Yakusha is a multidisciplinary studio founded by Ukrainian architect, designer and artist Victoria Yakusha in 2006. The studio works within the fields of architecture, interiors, creative direction, and a brand of furniture and decor FAINA, rooted in Ukrainian cultural heritage.

The studio’s philosophy of live design invites one to go inward by interacting with millenea-old techniques, customs and primeal materials. Laconic, yet spirited; deeply connected to nature, live design eliminates the excess and guide back to the essence. 

Ancestral relationships with nature — a focal point of live design philosophy, reflects in the studio's sustainable approach to creation and construction. We feel earth, we respect earth. Interiors and architecture by Yakusha fuse the past with the future, heritage with a modern vision of design.

Founded after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, FAINA collections evoke ancient symbols and revive ancient crafts thus passing on cultural history and forming the language of contemporary Ukrainian design. In 2021, FAINA wins the Dezeen Awards Public Vote as Emerging Design Studio of the Year, whilst Istetyka interior by Yakusha becomes the first Ukrainian project to win Dezeen Awards in the Bars & Restaurants category.

Victoria Yakusha

The founder of YAKUSHA and FAINA, she is the mastermind behind live minimalism, a cultural heritage architect, and a global ambassador of Ukrainian design.
Victoria is one of the most famous Ukrainian architects worldwide, whose artistic endeavours shape contemporary Ukrainian design as a brand. She creates heritage—the ideas and objects that gain power, meaning, and value over time and impact the culture of future generations.
As an architect, she established ‘live minimalism’, a direction in architecture and design that marries laconic to environmentally friendly in an embodiment of contact between living environments and materials that breathe and exude energy. It’s about existing in co-authorship with nature, leaving a cultural footprint rather than an environmental one.

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Sustainability

hand with clay

Sustainability

Live design — our philosophy at the core of FAINA. The keyword live entails a focus on the living natural elements that inspire us and give us ground to create. In sustainability we find sustenance.

In FAINA’s effort to sustain history we naturally circle back to sustainable practices, central to local ancestral techniques. This means small-scale handmade production by Ukrainian artisans in limited numbers of output. This means locally-found materials for short-circuit sourcing, reducing our carbon footprint.

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WHAT: DESIGN EXPEDITION
TO UKRAINE

WHEN: 5 DAYS IN AUTUMN/ SUMMER

WHO: DESIGN EXPERTS

Design Expedition to Ukraine "Land Inspires" — a project launched in 2018 and 2019 by Victoria Yakusha, founder of FAINA and Yakusha Studio. The idea behind the project — to draw attention to the rich cultural heritage and endangered ancestral crafts of Ukraine, which for a long time remained in the shadows. To inspire cultural links by exploring the rich patrimony of Ukraine. A milestone on FAINA’s path to pass on Ukrainian cultural history.



Victoria designed the itinerary and workshops along the offered route, building a personal relationships with each artisan. Their spirit and approach brought to light in the sacred craft of wood craving, hand-woven wool technique of lyzhnikarstvo, kosiv hand-painted ceramics, and the sound of the Ukrainian Trembita, world's longest horn instrument, revived by FAINA as sculptural decor. A hands-on experience allowed the guests to form intimate connections with the art and the land.

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AWARDS

2024 Dezeen List

Viktoriia Yakusha has been included in The 50 most powerful women in architecture and design

2024 SILVER Award IDA

Winner Workplace Interior Design Unit Space

2022 Design Miami/Basel

Best curio show

2024 GOLD Award IDA 

Winner Interior Designer of the Year

2023 4 Future Awards

Gold Award Product design (health and wellbeing) - Chandelier in the B14 UNIT.City business space

2021 Dezeen Awards 

An emerging design studio of the year

2024 SILVER Award IDA

Winner Conceptual Products MOVCHUN

2023 L A M P International Lighting Design Competition

Best Professional Floor Lamp - SONIAH

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PRESS

AD Poland

Design z Ukrainy po raz pierwszy na targach Collectible w Brukseli
DeZeen

DeZeen.com

The 50 most powerful women in architecture and design
Forbes.ua

Forbes.ua

Українська мисткиня увійшла до списку 50 найвпливовіших жінок у сфері архітектури та дизайну
Interior

Interioi Design

Athena Waligore10 Questions With… Architect and Designer, Victoria Yakusha
Vogue.ua

Vogue.ua

Українка вперше увійшла до списку 50 найвпливовіших жінок-архітекторок світу