We recently connected with Shannon Mann and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Mann Design Studios exists to elevate and create soulful living spaces that empower people to flourish — to feel and benefit from the balance, harmony, and happiness of their surrounding spaces throughout their day-to-day lives. We approach design with a highly curated and intentional frame of mind — a strong, intuitive connection with people, nature, and art. We rely on and trust in our instinct in order to bring beautiful, meaningful, and soulful environments to life.

We live in and create for a world where interior design goes beyond aesthetics. Every space we design, every interaction we have, reflects our deep-rooted belief in spreading kindness, and that is what we call Mannkind. Our commitment to improvement extends its influence beyond the immediate sphere of design, promoting philanthropy in education and the arts, empathy, and a shared sense of MannKind throughout our community.
In 2019, we started our MannKind campaigns to draw awareness and raise money for the nonprofits and charities we support and work with annually. We believe that the more we know, the better we all become, and collectively, we can make a difference.
We often focus on organizations that support the arts and education, as well as our local community. We recently designed a (pro-bono) creative classroom/lounge space for underprivileged children at an elementary school in Houston. We have just started working on another one at a different school. We hope by doing this, we can help provide a safe and inspiring place for young children to ignite their creativity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We resolve the challenges of a disconnected living space, as our soulful environments balance connection with a deep sense of individual comfort and belonging. We embrace maximalism in small doses, for there can be many elements in a design as long as they are rooted in intention and foster connection. We know that the flow of a home is guided by the people within it, and through a harmony of scale, proportion, and light, our seamless, intuitive designs are crafted not to instruct, but to guide. We rely on and trust in our instinct in order to bring beautiful, meaningful, and soulful environments to life.
Sentimental memories, keepsakes, conversation pieces, they can all have a wonderful place at the table. Speaking of tables…we are very collaborative and want everyone we are working with to feel empowered to bring things to the table. We believe that the best designs come from many minds connecting and working together to offer solutions for better environments. We ensure a sense of togetherness not only at the beginning of the process, but throughout the journey and long after the finishing touches.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I look to my peers in the @the.pearl.collective, a group of designers doing interesting and inspiring work across the country, supported by experienced industry consultants. At the Table with Patrick Lencioni is great for team strategies and a short listen for the treadmill. The book in my bag at the moment is The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy.

Contact Info:

• Website: manndesignsstudio.com
• Instagram: @manndesignsstudio

Image Credits
Photo of Shannon: Felipe Fenton Project photos: Peter Molick