On the Dialogue Between Form and Function, and Studio Kaiser With Interior Designer Julianna Kaiser

Julianna Kaiser is an Okanagan-based interior designer, who recently launched Studio Kaiser. Studio Kaiser is a residential and commercial interior design studio that believes that good design is a dialogue between function and form.

We had the privilege of sitting down with her to learn more about her background and design truths. Read on for our recent interview with Kaiser below: 

First, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into interior design.

Julianna Kaiser by Jon Adrian

I grew up here on the Naramata Bench surrounded by a family of artists and architects. Looking back, I had a knack for design at an early age. I remember looking at Home Hardware’s floorplan catalogues and imagining the houses in 3D while my dad shopped for tools. My aunt was an architect and I used to play on her drafting table, drawing floor plans with mechanical pencils and graphic stencils.

From high school, I was interested in fashion and design. At 18, I was accepted into the Interior Design Program at Toronto Metropolitan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Interior Design in 2014.

After graduation, I worked as a freelance experience designer in a marketing agency before moving to the Arctic to pursue a career in construction management and public, education and commercial interior design at an architecture firm. It has been in my life ever since.

How would you describe your design style in just one or two sentences?

Modernism and minimalism. I saw a quote recently that stuck with me. It said, “Bad Design shouts at you. Good design is the silent seller.” - Shane Meendering, Baa Baa Design, UK.

What inspires you?

Modern architecture and travel. The interplay between the two. Exploring iconic villas like Casa de Canoas, Casa Gilardi, Villa Savoye and Villa Müller around the world.

In university, I studied Moshe Sadie, Oscar Niemeyer and Adolf Loos, and used my vacations as an excuse to take design pilgrimages to see their work. I often stayed at cheap, party hostels, breaking away from the group to go on my own architectural tours. In Rio de Janeiro, I remember taking the subway alone to the end of the line, then trekking up a winding mountain road through the urban jungle to reach Casa de Canoas.

Casa das Canoas photographed by Julianna Kaiser

How do you combine beauty and function?

Good design is a dialogue between form and function, encompassing the process of creating products, spaces, or experiences that are not only visually pleasing but highly functional.

My mission with Studio Kaiser is to create modern interiors that are functional, sustainable, and approachable. Through a trained eye and the elements of design - it’s a designer’s job to space plan and select materials and finishes that reflect the client’s preferences while honouring the existing context of the space.

In your opinion, what makes the perfect room? And, what is the first thing you notice about a space?

I have three! Lighting, the size of the furniture, and rugs. They are the first things I notice, and the elements that make a perfect room.

Lighting sometimes gets missed but there is nothing worse than one tiny flush-mount for a whole space, or ‘over designing’ with 20 pot lights in a room. The proper balance of natural, ambient, and task lighting can make or break a space. 

I remember when I first began my journey as an interior designer, visiting people's homes filled with apartment-sized Ikea furniture that was often too small for the space. Adequately sized furniture and area rugs are so important yet so often overlooked. I see so many sectional couches on Facebook Marketplace that read ‘This didn’t fit in our space’. Hiring an interior designer to do a simple furniture plan to determine the scale of pieces can go a long way before making big purchases!

Photo by Eymeric Widling of Studio Kaiser’s Marda Loop Townhouse Project

What is your favourite indoor commercial space in the Okanagan?

Lost Together. The minimal all-white palette lets the vintage clothes shine and the seating area in the back with the coveted Togo Sofas feels so groovy. Those are my dream couches.

It goes back to the perfect combination of function and form. The dreamiest vintage couches for friends or partners to sit on while waiting for their significant other(s).

There are a lot of great vintage/mid-century furniture stores in the Okanagan. Which one is your go-to?

Zangbell and Gill. The owner, I believe his name is Brian, and I always bond over vintage Ikea and iconic mid-century Brazilian furniture like Percival Lafer. I also love Lois Lane.

Another great spot for vintage finds is the Naramata Community Yard Sale each spring.

What design project are you most proud of with Studio Kaiser? And why?

The Train Station Pub tenant-improvement project that I just wrapped up this past February in Kelowna with furniture stylist, Jaimie Rae. We created a full-service Tenant Improvement package that included new lighting, millwork, updated booth seating and chair upholstery, flooring, and a three-sided bar with two pour stations and digital menu boards.

The pub is located in an old train station, dating back to 1926 and we wanted to pay homage to 1920s classic design motifs by including stripes and a checkerboard floor to maintain the pub’s historic and cozy ambience. We also brought in some really cool new lighting from Montreal to blend the classic elements of a traditional pub with a modern twist.

That was Studio Kaiser’s first commercial project as the interior design lead and I learned so much. Every renovation has its surprises and I really learned to roll with the punches and be flexible.

What are you currently working on?

We just wrapped up The Train Station Pub and I’m currently working on 3D renderings for a project in Iqaluit, and an Okanagan lakeside home. In addition to full-service designs, I also provide 3D ideation services, rendering spaces to show clients during the preliminary stages of construction projects which is much more helpful than just 2D Drawings. 

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You can connect with Julianna at Studio Kaiser at hello@studiokaiser.ca, or see more of her work @studiokaiser_.