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

Hi Lamia – Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
Growing up in a household that revolved around construction and engineering, I realized at the age of five my passion for Design and the Arts.  Despite living through the Lebanese civil war, my parents helped promote and foster my artistic side and instilled in me the importance of independence and entrepreneurship.  As a next step and to further my education, I followed a dream by moving to Los Angeles to study interior design at California State University of Los Angeles and at UCLA through their extension program.  After graduating with honors, I made the decision to return to Lebanon and start my own design practice.   My interior design firm flourished locally and within Europe and expanded to two offices in Lebanon to cater to different clientele base.  In addition, I found a niche to manufacture woodwork and furniture which led to owning a woodshop.  After seven years working in Lebanon, Los Angeles came calling again and MI Design Inc. was born.  Since co-founding the company in 2002 alongside my partner, MI Design has completed hundreds of projects to date that include residential and commercial projects across three continents.

Has it been a smooth road?  If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? 
As a young female designer and an entrepreneur in a predominately male dominated society around the Middle East that was unaccustomed back then to both, made it difficult at first to convince clients and sub-contractors of my designs. However, with creative concepts, perseverance, and exceptional project management skills, I demanded respect, and overcame the challenges initially witnessed. Staying the course and being true to my work ethics as well as delivery schedules, I gained more projects by word of mouth and had a thriving relationship with both clients and sub-contractors. I took these same lessons on me to the United States with more persistence and passion for interior design as I melded through the cultural differences.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A shoutout to my parents who offered their wisdom, love, and guidance in parts. And to my running community for inspiring me to keep running. I am an avid runner who have completed close to 10 marathons and countless half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks. Following every client’s meeting, I go out for a run and while immersing myself in nature, inspirations and design concepts start falling in place.

Website: www.midesigncorp.com

Instagram: @maalouflamia

Image Credits
HsH Prod

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