An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Do not be afraid to personalize your space! Idolizing the perfect staging you see in model homes or magazines may seem like an excellent idea. However, the personal details will bring you joy every time you enter the room.
As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Violetta Ustayev.
Violetta Ustayev is an interior design industry expert who has garnered attention for providing clients with classic, timeliness, and sophisticated designs. She credits growing up in a creative home of fashion and beautification for developing her keen eye for designs, patterns, and cohesive conceptualization. With over a decade of industry experience, Violetta has driven Vi Design by bringing her unparalleled attention to detail to client collaborations across the world.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In college, I began buying investment properties to renovate and resell. I learned that I enjoyed picking out the materials. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time, so it was myself and my father doing all the work. He helped with the construction, and I worked on all material selections and designs. After that, I got a job in the finance world in New York, working for hedge funds. After the market crash in 2008, I was laid off. I met someone in a water features business and eventually worked with them, helping them design water features in different residential and commercial spaces. Within a year, I decided to open up my company Vi Design in New York. Since then, we’ve continued to grow and take on new projects.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
When I started my career in design, I would visit a local bakery with my kids. The owner told me he was opening up a new restaurant in the city and said that he needed a new designer. He told me the restaurant was set to open in two months. I wasn’t sure if I could take on the task, but I went and looked at the space with the owner. IT was a two-story building in the city that he wanted to turn into a French-boutique style restaurant with a Russian twist with several custom features. Despite being uneasy about completing this project in only two months, I took the project anyway and pushed on. It ended up turning out amazing! It was the most stressful summer of my career and one of the more challenging projects I had taken on at that point. However, the result was worth all of the time and dedication.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I think the funniest mistake I made at the beginning of my career was working on a brownstone in Park Slop in New York. We ordered a front door with the hinges on the wrong side. It was a huge mistake, and the door was extremely expensive ($3,000.00), and I was terrified to tell the client about the mistake. I ate the cost myself and ordered a new door that opened the correct way for the client project. The other door ended up sitting in my studio for another year or two before I could find a place to donate it.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
One project we are working on right now is a condominium in Sunny Isles, Miami, Florida. We are involved in the management of the construction and complete interior design. It’s a project that has been going on for over a year, and it’s been a learning experience. We’ve had to learn from many mistakes along the way working with the contractors. We also are working on a project in New York. The client began building an 8K square foot home at the beginning of the pandemic. We’re still building it and working on custom detailing, including an exterior glass staircase railing with a garage underneath the house. It’s going to be a remarkable property once finished.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Every deal you make has to be on paper.” This means no handshakes and no verbal agreements. This applies to everything from client contracts to vendor contracts. One slight misunderstanding or miscommunication can lead to problems later and cost the clients and us a lot of money in the long run. This lesson can also be applied to any agreements or contracts that happen outside of work. Keeping records of what is agreed upon helps ensure that everyone is accountable and details are being considered carefully.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
One person that I am super grateful to is my father. As I mentioned before, when I first started my career, he was instrumental in helping me work on the home renovations. He’s a “Jack of All Trades” and is very hands-on. I’ve learned so much from him about the processes involved in building and constructing. I also think that I got a lot of my creativity from watching him. He always finds a way and comes up with a solution in any project he works on. That is something I’ve carried with me in my career today.
Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Focus on using light or neutral colors l to avoid distractions or colors that trigger various emotions.
- Utilize natural light. If working with a designer, ask them to focus on making sure that your space has access to sufficient natural light rather than relying on artificial lights.
- Keep personal photos and mementos around — things that are meaningful and bring you joy.
- Cozy throws and accent pillows can make even the most industrial spaces feel more like home.
- Do not be afraid to personalize your space! Idolizing the perfect staging you see in model homes or magazines may seem like an excellent idea. However, the personal details will bring you joy every time you enter the room.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would definitely want to empower single mothers. I am a single mom myself, and I know that being a mother (single or not) is a full-time job. However, I believe you can definitely have a second full-time job — your career — and still succeed! You can enjoy your life as a mom and still want the fulfillment of a career. It is possible to have the best of both worlds.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Tony Robbins. I admire his strength and motivation. I’ve been going to his events and following him for a while, and I can say that my life has not been the same — and for the better! I have learned a lot about navigating my personal and professional life with his advice. If you’re looking to ignite a change in any area of your life, I recommend following Tony Robbins and listening to a few of his speeches.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Thank you for your time, and your excellent insights! We wish you continued success.
Violetta Ustayev of Vi Design: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.