ABOUT YIAYIA

The studio takes its name from the Greek word for “Grandmother,” honoring the women who shaped Marie’s understanding of space, memory, and care. Though both yiayia’s have passed on, their presence endures through rituals, photographs, and stories that continue to be lived and shared. They were places of warmth and gathering, layered with memory and meaning. That feeling, of space as something deeply felt and remembered, sits at the heart of the studio’s work.

The studio’s work spans private residences, boutique multifamily projects, and intimate hospitality spaces. Each project responds to its setting and the people it serves, while the studio’s approach remains constant.

Our studio views design as a shared process, one that helps clients find and express their own voice through space. That collaboration extends beyond the client relationship to include architects, builders, craftspeople, makers, and artists. Each project comes to life through the collective vision, skill, and care of many hands, shaped by relationships built on trust, curiosity, and respect.

STUDIO YIAYIA is grounded in the belief that spaces should reflect the people who inhabit them. Environments are not designed to impose a point of view, but to reveal one, shaped through listening, dialogue, and a deep understanding of how people live, gather, work, and move through their daily lives. Our approach is that spaces are layered rather than finished, allowing rooms to collect memory, patina, and meaning. The result is environments that feel expressive and grounded, quietly holding the stories of those who pass through and inhabit them.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Marie Daskalas, Principal and Founder of STUDIO YIAYIA, has long been fascinated by how spaces shape the way we live. She is drawn to the ways light, texture, and proportion can hold memory, meaning, and emotion. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, her early connection to expansive landscapes and shifting light continues to inform her work. Her appreciation for design, art and digging into her creativity was nurtured through her mother and through extensive travel, where art, architecture, and landscape deepened her understanding of place and daily life.

After studying interior architecture, Marie spent two years in Amsterdam, where she honed her craft and developed a lasting appreciation for Dutch design and The Netherlands. During this time, she worked with Studio Modijefsky and Studio Molen, collaborators she continues to hold close. Upon returning to the United States, she spent formative years at Nicole Hollis in San Francisco and Olson Kundig in Seattle, leading residential and hospitality projects with a strong emphasis on materiality, context, and thoughtful detail. These experiences were shaped by inspiring mentors and colleagues she still considers friends.

Now based in Seattle, Marie leads STUDIO YIAYIA with an openness to working across landscapes and places, approaching each project with curiosity and respect for its unique context. Through the studio, she creates interiors that feel personal, enduring, and alive. Her work celebrates craft, embraces nature, and encourages connection, guided by the belief that a home should support daily rituals and hold the stories of those who live there. Every project is a collaboration, carefully layered and intentionally designed to feel both meaningful and quietly unforgettable.