Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 47
Occupation: Interior designer.
Instagram: @magdalenakeck
Hometown: Goldap, Poland.
Studio location: Chelsea, Manhattan.
Describe what you make: Spaces that are tuned to human needs like instruments are tuned for a symphony performance.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Earlier this year, I designed a restaurant that was an intense exercise in examining what we crave consciously and subconsciously other than food in a restaurant setting. There were many problems to solve and this project informed my studio’s practice in general.
Describe the problem your work solves: The problem I work on solving every day is to accurately evaluate human behavior and needs in order to shape the spaces we occupy and use. Whether it’s a residential or a commercial project, the goal is the same: to provide comfort, carefully considering all senses through which we perceive environment. Living and working in these spaces fosters deep content from which other positives are born.
Describe the project you are working on now: I am working on a portfolio of workspaces for a financial tech company located throughout the country.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: There are two projects that I’d like to mention here. One is the workspaces mentioned above, slated for completion in late 2020. The second is a residence located in the new Renzo Piano building in West Soho, which will be completed in mid-2020.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: An inspiring, creative atmosphere, which mostly comes from the people in the studio. Art. Ability to control the environment. Music, or peace and quiet.
What you do when you’re not working: I’m usually somewhere in the woods, mountains, or on the beach, or strolling around a city popping into art museums and galleries.
Sources of creative envy: John Pawson, always.
The distraction you want to eliminate: I watch a lot of shows, don’t want to eliminate as this is a perfect way to unwind at a day’s end, but I could definitely reduce.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Forget.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.
Dark or light? Both.