Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelika Andrzejewska.
Hi Angelika, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started with taking up drawing classes in Warsaw, Poland, just as a hobby. Nothing could be further from my thoughts than applying to architectural school when I first enrolled in those drawing classes. It was supposed to only be a way of spending my free time after school. However, it ended up with extremely serious and time-consuming preparations for the entrance exams at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology. I got accepted, which was a huge success for me. A few months later, I started studying architecture, discovering possibilities, challenges, and the beauty of this profession.
Later on, I had an amazing opportunity to spend some years studying and living in Italy (first Milan, then Rome). Italy is a country like no other in Europe when it comes to the variety of architectural, artistic, and cultural heritage. Not only each region but every city and even every single village has its own peculiar style, which is deeply rooted in the rich history of this country. If you drive only a few miles in any direction, you can experience completely different artistic sensations, new architectural styles, and a unique atmosphere. The only thing that is constant, is the amazing deliciousness of the food all across the country.
After my Italian journey, I moved to New York City. This was a huge change but yet another great place to live and grow as an architect. I am already in love with this city. Although many of those who had a chance to live here say it’s a love-hate relationship (and my case is another proof for this statement), there’s something extraordinary about the energy of this place that keeps me constantly active and motivated.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It is never a smooth road. And that is exactly how it should be! If it was a smooth road, then we wouldn’t be able to appreciate overcoming obstacles to achieve our goals. The awareness of challenges and setbacks along the way, enables us to maintain a point of reference, which is elementary to analyzing moves we already made and to gradually planning our next ones.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Design Studio, where I currently work, gives me a lot of opportunities to develop my architectural creativity. I am mostly dealing with renovations of luxury apartments located in Manhattan. Some of them are those famous SOHO loft apartments, where you can feel the unique atmosphere of the industrial past of the city. It is an incredibly challenging task for me as a young architect to design fully functional and visually aesthetic interiors in such a historically grounded urban structure of this one-of-a-kind concrete jungle. Combining modern, sustainable technological solutions and materials as well as minimalist decor items such as furniture, lighting, and art pieces with cast-iron constructional elements of buildings from the twentieth century is a difficult but certainly rewarding endeavor.
I’m really proud of where I am at this point in my life. Although it’s still a long road for me to become a fully professional and successful architect, I already feel that the path I have chosen is the one I should follow.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
There’s always a way! It helps to look at every struggle you might face in your life from a certain distance or perspective. The easiest way to do that (at least for me) is first – remind yourself why you started, second – think about what you are striving for, third – believe that you can do it and finally – do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angelika-andrzejewska.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angie_andrzejewska/?hl=en
Image Credits
Nathalie Ghanem-Latour
