Who we are
At Studio Oben, we believe good interiors should do more than look beautiful - they should support the way you live. Our approach balances aesthetics with functionality, placing particular emphasis on ergonomics, flow, and the practical realities of everyday life. We aim to create spaces that not only feel considered and refined, but also work effortlessly for the people who use them.
Our work is rooted in spatial design rather than decoration alone. While colour, materials, furniture, and styling are all essential parts of the process, we find them most successful when guided by a strong spatial concept. Layout, proportion, movement, and functionality come first, forming the foundation for interiors that feel coherent, purposeful, and lasting.
We also believe that design should reflect the client, not the designer’s ego or the latest trend. Rather than imposing a signature look, we work to understand each client’s preferences, lifestyle, and aspirations, and translate them into a space that feels authentic to them. Whether the chosen direction is minimal, classic, eclectic, contemporary, or more layered, our role is to ensure it is carried through with clarity and consistency throughout the entire interior.
Operating across the UK and Ireland, Studio Oben draws on a wide network of British and European suppliers. This gives our clients access to a broader, more flexible sourcing landscape, allowing us to find pieces and solutions that are distinctive, appropriate, and well-suited to each project.
The team
Leo
Leo is the founder of Studio Oben and its lead designer. Originally from Russia, he was shaped by an early immersion in art, culture, and theatre, as well as by years of competitive ballroom dancing, which fostered a lasting sensitivity to line, movement, proportion, and form.
His path into interior design followed an international career in the technology industry, where extensive travel exposed him to a wide range of cultures, interiors, and ways of living. This breadth of experience informs an approach that is observant, adaptable, and client-led rather than prescriptive.
A graduate of KLC School of Design, London, and a member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), Leo combines creative sensitivity with strategic rigour, with a particular interest in interiors that feel coherent, functional, and deeply attuned to the people who live in them.
Mark
Mark is a design advisor and interior illustrator whose passion for interiors has been lifelong. He came to interior design through the animation industry and holds a BA (Hons) in Visual Media and Animation, a background that trained him to pay close attention to spaces, atmosphere, and the subtle ways in which people inhabit and move through their surroundings. This continues to shape his approach, bringing a strong sense of narrative, visual sensitivity, and character to his work.
Mark is particularly skilled at translating ideas into compelling visuals, whether through hand-drawing or digital media. He works confidently across both 2D and 3D drawing and rendering tools, including Photoshop, Procreate, SketchUp and Maya, combining technical ability with an intuitive understanding of space, composition, and interior character.
Project Specialists
Alongside our core team, Studio Oben works with a trusted network of specialist advisors and collaborators, who are brought in for each project according to its specific needs. This may include experts in kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, curtains and soft furnishings, architecture, and construction, among others.
Rather than applying a fixed formula, we assemble a virtual project team around each brief, drawing on the right expertise at the right stage. This allows us to offer clients a more considered, flexible, and well-rounded service, while ensuring that specialist input is integrated into the design process where it adds the greatest value.
Our collaborators are not a separate add-on, but an extension of the studio - trusted professionals we involve when needed to help deliver cohesive, practical, and well-resolved outcomes.
Contact us
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