Creating distinctive identities in the domains of architecture, landscape, interior design, furniture, and lighting design, Bllend is a multidisciplinary design and research office. With 26 international honours and distinctions to date, BllendDesignOffice has built a reputation for working on residential projects as well as commercial and hotel areas. To mention a few, the Best Multidisciplinary Design & Research Office Greece 2022 by BUILD UK MAGAZINE, Best Europe 2016 Leisure Project Adaptive ReUSE, and World’s Best 2015 International Property Award Office Interiors Greece.
A design concept that can be translated into a variety of design applications, such as architecture, industrial design, engineering, lighting, and the blending of various disciplines in one project, must be developed in collaboration with the clients within a context-based research framework. Every project’s significant contextual impact strengthens the connection between scapes, materials, shape, light, and the human condition in an organic substance, leading to intentional design for wellness and longevity.
Providing Innovative Services
The USP of BllendDesignOffice offers services beyond the implementation of current design guidelines or technical requirements. The team is creating the contextual framework from scratch by interrogating, analysing, and footprinting the surroundings in accordance with worldwide design research best practices. They also want to change, but not only for novelty’s sake. Instead, they integrate feedback from research, education, and real-world experiences to build holistic experiences that are good for all users. Their final product is not a static solution but rather a dynamic organism that develops in harmony with the surrounding natural and constructed environments through organic bonding.
Being a multidisciplinary design company, the resulting design concept can take on many different forms, whether it be architecture, furniture design, interior architecture, branded environments, landscape, lighting, or blending all the various disciplines into one project.
Methodology Of Work
Whether they work in an urban environment that follows an established and prevailing building typology or develops new building identities via new constructions, restorations, or adaptive reuse, they start with humans and their unique relationship with space. Perception and action are interdependent in humans. Users interact with items and space as a whole, and created space can give rich multi-sensory experiences for humans.
The modern design process with a human-centred starting point, data-driven design of sustainable buildings with a low energy footprint, circular economy-produced innovative and green materials, advanced technology, and a multi-scientific approach.
They start each project with the axiom “Priority for the person” and use their years of experience designing wellness, health, and residential spaces to organically adapt international research and empirical data to the Greek reality of the “contemporary environment” as it has evolved dynamically in recent years.
Affordable sustainability and innovation, natural light, human-centric lighting, bonding with natural environments, and procedures that respect diversity reinforce the feeling of security, safety, and determination to develop communication and meaningful relationships regardless of project size.
About The Founder And Her Vision
Helen Brasininka, born in Greece but raised overseas, is BllendDesignOffice’s Design & Research Director and Co-Founder. Her multi-cultural and educational background has shaped her design and lifestyle approach. The Far East’s holistic approach to living things helps address the natural and artificial surroundings organically. This shaped the revolutionary company’s overall design and project strategy.
Helen’s professional training and work experience range from interior or urban furniture design to urban design for social responsibility and master planning, balancing Architectural & Spatial Design, Engineering, and Urban Sociology and Research. Everything is done to improve end-user well-being, regardless of magnitude.
To create a relevant, focused, and useful design, they use research and user experience. Sustainability and innovation are welcomed to build durable and effective furniture, fitouts, places, and neighbourhoods. Helen’s background in culture, ethnography, and quantitative and qualitative research methods allows her studio to approach every context from a wide perspective, making every location and project an educational, transformative, and collective experience that impacts every stakeholder.
Being a Colour and Design Expert educated by Pantone Colour Institute’s Leatrice Eisemann has changed Helen’s perspective on materiality, experiences, culture, and colour. Every experience is unique, influences the mind and psychology, and provides abundant resources and inspiration for every personal or professional interaction.
Ever Expanding Mindset
BllendDesignOffice moved from small residential and office buildings in Attiki and Athens to large, complex projects in the healthcare, hospitality, and commercial sectors across Greece. Over the past eight years, they have extended internationally, designing, researching, executing, and managing complex commercial and residential projects in the UK, Bulgaria, Bucharest, and the Emirates.
In a fast-changing, competitive industry, staying informed, efficient, and effective takes effort, focus, and daily education. Working amid a lot of unique projects and design offices, they feel happy and proud that their work has garnered international recognition from extremely important and established International Design Competitions.
Projects and accolades compensate for hard work and training. Helen is thrilled to have worked on a variety of global projects, some of which earned the BllendDesignOffice team top honours. For example, Agora Floreasca Urban Theory Leisure Mall in Bucharest won the Gold International A’ Design Award. Rook Cafe Delicatessen, an F&B venue amid a Greek archaeological site, won Europe’s Best Leisure Interior, while The Lake Hotel Ioannina Greece received Global Hotel Award 2022, for Hotel under 200 rooms at International Hotel & Property awards by Design et al.
Understanding The Market Better
BllendDesignOffice works on Urban Regeneration, Residential Design, Hospitality Design, and Wellness in Greece and Bucharest. They emphasise sustainability, adaptive reuse, energy efficiency, innovation, and resilience. All projects put people first, using experiential data, material, and technology innovation to balance their relationship with the natural and built world. The goal is to create settings that promote well-being in most of their daily activities. Helen and her team had to maintain excellent standards during the epidemic while developing these projects.
Agora Floreasca Urban Theory, a Bucharest leisure mall that offered F&B, physical, and mental renewal, made them proud. It opened before the covid outbreak. The company believes the rigorous attention to detail, innovative and certified products, excellent lighting design, and focus on people and how they interpret their surroundings to optimise their advantage were successful. They created a safe, relaxing meeting area where individuals may relax and connect.
Conclusion
Whether residential, commercial, or hospitality, space design now prioritises healthy air, lighting, and safety. The epidemic reminded BllendDesignOffice to keep focused on human-centred design for resilient spaces. The team will continue to design spaces that live and evolve alongside their residents. All present and future projects will create places that help people attain balance and well-being at home, work, and play.
