Conversations with Marianna Egyed

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianna Egyed.

Hi Marianna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story probably began with an unquenchable curiosity about the world. Growing up in Hungary, I was fortunate to experience international travel from a young age as borders opened after ’89. I became fascinated by everything that made a place unique—the landscapes, food, people, sounds, scents, and most of all how people live their lives and interact with their surroundings.

Over the years that curiosity took me across countries and cultures, including nearly two years living in Australia, later a move to Montreal, Canada, and quite recently to Roswell, GA.

I spent more than a decade building a successful corporate career in a field far removed from what I do today. While I learned a great deal, I increasingly felt there was no outlet for my creative and explorative side. Eventually, burnout pushed me to step away and take a gap year to experience more of the world and reconsider what I’d like to spend my days doing.

We were at a yoga teacher training in Thailand when Covid arrived, and we found ourselves living on a small island for several months. With very little to do, I decided to take an online interior design course, and what began as exploration of a vague interest quickly revealed itself as the career I had been looking for. That discovery led to formal training, and I’ve been working as an interior designer ever since.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Everything went smoothly until graduation. Then came a humbling reality check. After more than a decade building a career, reputation, and network in the corporate world, I suddenly found myself starting from scratch—a fresh design graduate with limited experience and the added challenge of not speaking French. My plan had been to learn under an established designer before launching my own business, but finding that first opportunity proved harder than I ever expected, and took a big toll on my confidence that I sometimes struggle with to this day.

With the help of my partner I was able to work through this, and started engaging with, and supporting designers and clients remotely. Now I’m at a point where I’m booked weeks in advance, and am looking to expand to work with home and small business owners in person, locally.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I look at interior design as a hybrid of artistry, creativity, empathy, technical know-how and strong business processes. I feel most in my element when creating spaces that are imbued with the personality of those interacting with it on a daily basis, that elicit some kind of reaction that is appropriate for the intended use of a room. I believe that such results come from understanding the clients’ needs, their way of living, where they can be pushed out of their comfort zone without compromising the overall experience, and blending that with my know-how and creativity.
While in the technical sense I’m most proud of one of my school concept projects, a restaurant inspired by an under-water world without a drop of real water being part of the design (apart from the necessary plumbing that is), experiencing my clients’ reactions when they see a finished space is unbeatable.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
We as a family approach risks very analytically. Before deciding whether to take a risk we do as much research as possibly to best understand the potential wins and losses, and make a decision accordingly. We would think of a plan to mitigate those potential losses, or be ready to accept them. I don’t take risks that keep me up at night, no potential win is worth that kind of anxiety for me.
Leaving behind established lives when moving to Montreal and most recently to the US certainly was a risk, but I feel that we are adaptive and curious enough to make the most of such moves.

When it comes to my work my approach is somewhat different, because at the end of the day it is the client taking the risk while I act as a facilitator. When it comes to function and well-being I feel my role is to actually remove the risk, but aesthetics is a whole different playing field, There’s room to have fun, take some risks to potentially end up with something exciting and unique vs safe. The key is finding the right balance within the home that works for the client, and that balance will be different for everybody.

Pricing:

• Design fees are calculated based on scope and deliverables, usually 12-15% of budget
• 90-minute in home consultation $400-$550 that is credited back if a contract is signed.
• E-design concept $1000-$2500 / per room depending on complexity and size of the room

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mnldesign22.wixsite.com/mariannaegyed
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tales_of_space_interiors?igsh=MTVpYnZ6dW1xYW85NQ==
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianna-egyed-6979a4b/