CREATIVE LEAD//COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER//INNOVATOR//INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER//ARTIST
My approach to any project is rooted in my strong belief that architecture is a conversation between client, designer, material, light, and shadow, and that unique and innovative solutions arise from this collaborative exploration. I see design and architecture as means to give form to tailored spaces that educate and elevate our human experiences in perpetuity.
I was born and raised in Romania. In my high school years, I spent endless hours wondering and observing the details that made the architectural fabric of my city. From the brutalist, communist blocks abutting elegant Art Nouveau buildings, to the Saxon houses lining the quaint cobblestone streets, and the petrified stone of the fortification walls surrounding the old city, I loved it all. I was wowed by my city’s vernacular wisdom, and I wanted a part in it. I dreamed of being a creator, an architect, and a designer so that, I too, could participate in the making of space. I wanted to capture the intimate connection between space and human beings, and shape it into that which is meaningful and beautiful.
Upon finishing high school, I was accepted to business college in San Diego and embarked on a 6,000 mile journey across the ocean to embrace my future. I received my Bachelor of Science in Finance from San Diego State University in 2001, and after three years of providing actuarial related services with an emphasis on the public sector, I parted ways with the field of analyzing risks in order to pursue my passion for interior design. Five years later, I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise, Los Angeles, Summa Cum Laude, and won a design award of excellence for Innovative Materials Use.
In 2008 I became a LEED Accredited Professional. Few years later, NCARB confirmed my eligibility to commence my Architect Registration Examinations. I am actively working on completing my AREs having 3 more exams to go before licensure. Concurrently, I am pursuing my informal architectural training by traveling throughout US and Europe in order to observe and document how architecture shapes our everyday life and community values.
Over the past 14 years, I have cultivated style and influence in the architectural design profession guided by the same curiosity and instinctual need to observe, touch, and listen to my surroundings that I had as a child. Approaching the architectural design field from a different perspective and level of professional experience has allowed me to create freely, unobstructed by conventional constructs. By persisting with a “hands-on” approach to design, and continuously seeking to refine my own aesthetic vision while mentoring others, I continue to embrace the functional requirements of a project, the realities of its construction, and budgetary and contextual restrictions in order to push creative boundaries, innovate, and create unique architectural designs.