LUX Autumn 2018

63 Well Designed Living, LLC is a full-service interior design studio in Long Island, New York. In June, Well Designed Living was awarded the Most Outstanding Range of Interior Design Services, New York, in LUXlife ’s 2018 Leading Designers programme. We spoke with Iryna Cohen, designer and owner of Well Designed Living, to find out how she has built the success that she celebrates today. Established in October 2015, Well Designed Living was created with a simple message at its foundation - that a residential space is both a reflection and a catalyst for living well. A bespoke piece, lovingly and carefully sourced, can become a centrepiece that embodies the very spirit of the home; A place where memories are made. Iryna is a strong believer in the ideal that the home is a mirror of the heart and mind, and a feeling that we hope to capture. This romanticism has served Iryna well in the three years since, with a record for outstanding client reviews. Iryna insists that the secret to her success is a simple one “My aim is for my client to love their space. I do this by listening and understanding their needs, respecting their budgets and by getting to know them on a personal level.” In recent years, she has shifted her focus to help young families achieve their dream home, finding the experience altogether very different; “Helping them design a space for beauty and function has been particularly rewarding. I feel I can gage the success of a project. I can tell how happy a client will be when I finish. Seeing them smile at the end of a project, knowing that they love their space and having them refer me to others tells me I have been a success”. Educated at the Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design, Iryna’s gift is unquestionable, and her selection in the Leading Designers Award long overdue. Regarding this recognition from LUXlife Magazine; Iryna sees it as affirmation of her versatility as a designer; “I don’t want to be known as a one-style-fits-all designer, appealing to a wide range of clients is what separates me from the others”. This versatility is evident in her body of work, which brings inspiration from regions and contemporary themes 1807LU08 – in one project, a hint of the Mediterranean, in another, a celebration of vibrancy and life. When it comes to her innovative touch, Iryna credits her curiosity and her drive to keep up with the latest trends, “I’m constantly trying to resource. I do it every day, my eye is always looking at things. Often, I look at things that others would overlook”. To give a recent example, Iryna went to Florence hoping to find inspiration in the classical renaissance – certainly a far cry from the urban, bustling cityscape of New York. This adaptability lends itself well to Well Designed Living’s services, as both a residential and commercial full-service design firm, projects can vary dramatically day to day. From new construction, project management, home and office space planning to real estate staging, paint consults and furniture pre-planning - Iryna tackles projects of any size and of any budget. Moving into the future, Iryna is confident in her business, and is eager to expand her commercial division. A personal mission for Iryna is to educate people on an Interior Designer’s work – in the age of the internet, and home super stores, many people may think of themselves as armchair experts. Iryna wants them to avoid the common pitfalls, “they end up making costly mistakes. Being able to purchase items from superstores means people are impatient to wait for custom pieces. They want immediate gratification. People are sacrificing quality for expediency”. She is quick to convince that an interior designer is not for the lucky few, those strictly of privilege, but can be for all individuals, of all backgrounds. “Anyone, with any type of budget, can afford an interior designer. You just have to find the right one”. To finish, Iryna emphasised on her point, “One shouldn’t hesitate to consider the services of an interior design studio like Well Designed Living due to perceived costs, because luxury comes in all shapes and sizes and we’d like to help you get yours”. ---- Iryna continues to work from her Long Island Studio, finding inspiration for her projects in the city of New York and beyond. If you want to find out more about Well Designed Living, please check out Iryna’s website below. Contact: Iryna Cohen Company: Well Designed Living, LLC Netz Place, Albertson, New York 11507 USA Telephone: +1 (516) 721-5358 Web Address: www.welldesignedliving.house NewYork’s Leading Interior Designer