Marita Kapanadze’s Interior Design – Superiority of Exclusive Works’ Décor
Marita Kapanadze is a young interior designer, creating various fascinating projects in Georgia and beyond its borders. The unique style, envisaging working with a diverse technique, represents the main secret of her success. Processing new and modern items with batik, silk paper, lamb wool, threads and other interesting materials, is a very complicated procedure. However, their final appearance represent a result, which has helped Marita to strongly establish herself in the sphere and find her own niche.
She is equally enthusiastic about the work despite the difficulty of the particular interior in terms of design, and always manages to add distinctive features and give a new life to the property through her exclusive works. You will see her items on walls as decorated panels, or the work will represent a dividing wall, ideal for arranging different zones in one area. Marita has brought together these wonderful multifunctional and diverse pieces under one brand entitled MARITA DESIGN STUDIO. The brand has been serving for the local and international projects since 2010, while it has been actively participating in various design competitions and festivals since 2012, and has obtained a number of awards, including A Design Award in Italy, International Architecture Prize in 2012 and 2017, and more.
Marita has been developing herself professionally in the USA for already two years, astonishing wider audiences with wonderful creations. In addition, she has also adapted the profession of architect and she has launched various projects in New York.
“I started working in interior design for a furniture enterprise when I was a student. I was creating different types of furniture in a program, and after my clients requested the full image, I started working on interiors. It was certainly very difficult to ignore the pleasure of seeing the happy reactions of customers. One client recommended me to another, and my working field gradually transferred into interior designer. Currently, I work as a designer on numerous houses and commercial areas in Georgia and abroad.”
What has changed in your working routine over the years?
My work changes according to demand. Sometimes I work on furniture or decor or I create interior design through a digital program and try to bring my ideas to life.
These are related professions, but at the same time all of them require different skills. In the USA, I became interested in architecture and started working on such projects. There are a number of houses designed by me in New York now.
My love of my profession, which gives me strength to work hard and create pieces that bring aesthetic pleasure to people, has remained unchanged. The emotion that is felt of a satisfied customer is priceless and makes me unimaginably happy.
Tell us about the products you create.
All my products are exclusive. I think, even if I try, I would not be able to create identical items. I work with different materials and have the copyright on some of my works. All techniques have their specific features and challenges.
Describe the working process.
Working on each piece is specific, needing different technics and processing.
Working on batik starts with drawing the sketches in color and is then transforming them on silk. It’s a difficult and long process. I work with fire and melted wax, then I paint, dye, freeze, evaporate and try to create desirable colors for hours. I use this technology for various décor pieces. Constructing dividing walls, requiring different materials and a great number of details, is equally difficult, though.
When did you leave for the USA? Tell us about your life there.
I came to the USA two years ago, completely alone. I left my family and 12-year-old child in Tbilisi. However, I brought my child here very soon, as despite my friends’ warnings, I could never imagine that staying alone would be so incredibly difficult. Now we are together and fulfill each other.
I got actively engaged in the New York art industry right after coming here. I have participated in almost 10 exhibitions introducing my handmade decorations, which have caught the eye of many foreigners. They were asking me to sell my works, but due to the legislation, I have no right to commercial work here yet. I also have offers for further collaboration from a number of architectural and furniture companies. I have one important project in Miami, which I started in Georgia. It is to be completed soon and I will present my creations to supporters and critics.
I have gained many friends in New York and other states, traveled to Miami, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, New Jersey and currently plan to visit the mesmerizing Niagara Falls.
What’s your favorite kind of interior design?
It is challenging for a designer to have one specific style. Sometimes I have to work on a house with ornaments and carves of the renaissance epoch, which is not to my taste. But I of course work with the same eagerness and devotion.
I personally prefer minimalism. This is the environ where I feel free and no needless items restrict my freedom.
What do you consider the major factor in being a successful designer?
I believe a designer has also to be a little bit of a psychologist at the same time. It is important to thoroughly learn the aspirations of the clientele and their views about aesthetic-functional issues.
Do you think of returning to your home country? Tell us about your future plans.
This is the painful topic, which I cannot speak about with certainty. I can change my mind about returning to Georgia at least three times a day. Sometimes I wake up with voracious nostalgia and feel ready to buy a ticket home. But, by afternoon I delve into my work and the desire to return is put off till ‘tomorrow’. I think, in Georgia it would be difficult to start constructing the stairs to success from scratch. But, who knows?
Translated by Ketevan Kvaratskheliya