As a child, I always enjoyed playing building games

Maybe that was the trigger to become an Architect? I was brought up by the seaside and spent my summers on the beach building sand castles and sculptures. Although I was brought up during communist times in Poland, I was lucky enough to get a box of Lego once in a while, thanks to a seafaring dad returning from international adventures.

During my childhood, my parents built their first dream home. It took them 10 years to accomplish this (it was during a communist era where building materials were scarce), so most of the time we spent in that house felt like living on a building site. In the years that followed, I would move to a different city to learn and ply my trade, but I often think those early memories might explain why I love the smell of wet cement and plaster – it literally feels like home.

I love the process

The hand drawing style Lisa and I have adopted plays a big role in our process, allowing us to trace back our thought paths when developing options for our clients. We create fantastic plans in collaboration with those homeowners, that tap into our feelings for the property and my experience of ergonomic flow in it. Ideas are developed and crafted, with no time wasted on unwanted options. Often I propose something unconventional that may be embraced by those willing to think outside the box, but whether reaching for new angles or basing our drawings in tradition, I know my international experience of housing in Poland, Russia, Germany and Switzerland and the UK is valued. After all, something very standard in one country can be very novel in another.