Today we’d like to introduce you to Marbé Briceno Velázquez.
Hi Marbé, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story has always been rooted in creativity, movement and reinvention. I was born in Venezuela, raised in Miami and further shaped by my education and experiences across Europe before eventually building my life and practice in Los Angeles. Each place taught me something different about art, culture, craftsmanship and the way people experience space.
I founded Marbé Designs in 2017, but my journey in the design industry began many years earlier. Over nearly two decades, I have worked across residential, commercial and hospitality projects while continuing to refine not only my technical abilities, but also my understanding of who I am as a designer.
The most important evolution has been gaining clarity around my own point of view. I used to feel that I needed to define my work through a recognizable aesthetic. Today, I understand that what distinguishes my work is not a style to be repeated, but a way of seeing.
I approach every interior as both a composition and a living environment. I study the person, the space, its light, proportions, history and context, and then develop a language particular to that project. An idea may begin with art, geometry, memory or an unexpected reference and evolve into lighting, custom furniture, millwork or an entire spatial experience.
That is why I often say, “I don’t design styles. I design how you want to exist inside a space.” Marbé Designs has grown into a luxury boutique practice grounded in the relationship between art and function. Today, I am more intentional about the work I create, the projects I accept and the legacy I want to build through design.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but the nature of the challenges has evolved as my career has grown. Today, the difficulty is not simply finding opportunities; it is carrying increasingly complex projects from an original idea through the realities of construction while protecting the integrity of the design.
I am currently working on a significant project under NDA, as well as the restoration of a church in Orange County. These projects are very different, but both demand an enormous level of responsibility, coordination and problem-solving. The church, in particular, requires sensitivity to an existing place with meaning, history and a community attached to it. The objective is not to erase what was there, but to understand what should be preserved, what needs to function differently and how new interventions can feel respectful and intentional.
Behind every completed space are challenges the public rarely sees: changing conditions, technical limitations, budgets, approvals, timelines, construction realities and multiple professionals interpreting the same design documents. Sometimes a detail that appears simple requires weeks of development and coordination. As the designer, I must continually find solutions without allowing the original idea to become diluted.
I have also learned that growth brings a different kind of pressure. Greater opportunities come with greater expectations, more complex decisions and, in the case of confidential work, accomplishments that cannot always be publicly shared. Much of the progress may be happening quietly.
These experiences have taught me to be flexible in the process without becoming careless with the vision. They have strengthened my patience, technical judgment and ability to lead—while reminding me that meaningful work often takes far more time, collaboration and perseverance than the finished photographs will ever reveal.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an interior and spatial designer, artist and creative director. Through Marbé Designs, I lead a luxury boutique practice specializing in residential, commercial and hospitality interiors, from new construction and extensive renovations to custom furniture, lighting, millwork and art curation.
I am known for approaching interiors as compositions rather than collections of beautiful objects. I consider proportion, material, light, form and function as parts of one interconnected idea. A concept may begin with a piece of art, a geometric form, a memory or an unexpected reference and then evolve into a ceiling detail, custom lighting, furniture or the entire experience of a space.
I often say, “I don’t design styles. I design how you want to exist inside a space.” My work is not defined by a signature look repeated from one project to another. I read the client, the space and its context, then develop a visual language that belongs specifically to that project. What sets me apart is not one particular aesthetic, but the ability to move between different aesthetics without losing the strength or authorship of the work.
I am most proud when a project feels inevitable—as though it could not belong to anyone else or exist anywhere else. That requires looking beyond what a client initially says they want and understanding how they live, what moves them and what they may not yet know how to articulate. My responsibility is to translate that into something tangible, functional and emotionally resonant.
I am also proud that, after nearly two decades in this profession, I have resisted allowing the industry to place me inside one category. I continue to study, travel, question and evolve. Curiosity remains central to my practice—not as a search for novelty, but as a way of discerning what has meaning, what has substance and what deserves to become part of a space.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned is that talent and hard work are essential, but they must be accompanied by discernment.
Throughout my journey, I have experienced professional relationships and opportunities that initially appeared aligned with my growth but ultimately taught me the importance of boundaries, documentation and paying attention when actions do not match words. I naturally approach people with trust and generosity, but experience has taught me that protecting my work, reputation and peace is not contrary to being kind. It is part of leading responsibly.
I have also learned not to confuse access with alignment. Not every room I am invited into is meant for me, and not every closed door represents rejection. Some of the most painful disappointments in my career have eventually revealed themselves as protection or redirection. At the time, I could not always understand why something was being removed from my path. Looking back, I can see that those experiences strengthened my judgment and forced me to become clearer about who I am, what I value and what I will no longer compromise.
My faith has been fundamental in that process. I believe that when one door closes, God can open another that is more aligned with the purpose He has for us—but we must be willing to release what is familiar and continue moving forward.
Today, I trust more carefully, ask better questions and place greater value on integrity. I remain open to people and collaboration, but I no longer believe that every opportunity must be pursued or every relationship preserved. Sometimes growth is not about gaining more. Sometimes it is having the wisdom to recognize what you have outgrown and the courage to walk away.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marbedesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marbedesigns/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marbedesigns
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marbedesigns/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marbedesigns
