LÚCIA RUMOR How did you get started in this field, and what led you to specialize in interior decor? RINA LOVKO At the age of five, I decided that I was going to become an interior designer. I remember when I went to bed and couldn’t sleep, I would imagine what kind of renovation I could do in my bedroom. At the age of 11, I did this kind of renovation: my mother and I went to the wallpaper market and I chose yellow and orange wallpaper. My bedroom windows were south-facing. It was the smallest and best room in our apartment in Kyiv. My passion for re-arranging things came from my mother, who always liked to change everything, hang things up, decorate. My dad also had artistic inclinations — I saw his drawings in an army album. Despite that, no one in our family had creative professions.

What are your preferences when it comes to different design approaches, whether it’s a residential, commercial or hospitality project? The focus of the team’s interest is on the implementation of bespoke projects in industrial design, environmental design, and residential architecture. The portfolio of the Rina Lovko Studio includes interiors of different types and complexity. Travelling has influenced every project I’ve ever done through ideas that dawn on me during my trips. I think about work all the time, and my brain is switched on wherever I go. The Blue Terracotta interior was created after I returned from India. The Himalayas are a must-see destination for designers, and for any other person, come to that. This was a trip that divided my world into the “before” and “after”. No architecture can be compared to this. A person cannot build a building that is 8 kilometres high. But nature can. Looking at the mountains, you realise how powerful our planet is. After this realisation, you start to feel better about yourself and the importance of your own work. 

How do you describe your design process and creative vision? What are the key factors you need to balance in your designs? We believe that each project has its unique story, and the language of design has the potential to express it. Spaces and buildings have their individuality and original aesthetics, which are essential to define during our dialogue with the client, to complement and to share them with the world. That is why our interior projects are created exclusively for each individual client, and in which we combine all natural colours that harmonise well with each other, as long as you maintain the tonality. Now we have moved away from colour and we are creating monochrome interiors. I am interested in changing, trying new materials, finding new solutions. Although sometimes I feel cramped by a monochromatic approach. But it has its own moments: a complex interaction between textures, selection of materials and combinations. It’s easier to work with colours — it offers more freedom for creativity. Academic interiors that are made ‘by the book’ — with contrasts, halftones, accents and dominant elements — are correct, but incredibly boring. I work outside these rules.