 Office reception area. Original contemporary painting by Alicia Zimnickas One of AZ Interiors, Cambridge current jobs is designing an office space for Cambridge Intelligence, a company who help organisations uncover new insights into their connected data. Using applications built with KeyLines they offer new ways to join the dots in an organisations data and uncover valuable buried insights. KeyLines, en inspiration for large, contemporary artworks.  Conference room interior design and original artwork by Alicia Zimnickas  Conference room interior design and original contemporary painting inspired by KeyLines by Alicia Zimnickas  Conference room. Contemporary painting inspired by KeyLines by Alicia Zimnickas Alicia Zimnickas, founder and lead interior designer of AZ Interiors is designing and project managing the redevelopment and install of their offices in central Cambridge. This company were looking for more than a standard office space, Alicia has brought function, style, art, nature and technology together to create a well designed, inspiring workspace for their employees. An accomplished artist, Alicia Zimnickas (owner of AZ Interiors) often incorporates her original pieces within her interior design projects. Alicia has taken images of KeyLines and used them as inspiration for large bespoke artwork. Having bespoke artwork in a workspace can have more meaning and connection for the viewer. Alicia's Zimnickas unique paintings, influenced by KeyLines not only have relevance for the staff working in this space, they are bright, vibrant and inspiring to look at, qualities which are often forgotten with office interiors.   Made to measure sofas and seating strengthens the bespoke feel about the interior. Foldable and movable tables make the space adaptable to different needs.
Clever aspects where design meets function have been used. A wall of chairs is both a design feature and functional; having the option to take down the chairs, use when required and returned to optimise space and style. AZ Interiors has used the blue from the company logo and then introduced other natural colours and materials such as greens and plywood panelling. Inspired by nature, it adds an eco friendly and warm feeling to the environment. She has a large vertical garden as a feature wall, perfect for the lower level office with minimal light. The moss wall does not like sunlight nor does it require watering so the perfect fit for this space. A nod to nature and technology continues throughout the kitchen space with geometric natural wooden tiles AZ Interiors has defined different areas of the space with the clever use of colour, Bolon floor vinyl define different areas such as workspace, kitchen and chill out areas with a focal point in the room where presentations take place. She has used large coloured perspex squares, suspended from the ceiling to define the reception entrance area giving depth and texture to this space. They taken an uninspiring office space and transformed it into a heaven for inspiration, creativity and productively to thrive. Who knows, with environments like this to work in Monday mornings might be a thing to look forward to from now on…...
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Brits rank 19th on the happiness polls with our Scandinavian friends at the very top. How can we improve?  The reason for this could be in part down to Hygge. Originally a Norwegian term for wellbeing, it was developed into a concept and way of living by the Danish in the 18th century and has been infiltrating the lives of Scandinavian countries ever since. There is no direct translation in English, making it difficult to pinpoint its meaning. Some people describe it as “cosiness” or “togetherness” but its is more than these things, it is a mood or mental state, a concept, a way of life which can traverses all seasons. You can Hygge alone with a good book and coffee, or in the company of loved ones sharing a meal. Even places and surroundings can be Hygge-like which demonstrates how far reaching this concept is. Hygge really comes alive in the winter months, and even in the coldest months when there is minimal daylight the Danes remain the happiest in the world. Here are a few tips:  Interior designers: AZ Interiors, Cambridge Lighting One aspect of Hygge is creating a warm, inviting and relaxing environment to be in. A very easy way of doing this is with candles, lighting is very important to the Danes, with them rumoured to be largest consumer of candles per capita in the world. Candles are an inexpensive way to transform your interior with their flickering glow giving a calm escape from the dreary winter outside. Scented candles add another dimension. Candles with essential oils such as lavender and Eucalyptus and Ylang Ylang which can promote calm and relieve anxiety. Happiness lamps, or a least thats my name for them are lamps that wake you up slowly and naturally with a light, as the sun would do as it rises. No more blaring alarm clock jolting you from sleep in the dark. You wake up naturally as the light increases, there is a backup sound that gets louder when the alarm is set. The sounds of a forest or birds chirping. I personally was convinced by my friend I needed one of these last winter, I was a sceptic when it came to buying into the whole Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), believing people had just coined another unnecessary term for the sake of it but after my first full winter in Britain I knew better. The Scandinavians have know this for a long time and have light therapy clinics, with some areas going so far as installing special UV lights at bus stops and other public places to treat SAD.  Interior designers: AZ Interiors, Cambridge Texture Adding texture to your home can give it depth and interest, chunky knits and throws, woven rugs and sheepskins all encompass what is is to be Hygge, get the open fire going and pour yourself a glass of glogg (Swedish mulled wine) and thee you have it!  Don't Rush
To truly Hygge you have to slow down, sit and be in the moment while drinking your morning coffee, take time out to sit in the sun, savour in the pleasure of the long relaxed dinner with friends. A growing movement around mindfulness is in keeping with the Hygge philosophy with practices such as yoga and meditation once seen as niche are now commonplace. As indie band Frightened Rabbit wrote “turn off the TV, its killing us, we never speak” Be in the moment, relax with the people around you give them and yourself your full attention.  Creating mood boards help to get your decorating ideas together and work out what your style is. Mood boards can include inspirational photographs, paint sample and material swatches. You can then go back and refer to your mood board when making a decision about a wall colour or rug purchase to see if it fits well with your original plan. This also helps with having a look that runs through your home and protects against each room looking disjointed. Today we have been making mood boards to gather ideas and inspiration for a large house renovation.
Please check our interior designers most recent projects in Cambridge here: https://www.az-interiors.co.uk/residential.html AZ INTERIORS, interior designers in Cambridge awarded "BEST OF HOUZZ" for DESIGN and SERVICE in 20192/26/2019  We are so excited to be awarded the "Best Of Houzz" 2019 awards.
“Best of Houzz is a true badge of honor as it is awarded by our community of homeowners, those who are hiring design, remodeling and other home improvement professionals for their projects,” says Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. “We are excited to celebrate the 2019 winners chosen by our community as their favorites for home design and customer experience, and to highlight those winners on the Houzz website and app.” The badge is awarded in three categories: design, customer service and photography. Design awards honor professionals whose work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users of Houzz. Service awards are based on several factors, including a pro’s overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted in 2018. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the photography award. When artist-turned-interior designer Alicia Zimnickas bought her Cambridge home, a 1970s end of terrace, it was gloomy and unloved. Six years on and the house is a light-filled masterclass in contemporary design. Alice Ryan pays a visit Alicia Zimnickas, Cambridge, 2018 From the curb, it looks much like any other terrace in the row: tiled frontage, flat roof, square bay, gravel drive. But, home to artist-turned-interior designer Alicia Zimnickas, the similarities end the minute you open the door. Eye drawn by the light, the first thing you see is a far wall of windows onto the garden. Filling the open-plan living space with shades of soft sky-grey and lush tree-green, even on a dull autumn day the effect is delightful. You barely notice the long, narrow hallway, distracted both by the guiding light from the windows and a stretch of ingenious optical-illusion wallpaper. “That’s what good interior design is all about,” says Alicia. “It’s about taking a space and making the very most of it. . . “I think that’s the biggest reward of design for me: seeing how you can change a space and, consequently, change the way people live and work within it. Improving a space can honestly improve people’s lives.” Her Trumpington end of terrace, which dates from 1975, is a case in point. When she and her family moved in – she has two children, 14 and 12 – there was definite room for improvement. Despite the windowed back wall, the ground floor living space was blighted with black spots, namely in the entrance hall and stairwell. Widening a doorway, replacing balustrading with reinforced glass, adding a strategic skylight, and turning walls and woodwork white, worked wonders. “Light is a big thing for me,” explains Alicia. “I have to have it. Some people crave the sea, some crave the mountains – I crave light.” A professional artist, as well as an interior designer, Alicia’s studio is on the first floor and her paintings hang on many walls. Large abstract tree and leaf-scapes, they fairly glow with filtered sunlight. “It was an art critic, commenting on one of my exhibitions, that first made the connection with light; he said I painted with it. I’d never realised that before, but he was right.” Raised on the Polish border with Lithuania, her parents farmers, Alicia grew up “in a very rural place, surrounded by nature. That’s probably why nature is such a big influence in my art; everything we experience in life is an influence.” Her artistic talent recognised at school, Alicia left home at 15 to take up a place at art college in Lithuania. “My parents weren’t at all happy. I was a bright girl; for them, success meant being a doctor or a lawyer. But I was stubborn.” The transition was a daunting one, nevertheless: “It was a big border to cross; this was a time when there were tanks on the streets of Lithuania. And I was only 15. Looking back, that seems so young. Yet I was determined never to complain.” A place at Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts followed. Despite doing a post-grad in industrial product design, Alicia continued to paint prolifically and, over a 17-year career in Eastern Europe, found both critical acclaim and a fan following for her work. Among her proudest achievements was a solo show at Arka, the famed gallery in Vilnius. Then, having married a Brit and had her two children, life brought Alicia to the UK and her second career, in interior design. After doing a course at Chelsea School of Art, she launched her own business, A Z Interiors, four years ago, and has been in demand ever since. Offering everything from two-hour at-home consultations to whole-house refurbishments – she’s currently working on a £2.5 million renovation project in Oxford – Alicia says she draws inspiration from both the personality of the property (“Is it Victorian, from the Seventies, a new-build?”) and the personality of its owners (“How do they use the space? Do they like colour? And pattern?”). Again, her own home is a calling card. The interiors scheme doffs its cap to the property’s Sixties/Seventies heritage – take the ochre, grey and green in the palette, the orange glass pendant shade above the master bed, the splay-legged retro dining chairs. But it’s full of Alicia too, from her artwork on the walls to oriental accessories; Japan is her “absolute favourite place”. Working on corporate as well as domestic schemes, Alicia has just completed a communal office space for Cambridge Intelligence. The walls alone are a triumph, sectioned into tufty living moss tiles, 3D plywood art, and stacks of cute cubbyholes for stools. The office is housed in a windowless basement. From the photos, you’d never know. Storage is key to a successful interior, adds Alicia, opening a hidden door, camouflaged with wallpaper, to reveal her utility and coat room, and pulling open a plain-fronted kitchen cabinet, concealing the microwave and other sundries, which would otherwise be cluttering the counters. “I absolutely love what I do,” she adds. “I have a great creative balance between designing interiors for other people and making art with complete freedom. The two go hand in hand, I think: there’s art in interior design, and art is often the finishing touch for a design, too.” Though leaving Warsaw was an initial wrench, Alicia says Cambridge is now “very much home”. With the city centre mere minutes away, and lovely, leafy Trumpington Meadows behind her house, she’s in the perfect town-meets-country spot. “I live in a beautiful place and I’m able to make my living doing what I love: I think I’m very lucky.”
Senior Editor, Velvet Magazine   Enter Alicia Zimnickas, founder and experienced lead interior designer at AZ Interiors.  “Working with Cambridge Intelligence was excellent – super professional and great decision makers. It was nice to work with people who have good taste and appreciate good design.” Alicia offered something fresh and new compared with other office design experts. She was excited by the design brief: to create somewhere cool for the team to work and relax, not just to impress visitors (although that too).  “This was my biggest office interior design project yet, and definitely the most exciting.”  Her greatest challenge was transforming the dark, L-shaped basement. The team use this space for lots of things – a place to prepare food and eat lunch together, but also hold meetings, run company social events (think movie nights and computer gaming competitions), and host local meetups for up 40 people. We went for a natural, organic theme, with smooth wood, clean lines and Scandinavian furniture. With a statement light fitting and spotlights to brighten up dark corners, the space now feels light and airy. There’s room for a large group to chat over lunch around a big table (something of a Cambridge Intelligence tradition), but also smaller tables for quiet times.  Extra seating is cleverly stowed away in a storage wall, but the biggest focal point is our moss wall. Inspired by vertical gardens, we’ve brought the outside in with a maintenance-free living green panel.  The office facelift didn’t stop there. Separating reception from the team working areas with large glass panels helps waiting visitors feel welcome but not isolated. It also gives the team a little privacy without losing light. The other floors benefited from the design treatment too. There are more natural tones in desk areas, and clever pops of colour in comfy, relaxing breakout spaces. We can take time out on a sofa when we feel the need.  Alicia is also a talented artist, so we commissioned her artwork too. We have unique pieces throughout the building, cleverly inspired by the data visualizations our award-winning KeyLines SDK is famous for. “The large canvasses were a colorful and creative way to say something about what Cambridge Intelligence do.” Blog written by Cambridge Intelligence
https://cambridge-intelligence.com/weve-had-a-facelift/  Meet the Artist; an interview with Alicia Zimnickas, by Claire McMahon-Lee Cambridge Open Studios brings members of the public into artists studios. It is a great opportunity to for them to pop into the workshops of some of the artists, craftspeople and designer-makers working throughout Cambridgeshire and to see their exhibitions. The artists open their studios to people so that they can see something they don’t see every day. It gives the chance for artists to show their work to the community, whether it be sculpture, jewellery making, glass making or painting. The Open Studios, which run each July every year, provide a wonderful opportunity to for people looking to buy art. You can find you perfect piece without the gallery fees and you can meet the artists that produce the work, it adds meaning to the art that you are buying because you find out what inspires them, you learn about what techniques they use and the process behind creating the work. There are a whole range of artists of all ages, some are more experienced, some are new. They open up their workshops for the weekends during the month of July. They are based all over Cambridge, just look for the Cambridge Open Studios yellow sign and you will find one close by to you when you are travelling around Cambridge. One of the artists taking part is Alicia Zimnickas. She began exhibiting her paintings in her own exhibitions the early 1990’s and has shown her work on numerous countries including Canada, UK, France, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania. Her paintings can be found throughout the world in private collections, prestigious hotels (including the Marriott and the Hilton), and on the walls of various companies, such as Novartis, Mastercard, Allianz, the Lithuanian Embassy in Poland and the Presidential Palace in Lithuania. She is also an Interior Designer and runs her own business in Cambridge, she has been running this for 4 years. If you would like to look at her website it is www.az-interiors.co.uk. I interviewed Alicia to find out what makes her tick when creating her work and she answered me these questions. Your paintings involve nature, the seasons and how they inspire you. When did you first experience this inspiration and what influenced you to paint topics of nature? Its nothing really new because I have always been inspired by nature, and this is not something that has appeared recently in my paintings. I look at nature more as a fragmented bit and then put it on a canvas through my filter, just a fragmented part of nature, maybe reeds or leaves or trees. I was thinking by myself once why does nature always hold me or grab me? It ignites something in me. I was trying to find an answer to this very question and then I thought; “its probably because of the place where I used to spend my childhood” which is quite a rural area full of greenery, forests, lakes. It’s in Poland, near the Lithuanian border, where I spent my childhood. It’s one of the first things I experienced in my life. Nature is important to me, but also in a way; light. Because the same tree in a different light is completely transformed, I want to catch that light form. I am an artist who likes to paint light. Nature is the starting point, but light is also my subject. I can put on the canvas the atmosphere that the light provides, its not just putting a tree on a canvas but showing that the sun is shining, or that it’s the evening, you can see what time of day it is, it sets the atmosphere. How do you use colour, is it to evoke particular atmospheres when looking at nature? I do it automatically, I know when to use a colour to make it look calming but I don’t have to think about it too much. I don’t look, see something then paint it, I collect those memories of the scene I have looked at as visual images, or I take photos, or I travel somewhere different and collect more colours to paint. The paintings are all about atmosphere, they are very impressionist. How did you feel letting people into your house to see your work during the open studios? Is it difficult to show your work at that level because sometimes it can be such a personal thing when you put your all into your work?
For me this is very natural and I think, in a way, I need to show my work. This makes sense. I like to hear peoples opinions, it motivates me. Letting people into my house I don’t have a problem with. As also I use my house as my work studio, so I do sometimes have clients and coming to see my work so my mentality is that it’s an open house. I think in general I am a hospitable studio, for instance I run a little café so when people and friends turn up I can make them a coffee. I almost think sometimes it’s the other way round, it’s not difficult for me nut it’s more difficult for members of the public. They can find it difficult going into other peoples houses. What opportunities do you think Cambridge Open Studios gives to people? First of all, access to the artists studios and home, and I think artists always have very interesting homes. Meeting the artists so you can understand the work much better. But also, from the artists point of view, you have amazing visitors come and you have some amazing conversations and you bond with the people. Some people come every year and they see new things I have done since their last visit. If those regular people didn’t come I would be thinking to myself “Hmm I wonder where they are? I wonder why they didn’t come?” When you crate art does the subject dictate what you paint or is there a concept you think of first and before you paint? There is always a concept first, it would be even some sketches beforehand, or something like a photo. Maybe some colour samples to see what colour to paint, but then I have a vision and an idea before I touch the canvas, but then it’s a question of whether I will get that effect that I want once I start. Maybe not? I may not be very happy about that but, anyway, there is always a concept, yes. It gives a structure to what you want to achieve. It also depends on the day I am having and on the mood I am in as to how the final result turns out. Although I can only paint in a good mood! How do you feel when you paint? I love it. I find that everything around me disappears, I get so involved, I have to set an alarm when I paint, if I have to go and pick up the kids, because I get completely involved. My ordinary day has so many constraints, in art I am free. What would you call your style? I always really struggle with that, I think it’s some kind of impressionist style, but I can’t say. It’s any kind of landscape that I paint. They are not realistic but not abstract. I don’t have the answer to that I’m afraid. What is your best work? There are some paintings I feel that there are some best pieces chosen by the members of the public during open studio, there are two pieces, they got the most votes. They are; ‘The Pine Forest’ this was sold and now has a lovely new home in Cambridge. ‘Up to the Sky’ that was the second favourite.  AZ interiors has just been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 50 UK Interior Design Blogs Winner on the Web! This is the most comprehensive list of best UK Interior Design blogs on the internet and we are honoured to be part of this!
Its great to see people are enjoying reading all about our blog.feedspot.com/uk_interior_design_blogs/ interior design projects, art and style. There are some interesting new projects in the pipeline for this year so check in soon for more updates  A big thank you to HOUZZ who have awarded me the best of House Design and Client Satisfaction. AZ interiors portfolio was voted most popular by the HOUZZ community AZ interiors was rated the highest level of client satisfaction.
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AZ INTERIORS
Interior Designers Cambridge phone: 07963 175508 studio@az-interiors.co.uk www.az-interiors.co.uk |
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