#053 - The Biggest Beyond Interior Design Lessons — Flashback Part 2 by Marc Müskens

In this second part of the Beyond Interior Design flashback series, Marc Müskens continues his journey through the conversations that shaped the podcast — exploring nature, wellbeing, branding, online visibility, and the deeply personal full-circle moments that defined his own path as an interior designer.

You’ll hear how:

• #013 Lianne Bongers and #021 Nuria Muñoz reveal the healing power of biophilic design.
• #049 Simon Powell shows why true entrepreneurship means staying authentic.
• #043 Roelfien Vos shares how to build a successful studio with balance and boundaries.
• #027 Maureen Calamia connects love & need as the forces behind meaningful design.
• #018 Jane Bringolf explores designing for the extremes — creating truly inclusive spaces.
• #015 Gabrielle Buresch-Teichmann and #045 Alina Schartner open a new way of seeing color and light.
• #022 Linda Kafka & Mike Peterson share science-based proof of how thoughtful design impacts human wellbeing.
• #036 Victoria Taylor, #020 Kristoff D’Oria di Cirie, #024 Nikita Morell, #028 Ericka Saurit, and #044 Daniela Furtado unpack visibility, branding, and storytelling with purpose.
• #011 Ruben Meulenkamp, #023 Laura Martin Bovard, and #016, #017 Sisi Salamanca  (Special Q&A) bring it all home with soulful lessons on manifestation and authenticity.
• #039 Marie-Gon reflects on trends as mirrors of human behavior and society.
• #037 Monique des Bouvrie shares timeless wisdom on balance, legacy, and why design is ultimately about life itself.

A reflective journey through everything Beyond Interior Design stands for: connection, purpose, and the courage to design a life on your own terms.
Because when the meaning is clear, the form will follow.

This episode brings it full circle, but it's just the beginning of a new season: your season! 

Ready to attract dream clients and create your most beautiful projects yet?
Step into your authentic power with exclusive trainings, tools and live sessions.

Activate your FREE MEMBERSHIP at the Beyond Interior Design Club:
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Transcript

Marc: [00:00:00] Hey, Marc here and welcome back. If you've missed part one, go to episode 52 and lesson first, because today we continue the journey. This is part two of my look back through all the incredible conversations on the Beyond Terrorism Podcast,

and last time we looked at innovation. Play communication and the world of serving high-end clients. And today we go even deeper into nature wellbeing, but also branding online visibility and some deeply personal full circle moments, including the one that may mean and entire designer in the first place.

So let's dive in. Let's go beyond

section five, nature wellbeing, and biophilia. This is where we left off. We are now at section five of seven, so let's pick up from here and continue the journey together. A [00:01:00] theme that kept returning over and over is nature, biophilia, wellbeing, because in the end, we are nature ourselves, and design has the power to reconnect us.

One unforgettable episode was with Leanna Boners and Nuria Moz, two passionate designers who specialized in biophilic design. They explained it so clearly. For us in the design world, biophilia is almost a buzzword now, but for most clients it's still new. And what it means is simple design inspired by nature spaces dot calm your nerve system.

Spaces that heal and their how was beautiful. Integrate natural forms, natural materials, natural lights. Don't just decorate with plants. No design for a primal reset. It's about bringing people back to their nature baseline so they can breathe again. And yes, biophilia exploded in our community these past years, especially with the rise of ai, thousands of cave-like interiors, lush, green, oasis, dream-like Fissions, almost like a collective fantasy of returning to the forest. But Liana and Nuria reminded me this is just the beginning, a trap connected perfectly with my conversation with Simon Powell, the founder of Luke Aquatics, a company creating luxury aquariums.

At first glance, aquariums might sound farfetched, but it wasn't. Simon's philosophy is pure biophilia creating environments where humans feel calm, mesmerized, connected to something bigger and beyond that he gave massive entrepreneurial essence. [00:03:00] He told me, stick to your guns. Learn to say no. Try different things, but don't get distracted.

The how is building a business that is truly you. And honestly, I didn't expect to be moved by a conversation about fish, but I was. And then there was Maureen Kalmia, an expert in Fevi and biophilic design who brought us back to Primo Felix. She asked, why do you design in the first place? Where does that earth to create come from?

And we ended up talking about love and need. Two powerful forces. Her how was simple when both love and need are present in the project. The value multiplies love. The passion for creating beauty, need the practical necessity, the client's desire for change. And when you combine those two, that's when the project truly matters.

And then color, oh, the power of [00:04:00] color. Gabriela Daman opened my eyes in a way I. Didn't expect. She showed me how deeply we are shaped by color and light, even without realizing it. And in the middle of the episode, she actually guided the visualization exercise. I thought, can that even work through audio live in a podcast?

But it did. I felt it. She let me feel how color and light can move you and even give you direction. That moment stayed with me. Want to feel it yourself. Listen to the full episode with Gabriela Breman and try the color visualizations. Alina Shana Global Real Ambassador took the conversation further. She asked, what is color really?

Is it just static? No, it's a language. It's a coat. She showed me how color leaves clues about the times we live in. By observing everyday color use, we can literally read society. Her how was to train yourself to see those [00:05:00] patterns because then trends stop being shallow. They become insights to human behavior.

Did you know white is actually a really stressful to your brain? And then perhaps one of the most exciting developments, science is finally catching up with what designers always have felt with Linda Kafka and Mike Peterson. We talked about neuro aesthetics, real research, real data, proving that good.

Actually heals that beauty, reduces stress, that nature-based designs helps our bodies recover. They explain it with this phrase, encoded memory. Our brains are wired to respond positively to nature and beauty, and here's the how. If 95% of your thoughts are unconscious, design has a power to reach people where they don't even realize it, that's impact at the deepest level.

So what's the threat [00:06:00] here? Well, from Liana and Nuria, Simon, Maureen, Gabriela, Alina, Linda, and Mike, it's this design is not just about what you see. It's about what you feel, what heals, what connects you back to yourself and to nature and the how is to use this primal language of color, light, nature, and senses.

Because when we do, design becomes more than beautiful. It becomes medicine.

Section six, branding, storytelling, and a visibility. Another big theme was a visibility because let's be honest, it's not enough to be a good designer. People have to find you to feel you and remember you a one guest who captured this so well was Victoria Taylor, an experienced consultant who works with brands across hospitality and design, and she asked me, how do you turn your design into something?

People talk about something, [00:07:00] they come back for. Her how was Brilliant. Design is not just building, it's directing, directing emotions, directing rituals, directing into action. She even shared a statistic, 89% of companies that lead with experience financially outperform their competitors. Imagine applying that as a designer, not just making a space look good.

But creating an experience people want to relive. And then there was my friend Christophe Dolia Deri, a true artist and branding strategist with Christophe. The conversations always go deep. We explored how designers can learn from the world's biggest brands. And the how. He gave us built consistency and clarity.

He said the strongest brands don't just tell stories. They repeat them until people feel them. He also warn us, protect your DNA. Your brand isn't just your logo, it's your way of seeing the world. [00:08:00] That's what can be copied. Another amazing voice was Nikki Rell, an Australian copywriter who specialize in websites for architects and designers.

She gave us such a simple but powerful lesson. Those first five seconds on your website matters more than anything. What do people feel when they land here? Do they feel understood or do they just see another portfolio or. Make your sight about them, not you Lead with empathy. Use words that show you get the struggles before you show them your solutions.

She even gave practical scripts for this, and honestly, it changed the way I look at websites forever. Then came Erica Sarit. A branding strategy is to wield a whole step-by-step process for creating your brand story. And she nailed it. Just like you can't design a home without a concept, you can't market yourself without a story.

Her how was crystal clear? Define your [00:09:00] story pillars, connect them to your values and repeat them in every channel. That's how clients don't just find you. They feel who you are. Finally, Daniella Furtado, a digital strategist who gave us the technical side of feasibility, C-E-O-S-E-O, online presence and positioning, but she didn't make it dry her.

How was storytelling that is both found and felt? It's not about stuff and keywords. It's about writing in a way that Google understands and your ideal clients resonate with, and that balance is where magic happens. So from Victoria, Christophe, Nikita, Erica, and Daniella, the red threat is this. Visibility is not about shouting louder.

It's about being clearer, more consistent and more human. And the how is to design your brand, the way you design your projects with empathy concepts and a clear story. Section seven, personal [00:10:00] and full circle moments. And then there were the conversations that felt extra personal. The ones that weren't just about design, they were about life.

Ruben Meum took me into the world of manifestation. Now, some people roll their eyes when they hear that word, but Ruben grounded it in something so real. He reminded me of the origining of aba Cadabra. You know that word right? Aba cadabra in ancient Hebrew, it means I create while I'll speak, that gave me goosebumps every second.

You have a choice to design your life. Or let life design you his How was beautifully simple? Write it down. Speak it out loud. Be clear about what you want, and the energy will follow. We even did a live exercise in that episode and it was magic. [00:11:00] Try it out. Episode with Aruba me gum manifestation. Then came Jane Bri Golf, a warm soul with a powerful mission.

She introduced to us a group. Designers often forget people with disabilities. She calls it universal design. Not inclusive as something separate, but design that works for everyone as he gave such practical house. Start by designing for the extremes. If it works for the edge cases, it works for everyone in between.

And that perspective changed me. Laura Martin Bovar, also a left deep mark on me. She asked, who are you really as a designer? What drives you? And she said, stop chasing the image. Wake up to who you are. Her How was to run your business from your soul? Build it in alignment with who you truly are. So [00:12:00] the clients you were attract are the ones who want you.

That's real freedom. And then there was Mari home. For years, I resisted trends. I thought they were shallow, but she opened my eyes. She showed me that trends are not about following, they're about understanding. They reflect the spirit of times behavior needs, society, her how. Don't copy trends, read them, use them as clues, and that's how you design for the present moment.

And then the table turns. For two episodes, I wasn't the one asking the questions. CC Salamanca sat down and grilled me with her freely asked questions from designers all over the world. And honestly, I loved it because these were the real raw questions we all face in daily practice. CC asked me, how do you handle clients who want free sketches or free advice?

When is the right moment to raise your fees? [00:13:00] How do you stay confident when you're starting out? Answers. That's life reminded me. Sometimes the power is not having the perfect answer, but in facing the right questions, those episodes kept me sharp. Not just for you listening, but for myself too. And then the full circle moments.

The very first place I worked 20 years ago, and there we were two decades later, sitting together in my online podcast studio talking about balance or better the interweaving of live and work. And for me, there was a moment of coming home and finally young and Monique, the. My childhood heroes. Saturday nights I was 10 or 12 years old, sitting on the calcium in pajamas with my mom, dad, and my brother, a bag of chips, a glass of Coke and tv, bone Magazine on the screen.

That was my favorite moment of the week, [00:14:00] and that's when I knew I want to be an interior designer too. And here I was, decades later, sitting across from Monica Selves. That conversation was alignment. It was a circle completed. And that's why I wanted to enter to her because Young Am, Monique de Beri are the reason I am who I am today.

The reason I became a designer a yes, I also believe the universe orchestrated this moment to fulfill my potential, and that's an ongoing process. One, I. Hopefully this special episode inspired you. Maybe it touched you. Maybe it reminded you that you too can create an interior design studio that truly fits with who you are.

You are the designer because what's most personal is often the most powerful. And we are here to help you to figure this out. Curious how we do that. Check out Beyond Interior Design Club [00:15:00] today. The how came in in many forms. Sign based insights, communicating your own principles, selling personal boundaries, authentic storytelling, the force of modern nature, online visibility, structuring your business all to do what you love to do most.

But the why has always been bigger. I'm talking about creating impact and that's what beyond the, the design means. It's about taking responsibility for the spaces we shape, the lives we touch, and the choices we make as designers. Because in the end, for me, it all comes down to this form follows meaning.

When the meaning is clear, the form will follow, and that's how you create work that lasts. Work that touches work that matters beyond interior design.