Yasmine Ghoniem

The founder and head of YSG Studio shares what inspires her inimitable style and joyful approach to design.

- PHOTOGRAPHY Jonathan VDK Studio

"My design focus at the moment is restraint. Constraining our use of colour and pattern, and concentrating on form."

I grew up across five countries and went to six schools over my primary and secondary years. Spending most of my time between Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Australia, I never felt settled and never seemed to fit in. My business, YSG Studio, reflects that to a degree as we're a nomadic practice with many projects located overseas, and each one evokes a different mood.

My average day is fast-paced. In the studio, I usually work on about five or six design reviews with various team members combined with site meetings. There's usually a barrage of Zoom meetings, too, for our international projects.

My work process has changed. I used to listen to music. Now silence really helps me concentrate.

The biggest challenge in business so far has been scale. We have scaled the business from a small studio of just four to a mid-sized studio of 14 over five years. We've moved three times to accommodate the growth.