Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 46
Occupation: Designer.
Instagram: @ov_and_co
Hometown: I grew up in the Siberian town of Barnaul, Russia. My region, Altay, is a rich mix of indigenous Atlay, European, and Central Asian people.
Studio location: Los Angeles.
Describe what you make: Transportive hospitality experiences in which each guest feels as though they have exited their day-to-day and entered a familiar yet unexpectedly inspiring space. My projects tend to be creator-driven, working with chefs, artisans, and artists to tell a story within a physical space.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: We launched OV & Co with MILA, a restaurant in Miami Beach owned by Riviera Dining Group, a leading luxury lifestyle and hospitality group with concepts across Florida. MILA explores the connections between Japanese and Mediterranean aesthetics, incorporating concepts like wabi-sabi and Eudaimonia into its architecture and design. These themes were of personal importance to the founder and CEO Greg Galy and partner and CBO Marine Giron-Galy, who both grew up in the South of France and traveled frequently to Japan. We designed the space as both a restaurant and venue—combining elegant dining with a vibrant nightlife, featuring chic-bohemian ambiance, eclectic music, and flavorful dishes.
The project is important to me because the creative and commercial success of MILA gave me confidence in my ability to deliver outstanding results for guests and my client. Our design highlights unique elements from around the world, including specially crafted plateware, artwork, and a reception desk carved out of petrified wood harvested from the Caucasus. I love the way it showcases the serendipitous connections between different cultures through craftsmanship, materials, and organic shapes.
My favorite design element at AVA is Etienne Moyat’s artwork in the main dining room. This particular sculpture represents Aegean rocky beaches and driftwood, all seamlessly blending with the interior design vibe, as well as the MediterrAegean inspiration behind AVA’s menu. Another favorite element was the representation of the Greek culture through AVA’s design, to create the feeling of Parea. Parea for the Greeks is the coming together of friends and family to share life experiences, philosophies, values, and ideas. We dove deep into the culture to curate the Parea experience, where great food, great people, and great times share one space. AVA MediterrAegean is a welcoming place where people can grow, form lasting friendships, and explore ideas that enrich lives.
Describe the problem your work solves: Space planning, circulation, code compliance, ADA, budgets, durability, and lead times.
Describe the project you are working on now: NOORA for Riviera Dining Group, a rooftop restaurant atop the newly opened CASA NEOS that pays homage to Moroccan and North African cultures in Miami. And HŌNO for RDG/E11, a steakhouse, nightclub, and rooftop that’s projected to open in 2026.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: CLAUDIE for Riviera Dining Group in collaboration with Lazaro Rosa Violan, opening this fall in the Brickell area.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: I love listening to music while I work. Most of the time, I listen to the playlists of my clients who have great taste in music and it helps me to better channel the vibe. I love small batch light coffee roasters brewed as a pour over in the morning. I absolutely have to have lots of surface to exhibit and gather materials, samples, and artworks for the projects.
What you do when you’re not working: Spend time with my family. Got back into swimming. Cooking. Going out to try new restaurants. Beach in the summer. Hiking year-round. It’s a very L.A. lifestyle. We recently moved and I want to get my garden back. I started on herbs and want to get cucumbers and tomatoes going for next season. Looking forward to designing the landscape for my house.
Sources of creative envy: Patricia Urquiola, Eames, Gio Ponti.
The distraction you want to eliminate: I think everyone wants to get rid of emails, Zoom calls, the noise of all the landscapers in Los Angeles.
Concrete or marble? Brutalist in heart, so concrete. Depending on the project, I would always choose my favorite soapstone or quartzite.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Light as in “the light of the sun.” Dark as in environment.
