I’m Florentina Tsakiri, I graduated as an architect in Greece and I’m holding a Master’s in Architectural Design from the University of Sheffield.

From a young age, I participated and received honourable mentions in architectural competitions and worked with award-winning architectural studios.

Having a strong interest in interior design my focus is to create places where functionality and atmosphere are organic attributes and contribute towards holistic customer experiences.

It feels more like it chose me, rather than the other way round! I consider myself a creative person and my passion lie in combining this characteristic with a strong inclination to design and improve the spaces where people live and evolve.

I am a member of a talented design team at TGP International, based in London and I work as an Assistant Interior Designer. I work alongside Interior Designers to deliver high-quality designs, from small takeaway shops to entire Food Halls.

It is a smart balance between form and function, art and technology. It is a tool for spatial problem solving and a recipe for creating a space, object or image that serves its purpose and also elevates the experience with it.

Architectural design always speaks to me and helps me make sense any problem that I have to tackle. It’s a holistic approach and responds not only to questions like how, where or what something should be, but also why, for who and what is its impact on society.

It would have to be the one that serves the brief accurately and is also aesthetically and functionally pleasing. A good design stimulates and amazes by its simplicity in expression, and its complexity in function.

As a young designer I don’t believe I have an established design style yet. My drive is to design spaces that serve the needs of the site, the people, the environment, the client and have a clear idea of the legacy they hold.

We begin by setting up and validating the brief and all the relevant stakeholders. We then proceed with the concept design, which in my opinion is the most important. Once we have a strong idea and a clear understanding of all the parameters that form the brief, we then tackle all the different attributes of the project as a holistic approach and also individually. I would call this an organic process where one element can change the overall design and vice versa. Anything we create needs to respond to the initial brief and therefore, we always go back and confirm that our design is responding accurately to all the requests.

Coming from Greece and living in the UK has certainly impacted on how I perceive the lifestyle of different cultures. As the design is serving the people, it needs to be inspired by the people and that is why it’s such a complex field.

Firstly, it is a great honour to be able to promote the rich and diverse food and artistic culture of Africa and we are very proud to share with the world our design. As a team, we are thrilled and thankful for the amazing distinction and we are looking forward to what is yet to come.

Alkebulan is a unique project located in Dubai EXPO 2020 and is the first African Dining Hall in the world. It extends on two floors with 11 offers, it has been a great success and an exclusive experience for people from all around the world.

We believe that this success is centred around the representation of not only the culinary African voices, but also the community and the creation of new opportunities for chefs, artists and musicians to share their talent with the world.

I believe there were two challenges that we had to resolve, one being the very tight deadline that we had to face and the second being the assurance of representing an entire continent in one space. We worked with amazing people that taught us a lot about the diversity of the different cultures and the history of the people of diaspora and that reflects on our design.

It is an opportunity to step back and celebrate this amazing achievement, but also continue to explore, test and share our designs with the world and within the design community as well. I have faith in our team and I am very optimistic that we can achieve even more, as we are always pushing the boundaries and striving for the best.

The creativity, the social aspect, and the connection to the environment.

The U.K. and specifically London is an international metropolis with a long history in design and a massive design community that discovers, develops and innovates and I feel grateful I am part of it.

With all the advancements in technology and the importance of sustainability and inclusivity, I believe that the design industry will rely on these innovations and become even more conscious about the impacts on the environment. I speculate that these elements will only result in a new era of design that will revolutionise how we live our lives.

Never stop exploring and questioning what is already established.

Research is key to being well informed and connected to the community.

It’s a secret!

My father has been a huge role model for me. His flare and passion for design even if in technical terms he is not a designer, has shown me that it doesn’t matter what title you hold, the design comes from within and I admire and aspire to always find inspiration, just like him.

Quoting Picasso: ‘Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working’.

A massive thank you to the people I love that supported me throughout this time.