We had the good fortune of connecting with Sylvia Zilifian, Karla Solis and Vitaly Kushnir of Anarchy Texture Studio and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Sylvia, Karla and Vitaly, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind our success is rooted within our name. We are creative anarchists who seek freedom, the freedom to design under no authority. Understanding that design has no limitations establishes our ideologies as a firm and all that we stand for. We feel there should never be borders between us and our clients and together, we create something provoking, beautiful, symbolic and impactful.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At Anarchy Texture Studio, we take pride in the fact that each founding member brings with them their own unique skill set within the realm of architectural design. Although we carry differing expertise within our specialty, we are rooted with the same fundamentals of design and praise brutalism. Many may feel that this artistic movement, within the realm of architecture specifically, has been undesirable… We do not. We love that it’s loud. We love that it’s bare. We love that it speaks volumes without saying too much. Brutalism makes room for the creator’s beliefs to shine through their work. Ornamentation fogs the message. “Less is more.” -Mies van der Rohe As a practice, we feel that we got to where we are today by pinpointing our unique desire to not be trendy. To truly be different and go against traditional forms of beauty. This, in and of itself, targeted a specific audience and clientele that was very niche, allowing us to be more artistically vibrant and free with our design process. Going against the norm does have its set backs, and one of the hardest bumps in the road was time. Great things really do take time and often do not arrive on time. In the early stages of our careers, we were highly hopeful that we would be flooded with opportunities to unleash our unique creativity right away… Then we got bombarded with opportunities to construct ADUs (Additional Dwelling Units). Don’t get us wrong, ADUs are great! But also DEFINITELY not for us! However, we did not give into the temptations of accepting such work that we felt were not within our best interests as a firm and instead we waited. We mingled. We took risks and with time, the individuals we felt best aligned with our ideologies came to us. As designers we must stay firm to what we believe in because as cheesy as it sounds, only then one can have a job they enjoy where it doesn’t really feel like they are working. We urge all creatives to take their time.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our firm is based in Los Angeles, CA which is known for its diverse population and tinseltown persona. If we were hosting a guest for some time, we would begin with a quick explanation of what makes Los Angeles so special and that is that it is made up of four ecologies: the beaches, the foothills, the plains and the freeways. Naturally, our guests would feel an extreme pressure to stay in our homes located in the foothills. We would wake up to then be stuck on the freeway going to and from the beaches and end our nights taking in the infamous LA weather while walking the gridded plains. With that said, we are architecture buffs living in Los Angeles at the end of the day, so, there will of course be pit stops at the Bradbury Building, the Getty Center, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Eames House, the Stahl House and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles… Just to name a few!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Education plays a huge role in how one perceives their surroundings, therefore, as much as we are appreciative of Woodbury University and the role that it has played in allowing us to practice what we do, our community truly shaped us and taught us how to amplify our personal interests and aesthetics. We take pieces of culture, politics and social issues that surround us within our community and we reflect that into our work. We thank everyone for our continuous education, institutional or not.
Website: www.anarchytexturestudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/anarchytexturestudio
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anarchy-texture-studio-88563a18b/
Twitter: www.twitter/anarchytexture
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anarchytexturestudio_-111387667331241/
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCOxAGqm51AuHl84k-ATriiQ?view_as=subscriber
Other: Archinect: www.archinect.com/anarchy_texture_studio