Episode 76: Christina Magrans of Studio Lourdes

In this episode, Christian sits down with Christina Magrans, Founder and Managing Director of Studio Lourdes. With her firm, Christina set out to build the kind of environment she never found in the corporate world - one that prioritizes people as much as projects. Together, she and Christian unpack how she’s redefining work/life harmony, balancing client demands with culture, and shaping iconic retail spaces for brands like Bape, Marc Jacobs, Longchamp, Dries Van Noten, and Aesop. https://www.studiolourdes.com/ https://theantiarchitect.com/ 0:05 – Christian introduces Christina Magrans, founder of Studio Lourdes 1:32 – Christina reflects on her early career at TSC Design and how it shaped her 3:10 – How a fast promotion at Tiffany led her to manage global projects 5:01 – Lessons from 9/11 and the 2008 recession that built resilience 6:10 – Christina explains her personal definition of a growth mindset 6:50 – Studio Lourdes uses Ivy Learning to support continuous team development 7:48 – How Christina screens for cultural fit and curiosity during hiring 9:20 – Why values alignment is the first step in taking on new clients 10:39 – How Studio Lourdes balances passion and business when selecting projects 11:36 – The growing overlap between retail, hospitality, and workplace design 12:45 – Christina brings brand discovery practices into workplace projects 13:36 – Why she founded Studio Lourdes to prioritize employee experience 14:30 – Teaching business fundamentals to architects across all levels 16:40 – Transparent goal-setting and revenue discussions as a leadership tool 18:15 – Timesheets as data, not pressure—rethinking accountability in design firms 19:22 – Making client service personal while keeping the team happy 20:40 – What Christina learned at Harvard and IMD executive leadership programs 21:47 – How Studio Lourdes builds culture through values-based retreats and rituals 23:10 – Empowering staff to lead, speak up, and evaluate client relationships 25:00 – Redefining work-life balance through flexibility and communication norms 27:30 – Christina and Christian reflect on happiness, ambition, and evolving goals 30:00 – Why Studio Lourdes pushes back on unpaid design work 32:45 – The case for teaching the business of architecture early in one’s career 34:00 – Christina's top advice for emerging architects and designers 35:00 – The origin of the name “Studio Lourdes” and what it means to her legacy 36:00 – A global design portfolio: Bape, Marc Jacobs, Longchamp, Aesop, and more.