We recently connected with Aidin Belganeh and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aidin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do. My family and I moved to the US when I was a teenager, so the first few years of my life were just about surviving. When you’re in survival mode, you don’t really dream or have extraordinary plans for your life. So I ended up listening to the adults in my life at the time and majored in something safe, marketing and advertising. I graduated from SMU with a BBA in business degree and started working in “corporate America.” What I had in mind about marketing was nothing like the actual reality, so I quickly realized I was stuck and did not like my life. This constant feeling that I wasn’t doing what I loved and going through a depression made me finally go after what I really wanted to do.

The problem was I didn’t know what that thing was. So I started putting myself in different situations and got more involved with art. I started reading art books, going to art galleries and events, and doing whatever seemed interesting to me. I had a personal Instagram account, so I’d go on Instagram and find myself scrolling through design and interior architecture photos for hours without getting tired. So then I started reading design magazines and learning about some of the greatest modern architects and designers.

Soon I started to become more interested in this field because I noticed something was missing in many of the designs I came across online or in person. Most of the “minimalist” designs looked somewhat cluttered, manufactured, and forced. The design field was (and still is) cluttered by all these influencers and celebrities sharing the pictures of their not-so-well-done generic homes. I’m talking marble kitchen island, oak hardwood floors, Restoration Hardware cloud sofa and other currently popular things.

So, I didn’t see what I would want design to look and feel like. I didn’t want to live in any of these places. So, I saw a great opportunity to create a design studio based on emotional architecture, purity and human behavior. And that goal aligned well with this new sense of freedom and courage I had found. For me, bluebeige designs was my way of telling the world that I have a voice, and I’m not afraid of using it.

So I applied (very last minute) to the New York School of Interior Design and started taking interior design courses. That’s also when I started my company, without any particular design knowledge or background or knowing anybody in this new industry. It’s kinda crazy when I think about it now. I don’t know where I got the courage, but I had nothing to lose. Right after I started college, I started getting clients, so I had to drop out of college to focus on my projects.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the founder and Chief Creative Officer at bluebeieg designs. bluebeige designs is an international design studio based in Dallas, Texas. We provide custom interior design services, including the entire space designing, floor plans, construction documents, 3d visualization, materials and project management. Our projects are luxury custom homes, and we work with many developers or individuals in the residential field. We currently have projects in New York, California, Dallas, Austin and Canada.

I started bluebeige designs just a few years ago because I didn’t like how most of the designs looked and felt. Something was missing, and everything was starting to look the same. So the only way to make a change was to create my own design studio.

I have a unique design approach, but it’s also very simple. Design should be based on human behavior and encourage good habits without being boring. I think the biggest problem in our industry (or life) is that designers just copy and paste a design from one project to another. Everyone does it because that’s how things have been done. Sure they make some changes based on site, budget and client preferences, but there’s no story or uniqueness. These designs might seem practical, but they don’t inspire, and they don’t really work in the long term. They either go out of style, or people soon realize the layout and the design of their new home don’t make sense for them.

I like to think what makes bluebeige designs different is that we don’t do the “what is.” We go for the “what could be.” However, the goal is not to create something unique just so it’s unique. A lot goes into it, and it’s a difficult job. One of the key principles of bluebeige designs is preserving the integrity of the world around us. This goes for both form and functionality. I believe this is the only way to get an organic and natural design that is not forced or rigid, like most modern designs out there.

One of my favorite concepts in design that I learned in design school is “Notan.” It’s a Japanese concept of balancing positive and negative spaces (light/dark). So I like to think one of the core characteristics of our designs is that perfect balance between the negative and positive spaces. We design a space by removing physical and emotional clutter that can block one from seeing and perceiving their surroundings. Our visual system works with our brain every time we encounter an experience. So design is not just about how it looks to the eyes. It’s about how we perceive it, our past experiences and unconscious beliefs. I often like to use perception in my favor to trigger an emotional response in my viewer.

I know I’m done with a design when I look at it, and it makes me smile. So I have always designed based on what looks good to my eyes. That’s why it’s hard for me to describe the components of a good design. But it’s never about the designer for me. I want the viewer to create their own stories when they see my designs. I use interactions between the space, the forms and natural and artificial lighting to create experimental art. That kind of art shifts as the viewer shifts their perspective, mentally and physically. The light, your current state of mind, the shapes and forms, the proportions, colors, and the emotions you experience when you enter a space altogether shape the story. It’s up to you now what you see and how you feel. You create and experience the “art” in your own way and on your own terms. You tell the story the way you wanted it to be told, with no manipulation, no distraction, no agenda. Everyone who enters this space has a unique experience. It’s no longer a static design but rather a story told by both the designer and the viewer.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like I have pivoted multiple times in my life and business. From moving to a new country when I was a teenager to changing my field of work from marketing to design in my late 20s, I have gone through many changes. It’s something you can’t avoid if you want to grow. And it’s often necessary, especially for a startup. It’s rare for the initial plan of a business to stay relevant after a few years, especially in the field of design and architecture.

You just can’t ever be too comfortable in this industry. It’s constantly changing, and you need to change with it. You have to structure your practice and business so that it can allow you to pivot when necessary. I learned that from reading a good book called “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” I don’t like to read a lot of business books because they often bore me, but this is a good one. It talks about why businesses fail, mainly because they structure themselves with so many complexities that they can’t keep up with the ever-changing market, especially for big businesses. So I actually find it harder for a big business to pivot versus a startup. That’s what startups are good at. Pivoting. Because they are fast and are not weighed down by departments after departments and procedures and processes that are old and nonfunctioning. That’s one of the reasons it’s harder for bigger design studios to create good designs.

Often pivoting comes after you admit the plan is no longer working. And for a lot of us, it’s hard to let go. We often get attached to the solution rather than reminding ourselves of the final goal.

Being new to the design industry and running a creative startup, I am constantly learning and revisiting my approaches to everything, including my company processes and design practices.

When I first started my business, my strategy was to target a niche market and deliver only a design plan and not construction documents. As I grew, I realized I was losing many projects because of how I was running my business. I started looking at some data and mapped out all the steps it took to deliver a design project, from potential client calls to the details of the project delivery. This helped me realize where the problem was. That’s when I started partnerships with other design firms rather than taking on all the responsibilities myself. It’s important to not panic and pick a solution.

So pivoting works only when you know the problem you’re trying to solve. I’m really honest with myself, so it’s easy for me to figure out my problems and weaknesses. But, I have made many mistakes by choosing the wrong solutions. So I’ve learned to evaluate the different options and pivot in the right direction.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That everything is possible. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about possibilities, going after your dream, and creating a beautiful life for yourself and other people. But I personally took this life “lesson” too literally when I first started my business. And I got burned out very quickly. It might be true that anything can be possible. But, the problem is, we miss the cost of that possibility. What’s the point of achieving a goal at all costs? Is it really worth it? To me, the price is too high. So I think this belief in possibilities at all costs is all about the ego.

I think it’s good to be resilient and pivot if you have to and be flexible and open to risk if you want to achieve something. But to risk it all at all costs just to make something happen is of no value to me anymore. I’ve learned to factor in the cost as much as the value of every opportunity. Also, if you have to risk it all, it means it’s not the optimal solution. So this kind of thinking can really clutter your mind and prevents efficiency.

For me, it’s not enough to just achieve. I want to live a life worth living and not just run a business or design a bunch of houses. A Japanese concept called “Ikigai” means creating a life worth living. If you follow your purpose in life, you can create beauty in life for yourself and others to enjoy. So I’ve learned to prioritize my well-being and mental health above the possibilities. I’m not here to prove anything to anyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluebeigedesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluebeigedesigns/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluebeige-designs
• Other: Our blog: https://www.bluebeigedesigns.com/magazine