Aiya Lisova on Building a Design Career Beyond Boundaries

For Lisova, design is not limited to creating interiors. It is about designing a career, a business and ultimately a life.

Throughout the talk, she encouraged students to see themselves not only as designers, but also as entrepreneurs capable of shaping their own professional path.

As she explained, “You can be creative in designing your own practice. You can be creative in designing your own life.”

Her message was clear: technical skills are only one part of becoming a successful designer. Equally important are communication, leadership, negotiation, strategic thinking and the ability to adapt to change.

One of the central themes of the conversation was the distinction between the designer and the design business.

As Lisova explained, many young creatives identify entirely with their studio or job. Over time, however, she realised that her greatest asset was not her company but her own experience, knowledge and personal reputation.

Reflecting on this shift, she said, “Businesses grow, businesses collapse… But you, your personal brand and your portfolio cannot be taken from you.”

A strong personal brand becomes a lasting professional resource that remains valuable regardless of market changes or career transitions.

For emerging designers, this means investing continuously in:

• a clear portfolio
• a recognisable point of view
• industry visibility
• professional relationships
• continuous learning

According to Lisova, a portfolio should never be a simple archive of completed projects.

Instead, it should communicate a coherent narrative that explains how a designer thinks, solves problems and develops ideas.

Quality matters more than quantity.

A concise selection of carefully presented projects is often more effective than a long collection of images. Showing sketches, research, process and decision-making gives employers and clients a deeper understanding of a designer’s creative approach.

Design education provides creative foundations, but many graduates enter the profession without understanding how a design business actually works.

During the talk, Lisova highlighted several business skills that every designer should develop early in their career:

• pricing projects
• managing clients
• building teams
• delegating responsibilities
• understanding contracts
• developing long-term business strategies

For her, entrepreneurship is not separate from creativity—it is part of the design process itself.

A defining moment in Lisova’s career came in 2022, when geopolitical events led her to relocate from Moscow to London and rebuild her practice internationally.

What initially appeared to be a professional setback became an opportunity for growth.

Today, her studio works across Europe and the Middle East, collaborating with private clients, developers and investors on residential architecture and interior design projects.

Her experience demonstrated that resilience is often built by embracing uncertainty rather than avoiding it.

Throughout the conversation, one idea repeatedly emerged: curiosity.

Lisova encouraged students to remain open to new cultures, disciplines and perspectives throughout their careers.

Travel, conversations with professionals from different industries and continuous observation all contribute to developing an authentic design language.

Rather than limiting networking to architecture and design, she suggested building relationships across business, technology, culture and other creative sectors.

Summing up this mindset, she advised students: “Try to be curious every day about everything you do.”

These wider connections often generate the most unexpected opportunities.

Another important reflection challenged a common misconception about creativity.

Interior design is not only artistic expression; it is also a professional service.

Understanding clients’ lifestyles, aspirations and practical needs is essential to creating meaningful spaces.

Great design, Lisova argued, emerges from balancing creative vision with empathy, collaboration and execution.

Listening can be as important as designing.

The conversation offered practical guidance for students preparing to enter the creative industries:

• Develop your own point of view early.
• Build a portfolio that communicates your thinking, not only your projects.
• Learn the fundamentals of business alongside design.
• Invest in your personal brand as much as your studio.
• Stay curious, keep travelling and continue learning.
• View challenges as opportunities for growth.
• Remember that successful design combines creativity with service.

Disrupting Patterns was ultimately a conversation about designing beyond objects and interiors.

Aiya Lisova invited the Domus Academy community to rethink success not as a predefined destination, but as an evolving process shaped by curiosity, resilience and continuous learning.

For the next generation of designers, the challenge is no longer simply to create beautiful spaces. It is to build sustainable careers, meaningful collaborations and a design practice capable of adapting to an ever-changing world.