Ralitsa Kombakis is the founding Architect of Studio Rallou, with years of experience at leading firms including Nest Architectural Design, Basile Studio, and GTC Design. Today, she runs her own business designing and operating highly detailed, story-driven hospitality spaces across San Diego. Her portfolio features projects such as Rare Society with Trust Restaurant Group and Chef Brad Wise to the newly opened Kiku Room, San Diego’s Hi-Fi listening bar and cocktail lounge in Little Italy.

Before launching her own firm, Ralitsa’s path began far from the architecture world. She grew up working in her family’s pizza restaurant in Maine, where she first learned what the hospitality world was really about and how restaurants can create moments that evoke emotion in the people who spend time there. Drawn to creativity but guided by immigrant parents who insisted she “find something adjacent” to art school, she discovered architecture through an AutoCAD class. That spark led her to Syracuse University, where she studied architecture, a field that blended both sides of her brain: the technical and the artistic.

In this episode, Ralitsa joins Taylor to reflect on how that journey shaped the design approach she brings to homes, hospitals, restaurants, chefs’ personal kitchens, and ultimately San Diego’s newest community-driven music bar. Together they dive into the deeper side of design, from imposter syndrome and finding confidence in your creative voice to the role of empathy and what it really takes to create spaces that shape the way we feel. Ralitsa also breaks down the realities of opening a small business in 2025, the creative process behind Kiku Room, its early challenges, and the exciting restaurant projects she’s taking on next.

Contact Ralitsa at: https://www.studiorallou.com/portfolio

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