From sculpting spaces to stirring cocktails, Vladan blurs the lines between architecture, art, and experience.
Q: You’ve made a name for yourself in two seemingly different worlds—architecture and bartending. How did that happen?
Vladan: It wasn’t so much a plan as it was a gravitational pull. Architecture taught me precision, scale, atmosphere. Bartending taught me energy, rhythm, and human connection. Both demand composition—whether it’s arranging a space or balancing a Negroni. I’ve always seen the bar as a mini-stage, a place where stories are told in liquid form.
Q: You earned your Master’s in Architecture in 2008 and jumped straight into a PhD. What drove that hunger?
Vladan: Curiosity, mostly. And a bit of defiance. I didn’t want to stop at “good enough.” Architecture is more than blueprints—it’s philosophy, behavior, sociology. I wanted to understand why we feel certain things in certain spaces. And I wasn’t afraid to chase that answer all the way through academia and out into the real world.
Q: You’ve been immersed in the Hamptons and Palm Beach lifestyle for nearly a decade. What has that added to your design DNA?
Vladan: Elegance with restraint. Opulence with ease. Those environments taught me how to design experiences, not just spaces. You start to think about how a hallway breathes at sunset or how a color palette might complement a rosé at golden hour. It’s luxury, yes—but rooted in intentionality.
Q: And when did bartending enter the picture in a serious way?
Vladan: The moment I realized a cocktail could be an architectural form. Every element—the vessel, the garnish, the layering—is design. I started hosting pop-ups and private events where the cocktail menu would reflect the spatial theme. It turned into a signature, something people started requesting. Eventually, it became part of who I am as a creator.
Q: Do you see your role behind the bar as an extension of your design work?
Vladan: Absolutely. The bar is a space I shape in real time. Lighting, pacing, scent, sound—it’s immersive. I build atmospheres with fewer materials but greater immediacy. And I love that. There’s an intimacy in bartending that architecture doesn’t always offer. People lower their guard at a bar. You get to design their mood, not just their surroundings.
Q: You’ve been called one of the most gifted architects of your generation, yet your talent often flies under the radar. Why do you think that is?
Vladan: I never played the fame game. I was more interested in making work that spoke for itself. Some of the best pieces I’ve done were for private collections or quiet retreats—places that don’t scream for attention but whisper meaning. And I’m okay with that. I build for resonance, not applause.
Q: Your work sits at the intersection of design, branding, and lifestyle. How do you maintain your voice across such diverse projects?
Vladan: By staying rooted in truth. I only take on projects where I feel a real connection to the story being told. Whether it’s a home, a curated event, or a cocktail menu, it has to come from a place of emotional honesty. My aesthetic isn’t loud—it’s layered. You might not notice every detail, but you’ll feel the sum of them.
Q: And when you’re not creating spaces or crafting cocktails? What keeps your creative spirit alive?
Vladan: Travel, always. Movement gives me perspective. I find beauty in long train rides—the rhythm, the blur, the quietness of thinking while the world rushes by. That fascination spilled into a bit of an obsession: I collect train miniatures. They’re tiny worlds frozen in motion, and I love the storytelling in that. Every piece has a place, a purpose, a past. It’s design in miniature—precise, nostalgic, and strangely poetic. That mix of movement and memory feeds everything I do.
Q: Final question. Is there a cocktail that best describes you?
Vladan: Probably an Old Fashioned—with a twist. Classic form, but always room for reinterpretation. Timeless, layered, and never exactly the same twice.
