My name is Iryna Didenko . I am an interior designer with an architectural background and several years of experience working on projects of different scales. I enjoy working with space so that it becomes comfortable, clear, and warm for the people who live or work in it. In my work I focus on planning solutions, developing concepts, preparing drawings and supporting a project from the very first idea to its implementation.
I decided to participate in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme because I have long been looking for an opportunity to see how designers work in another country and to immerse myself in a different professional environment. I was inspired by stories from designers on social media who openly shared their experiences in international programmes. Their accounts were honest, warm and motivating — many said that the exchange helped them feel more confident, broaden their perspective and discover new directions for professional growth. Hearing these experiences made me feel that it is also time for me to try myself in a new context and step outside my usual routine.
Calderon-Folch Studio attracted me with its philosophy — a thoughtful approach to space, an ecological attitude and the wish to create environments that are genuinely comfortable to live in. Their projects feel calm, well-considered and respectful to both people and place, which is very close to my own understanding of good design. For me it is important to see from the inside how a studio with such values works, how they make decisions and which methods they rely on, and to understand what I can learn from their way of thinking.
I believe that participating in the programme will help me better understand European design approaches, discover new working methods and see my profession from a fresh angle. This experience will help me grow technically, gain more confidence, learn to communicate more freely in an international setting and become more flexible as a professional. I also hope that this exchange will bring inspiration — something that will stay with me and continue supporting my development in the future.