colleagues at hand with whom you can consult and emphasize ideas. Independent work teaches you to count on only yourself, but also gives you the opportunity to implement your ideas.
DI: How can people contact you?
NK : The easiest way is to send me an email at 3ddd.nk@gmail.com or via direct Instagram: @nk._design