The Wheelbarrow of MASTERS EXPO exhibitor Mariska Jagt

She designs high-end interiors: from luxury villas and penthouses to beautiful canal palaces and striking hotel lobbies.

She designs high-end environments: from luxury villas and penthouses to beautiful canal houses and amazing hotel lobbies. With her studio of the same name Mariska Jagt dreams come true and a house becomes a home. She has been doing this successfully for eleven years. This week Mariska Jagt tells M how she started her successful career and who her proverbial wheelbarrow has been.Image: Mariska Jagt

What was your very first job?

“When I was young I did a lot of sports: tennis and horse riding at a high level. I was also very creative. I wanted nothing more than to spend all day drawing and creating. I wanted to go to art school, but circumstances forced me to make different choices. I studied Tourism and Psychology and am in the hotel industry go to work. That detour got me exactly what I needed to get here. In my current work the worlds of psychology, hospitality, travel and creativity come together.”

How did you end up in your current job?

''From an intense desire to provide others with an environment that feels like a warm and welcome home, I took the step eleven years ago to follow my heart and start my own design studio. I started at the kitchen table, but now there are twelve of us. Together we can realize the most beautiful and inspiring projects for very nice people.”

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“I have built my career from my own strength. However, I have always had precious and wonderful people around me who believed in me and with whom I could spar in a valuable way. One of those people is Daan van der Vorm. He is extremely loyal to his partners and gave me the opportunity to do his high-end projects at an early stage. In addition, there are also the 'old-school real estate guys', as I call them. It was always good to chat with these established real estate men over lunch or drinks. They really had an advisory role in my career, as did Yves Gijrath. "

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

''The sparkle in the eyes of clients when they see what we have designed for them. Or when they come into their home and see what we have achieved for them. That's what makes me extremely happy and what I do it for! The great thing about my work is that I get to meet new people every time and get very close. It is wonderful to be able to translate their wishes into a unique, tailor-made design that really feels like home to them.”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“Combining love and work! You should never do that! Out of love, I have sometimes made clumsy choices, causing me to lose my independence. It is true that love is blind. Now I keep business and private life strictly separated and that works well.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Stay scary dreams and don't think in terms of limitations. Believe in yourself and what you want to achieve. In my opinion, the road to adulthood is sometimes a real dream killer. How wonderful it would be if we all encouraged each other to maintain that young, open and uninhibited view of the world. That's where the best ideas come from.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

''I ever have Jan des Bouvrie en Piet Boon called to talk to them. They both responded very positively. Call now chokes me to talk about the choices I made. Then they ask for tips and tricks that will help them pursue their dream. I like to help them and I hope I can be a wheelbarrow for some of them.”

Visit Studio Mariska Jagt Investments at MASTERS EXPO. From November 18 to 22 in RAI Amsterdam: MASTERS EXPO – The Forward Edition. Ticket sales start this month.