Building thoughtful interfaces with precision and purpose
I'm a Senior Front-End Engineer and Engineering Lead with 14 years of experience building web applications that balance clarity, performance, and design integrity. My path into tech wasn't linear — it began behind the lens of a camera — but that's where I first learned the power of observation, attention to detail, and storytelling. Those same instincts now shape how I build products and lead teams.
About me
I started my career at sixteen, long before I wrote my first line of code.
My passion for street photography led me to become only the second photographer for Lithuania's largest news website, DELFI. One of my photos earned second place in the 2009 Lithuanian Press Photography Awards in the News category and was published in the annual book of winners.
That early experience taught me how to see detail — and how much craft and clarity matter when you want to make something resonate.
When I moved to the UK in 2010 to study film and television, I realised that what truly drew me in wasn't just capturing stories — it was designing the systems that helped people interact with them. So I taught myself to code.
Starting small, I learned HTML and CSS, then began working for a small agency as their first in-house web developer. Later, at Ostmodern, I contributed to projects for BBC Player (for BBC Studios), the Olympic Channel, and BFI's Britain on Film — learning how form and function come together in good design. My background in photography and my love of Braun-inspired, “just enough” design gave me a foundation for the interface sensibility I bring to my work today.
At GoCardless, I was the first front-end engineer hired directly under the design team, working on the marketing site to improve usability, accessibility, and how the brand communicated visually. Later, at Simply Business, I joined as a Mid-Level Engineer, was promoted to Senior, and then to Engineering Lead — a role that, in most companies, would be called Engineering Manager. I lead a distributed team across three time zones, breaking down complex projects into manageable pieces that we refine together before engineers pick them up.
While I can lead and manage effectively, my core passion lies in hands-on engineering — writing code, shaping architectures, and delivering work that feels solid and thoughtfully made.
Independent projects
Outside full-time work, I enjoy exploring ideas through small, self-driven projects — each using a different toolset or architectural pattern to solve real, tangible problems.
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SetSweat
Every new release of gym tracking apps brought fancier onboarding, embedded videos, and social feeds - all designed to convert free users into paying subscribers. The basics suffered. What struck me was how many serious, consistent lifters had quietly given up and gone back to pen and paper. SetSweat is built for those people: record an exercise, track sets and reps, note the weight, see progress over time. Works fully offline via PouchDB synced to CouchDB, so you can log a set in the basement of a gym with no signal and trust your data is safe. Still a work in progress.
Stack:
- TanStack Start
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS v4
- TanStack Router & Query
- Zod + React Hook Form
- PouchDB/CouchDB
- Sentry
- PostHog
- Vite
- Biome
- Vitest
- Fly.io
- Docker
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Essential Nose
https://www.essentialnose.com/
A few years ago I bought a Muji essential oil diffuser. When I asked staff how to blend oils, the answer was always the same: just mix what smells nice. Online wasn't much better. Perfumery has real rules — blend across note types, don't overload base notes — so I did the research, built the data model, and turned it into Essential Nose. Start from an oil you already own, pick a goal (sleep, focus, energy), and get a blend recipe that actually makes sense.
Stack:
- React
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Vite
- Vitest
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PocketFX
Currency converter apps are bloated with ads, paywalls, and poor offline support — exactly when you need them most. PocketFX is a no-nonsense reference tool built for travel: open it in a shop abroad, get a ballpark figure, move on. Rates are fetched daily via a cron job and cached to your device, so it works even when you're roaming without data or signal.
Stack:
- SolidJS
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Cloudflare Workers & D1
- Vite
- Progressive Web App
Each project reflects how I think: start with a real-world problem, choose the right tools, design around clarity, and build something that feels honest and durable.
What drives me
I believe that great engineering is about integrity and invisible craftsmanship — not just what you can see, but what you can't.
Like the carpenter who builds the back of a cabinet with as much care as the front, I approach every project with respect for detail, structure, and the people who will depend on it.
I care deeply about how products feel to use and how technology supports design rather than overwhelms it. My focus is on building systems and interfaces that are fast, clear, and maintainable — and on helping teams work in a way that values communication as much as technical skill.
Outside of work
Outside of work, I care deeply about maintaining a sense of balance and perspective.
I meditate regularly, weight train three times a week, and pay attention to healthy food and recovery — habits that help me stay focused and grounded.
I enjoy reading and learning about how people and systems work — whether through Brené Brown's books on vulnerability, Radical Candour, The Culture Map, or The Design of Everyday Things. I also keep up with the latest in web development through the React Status newsletter and Frontend Masters courses.
I also love to travel and explore new places whenever I can.
Connect
I'm always happy to hear from people who share an interest in thoughtful engineering, design, or building products with care. If you'd like to chat or collaborate on something, feel free to reach out.