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

Hi Shannon, how does your business help the community?
In 2019, we started our MannKind campaigns to bring awareness and raise money for the nonprofits and charities we support and work with annually. We believe 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 (pro-bono) a creative classroom / lounge space for underprivileged children at an elementary school in Houston and have just started working on another one at a different school. We hope by doing so, this provides a safe and inspiring place for young children to ignite their own creativity.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our studio is a high-end residential design firm that brings beautiful and soulful environments to life, but we also focus largely on giving back to education and the arts in Houston.

We have a strong, intuitive connection with people, nature, and art. We design to evoke feelings of connection. Our approach is highly curated and intentional.

It’s been a long journey, during the hardships, I’ve always come back to my inner guidance and trust in my instincts. Our goal is to be where we are today – working on projects we love, with clients we enjoy, and surrounded by a community who gives back. For the future, we strive for: sustainability, profitability, and abundance.

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.
We’d start the day with meditation, a yoga class, or a sauna. Then I always love visiting The Museum of Fine Arts or the various art galleries in our city. Also, our wonderful parks. For a flatland city, we have beautiful and thoughtful green spaces.

We are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to our culinary scene. For BBQ, the Pit Room, Mexican: Hugo’s, and Thai: Street to Kitchen – Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter just won The Texas Chef James Beard Award. My list could go on and on!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Being raised by parents who believed in gathering and creativity. We were surrounded by incredible people: artists, authors, civic doers, broad thinkers. Also, the Houston designer, Mary Ann Bryant. She was a big player in the 90s when I was first starting out. Her design career spanned 35 years. She focused on teaching the principles in the business of design and empowering women in the industry. She was all about collaboration – she began peer tables that brought designers, architects and trades together to problem solve and elevate one another. It all comes back to gathering.

Website: manndesignsstudio.com

Instagram: @manndesignsstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/35696629

Facebook: Mann Designs Studio

Image Credits
Shannon’s headshot: Felipe Fenton First four project photos: Casey Dunn Last two project photos: Peter Molick MannKind initiatives: Sarah Irvine

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