We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Parrado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
the same time, you feel the adrenaline running through your veins and it is exciting. In my life, taking risks has played an important role in making me who I am; I don´t regret the risks that I have taken, even though I faced some tough time as a result. Being a competitive tennis player since my young age, taking risks was part of every point I played. In a match you may have a very easy ball in front of you but if you don’t risk attacking it or getting too close to the line, you may not be able to win the point or finish a match.

That is life! You could see it pass in front of you from your comfort zone; but I am sure that if you don’t take risks, you do not “win”.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am an architectural engineer with a Masters in Architectural and Construction Visualization from the University of Southern Mississippi. Having this background, along with my work experience in the architecture and interior design industry, has been the foundation to be the cofounder of a Colombian interior design magazine.

LOOK&FEEL MAGAZINE was founded in April 2019 in the company of my business partner Melissa Cotes Ricciulli. Her dream and idea became mine too and together with our team, we launched our first digital edition in August 2010. Since then we have been publishing our magazine every three months growing our business and having the best experiences of my life.

The main goal of L&F MAGAZINE is to show and promote young Colombian companies and startups that develop projects or products around the interior design profession. We also feature brands, artists, designers and professionals from other parts of the world to present their work. These two targets sets us apart from other magazines in the market.

Our content brings new ideas, solutions and contacts to our audience; and the opportunity for the young companies who advertise their brand with us to showcase their work and increase their reach.

I am very proud of the work we have created with my team. The graphic language of the magazine is very clean and beautiful. The photography work is impressive and the content is complete and striking. Moreover, thanks to our magazine we have linked brands from our country with some presented from abroad, and now they are opening up to new markets.

Starting a magazine and building the brand has not been an easy task. Of course, we have been through financial and emotional challenges like many startups, but having the feedback that we have received from or community, has been the energy we continue to inject into our business to keep growing every day.

I want the world to know my magazine as the best place to see fresh ideas, cutting edge work from young startups and as the Colombian site to learn and see beautiful photography with strong interior design content.

As mentioned before, taking risks is not easy. I took a huge risk to be able to work for my dream, LOOK&FEEL MAGAZINE. I would like to be remembered as the dreamer who executes without fear of not having food on my plate or going broke. It’s not easy, but if your heart is pounding and you feel happy, just do it! The joy and satisfaction of good results is priceless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day 1 Plaza Usaquen, the place to walk around and enjoy of good restaurants and coffee shops. On Sundays there is a nice flea market with pretty handmade souvenirs and accessories.

Then I would take my friend to a Beerwagon, a pub towards La Calera town but it is also a viewpoint for the city of Bogota.

Day 2
Downtown Bogota, La Candelaria neighborhood, Botero and Gold Museum. Monserrate, a church on the top of the mountain. A viewpoint for the city of Bogota.

Day 3
Villa de Leyva Town, 2.5 Hours from Bogota.

Day 4
Walking and lunch by 93 Park, El Virrey Park and T Zone. Many places to have dinner and drinks.

Day 5
Go to Salt Cathedral Zipaquirá,

Day 6
Coffee by the G Zone and lunch there. At night Andres Carne de Res Chía. An amazing place were every foreigner should go to eat and party.

Day 7
Chillax by the hotel.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family in special my parents. My close friends, my business partner Melissa, LOOK&FEEL MAGAZINE and team.

Website: www.lookandfeelmagazine.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nat_parrado/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliaparrado/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClntIE-GaGZz7BCnUR7-xgw

Other: https://www.instagram.com/qzi.co/ Another startup another dream…

Image Credits
Diego González, Diana González, Cristian García, Fabián Parrado, LOOK&FEEL MAGAZINE.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.