Meet Sabrina MacLean | Interior Designer

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

Hi Sabrina, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance has been something I have been working for a long time. My husband really help me with that. I was someone that would be more of a workaholic most of my 20s. My mother started the company and I started working with her 15 years ago. I think when you work and live with a parent work never stops. I can say that when I started running the firm 3 years ago and got married I needed to start creating that balance for my relationship and also myself. I am someone that starts my day very early so I can walk with my dog and exercise first thing in the morning. Working out has really help manage my stress and really jump start my day with a different energy. My days are super hectic so I need to really get organized with my team to be as efficient as possible. I try to once a week take the team for lunch to break a little craziness and bond as a team outside of work. On Friday nights I turn off my work phone and disconnect till Monday. I think that was one of the hardest decisions i made in the last year, but the one that has really helped me disconnect and enjoy my weekend to the fullest with my family and friends.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hinojosa Design Studio was born in 2000 in Miami, Fl by my mother Carola Hinojosa. It is a high end interior design company. She started her company back in Bolivia and managed it for over 20 years. After graduating school I went to work with Holly Hunt in sales and then in furniture design to gain experience and 2010 I joined her team. We worked closely together for many years and in 2018 my mom decided to retire. We rebranded the studio to HinoStudio that year. It was a challenging year with a lot of adjustments. Thankfully I had a fabulous team that had been with me for couple of years.
Inheriting a business is always challenging. You need to prove that you are up there and you can execute and design to the level of your mother. you need to gain the trust of old and new clients and you have to excel with your design and customer service to your clients.
Today we have a furniture line, rug collection and we are still developing different products to diversify the business. We are doing big projects outside of the Us which keeps its fun and exiting. Its been great working with architects from other parts of the world and learning from each one of them.

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.
Eat- Zz’s Restaurant and Casa Tua in Miami Beach. both have great food and a private club with great music and interesting people

Drinks: Socialista in Brickel, Mila , Klaw Rooftop
Love the music, atmosphere and diversity
Visit- Design District, PAM Museum, Rubell Museaum and Wynwood
Miami’s Cultural scene has grown in the last years and the we have an amazing collection of great artist and museums to visit
Hang Out-Faena, Soho House & the Standard – fun music, great atmosphere

Coconut Grove & Key Biscayne – love their farmers market on Saturdays

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother is the one person that has made me the designer I am today. She has been my mentor for as long as I can remember. I was born into the world of design and I can remember going to her office and to the furniture factory since I was probably 7 years old. It was not easy at the beginning working together. She is someone that expects a lot from you and makes sure you give your 200%. She extremely talented and the most curated eye for design and proportion. She is always reinvented herself as a designer. In Bolivia she had not only a design studio but managed to have big furniture factory. When we move to Miami in 1999 she started from scratch and made it to the top. Now she is living in Cape Town, SA. There she has been looking for talented craftsmanship and last year we developed a line that today we are selling in Holly Hunt,
I have learned so much in the years working together and when she decided to retired that was the day I had to put all my skills to test. I was in charge of my team and then covid hit. It was a very difficult time and thankfully I had an amazing team that made the transition smother.
Her resilience , persistency and dedication has inspired me every day and today 3 years later I have been able to create amazing interiors not only in the US but all over the world.

Website: www.hinostudio.com

Instagram: @hinostudio

Image Credits
Self Portraits- Outer Vision Group Pic- YSV photography