Bogdanova Bureau

I remember myself since the age of five when I liked to draw. My dad was an engineer. He taught me how to use a soldering iron and insert motors into toy cars, bringing them back to life. I remember the first time I got into the shop at the plant, where they made some parts of amazing beauty. I remember metal shavings and a specific smell in the shop, I still really like it. All these childhood impressions influenced my life choice to become an architect.

Bogdanova Bureau was founded in 2018. The company appeared as the result of the transformation of 2B.group which had been working since 2007 as one of the leaders of the Ukrainian interior design sphere. We specialize in creating architecture and design for residential spaces and commercial projects in beauty, wellness, and medical industries. The separate line of our business is a product design. We create furniture for our projects as well as cooperate with manufacturers in Ukraine and abroad. Our experience of cooperation with Ukrainian factories and organization exhibitions in France and the Netherlands led us to establish in 2019 a new service, the art-direction for Ukrainian brands.

First of all, it means the idea. I defined the design object as the thing which has its idea, story, and emotion.

Residential houses with huge terraces; apartments for clients who understand the value of original design, decor, and furniture; thoughtful beauty studios and educational spaces;

I always in love with projects that I'm working on right now. Now we have a modern school of economics, a luxury beauty studio for men, a roomy residential house, and a classy apartment in beige and terracotta shades.

It depends on the project I'm working on. I like wood, marble, brass, concrete, porcelain stoneware slabs, and a lot of other materials.

On the idea developing stage, when I set the direction of the project.

Every aspect is important. Designing the project or a product is kind of a journey when you have to move step by step and overcome obstacles to reach your goal.

You can feel a good design by your intuition. It is timeless, often laconic, and has nothing superfluous.

A designer has a lot of responsibilities. He has to think beforehand what would happen with his creation in 5-10-50 years.

I am sure that the design of the future will be innovative. Furniture, surfaces, and even entire homes would be made of some new materials such as fungi or re-leaf paper made of recycled fallen leaves. 2018 I curated the exhibition of Ukrainian innovative technologies during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. We showcased five perspective new materials there. There are a lot of them in the developing and testing stage these days. I believe some of them differently would be game-changers in the future.

About 5 years ago together with the design platform Prostir 86 and some other curators we started to organize Ukrainian design exhibitions on Paris Design Week, Dutch Design Week, and ISaloni Milano. The last one was "Ukraine. Affair with Earth" which took place in Eindhoven in 2019. It was exciting and I got some new experience as a curator and organizer. In 2020 we skipped all of these fairs due to COVID pandemic. I hope the next year will be different, let's see.

First of all, I get my inspiration from people. A personal story of a client is one of the main values for me. I communicate a lot with colleagues and friends who are product designers, architects, and artists. It is a strong and supportive professional community that shapes me as a professional.

It is more of a modern and minimalistic style with some bourgeois accents. Sometimes it is more eclectic and playful but always thoughtful, respectful, and careful with every detail.

I live in a big house in a beautiful Kyiv suburb (Ukraine). As an architect and a designer, I feel the impact of our reach cultural legacy. I like modern design object that was made by old cruft technics such as manual weaving or ceramics. Also, our modernists legacy is actual today, and I implement some of their ideas in our interior design projects.

If we talk about our architectural and interior design projects, they include several steps. At the first meeting, we listen to what the client wants and propose them to dream big. We analyze the way the client’s living and habits to understand some hidden needs. Then we find the right direction in line with a client’s personality and take some time to design the project. Eventually, we bring a solution to the client and get to its implementation when it is approved. We pay a lot of attention to the idea of how a person or their family would spend their time in space, and speculate different scenarios from their everyday routine. We aim to design a space where its inhabitants would get visual and tactile joy from every usual process. Sometimes a client can not afford to buy all the furniture and décor we pick. In this case, after finishing the renovation, we create kind of a wish list for the client. We put there all pieces that would match the interior. So in some time a client could buy them or offer some relatives and friends to present something from the list as a birthday gift if it is appropriate.

My life passes in a cycle of events: work, meetings, new acquaintances, challenges, ideas, home, children. I constantly strive for improvement, not perfection, just improvement, step by step. I study a lot, almost every month I go through a new course or master class, even not always directly related to the profession. Sometimes I tilt at windmills, but and I want to learn how to bypass them.

The main positive is that you are the creator, the one who can make dreams a reality and make the world a better place. It is exciting to know how to design things and see your idea implemented. On the other side, it is a huge responsibility and not the easiest way to go. It could be quite difficult to find your niche and get recognition among thousands of talented creators.

To create respectfully. I mean respect to the project your working on, respect to materials, the culture, the nature, someone's intellectual property, to clients, colleagues, and yourself as the professional.

Once I heard Zaha Hadid interview when she said that we all need to learn skills. Not only the skills of making things but thinking and imagining. I totally agree! Those two, thinking and imagining, are the most important skills to me.

Running the company on my own. It gets me an important experience every day.

They are successful people who decided to change their lives, get a bigger apartment, or move from the city closer to nature. Some of them are entrepreneurs who want to have a fashionable space. Most of our clients are busy people who work a lot and are not used to caring about themselves or their comfort really much. They just do not have time for it. Our goal is to teach them how to enjoy the beauty which we create around them. We aim to teach them how to switch to a slow life.

I am really good at starting projects. I like to brainstorm, set a direction, and create ideas that inspire my colleagues and clients.

We are thrilled to step into the international arena and create projects abroad, so we are working on our first project of a commercial interior in Switzerland. Also, we like the idea to realize some projects in China, as a country which has its own strong cultural traditions and highly appreciate elegant European design.

In 2018 I founded Bogdanova Bureau, so I have a cool team of architects and designers.

We work on three new interiors projects from the wellness category and several residential projects of different dimensions. Apart from this, we created an unusual idea of the furniture collection for one of the Ukrainian companies. It would need to invite different product designers to realize and launch it. I am sure it will be a fascinating journey!

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I would like to make everyone pay attention to Ukrainian design, to how it is shaping and developing right now. It has its unique aesthetics which is closer to collectible design. Modern Ukrainian products have high quality and often use some elements of handicraft in it. I am pretty sure the Ukrainian design would be a new "Big Thing".

In 2006 I graduated as a Designer of architectural environment, Kyiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2007 together with Slava Balbek we had founded 2B Group, the company which had been one of the leaders of the Ukrainian interior design sphere. In 2018 we both found out that we want to develop into separate directions and launched two different design companies – Balbek Bureau and Bogdanova Bureau.

I remember myself since the age of five when I liked to draw. My dad was an engineer. He taught me how to use a soldering iron and insert motors into toy cars, bringing them back to life. I remember the first time I got into the shop at the plant, where they made some parts of amazing beauty. I remember metal shavings and a specific smell in the shop, I still really like it. All these childhood impressions influenced my life choice to become an architect.

Bogdanova Bureau, with me in charge of it, specializes in residential architecture and interior design, product design, and art-direction.

First of all, I get my inspiration from people. I communicate a lot with colleagues and friends who are product designers, architects, and artists. It is a strong and supportive professional community that shapes me as a professional. It is important to surround yourself with people together with whom you fill the energy of development and gratitude. Also, I get my personal life experience. Experience is like trying to get to the bottom of the truth. Sometimes it takes two or three attempts to realize the cause of success and failure.

We work on three new interiors projects from the wellness category and several residential projects of different dimensions. We are thrilled to step into the international arena and create projects abroad, so we are working on our first project of a commercial interior in Switzerland. Also, we like the idea to realize some projects in China, as a country which has its own strong cultural traditions and highly appreciate elegant European design. Apart from this, we created an unusual idea of the furniture collection for one of Ukrainian companies. It would need to invite different product designers to realize and launch it. I am sure it will be a fascinating journey!

Sturdy and read a lot, travel, contact more experienced colleagues, and get into a professional community, look for partners who share your values.

We are all hostages of Instagram and Pinterest but I never tire of repeating that people always remain the greatest inspiration to me. We often discuss what would be the next trend and anti-trend both in our team and with friends. There is no sense to follow them, rather to anticipate.

You fill good design by your intuition. It is timeless, often minimalistic, and has nothing superfluous.

Probably the last one. We designed the house for a family who decided to move out of the city to be closer to nature. I named this project Vin House, it is located in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on the bank of the Southern Bug river. The building has a picturesque gazebo and a long pool that partly goes outside the building.

I like Elisa Ossino, the Italian designer who cooperates with Salvatori, Boffi, and other respectful brands. Her unique aesthetical approach feels minimalistic and artistic at the same time. Athena Calderone, the designer and a stylist from the US inspires me a lot. She has a talent to present a regular object as it is a hero or superstar. I like her lifestyle. Also, I am a big fan of Nendo. They are the best in creating emotional minimalistic objects. I admire their unique Japanese design vision.

My life passes in a cycle of events: work, meetings, new acquaintances, challenges, ideas, home, children. I constantly strive for improvement, not perfection, just improvement, step by step. I study a lot, almost every month I go through a new course or master class, even not always directly related to the profession. I often tilt at windmills, but and I want to learn how to bypass them.

We create a new story of living around our clients and that is more than pure design. For us, it is important to let our clients feel our support and confidence during the whole working process. We make together all the way from a concept to a real interior and it is not a stressful period but a fascinating adventure.

We got strong pr support that affects even now, a year after we won. We got some recognition, met new people, and ran some inspiring collaborations.

In 2006 I graduated as a Designer of architectural environment, Kyiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2007 together with Slava Balbek we had founded 2B Group, the company which had been one of the leaders of the Ukrainian interior design sphere. In 2018 we both found out that we want to develop into separate directions and launched two different design companies – Balbek Bureau and Bogdanova Bureau.

When I was a child, my dad, who was an engineer, taught me how to use a soldering iron and insert motors into toy cars, bringing them back to life. I remember the first time I got into the shop at the plant, where they made some parts of amazing beauty. I remember metal shavings and a specific smell in the shop, I still really like it. All these childhood impressions influenced my life choice to become an architect.

Bogdanova Bureau, with me in charge of it, specializes in residential architecture and interior design, product design, and art-direction.

For me, the great designer of nowadays is a successful designer who cares about a trace he or she makes in our natural environment. It is not so difficult to create the project, but today you have to think about what is going to happen with it in 5-10-50 years.

You fill good design by your intuition. It is timeless, rather minimalistic, and has nothing superfluous.

It improves life quality. Good design does not always mean some expensive objects. Some convenient stationery, as well as kitchenware or garden supplies, could be well-designed and cost not a lot. Using there in everyday routine, you feel the difference. The next level is emotional contact with objects when you feel joy just by having a particular chair or a sofa in your living room. Such objects have an impact on your mood and feelings.

I like the idea to realize some architectural and interior projects in China, as a country which has its own strong cultural traditions and highly appreciate elegant European design.

Ukrainian Design Week. We had been working on it with some of my colleagues as its curators, but then we put the project on pause due to COVID pandemic.

I like Elisa Ossino, the Italian designer who cooperates with Salvatori, Boffi, and other cool brands. Her unique aesthetical approach feels minimalistic and artistic at the same time. Athena Calderone, the designer and a stylist from the US inspires me a lot. She has a talent to present a regular object as it is a hero or superstar. I like her lifestyle. Also, I am a big fan of Nendo. Their Japanese minimalistic approach, together with endless creativity, admire me.

I hope my greatest design is still somewhere in the future. But I would like to tell you about a significant one. I named this project Vin House. We completed it at the very end of 2019. It is a residential house for a family who decided to move out of the city to be closer to nature. The building is located in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on the bank of the Southern Bug river. The biggest challenge for us was the short term of a project. It took 11 months from the foundation pouring to moving the family into their new home.

First of all, I get my inspiration from people. I communicate a lot with colleagues and friends who are product designers, architects, and artists. It is a strong and supportive professional community that shapes me as a professional. It is important to surround yourself with people together with whom you fill the energy of development and gratitude.

You can feel a good design by your intuition. It is timeless, often minimalistic, and has nothing superfluous.

My family is really supportive. Also, my team who are professionals and nice pals at the same time.