Elena Tushina has been an innovative figure in home design for decades. We caught up with the stylish entrepreneur on her chic taste, inspirations, and more.
You’ve worked in interior design for more than 20 years! Tell us how you got your start.
Design choose me long before I chose it. I grew up surrounded by architecture, music, and ballet in Moscow. I learned to be structured in everything from stage lighting to poetry. When I was little, I used to build houses and custom furniture for my dolls, measuring and cutting long before I knew that’s exactly what interior design meant. I was also the kid winning math and computer competitions, and that logical mindset shaped how I approached space—structured, intentional, and balanced. When my mom passed away, everything changed. When I was 17, I started selling our family furniture by myself, and that’s when I realized how much objects carry emotion and memory. Years later, after graduating with a design degree in applied mathematics, I felt that something was missing. Accidentally, I found a job at the most luxurious new showroom in Moscow. The moment I stepped through the door, I knew this was it. It felt like my world, and I fell in love with every corner of the showroom. I learned every designer’s name, every iconic piece, and soon after I began traveling to Italy and trained in the factories in Venice and Milan. That’s where my real journey began.
A chic interior designed by Elena Tushina
What was a challenge you’ve faced during your career, and how did you overcome it?
There were many challenges along the way. When you’re a business owner, every day you wake up with a different problem to solve. The biggest turning point actually came during the 2008 [financial] crisis. At the time, I was working as a director of design and project management delivering incredible hospitality projects like Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, and Walt Disney. I felt on top of the world until the crisis happened, and the company I worked for went bankrupt overnight. I clearly remember that day, January, 2, 2009. Everyone was still recovering from the holidays, and I found myself sitting alone with nothing but my laptop—no team, no office, no clear plan, just me asking myself a question: What now?
What happened next?
Suddenly, I got a phone call. It was one of my longtime clients, and she said, “You know us and our family better than anyone, and we trust only you nowadays. Can you help us with our new house and penthouse?” That call changed everything. From that moment, I began building my business from scratch, creating direct relationships with factories, coordinating shipping, logistics, finding installers, managing timelines, hiring people. There was no safety net—just hard work, intuition, and trust. I worked with complete dedication and faith, and that independence became the foundation for everything I’ve built since.
Elena Tushina
How would you describe your interior design aesthetic or look?
My friends laugh at how I’m obsessed with Giorgio Armani. He’s my forever muse! His aesthetic, subtle elegance, refined and deep sensuality has shaped my design language more than anything else. I’m drawn to that distilled balance. He described this in his book; it includes rich textures, harmonious proportions, and the softness that whispers, but not shouts. I love champagne, and I love champagne-colored silks that catch the light, shimmering fabrics that shift with the sun and the time of the day, and organic rounded seating that invites you to stay. The very important touch is a touch of black lacquer, like a photo frame, that grounds the beauty and defines the lines. The whole philosophy about it is quiet, confident, and timeless.
Elena Tushina
When you’re designing a space for the first time, what is your starting point?
I look at design and the beginning of design in a different way. For me, design always starts with psychology. I studied that since I was 17, through formal training, deep self-work, and tantric experiences. The goal has always been the same—to understand myself, to connect with myself, and through this, to understand people, connect with their essence, and help them to express it through space. First of all, I need the person or the business. I listen, observe, and sense what they do not speak at the first meeting. I learn their values, their hidden desires, what brings them joy, what they prefer to keep on their nightstand, how much time they spend in a bathroom. That intuitive connection guides everything, and then comes the project side. I often get involved, even before the property’s purchased. Clients consult me to evaluate their space’s potential, and that insight can save them millions and help them get exactly what they’re dreaming of. It’s the blend of intuition, psychology, and strategic vision.
A glamorous bathroom designed by Tushina
What are some interior design trends that you love—or don’t love!—right now?
Right now, I love the rise of soft minimalism. There is clearly a global shift toward conscious consumption, sustainability, and emotional comfort. I am a strong advocate for organic production, like natural wood, handwoven rugs, silks, cottons, pieces with soul and texture. I don’t love cheap imitations. I can’t stand wood tiles, laminated kitchen facades trying to mimic oak, or plastic materials. They do more harm than good, and if wood is too costly, I’d rather see a beautifully lacquered MDF [medium-density fiberboard] in a bold tone than a synthetic imitation pretending to be something it’s not. Also, I’m fighting hard against white walls. Not all-white walls, but the kind that feel like a rental apartment waiting for a personality. I strongly encourage to bring texture, depths, and layered finishes like wallpapers, so the place can create genuine emotion.
Elena Tushina
What’s an accent or piece that everyone should have in their home?
There is no universal must-have. Every space is as individual as the person living in it. The only thing I constantly recommend is window treatments. People often keep them thinking that their gorgeous ocean view is enough, but even the most breathtaking view needs to be framed with intention. Drapery isn’t just décor, it’s emotion. It softens the light, adds texture, and gives the space that sense of completion, fulfillment, satisfaction. The right sheer and layered fabrics can make a room feel intimate and alive.
You also have a chic sense of style! Does fashion ever influence your interiors, or vice versa?
Absolutely. They’re connected, fashion and design. They follow each other, and are deeply connected in the world. That’s one of my favorite things, to discover those connections. As I said, Giorgio Armani has always been my icon—not just in interiors, but in life and my personal style. Usually when I go to Milan, I schedule the entire day in his Milan boutique. I’m cruising around, I’m trying many things, I have coffee at the Armani restaurant. I research textures, tones, and sophistication. Design mirrors fashion, and I love finding those parallels. I talk about this in my design blog—for example, if you love flowing silks, relaxed clothes, and minimal accents, the furniture and design pieces from Armani/Casa are your match. If you’re obsessed with Bottega Veneta’s signature Intrecciato weave, I’ll show you the Boogie sofa from Ulivi; it’s an Italian brand that speaks the same design language, and they’re using the same techniques for manufacturing a sofa. I personally adore contrasts, like wearing a delicate lace Dior dress under a sharply structured Jacquemus jacket—covered but visible, structured but deeply essential.
Tushina’s chic taste extends to her career in home design
What are some of your favorite pieces in your wardrobe that you’ll treasure forever?
I have something very, very, very special that I’m deeply connected to. I have this light gray, one-shoulder Armani dress that I will never part with. It’s made from the most unique fabric, natural woven fibers but with a slight, subtle shimmer. It’s edged with a structured grade band that frames the body like architecture. It’s timeless, sensual, and super elegant and refined. I’ve already joked with my friends; I told them that they should bury me in that dress. It’s a piece of me, really! I will never get rid of that.
In addition to interiors, you also work on a variety of other projects. Tell us a little about those.
I always believed that good design has the power to shape behavior and spark happiness. It shouldn’t be reserved only for the exclusive top 1 percent of the population. I want to make great design accessible to more people, not just the chosen few. That’s why we launched our own mobile app for people who shop themselves, without a building designer. The app calculates whether large furniture items pass through tight building spaces, like narrow staircases and small elevators. It’s practical, smart, unique, and revolutionary. No such thing existed on the market yet. I truly believe that it can help millions of people, especially those who live in congested cities and old buildings with small elevators and narrow hallways. Everybody can measure the room and understand whether a sofa will fit along the wall, but 99 percent of people don’t think about how to carry it through.
Tell us about the curated design packages.
Our curated design packages are for newly built condos, where clients can furnish an entire unit in just two hours without hiring a designer. I never thought that I’d say that you don’t need a designer anymore! But for certain projects, time is precious. We always have to think of design not just for beauty or to express ourselves as creative visionaries, but also to design smart and design with purpose and efficiency.
What’s next for you? Do you have any fun projects or plans coming up?
I’m organizing a curated trip to Venice for my clients and other design lovers and film lovers. We’ll begin with the Venice Film Festival, and the magic that’s all going on in the city at the beginning of September. Then, we’ll step behind the scenes into the world of Venetian craftsmanship, handwoven textiles, and glass still keeping the same techniques and tradition, but modernized. It’s not just palace fabrics and upholstery, but these fabrics have wide implementation in the fashion of today. One of the highlights of the trip is visiting the pirate wing of my good friend’s palazzo; it’s the biggest privately owned palazzo in Venice. This is the kind of experience you don’t just see—you feel it. I can’t wait.
All images: Courtesy of Elena Tushina.
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