"10 Questions to an Interior Designer" is a series of short talks inspired by the series "10 Questions to...". This time our attention is turned to interior architects. In today's episode Monika Staniec talks about her approach to design.
Monika Staniec - since childhood her head was occupied by ideas of beautiful interiors. She created furniture from cardboard boxes, drew, painted, sculpted - all to fulfill her dreams of working as an interior designer. Now, for 14 years, she has been running an intimate interior design studio, where she creates interior designs for private clients. She also fulfills herself in cooperation with manufacturers. She was a brand ambassador for DRE DRZWI and is currently an ambassador for Geberit Poland. She runs a profile on Instagram (12 thousand observers), where she shares behind-the-scenes of her work. She realizes one of the first permanent live series on Instagram "Ze Staniec o Wnętrzach". She created the podcast series "Interiors. Luxury. Ze Staniec," which will already be available on Spotify at the end of January 2023. She is a member of the Society of Interior Designers.
1. home is for me...
An oasis, a place available to me and loved ones. A pleasant, family environment with a large garden. A space to live and celebrate life. For raising children, where we are together every afternoon and evening. At the same time, the house is a place well designed and decorated for us, where we each have our own "piece of floor" to pursue hobbies (painting, stacking LEGOs, puzzles), the many initiatives I do at home with my children. It's certainly not a minimalist space, devoid of scattered children's toys. I like to feel the controlled clutter and all the life that takes place in the house.
2 The key to a successful interior design is....
The person who will live in that interior. Before I make design attempts, I try, like a psychologist, to get to know, the other person, the family. When I know the expectations, the way the other person lives and functions, I am able to create a living space for him.
3 I look for inspiration....
In nature. Frequent walks, observation of changing nature give me a lot of inspiration for design. From structures, materials, to colors and lighting. Man finds himself best in natural surroundings. I also find people inspiring, and I like to look at them while eating lunch in a restaurant or drinking coffee in the Wrocław market.
4. In cooperation with an investor, the most important thing is....
A beautiful question, because cooperation is very individual. However, if I have to choose: openness, trust and smooth transmission of information from both sides investor-interior designer. Openness in order to have, if possible, room to create a unique design. Trust, because I am hired to make life more comfortable and I enter the thresholds often of people unknown to me, who entrust me with their secrets and money. Smooth communication of information, because without this the project drags on, and understanding gives the best results.
5 My favorite design style is.
Lately it is close to me japandi. However, I design minimalist interiors, those with a hint of glamour and classic. I like to design eclectically.
6. the most valuable object in my home is....
They are not those that can be estimated in money, but those that are sentimental. There are quite a few of them. They are paintings and souvenirs from travels.
7. the most common mistake in self-decoration is....
I could list quite a few! I'll start with underestimating the work of an interior designer. Another point is overestimating one's interior design capabilities based on picking inspirations from newspapers and duplicating them to the point where they are not matched to the real interior. Of course, I do not put everyone in one bag.
8 My favorite materials are.
I will name two: wood and plaid fabrics. Wood in the form of planks that can be arranged on different planes. It looks beautiful, is consistent with other materials and, moreover, ages naturally. Braided fabrics, on the other hand, are a material that gives the interior a lot of coziness. Whether in the edition of the upholstery of a piece of furniture, a wall or hanging curtains.
9 A trend that I would like to see pass away already is.
It's definitely terazzo! While others are frothing with delight over this material, I haven't used it once in my projects since its renaissance.
10 - I'd like to live in... someday.
A house on the Côte d'Azur overlooking the Mediterranean. We lived there for 2 years and it is definitely a place where I could spend a good part of my life.
Want to see projects by Monica Staniec? Click HERE
