Like in her design work, which finds a sweet spot between contemporary cool and the virtues of feng shui, Marie Burgos knows how to find the right balance. In addition to a robust project pipeline feeding into her New York and Los Angeles offices, Burgos’s growing collection of furniture, lighting and accessories, which draw inspiration from her native island of Martinique, is now represented at the German Kitchen Center showroom at the D&D Building in New York. The designer shares how she makes it all happen while remaining Zen.
1. Choose positivity. “I believe there are no real limits—only the ones we impose ourselves. I’m currently working on design projects in New York, Los Angeles and Florida, while also preparing to launch my new collection this year. It can get pretty busy. I’ve learned that I have to keep my happiness high so I can accomplish things and have positive outcomes. The more positive you are, the more good things you attract. My goals and my daily behavior are a conscious choice.”
2. Be consistent with clients. “Client relationships are essential to building your business. Make a point of getting back to people rapidly and following up. Communicating with clients is a big factor in establishing a bond for successful projects, referrals and a long-lasting rapport.”
3. Encourage constructive criticism. “Feedback is essential to learning and getting things right, whether it’s listening to clients to grasp who they are so their design reflects their personality and lifestyle, or listening to collaborators and experts on my team. They are my support system and have my clients’ satisfaction and my brand’s best interests at heart. When it comes to product design, having the right experts working with me—hearing their feedback and addressing the issues—made all my efforts pay off.”
4. Delegate and collaborate. “You cannot do it all alone. Surrounding yourself with a team and collaborators with the same work ethic and passion for what they do is essential, and working with a great team helps generate ideas and positive energy.”
5. Learn from failures. “I try not to take a failure as the end of everything, but just as a lesson learned, and keep building on it.”
