Story & Lesson Highlights with Martha Lorentsen of Malibu

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Martha Lorentsen. Check out our conversation below.

Martha, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me is a mix of creativity, grounding rituals, and the small moments that make life feel designed with intention. I wake up early to make breakfast for my daughter, and then I carve out a quiet pocket of time for myself — usually an infrared sauna session, which I do four or five times a week. It’s my reset button, the space where my thoughts settle before the day begins.

I always move my body, even if it’s just a short workout, and then I step into my design work: meetings, drawings, site visits, sourcing materials. But I try to keep my days unhurried. Inspiration doesn’t show up when you rush it; it comes when you create space for it. So I cook, I arrange flowers, I flip through architecture books, I let my mind wander. Those little rituals feed my creativity just as much as the work itself.

I’m surrounded by people who bring softness and joy into my life

Evenings are slow: cooking, reading, catching up with someone I care about. My home is my sanctuary, so I end the day the same way I start it — intentionally, with gratitude, and always inspired to build a life that feels beautiful from the inside out.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Marta Lorentsen, and I am a senior interior designer working at the intersection of architecture, lifestyle, and emotional experience. My background in Europe and my years traveling the world shaped my aesthetic — refined, minimal, and deeply connected to nature and light. Today I design spaces that are not only beautiful, but also meaningful: homes that feel lived-in, grounded, and reflective of the people who inhabit them.

I’ve always believed that design extends far beyond a floor plan or a finish palette. The way we live — how we cook, gather, slow down, and express ourselves — is part of the design story as well. My work and my personal brand are built around that idea: elevating everyday life through thoughtful environments, intentional choices, and a strong sense of identity.

My goal is to create a world where elegance feels approachable, creativity feels natural, and women feel inspired to build lives that are both beautiful and authentic.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful wasn’t tied to achievement — it was the moment I realized I could trust my own voice. As a little girl, I knew I saw the world differently: in shapes, colors, light, and emotions. Even then, I felt this quiet inner certainty that I was meant to create, to explore, to build a life that didn’t follow anyone’s expectations but my own.

That memory stayed with me my entire life. Every time I moved countries, started from zero, rebuilt myself, or entered a new chapter, I returned to that little girl who believed anything was possible. She taught me never to limit myself, never to take no for an answer, and never to abandon my own potential.

That early sense of power is the foundation of the woman I am today — strong, intuitive, creative, and unafraid to begin again.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized it was not something to escape, but something to transform. Life has chapters that break you open — endings you didn’t expect, moments that force you to start again, times when you have no choice but to rebuild yourself from the inside out. For a long time, I carried my strength quietly, almost like I had to prove I was fine.

But real power came the day I allowed myself to feel everything — the loss, the change, the uncertainty — without letting it define me. Pain became fuel. It made me more grounded, more intuitive, more compassionate, and more fearless. It taught me how to stand on my own, how to design a life that reflects my truth, and how to open my heart again without fear.

Using my pain as power is what shaped the woman I am today — one who knows her worth, refuses to give up, and believes deeply in beginning again.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what matters to me most is truth, integrity, and the courage to keep evolving. I’ve lived many lives — from my early years in the fashion industry to rebuilding a career in interior design — and none of it came easily. I’ve had to start over more than once, often in new countries, with no safety net. But I’ve always believed in resilience, in staying loyal to your dreams even when the path is uncertain.

They would also say that I value depth. I keep my circle small on purpose — I cherish real friendships, honesty, and the kind of people who lift you, challenge you, and walk beside you through every chapter. I’m surrounded by incredible friends, and they’ve been part of the strength that carried me through transitions and reinventions.

In the end, what matters to me is simple: meaningful connections, beautiful work grounded in purpose, and the determination to keep becoming the woman I know I’m meant to be — no matter how many times I have to begin again.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The story I hope people tell about me is that I lived with intention, courage, and beauty — both in my work and in my personal life. That I was a woman who reinvented herself more than once, who never accepted limits, and who turned every challenge into strength.

I want people to remember that I created spaces that made others feel grounded, inspired, and at home in their own lives — and that I lived by the same philosophy myself. That I built a life with integrity, raised my daughter with love and independence, and showed other women that it is never too late to begin again, to choose yourself, or to build something extraordinary from scratch.

Above all, I hope they say I led with softness and power at the same time — that I loved deeply, worked passionately, and always stayed true to who I was becoming.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: martha_lorentsen

Image Credits
Image credit : Anne Hansen