We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Manzo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.
Christina, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Risk didn’t enter my life through boldness; it entered through clarity. Through a growing awareness that staying comfortable was quietly limiting me.
The turning point came during a trip to New York, listening to Josh Young speak about the tension of building someone else’s vision while feeling your own creative voice recede into the background. He spoke candidly about the ache of watching other people’s dreams take shape, and the decision to give himself a defined window to pursue his own work, fully, honestly, and without a safety net. What struck me most wasn’t the leap itself, but the intention behind it. The discipline of choosing authorship over permission.
By that point, I was already restless in my role. Grateful for the structure, yet increasingly aware that my point of view, shaped by years of travel, observation, and hands-on experience, was becoming diluted. I knew I had something to say through my work, but I wasn’t saying it in my own language. Fear kept me there longer than I care to admit: fear of being unproven, of not yet having the validation to stand alone.
Developing my own voice meant claiming creative autonomy. It meant trusting my eye, my instincts, and the quiet accumulation of knowledge that comes from years spent paying attention to detail. Design, at its core, is about discernment, knowing when something feels resolved and when it doesn’t. Eventually, my role no longer felt resolved.
The decision to leave didn’t arrive dramatically; it revealed itself gradually. In a profession as personal as design, misalignment becomes visible long before it’s spoken. My work remained strong, but the energy behind it shifted. When the separation came, it was mutual, and while I had prepared practically, I was not prepared emotionally. Letting go of a long-held structure felt destabilizing, even as it was necessary.
What followed was unexpected clarity. Support surfaced from long-standing vendors and new collaborators alike, people who understood the courage it takes to step into authorship and build something intentionally, from the ground up. That affirmation mattered.
Risk, for me, no longer feels impulsive or dramatic. It feels considered. It feels like choosing integrity over ease. The fear remains, but it has become a signal rather than a deterrent. A reminder that I’m still refining, still evolving, and still engaged in the work of building something meaningful.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
At its core, my work is about creating spaces that feel deeply personal, considered, and enduring. Through Christina Manzo Interiors, I design residential interiors that are rooted in storytelling; spaces shaped by my clients’ lives, experiences, and aspirations, rather than trends or formulas.
What excites me most about this work is the intimacy of the process. Design, when done well, requires trust. It’s about listening carefully, understanding how someone lives, and translating that into an environment that feels both elevated and effortless. I’m particularly drawn to the details that often go unnoticed, the way light moves through a room, the quiet balance between materials, the tension between structure and softness. Those moments are where a space begins to feel resolved.
My approach is informed by travel, architecture, and a deep respect for craftsmanship. I believe timeless interiors are built through restraint, clarity, and intention, and that the most meaningful spaces evolve from collaboration rather than control.
As a brand, Christina Manzo Interiors is intentionally boutique. I value depth over volume and long-term relationships over rapid growth. Recently, the studio has been focused on refining our processes and expanding our scope on select residential projects, allowing for an even more thoughtful and immersive client experience. Everything we take on is done with the same goal in mind: to create work that feels authentic, lived-in, and lasting.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, three things have been most impactful in my journey: discernment, resilience, and the ability to listen.
Discernment is foundational. Developing an eye isn’t just about taste; it’s about knowing when something feels resolved. That comes from exposure and intention: studying architecture, traveling thoughtfully, and paying close attention to proportion, light, and material. For those early in their journey, I’d suggest slowing down your consumption. Look at fewer things more carefully and focus on understanding why something works.
Resilience matters just as much. Creative careers are rarely linear, and progress often happens quietly before it becomes visible. Learning to stay engaged during those in-between seasons, to keep refining and showing up, has been essential. Patience, both with the process and with yourself, is a skill worth cultivating early.
Finally, listening, to clients, collaborators, and your own instincts has shaped my work more than any technical ability. Strong work comes from trust and collaboration, not control. Ask thoughtful questions, resist the urge to prove yourself too quickly, and let clarity lead the way.
Growth, I’ve found, comes less from rushing forward and more from refining your perspective over time.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Over the past twelve months, my biggest area of growth has been learning to trust my decisions and to move forward without over-explaining or seeking constant validation.
As a creative, it’s easy to mistake thoughtfulness for hesitation. I’ve learned that clarity often arrives through action. Stepping more fully into authorship required decisiveness, clearer boundaries, and the confidence to stand behind choices even when there isn’t immediate reassurance.
I’ve also become more intentional about selection. Whether that is of projects, collaborators, and pace. Refining what I take on has allowed the work to feel more focused and considered, and has strengthened both the creative outcome and the relationships behind it.
Ultimately, this past year has been about ownership: trusting my perspective, honoring restraint, and allowing the work to evolve naturally. That shift has brought a deeper sense of confidence, alignment, and purpose as I continue to build forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christinamanzointeriors.com
- Instagram: @christinamanzointeriors
Image Credits
Abigail Jackson // Abigail Jackson Photography
Chris Restrepo // Penlight Media
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