Matters of Space's High Tech, High Touch Approach to Design

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We were wandering around on York in Highland Park when we came across the Matters of Space space... a clean, simple yet quirky, well designed shop and showroom for the work of PJ and Katerina and their design company Matters of Space. More about what they do, what they are doing there and their projects after the jumps.

Racked: Matters of Space is a bit of design respite on York Ave in Highland Park on the east side of LA, between the handpainted signs of the delis, headshop, and Highland Billiards. At the same time: York also has Cafe Leche and The York. What does it mean to Matters of Space to be on York Avenue and in Highland Park?

PJ and Katerina: We love Highland Park and especially being on York Boulevard. Anyone who has been to the area knows that something special is happening. There is dynamic mix of shops and a walkability that is hard to find, not to mention affordable rents. Of course, we also love the bohemian character of the area and it's history.

The neighborhood is seeing a big influx of buyers that have been priced out of other neighborhoods such as Silver Lake and Echo Park and we feel our interior design consultation/services are a great fit for these first time homebuyers.

A lot of great things are happening on York Blvd. If Racked readers haven't been here in a while they should come check it out. Especially on the second Saturday of the month during the NELA Gallery Night. Second Saturday Gallery Night is a self-guided tour of the galleries, non-profits and artist run project spaces located in Northeast Los Angeles (NELA).

Racked: Tell us more about your space: what do you provide? what goods are there? is it a shop? a showroom? a creative space?

PJ and Katerina: Our space is a reflection of ourselves. We are designers with many aspirations and ideas. Although our main focus is Interior Architecture and Design we also have a line of furniture/housewares/jewelry under the Matters of Space name so our space is not only our design office and workshop, but a showroom for our product lines. We also carry selected vintage furniture and books and finally a gallery where we showcase the work of artists we like. You could say it is our creative home.

Racked: You have completed retail, restaurant, commercial and residential projects. Do either of you have a favorite area to focus on? and can you tell us more (and show us pics) of some of your favorite projects?

PJ and Katerina: We love it all, part of the joy of being a designer is that you can design anything. It keeps everyday exciting and different.

Racked: You guys mention that your firm does e-decor....can you, umm, explain what e-decor is?

PJ and Katerina: E-Décor (as well as our consultation service) is a way to get professional design services at a fraction of the cost of conventional interior design. This service is available no matter where you live, all correspondence is done by email. We do the design work, and leave the client with a project guideline and a all the resources needed to complete their project. The client has to do the legwork, which is ultimately what saves them a lot of money in design fees. E-decor is a version of our On Site Consultations, which is a service we can only offer to our LA area clients.

Our On Site Consultation service is similar to E-decor except the difference is that we come to the space and discuss the client's design needs in person. It could be just answers to some spatial questions, storage issues, paint color or a whole room design, including furniture layouts, plans, color schemes, finishes and resources. The client chooses how to spend their time with us.

Racked: What are your future plans for your space and your design company?

PJ and Katerina: Our space will keep evolving organically. We don't have specific ideas of what it is going to look like tomorrow. We bring in whatever objects or projects inspire us.

For our design company we do have more concrete plans. Of course, we want to grow our business, we want our message of "Budget & Eco Conscious Design, Accessible to all" to reach a wider audience. There is a lot of people who need design help, but are afraid to ask, mainly because interior design has a reputation of being a luxury service, unaffordable by most. Our goal is to change that, we offer a service that fits all price points.
· Matters of Space [Official Site]