Her designs have brought color, comfort and stories to a vast number of homes and businesses. After redesigning her work life more than a couple of times, Nadya Kozinets’ journey to interior design ultimately brought her to another country and sharing her vast knowledge with others on similar career paths, with the greatest lesson, perhaps, that “home is where the heart is” – and was.

Born in far-east Russia near Lake Baikal, Kozinets grew up in Ukraine near the Black Sea, where she was influenced by nature, architecture and literature. “I‘ve always been creative. I loved fashion design and sewed all my clothes – even coats; I knitted sweaters and pantsuits,” she recalls. She spent a year in a theater college in Ukraine studying set design before pivoting to earn a degree in library science. After five years as a librarian, her creative eye set her on a course in interior design, but it would mean leaving her home. “Where I lived in Ukraine, we didn’t have a university with an interior design program,” Kozinets explains.

At 32, she attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and received a degree in interior design, later working at architecture firms in Minneapolis and Chicago. Throughout her career, she was involved in creating designs for homes, large-scale offices, retail stores, hospitality, medical, research and training facilities, as well as gardens and landscapes.

She would go on to open Aldine Studio in Chicago and work on her master’s in interior architecture at Columbia’s College of Art & Design. While juggling work and school, she discovered a different passion when she began teaching part-time at Harrington College of Design. “I realized I liked teaching,” she shares. “It was very satisfying to help students learn something they didn’t know and to see in their eyes that they got it and knew what to do. I saw the world through their eyes.”

After gaining her master’s, she moved to Ohio where she taught design at Kent State. But the passionate – maybe obsessive – gardener longed for warmer weather, and while on her tenure track she searched for work in the South. A chance meeting at a conference in New Orleans led her to learn of an open position at UL. “The climate was attractive to me, and now I can garden even in December,” says Kozinets who moved to Lafayette in 2014. Currently an associate professor at UL, she teaches three days a week in the School of Architecture and Design and works as an interior design program coordinator.

She describes her own design style as eclectic and contemporary with a blend of traditional elements. “I grew up close to Sweden, Finland and Denmark, so I acquired a more Scandinavian style,” she says. Known for her fearless approach to color she points out, “Many people are uncomfortable with choosing colors; it’s intuitive for me.”

In her home, a black and white cowhide rug in the dining room stands out against the white palette. Her fondness for mirrors is evident amidst a well-curated mix of contemporary and mid-century objects – and, of course, the former librarian’s collection of books. Fresh flowers brighten the rooms. Several windows give a view of the garden, which serves as the backdrop of her abode.

For Kozinets, outdoor living is an important component of house design. “A garden is like a room.” she maintains. “You create areas for flowers and sitting; trees and bushes are like the walls; you choose a color palette and can make it symmetrical or asymmetrical.” Her backyard, which she describes as a source of happiness, is the result of a seven-year design project.

On the days she’s not teaching the likes of design schematics or visual storytelling, Kozinets works as Vice President of Designing Women of Acadiana helping other women develop their careers. Named after the popular TV show from the late 80s and early 90s, Designing Women, the non-profit encourages women in Acadiana to meet their full potential within their fields, through networking and education.

Kozinets, who coordinates panel discussions, creative socials and other activities says, “When we began in 2016, we focused on women in architecture and interior design, but have expanded to helping those in other fields like graphic design, jewelry making, project management and construction.”

When we spoke at the end of February, Kozinets was preparing for a presentation she would make in March at the annual conference of the Interior Design Educators Council in New York. Among the highlights, she would talk about housing in Ukraine and a project that’s been on her mind. “I’m hoping to return to Ukraine when the war is over to see how I can participate in the redesign and rebuilding of apartment housing that has been partially destroyed, and where about 60 percent of the population live.”

While she waits for peace, we are reminded that interior design is not just about making a home beautiful; it can be about helping people rebuild.

Her Personal Space

Most treasured home items- Collection of mid-century Gerald Thurston Lightolier mushroom table lamps

Hobby- Gardening

Favorite Cajun foods- Boudin and smothered collard or mustard greens

Little Known Fact- Is a long-time swimmer with a fear of diving and being submerged

A go-to design website – Lightology, best for light fixtures