After finishing high school, I went to an art school to study ‘Painting’. Then I successfully passed the exams and enrolled at a Belorussian State Technical University, the Architecture faculty. When I was a student, I tried to get as much hands-on experience as I could. So I worked as a junior designer at an interior design studio and then as an architect at a large architectural bureau. After a couple of years, I started my own practice. First, as a one-man division of ‘Lunas’ 3D visualization studio, where I was in charge of interior design and architecture. And then, as few other specialists joined me within the company, we have established an independent studio named ‘J. Lykasova Interior Design Studio’. All in all, I have over 10 years of practical experience in the field.

Being a little girl, I used to flick through different magazines. Photos of interiors interested me the most, and one day I realized I wanted to be a designer. At school, I liked maths and physics, as well as the art classes, so I found that perfect interconnection of STEM disciplines and art in interior design.

J. Lykasova Design Studio a young passionate team delivering interior design projects in Europe. Our team creates beautiful, well-balanced and comfortable interiors, bringing in the character, warmth and coziness into each project to reflect personality and lifestyle of owners.

Design is what gives me an ultimate opportunity to make this world a better place.

My favourite kind of design is pure minimalism with elements of art as they fill the interior with mood and soul.

‘Good design’ is about ergonomics and balance, but most importantly - it makes an impression and sticks in your memory for a long time.

I’d say it’s comfortable minimalism, as I tend to design comfortable, soft, yet chic and elegant interiors. Of course, all the interiors we deliver are different - depending on the customer, it might be more of a Scandinavian style, loft, or even classic. However, minimalist details and patterns are still present in most of them.

Generally, each project is split into the following phases:

1. Connection. We believe understanding the customer is key for a successful project. Therefore, our work begins with a personal acquaintance to build a trustworthy relationship with our customers.

2. Idea and strategy. We prepare a selection of relevant images of decoration, furniture and lighting for inspiration, as well as discuss possible options for household appliances and electronics.

3. Planning and visualisation. Based on the approved technical assignment, we proceed to the creation of a concept and its visualization on paper and in 3D. Here we develop an optimal layout plan, come up with the overall mood of the interior and create moodboards for each room, as well as model a realistic 3D visualisation of the future interior.

4. Technical drawings. In parallel with the 3D modeling, we work on a complete package of drawings and other technical documentation required to bring the design concept to life just as on the renders.

5. Furnishing and procurement. As the preliminary construction works commence on the site, we choose reliable suppliers and contractors within the budget and start to fill in a specification of finishing materials, equipment, furniture and decor items with estimates.

Implementation and design supervision. We supervise all construction and installation works at the site, helping our clients find most suitable alternative solutions, when necessary.

Yes, definitely. In post-Soviet countries such as Belarus, the interior design is at its early stages now. The soviet heritage definitely affects the way people perceive the design, the way they relate to it, as a beautifully designed home was never a goal for the previous generation. However, willingness to explore good design is already there: people travel more, they learn new trends and best practices, and want to translate this experience onto their living space.

I strongly believe that awards and competitions, especially on a global scale, provide a great way to facilitate professional growth and development. We submit our projects to the selected awards regularly as it allows gaining a new experience, discovering new trends, meeting colleagues and partners, and, ultimately, getting inspired to create more. MUSE Awards is a prestigious competition celebrating the art of design and architecture worldwide, and we would be honoured to take part in it together with other professionals.

FACTORY is an apartment interior project in a beautiful residential complex in Moscow.

The incredible industrial architecture of the complex, lines and shapes of the buildings and the textures of rusty metal and brick, could not but leave their mark on the style of the future interior. The interior palette united a combination of muted grays with wood and slate. Natural materials in finishes and textiles soften and tone down shades of gray, bringing warmth and homeliness to the rooms. Brass elements make for an additional accent in the interior, helping to create a chic and classy atmosphere even in an industrial space.

We find this project modern and timeless at the same time. Our customers were open to new, unconventional ideas, so we were excited to deliver a project that combines industrial motives with minimalist, even ‘trendy’ interior elements, while still remaining comfortable and homely. We believe we managed to achieve this balance, and thus we wanted to share this project with a professional community of MUSE Design Awards.

The main challenge is that this project is supervised completely remotely. While we usually schedule regular business trips to control the implementation process onsite, the pandemic caused us to change the way of working. Thankfully, our clients are fully engaged into the process and provide updates regularly. In addition to that, we’ve installed CCTV in the apartment to have an opportunity to keep track of the progress in real time.

At our studio, we take awards and competitions seriously, as participating in such events is a great opportunity to learn and evolve. And winning is always exciting as it is yet another indicator that we move in the right direction.

1. Designers make this world a more beautiful place. Through our work, people get to understand and appreciate a good design, which changes their lives for the better.

2. Ability to take part in a creative process and introduce something never-before-seen.

3. Challenges at the site, as there is nothing more rewarding than the moment when all the units and parts are perfectly united just as a puzzle.

Our heritage definitely has a certain impact on the way we create and perceive the design as a whole. However, located between Eastern and Western Europe, we now neatly balance modern design, uniting the best of both worlds and translating it into our own vision.

I believe the industry leans towards optimisation and minimalism, where only essential details and decoration pieces remain. The form and texture and their interaction, the essence of a particular object and of an interior as a whole - these are the key aspects that will make the biggest difference over the next years, in my opinion.

Theory is key! You won’t be able to succeed in this industry, if you don’t have profound technical knowledge of what’s behind the interior concept.

Strive for excellence every time you do something. Answer yourself ‘Have I done it the best way? Are there still any areas for improvement?’

Travel and explore. I believe one cannot miss an opportunity of getting to know new countries, new people, their culture and preferences. All that shapes the way we see the world and our personal taste, which ultimately results in a unique design style.

I find it very useful to read books written by your favorite designers and architects or their biographies. Such a great source of inspiration, also full of insights and valuable findings!

Another way of mastering skills is exploring modern art and attending professional exhibitions. Modern art is a perfect tool to whip up your imagination and creativity, which definitely affects your perception of the world and improves your own style. As for the exhibitions, events like iSaloni are must-visit for any designer who wants to stay on the edge of innovation in the industry and keep up with the latest trends and developments.

On one of our projects, we fell for the persuasion of consultants and selected a different color of tiles grout to the one we initially planned. The result was absolutely horrible! To address the issue, we hired a team of specialists who were supposed to repair the tiles. They did manage to change the color of grout, but, unfortunately for us, the tiles were all in scratches after their work. Devastated, we tried out a number of special products to polish the tiles. In the end, we found the one that helped us restore the surface as if it had never been damaged. What a relief!

First of all, the clients themselves are the most powerful source of inspiration. The image I get at our first meeting continues to evolve further based on what I see and hear from them. Day and night, I constantly keep this image in my mind, and that’s where the inspiration for a unique concept for this particular client comes from.

Besides, I get inspired by emotions. You never know what will shock you: a stressful situation in life, a new pleasant acquaintance, a long-awaited conversation with an interesting and talented person, a film, painting, or maybe even a chair, a piece of fabric or just an inspirational story from a friend about an unusual decoration technique. There is a spark inside you that can light up at any moment! When I experience strong emotions (whether positive or negative), I come up with one-of-a-kind ideas, spill these emotions out of myself through creativity.