ABOUT THIS EPISODE
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This week on Space by Stansons, Guy sits down with Sonja Bannerman, Project Designer at Morgan Lovell, to explore confidence, personal brand and the importance of designing workplaces with their own identity.
Sonja reflects on being made redundant twice and how those experiences changed the way she approached her career. She shares why knowing your self-worth, speaking with confidence and being yourself became central to finding the right role and culture, rather than simply taking the first opportunity available.
The conversation also looks at personal brand and putting yourself out there as a designer. Sonja explains why she stopped worrying about whether every LinkedIn post performs, why sharing what genuinely interests you can help people understand who you are, and how inspiration can come from other designers, travel, hospitality and everyday experiences.
Turning to workplace design, Sonja discusses the growing use of colour, pattern, tiles, wallpaper and richer residential influences in commercial interiors. She explains how thoughtful placement of brand colours can create impact without overwhelming a space, why meeting rooms do not all need to look the same, and how different areas should create different feelings for the people using them.
Sonja also shares why she does not want to be known for one fixed design style. From calm, Scandinavian-inspired interiors to bright, technology-led workplaces, she is focused on challenging herself, listening closely to clients and creating spaces that feel individual rather than copy and paste.
Whether you are building your career, developing your personal brand or designing workplaces, this episode is a reminder to back yourself, stay curious and create spaces that reflect the people and culture behind them.
In this episode:
- Knowing your self-worth and rebuilding confidence after redundancy.
- Why being yourself matters when finding the right workplace and culture.
- Building a personal brand without overthinking likes or engagement.
- Using travel, hospitality and other designers as sources of inspiration.
- Bringing colour, pattern, texture and brand identity into the workplace.
- Why different areas should create different moods and experiences.
- Listening to clients while using data and workplace strategy to challenge assumptions.
- Why Sonja wants every interior to have its own identity rather than a copy-and-paste style.
