Growing up in the picturesque Ukrainian village of Rozkishna in Kiev, Volodymyr Nepyivoda, the youngest of five children, found himself surrounded by makers, including his father who worked in construction, and in the summer, he spent his time in the carpentry workshop where his middle brother worked. “I liked the smell of fresh sawdust from wood,” he says. “My games were related to construction: I was playing with nails, and I built houses on trees and over water in the rock of clay quarry.” Design was his calling. After studying at the College of Art Modeling and Design in Kiev, Nepyivoda and Dmytro Bonesko launched YOD Design Studio in 2004 and, together, have since created eclectic and thoughtful restaurants throughout Ukraine. Here, he meditates on his honest design process that puts emotions and atmosphere above all else.
What are some of your earliest design memories?
After graduating from college I was lucky to get my first job in the studio NEO format, which at that time was one of the best in Ukraine in its segment. I was given a chance to show myself in conducting author’s supervision over the implementation of projects, since I already had experience in the field of construction and carpentry. While working in the studio NEO format, I had the opportunity to generate ideas and solutions and implement them. Over time, I gained enough experience to start working on my own design projects.
What is one of your most challenging projects?
One of our recent projects is NĂM in Kiev, a restaurant [that specializes] in modern Vietnamese. The project was quite complicated and was very detailed with 80 percent of all furnishings, fixtures, textures, and materials specially designed for the restaurant. The total album of drawings was more than 500 pages, so you can imagine how much effort and time was spent bringing this project in life. In addition, the brand-chief and partner of our customer Hector Jimenez-Bravo emphasized that the interior should be sensual. We managed to create in the center of Kiev an atmosphere of a French villa with a Vietnamese accent and give it sensuality.
What’s next for you and your firm?
We do not stand still; we are developing and constantly moving forward, each time setting goals to reach higher peaks. In the future, we plan to collaborate with the top managers, bar and restaurant technologists, bartenders, and chefs to create higher quality and thoughtful projects that will benefit the customer.
What are your greatest lessons learned?
The most important thing in working on each project is the ability to analyze and listen. Our projects always start with analyzing what audiences want from our design. When we completely analyze it, we begin to work on the design concept and its detailing. One also has to strive to do their job qualitatively not only to satisfy the needs of the customer. You need to be honest with yourself.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Never give up and do not betray your [desire] to make the world better. After all, you often don’t think something could be better until you do it yourself.
What are the most challenging and exciting aspects of your job?
The most difficult thing is to identify the direction of the design concept, so as not to be on trend, because trends are fleeting. The most engaging aspect is at the initial stage where we imagine ourselves as the guest: how he will use the space and what he will feel at the same time. It is important to us to not only design but create an atmosphere for the business.
How would you describe your design language?
Honest design that keeps pace with time, causes relevant emotions, and creates an atmosphere.
Is there an architect or designer you most admire?
Marcio Kogan. I like his approach, especially how he combines the interior with the exterior, and uses natural materials and natural light.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
I would have had dinner with Antoni Gaudí. We would meet on the roof of the unfinished Gaudí’s Cathedral [the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona] to find out why nobody can finish his creation.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
I would be an astronaut. When I was quite small, that’s what I would say when someone asked me.
