How can you avoid boredom, repetition, and burnout after 20 years of design work? We ask Joanna Ochota, an architect who has been running her own interior design studio – Concept JoAna – since 2005, about the secret to boundless creativity. A recipient of numerous industry awards and the author of groundbreaking projects that inspired many followers, as well as a woman confident in herself and her strengths, she shares what she considers the key to a successful design.
The Call of Freedom – Returning to a Childhood Passion
After graduating from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Silesian University of Technology, Joanna Ochota quickly realised that working as an architect would not give her the freedom to operate on her own terms. For this reason, when she founded her own studio, she chose to focus on interiors. What may have seemed like a spontaneous decision was, in fact, deeply rooted in her natural predispositions and childhood passion. At the age of 11, Joanna painted a mural over a dull wallpaper using poster paints. During her teenage years, she constantly redecorated her bedroom, and as a university student, she loved interior design classes.
Concept Joana – a Studio That Puts Emotions First
From the very beginning, the founder of Concept Joana has been guided by intuition in her work. Once something she was embarrassed about, she now recognises it as a key strength, which, combined with the knowledge and experience she has gained over the years, allows her to achieve truly unconventional results. Joanna Ochota enjoys bringing order to chaos – both literally and figuratively – as well as meeting people and drawing inspiration from them. In her practice, she is primarily guided by a desire to understand others and their emotions. As she herself admits, it is her clients who have taught her more than the so-called design industry ever could.
What values and outlook guide your design work? What are your priorities in creating interior designs?
It may sound simple, but – it’s all about the person, with their personality and needs. Nothing is more important. I listen to my intuition, perceiving people as a feeling that I then materialise in interiors.
I explore, experiment, make mistakes, and follow an inner impulse that drives me toward something new and unique. At times, this can be overwhelming, because until I act on an idea, it consumes me from the inside, disrupting my peace every day. This is often the case with interior design competitions. Whenever an idea arises in me after reading a brief, regardless of deadlines or awards, I feel compelled to release it and bring the project to life.
I experience an inner need to unleash every concept, while also freeing myself from norms and constraints. The creativity that drives me stems primarily from a desire to express myself in a unique way. The world of my imagination is not limited by what is visible, but by what can be felt; therefore, whenever I create, I must feel it.
Do you have a favourite interior design style? If so, what kind?
I don’t have a fixed style, nor do I want one. My ‘style’ evolves with me. I would grow bored designing the same interiors over and over again, using repetitive solutions and identical materials. Over the years, meeting all sorts of people, I have never encountered two identical individuals. Each time, I strive to understand my clients’ intentions, visions, and needs as accurately as possible, in order to determine what will be the best solution for them, what will empower them, and what should be avoided. For me, style is personality – and it is primarily this that I seek to understand during the design process.
My personal ‘style’, however, is all about embracing the unexpected: using materials originally intended for other purposes, creating bold and striking colour combinations… Every door in my home is painted a different colour – indigo, orange, yellow, sky blue, cobalt, pink. My creativity knows no boundaries, and I always strive to push beyond conventional limits. I am frequently inspired by abstract art, drawn to its vibrant colours, dynamic forms, and unpredictability.
I dream of meeting clients with whom we can together transcend the boundaries of ‘convention’. I do not seek ready-made answers; I prefer to follow my own paths, even when they are unknown and full of uncertainty. Every project I approach as a new challenge. In most cases, I use solutions I have never tried before, and I must find a way to implement them. Often, this also requires expanding my knowledge and attempting to anticipate the many surprises that may arise.
What materials and technologies do you most like to use in your projects?
I have developed several functional solutions that consistently work, particularly in small spaces. I have also created my own method for quickly and effectively analysing any interior. I enjoy the challenge of difficult, small, and non-functional interiors that seem impossible to arrange. For me, it is like a puzzle – one that always has a solution.
What are your experiences of working with clients? What do you think is the key to a successful collaboration?
Design work is about helping to create interiors that resonate most harmoniously with their users. To assist effectively, we must first understand, and to understand, we need to develop a full range of soft skills such as communication, active listening, creativity, time management, leadership, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
One of my strengths is the ability to understand others, which comes more from a capacity to feel what another person feels than from cold analysis. Openness is also invaluable in my work. When I get to know my clients, I am curious to see how each encounter might change my perception of the world. I communicate easily with people, even when at first glance they seem very different from me.
I believe that life and relationships are processes that flow naturally, without rigid rules. For this reason, my vision of a successful working relationship is one of flexibility, openness, and a readiness to embrace whatever arises. I see it as a continuous exchange of energy, where each interaction brings something new.
Can you describe the most interesting project you have worked on?
I took great pleasure in designing the exhibition for 4 Design Days, as it allowed me to fully unleash my creativity without any restrictions or oversight. The concept itself was developed very quickly and was readily approved, but the execution proved to be a significant logistical and time-related challenge.
International projects, such as those in Reims and Forbach, also offered me valuable insights I can confidently say that Polish designers are talented, precise, and creative, while Polish contractors – including renovation companies, electricians, plumbers, and others – are among the best in the world. They possess extensive knowledge, work diligently, respect their clients, and demonstrate great imagination.
A breakthrough was also the house project in Sosnowiec, not so much because it established a new aesthetic that would later be copied on an unimaginable scale, but because I left a part of my heart there. I realised that such an approach inevitably leads to burnout, which is why, after completing that project, I stopped treating my designs with such emotional intensity.
Do you offer a consultation service?
Yes, we do. This type of collaboration proves particularly effective in the case of ‘challenging’ spaces that, at first glance, seem unpromising. Clients are often very surprised when I present them with several options, and I frequently hear, ‘We would never have thought of that’.
