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“Efficient Use of Space. That’s What Design Is Built On.” Interview with Taras Harashchak, Founder of the Harashchak Engineering Group Design Studio Network
DANAPRIS DOORS factory very often collaborates with designers and studios. We bring the boldest ideas in door design and manufacturing to life, helping take the renovation industry to a new level. We were fortunate to meet Taras when his team needed to implement a technically complex veneer door design. Read our interview about design in general, trends, and much more.
Tell us about yourself and your company.
We have been working since 2013. At that time, there was a common belief in the renovation market that designer services were expensive and inaccessible to the average customer. We tried to break this stereotype and make the service more socially accessible. And we succeeded.
Initially, we abandoned visualizations because we focused on technical documentation based on references from popular sources such as Pinterest and Houzz. The client chose a visualization they liked, and we adapted it into technical drawings. Clients were satisfied because such a service — receiving a technically грамотний project from a dream image — simply did not exist.
That’s how our company rapidly gained momentum, and requests for additional services began to appear. Therefore, we added technical supervision. After all, author supervision guarantees the client the desired result and proper project implementation.
Very often, communication between the client and the construction team leads to inaccuracies and misunderstandings. But when a designer communicates with contractors, they speak a language that is understandable to everyone.
Who are your clients? What projects are most commonly ordered?
They are middle-class people who want to receive high-quality, functional architecture for their property. People who want their space to work for them, not the other way around. Because functionality and quality always come first.
Do you take on all projects?
A designer is, in a way, like a doctor — a combination of knowledge and taste. A designer should not choose their client. We must provide the client with what they want.
Every client is unique, with their own vision, taste, and understanding of comfort.
A designer should find an approach to the client and convince them with arguments. Not impose their own vision and opinion, but offer options. The client must understand that they are the one who will live in this home 365 days a year, and which factors will ensure their comfort.
The uniqueness of our company is that not one designer works on a project, but an entire team of professionals. Accordingly, communication throughout the process is effective both for the client and the designers.
How do you act in situations where the client’s wishes absolutely do not fit into a harmonious and functional design?
In fact, at the beginning of working with a client, we try to teach them to perceive their property as a whole. Our client does not say: “I only want a pink wall.” But if they truly want it, we think it through and suggest creating contrast or an accent.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing in the design of both residential and commercial spaces?
First of all, efficient use of space. That’s what design is built on.
Many people perceive design as just a picture. But in reality, design is about ensuring everyday comfort. The more convenient and efficient daily life is, the better the designer has done their job. Because adding a “beautiful picture” to any functionally designed space is easy. But not every picture will bring satisfaction in everyday life.
What are the trends in 2021? Which materials, colors, and styles are trending?
Most often, interiors consist of elements from several styles. Because living in a completely pure style is rarely comfortable for a person. It is the combination of styles that creates the image the client likes.
Clients want to be heard. Accordingly, they want their imagined dream to be realized. Improved and rationalized, but never with someone else’s rigid opinion imposed on them. For the past three years, natural materials have been trending. Natural wood, natural veneer. Design trends are moving away from modified materials and increasingly choosing natural, laconic, and eco-friendly solutions.
Your recommendations for choosing interior doors? What should people focus on?
First of all, it is very important to choose doors based on quality. Hidden installation doors are currently trending. They make it possible to create a monochromatic surface in the interior while also serving for many years.
So doors are increasingly becoming less of an accent in the interior?
Everything is perceived through details. Accordingly, doors today do not attract the main attention but rather complement the space. Hidden doors, in particular, distract attention from themselves as much as possible and focus the eye on interior details and décor.
Recently, we worked on a hotel complex interior where we used DANAPRIS DOORS products. The door leaf was veneered with parquet board that transitioned from the floor into the door surface. We considered many door manufacturers that could implement this idea with quality, and your company turned out to be the best according to all criteria.
What is no longer relevant in design?
I believe such a concept does not exist. Style also depends on the region where people live. For example, Rivne and Odesa regions prefer classics and art deco. Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipro are dominated by minimalism. It all depends on the client’s preferences. Everyone has a formed vision of the space they want to receive. And a designer is the person who directs the client’s wishes in the right direction and makes them possible to implement.
In your opinion, what should be the accent in modern design?
Accents can be very different, and there can be quite a lot of them. These may include 3D panels, veneered walls, and various types of lighting. Accent elements are a collection of forms and details that attract attention, while everything else simply serves as the background.
