DARYA MAEKI, DUNA MASHAL, AND PERHAPS, YOU.
YES, we share initials, vision and design passion.
Darya Maeki,
CO-FOUNDER. DESIGNER. GLOBETROTTER.
Made in Italy. Born in Los Angeles. Raised in Rome. Schooled in Toronto and abroad. I am Iranian.
We moved to Toronto when I was seven years old. I always knew I would eventually want to go back to Italy in some shape or form.
I applied for a study abroad summer program to Italy in my second year of University studying Psychology. The trip made me realize that anything is possible. If I put my mind to it, that is. I graduated and decided to move to Milan for a Master’s degree in Marketing.
After graduating and interning at a Fashion Press House in Milan and later a job at the University of Alicante, Spain, I eventually landed my dream job!
By the way, this new career was in none of the places I previously had lived in. It was New York City. Fashion. Buyer. Department Store. 25 years old.
A decade of living out of a suitcase, profound friendships, career building, moving cities and culture embracing I decided it was time to pack my things from my beloved Madrid and move back to Toronto.
I wanted to be in the same city my parents were live in. Once I moved back to Toronto, I was recruited as a Senior Buyer, and by default I accepted. The difference with this new company was less traveling which allowed more time to assess myself and my career.
From the many discoveries, one kept resurfacing – my desire to create meaningful collections. I decided to start working in Event Design. This experience lead to the realization that I was officially ready for a career change and I wanted to learn in an academic structure about Interior Architect (Italian translation), after all, I was raised by an Architect and Interior Design graduate. Architecture and Design were always topics in our home.
The way I felt when I was 25 years old about my dream job is exactly if not more, the way I felt when I started working as a Designer. Luck was on my side and I was able to work for most of 2019 on a project of a boutique hotel in Lampedusa, Italy with More Studio that is composed of a team of Architects and Interior Designers. The clients are exceptional who I continue to maintain a relationship with.
Now, it is about Duna and I. With all the diversity, knowledge and experience combined we want to make your dream home into reality, while simultaneously curating the aesthetics, space, and psychological benefit of having a DM Designo Space.
A decade of living out of a suitcase, profound friendships, career building, moving cities and culture embracing I decided it was time to pack my things from my beloved Madrid and move back to Toronto.
I wanted to be in the same city my parents were live in. Once I moved back to Toronto, I was recruited as a Senior Buyer, and by default I accepted. The difference with this new company was less traveling which allowed more time to assess myself and my career.
From the many discoveries, one kept resurfacing – my desire to create meaningful collections. I decided to start working in Event Design. This experience lead to the realization that I was officially ready for a career change and I wanted to learn in an academic structure about Interior Architect (Italian translation), after all, I was raised by an Architect and Interior Design graduate. Architecture and Design were always topics in our home.
The way I felt when I was 25 years old about my dream job is exactly if not more, the way I felt when I started working as a Designer. Luck was on my side and I was able to work for most of 2019 on a project of a boutique hotel in Lampedusa, Italy with More Studio that is composed of a team of Architects and Interior Designers. The clients are exceptional who I continue to maintain a relationship with.
Now, it is about Duna and I. With all the diversity, knowledge and experience combined we want to make your dream home into reality, while simultaneously curating the aesthetics, space, and psychological benefit of having a DM Designo Space.
Duna Mashal,
CO-FOUNDER. DESIGNER. TECH SAVVY.
I am Palestinian born in Ramallah. I believe that your roots are one of the most important parts of you. Building a home is the foundation of those roots.
When our family started building our home in Ramallah, I was 16 years old and I was the only one of my siblings that put my nose in everything related to the construction. Luckily, that led me to design the whole entrance of our home. That was a big deal for me. It built Confidence. Trust. Experience. At 16.
I knew instantly that I wanted to be in the field of Architecture and Design.
I have an endless desire to continue to learn about Architecture and Design. If I am not enrolled in a course I am auto-teaching myself a new design program. I believe this comes from being able to follow my passion, be supported and freely choose what I want to do. When I decided to study Design, I remember my father telling me “I had initially applied to Architecture, soon before I started, my scholarship, was taken away.”
My father eventually became a doctor that I am immensely proud of, his daughter became the Designer. Some dreams come true in different ways than we expect. Nevertheless, they come true.
After I graduated, I finally decided to extend my wings even farther away from home and move to Toronto to start my Design career and explore other areas of the built design.
My passion towards Design lead me to explore interiors and look beyond a façade and jump deep into the designing of interiors that directly affect each human being.
I started my career in a couple of different downtown Toronto Design Studios including designing for hospitality, residential, as well as office settings. I eventually as well as organically took these experiences into partnering with private clients where I was able to uncover the hidden potential of my clients’ projects and transforming them into refined, thought-out, and timeless spaces they love.
Darya and I have different backgrounds with vast experiences that allow us to bring different skills to the table. We believe our focus on showing people’s personalities and identities in the work we do comes from our strong desire to hold on to our roots. That is why we create unique spaces that speak to you. Your space is a way of showing who you are, no matter where you are.
I have an endless desire to continue to learn about Architecture and Design. If I am not enrolled in a course I am auto-teaching myself a new design program. I believe this comes from being able to follow my passion, be supported and freely choose what I want to do. When I decided to study Design, I remember my father telling me “I had initially applied to Architecture, soon before I started, my scholarship, was taken away.”
My father eventually became a doctor that I am immensely proud of, his daughter became the Designer. Some dreams come true in different ways than we expect. Nevertheless, they come true.
After I graduated, I finally decided to extend my wings even farther away from home and move to Toronto to start my Design career and explore other areas of the built design.
My passion towards Design lead me to explore interiors and look beyond a façade and jump deep into the designing of interiors that directly affect each human being.
I started my career in a couple of different downtown Toronto Design Studios including designing for hospitality, residential, as well as office settings. I eventually as well as organically took these experiences into partnering with private clients where I was able to uncover the hidden potential of my clients’ projects and transforming them into refined, thought-out, and timeless spaces they love.
Darya and I have different backgrounds with vast experiences that allow us to bring different skills to the table. We believe our focus on showing people’s personalities and identities in the work we do comes from our strong desire to hold on to our roots. That is why we create unique spaces that speak to you. Your space is a way of showing who you are, no matter where you are.
