Maria Kalina

Moscow

Maria Kalina is an up-and-coming name in the Russian interior design scene for some time now and establishing her name amongst the elite. Today, we’re taking you inside of Maria’s mind with an exclusive interview we had the pleasure to have with her.

What Maria Kalina loves the most about her work is the lack of routines.

Then positively randomness of her days. Her work brings her new things and challenges every single day and, of course, they also bring new inspirations. To visit apartments in their restoration process is one of her daily tasks, and Maria looks at it as jigsaw puzzles. And, for Maria, it’s incredibly satisfying to see visualizations becoming a reality. The most challenging part in Maria’s career so far was when she was still studying architecture and took a job in an interior design studio, where she ultimately decided to pursue Interior design, at the same time, Maria Kalina was pregnant, which contributed to creating a challenging environment. When her daughter was 3 months old, Maria had started working full-time from home, which was incredibly hard. Luckily, the designer had the support of her family, which allowed and helped her in doing what she does best: creating incredible interiors.

”I’M ONLY 26 YEARS OLD, SO OF COURSE NOT YET. I HAVE VERY BIG PLANS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY CAREER, SO MY MOTTO – TO DREAM UNTIL IT BECOMES REALITY. AT THE MOMENT I’M QUITE A FAMOUS AND SUCCESSFUL DESIGNER IN MY CITY, BUT I WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT ME”

Maria’s current goal is to be featured in the best press. It’s not about being a dream no more, it’s a goal, completely achievable to someone of her talent. To go to a store and see her photo and project featured in a top magazine is something Maria aspires to. The designer feels fulfilled when her clients, with their home ready, tell her how comfortable they feel in their new home, the emotions they feel, the experience they have. And it’s even more rewarding, for Maria, when they recommend her work to others. The best way for Maria to stay in touch with her followers is through Instagram. The interior designer often shows photos of her ongoing projects, so her followers can peek inside the whole process. How a once outdated apartment becomes the incredible project she ultimately posts about. But lately, Maria is also trying to post more mundane stuff, in order to establish a trusting relationship with her audience. Not only the glamorous side of the job, like fine presentations in furniture stores but also the car trunks filled with samples and porcelain. “Right now I have a lot of projects in progress, but for the first time I am working on a project not in Russia, but in the Arab Emirates. This is a very interesting experience, because communication with the client is only

in English, all technical plans also have to be in English. A few years ago this kind of project seemed to me like something out of reach, but now I am designing a villa of 900 meters, it’s unbelievable. For this interior I am inspired by the works of the Jean Louis Deniot studio, a symbiosis of French history and contemporary art.” Maria Kalina In Maria’s opinion, the biggest trend right now, due to the pandemic paradigm, is the usage of natural materials and plants. Wellness design. Wooden surfaces, oasis plants, and responsible consumption. Add that to the use of vintage furniture, mixing with natural shades and round, soft shapes, and you get the hottest trends right now. Maria’s typical clients are bound together by their individualities. They are all different from each other, in terms of lives and social status, but every one of them has extraordinary hobbies, which ultimately translate in their interiors. Like Maria says, an unique interior for a unique person.

At the moment I am planning to launch my own collection of furniture made of metal: shelving units, coffee tables, consoles. This is my first experience in object design, but there are a lot of ideas that I want to see in my projects. I am very sensitive to the materials of the furniture, for me the shades of metal, wood, marble are important, and my own collection is a unique chance to create an object that will fully meet all my requirements. For Maria Kalina, the future of design will consist of simple shapes and lines, as people are currently overwhelmed with information from everywhere. The people’s home becomes their safe haven, As Maria predicts, ”Simple forms, relaxing colors, tactile textiles, the prevalence of natural materials: wood, stone, marble, leather, a lof of plants. I also think it will be popular to implement a smart home system with a voice function.”