After experiencing the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, furniture designer and architect Victoria Yakusha sought in her work to preserve, revive and celebrate Ukrainian culture. A deep connection with nature and a sustainable construction approach connects her designs to the Earth and centuries-old traditions. By drawing on techniques and materials native to her home country, Yakusha creates award-winning collections of furniture, lighting and décor with an organic modern design style.
Growing up, Yakusha fostered an affinity for Ukrainian primitivist and folk artists including self-taught painter Maria Prymachenko. She later studied architecture at Prydniprovska State Academy in Ukraine and the National Institutes of Science and Technology in France. In 2006, she opened YAKUSHA, a multidisciplinary studio, and in 2014, she launched her furniture brand, Faina.
Faina uses materials from Ukraine and employs local specialists to craft furnishings, often entirely by hand. The brand developed its own living material, ztista, a moldable dough composed of recycled metal, cellulose, wood chips and clay. Faina also uses a historic craft technique known as valkuvannia, which involves coating a solid surface with a mixture of straw, hay and natural clay. It enables sculptors to form highly textured pieces including chairs, benches and lamps.
Yakusha’s work has been presented around the world, including at the 2018 and 2020 Paris Design Week, 2017 Stockholm Furniture Fair, 2018 and 2020 Milan Design Week and 2015 and 2018 Bologna Design Week. She won recognition from the ELLE DECO International Design Awards in 2019, Art Space Interior Awards in 2020 and the 2020 Arte Laguna Prize for Art Design. In 2021, Yakusha’s Istetyka interior in Kyiv became the first Ukrainian project to win in the Dezeen Awards for the Bars & Restaurants category.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of designs by Victoria Yakusha including seating, tables, decorative objects and more.
SONIAH Coffee Table Tall
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
SONIAH / Ukrainian for sunflower / a symbol of prolific Ukrainian earth. Handcrafted in living wood, naive SONIAH tables bring the natural world within. Like strong sunflower stems, ...
Wood, Ash
ZTISTA table
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
TISTA table — the leg, hand-sculpted of FAINA’s eponymous material — ZTISTA a sustainable blend of clay, hay and other recycled materials, designed to one day return to nature. ZTIS...
Clay, Linen, Wood, Reclaimed Wood, Paper
PLYN sofa small
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
The PLYN collection (meaning "fluidity" in Ukrainian) eloquently embodies the essence of water and the adaptability of life itself. Inspired by the ever-changing forms of nature, PLY...
Textile, Ash
PLYN sofa
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
The PLYN collection (meaning "fluidity" in Ukrainian) eloquently embodies the essence of water and the adaptability of life itself. Inspired by the ever-changing forms of nature, PLY...
Textile, Ash
Grun' table
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
The table’s base, crafted from Yakusha’s signature eco-friendly ZTISTA material— an eco-conscious blend of clay, natural fibers, and organic biopolymer—is designed to resemble the ro...
Other
ZTISTA table (two legs)
By Victoria Yakusha
Located in Miami, FL
ZTISTA / Ukrainian for made of dough / ZTISTA oval table on two legs, hand-sculpted of FAINA’s eponymous material ZTISTA, a sustainable blend of clay, hay and other recycled materia...
Clay, Linen, Wood, Reclaimed Wood, Paper
Dottie Cabinet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large radius ends on the top and bottom barely peek over the sides to add some shape and dimension to an otherwise very box-like box. Plinth style base with scallops all around! Subt...
Leather, Wood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
Cynthia Cabinet
Located in Paris, FR
Cabinet Cynthia with solid wood structure in lacquered dark grey fiinish. Cabinet's top in smoked glass, 10mm thickness. Cabinet with 2 doors in curved extra light glass varnished b...
Smoked Glass, Wood
KGBL Garmar Cabinet
By KGBL
Located in New York, NY
The Garmar is constructed of solid, quartered and rift cut wood. Rings of English Sycamore and Ebony pulls are incised into both the front and back of the piece. Custom milled Silico...
Bronze
AFA Cabinet
Located in London, GB
Finish: Brushed Gouged Oak 1 Door / 3 Shelves Designed by Christophe Delcourt for Collection Particulière, AFA is a sculptural sideboard made in gouged oak. Made in France. This i...
Wood, Oak
Havet Cabinet by SNICKERIET
Located in Geneve, CH
Havet Cabinet by SNICKERIET Dimensions: D 38 x W 86 x H 178,9 cm. Materials: Stained and lacquered pine. Smaller size adjustments are accepted without additional cost. Larger adjustments can be discussed as long as the furniture archetype is maintained. Please contact us. Havet takes its inspiration from nocturnal oceanic storms. The cabinet housing is fully completed with fittings and detailing in place as the exterior surface is painstakingly chiseled by hand, giving each piece a unique pattern. The wave pattern is carved on all sides and across all external joints and fittings, creating a sculptural gestalt. SNICKERIET is a furniture studio with an explorative approach to traditional woodworking craft and philosophy. Projects are initiated as research into topics revolving technique, construction, decoration and material properties. The findings are released in the form of individual pieces of furniture. The studio was founded in 2011 and is based in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Karl-Johan Hjerling, designer, creative director, founder Gunnar Dahl, Production manager, founder Hannu Hietamäki, Lead cabinet...
Pine
Mossam Media Cabinet by Croft House
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Mossam Media Cabinet is handmade locally in Los Angeles, California. The cabinet represents a celebration of the variance and unique character that reclaimed wood and other natur...
Birch
