Things I've Learnt

Ruud Belmans, co-founder and Creative Director of WeWantMore, brings attitude to design, his work outright rejecting the ordinary. From the studio's sustainability software MONARK to a new design blueprint for McDonald's, he turns brands and spaces into experiences that provoke.He joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss why a more sustainable future means drastic change, seeing failure as a stepping stone and why design is sometimes the only thing that makes him feel something.

Julian de Metz is founding director of multi-award-winning architecture practice dMFK. A third-generation architect, his design philosophy strongly emphasises human experience, sensitivity to heritage buildings and evolution rather than pure restoration. Believing that building and spaces to speak today, without erasing the past, his ethos is one of ‘reinventing and altering existing buildings fearlessly’. He joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss how every problem has a solution (unless you die), the changing face of working culture and what he learnt from the greats. 

Born and raised in Budapest, Boronkay initially pursued a career in fashion in Paris, then segueing into interiors in London, working with some of design’s great luminaries – including Tom Dixon, Martin Brudnizki and Tara Bernerd. She ultimately landed the coveted gig of Design Director for Soho House. In 2020, she decided to go it alone, launching her namesake studio – now with projects spanning four continents and eight countries.She joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss how her creative upbringing shaped her journey, how she leapt from modelling to interiors, and why being a designer is like being a movie director. 

Benjamin Hubert is a renowned industrial designer and founder of London-based design studio LAYER. Hubert has collaborated with some of the biggest brands around – from Vitra to Braun – on products and tech; physical and digital experiences; strategy and branding. Underpinning it all is a simple sounding, but important idea: that ‘together, we can change the world through design.’ He joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss his vision for the future, turning disappointment into triumph and why design without purpose is merely decoration. 

Sandrine Zhang Ferron is the founder and CEO of Vinterior, the online marketplace for vintage, pre-owned and antique furniture. She doesn’t have a traditional design background, but she did have a big idea. While working in the finance sector she became frustrated while trying to source a classic chair and took a bold leap – enrolling on a coding bootcamp and creating what is now the largest second-hand furniture listing site in the UK, turning frustration into a flourishing business.  She joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss taking a leap into the unknown, why success is sometimes just luck and why there’s more to life (and work) than designer bags and shoes. 

Launching season 2 of Things I’ve Learnt, Shayne Brady is one of hospitality design’s biggest personalities – leading his namesake studio in the creation of thoughtful, characterful spaces. Notable projects include The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and Gallery at The Savoy, while he’s also turned his critical eye for design to a recurring guest judge spot on the BBC television series Interior Design Masters.  He joins Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley to discuss how theatre thrust him into the world of design, trusting his instincts and what it means to go it alone after years as one half of a studio-leading design duo. 

Patrik Schumacher is one of design’s boldest thinkers. He joins us to discuss why good design means being on the right side of history, why his vision for the future is rooted in prosperity and why he thinks Zaha Hadid is the most popular architecture brand on the planet.

As one of the first women to occupy a leadership role within a global design practice, and founder of the Interior Design School, Dunbar has been instrumental in laying the path for successive generations of designers. She discusses why creativity belongs to everyone, why failure is just another possibility and why an idea's only as good as making it happen. 

Responsible for radically creative projects with a host of global clients, Ido Garini discusses what makes a delicious experience, striving to be understood and why we should always avoid design for design’s sake. 

Celebrated for her fantasy spaces, Beata Heuman is a darling of the social media generation and author of a best-selling interiors tome. In this episode, she explains why design is like having a baby and why being a ‘foreigner’ is freeing.

As principal research scientist at Google DeepMind, Ali Eslami is at the forefront of the AI revolution. He discusses the mistakes we make when predicting the future and why the most exciting question of our age might be: what does mankind still bring to the table?

One of the most acclaimed hospitality designers of our times, Krassa creates brands and spaces that consistently redefine the bar, restaurant and hotel landscape.

Things I’ve Learnt, our first podcast series, sees Mix Interiors Managing Editor Harry McKinley joined by visionary leaders from the world of design, in its broadest sense. Our guests are all disruptors with unique approaches and compelling life stories. By asking them to share what they’ve learnt about success, failure and design, we discover what makes them tick and gain a deeper understanding of their inner worlds – exploring how that translates to the world they create for us.