We had the good fortune of connecting with Polina Annichiarico and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Polina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have to say it`s been a long journey and It took me about 5 years of thinking before I made a first move towards starting my own business. Having spent the last 20 years working in Interior design industry across Europe, New York (Manhattan) and Colorado, I gained a lot of experience and knowledge not just in European luxury design, but also in how to connect with people from different countries and cultures, which pushed me to the new career venture. A few years before making a big decision I came to a realization, that at this point of my life I would like to create my personal business brand based on establishing relationships with clients and professionals throughout the world. Right now I am working with/for people from 8 different countries and this number keeps growing, which makes me feel that I am on the right path.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am an interior and custom kitchen designer with 20+ years of experience in fine European designs. I hold a Master’s Degree from Moscow State University of Culture and Arts along with a degree in Interior design and Decoration. I was born and raised in Moscow (Russia) where my mom, being a professional painter, taught me different art styles and painting techniques. All my childhood I was either drawing, painting or sculpting and this experience formed my career path later. I love traveling around the world and learning about foreign cultures since my 20s. I attended different design exhibitions in Europe where I admired Italian art and architecture along with German technologies in the beginning of my career.

When moved to New York City in 2007 I instantly fell in love with the cultural diversity and big range of choices in Manhattan. By this time I had 5 years of interior and custom kitchen design experience in Europe, so I was sure I had all needed “tools” to succeed in the Big City. Unfortunately, this was the time of The Great Recession, so from the beginning my career path became very challenging, when I had to learn how to provide unique design ideas that resonated not just with my client`s personalities and lifestyles but with their budgets as well. I stayed determined and focused as I always had a great passion for the interior/architect design industry. I’m genuinely excited over people`s life stories and like helping them to connect with their environments mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

My husband, our daughter and I moved to Colorado 9 years ago and in 2017 we experienced a very tragic life event, when my husband was diagnosed with an incurable stage of cancer and passed away very soon after. I became a single mom with no family or many friends around at this time, but I was able to transform this deeply spiritual and healing journey into my work, designs, and art. It became very important for me to listen and connect with my clients, coworkers’ personalities and emotions, to have compassion for their difficulties and tragedies in life. It helped us all to bond and create unique environments as a team. I love helping my clients to bring their vision to life using my experience, artistic eye and networking.

My company, Creative Design Solutions LLC, provides a wide range of services from a design to a project management stages, from a small room to a new build, tailored to individual needs of my clientele. I work on different sized projects in Colorado, Kansas, New York, Florida, Texas, California and Hawaii. I collaborate with professionals and clients from USA, Canada, Italy, Germany, UK, Poland, Slovenia, India, Iran and other countries, which sets me apart from many other interior designers.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is to always stay focused on what you are deeply passionate about. Don`t pay attention to what others achieve or have to say about your achievements. Keep your focus on the growth you made today compared to yesterday. Discipline is crucial. Another big lesson I’ve learned is that people and genuine relationships with them are more important than the most beautiful designs I’ve ever created. I stand by the mentality of empowering others either through my services or collaborations.

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?
I moved from New York to Denver due to amazing outdoor activities, so a lot of my friends visited me from different countries already and here is the list of places where I usually take them: If this is a single friend/s I would definitely take her/him to the Red Rocks life concerts. If this is a family with kid/s I would taking them to the Elitch Gardens in Denver. My daughter and her friends always have a blast there especially on Halloween. Glenwood Springs (hot springs) or Garden of the Gods are two more of my favorite places I like to take my friends to. As far as restaurants I would bring them to Fogo de Chao or Le Bilboquet restaurants in Denver.

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?
Yes of course, I would like to give my biggest appreciation to my best friend and life partner. He has been helping me with technical and organizational parts of my business from the start. My father`s support is very important to me as well. He is a retired businessman who has been helping me to gain different perspectives on decisions I am making daily. I would not be where I am now without my dear friends, clients, collaborators and business partners as well.

Website: https://creativedesignsolutions.me/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polina_annichiarico_designs/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/polina-annichiarico-294884151/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.