Learning by heart

A master bedroom in the Trump Tower, India.
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CID catches up with the ever-colourful Isabelle Miaja

Isabelle Miaja’s enthusiasm is infectious. Whether she’s talking about her latest project in India, the standard of design in Dubai or the daily challenges of running a medium-sized business, she is brimming with humour, mixed metaphors and eyebrow-raising anecdotes. She is quick to laugh – and to speak her mind.

Miaja’s is a career shaped by passion and heart. “If you work for money, you will never be happy,” she says.

“If you do something that you love, then money comes. But if you live without passion, and if what you do doesn’t drive you to get up in the morning, there’s no point.”

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After graduating in Paris as a language major, Isabelle moved to California where she studied interior design. She completed her training in 1987 and founded the LA-headquartered Miaja Design Group (MDG) – initially Robisa Design International – with business partner Robert Arambulo.

The company made a strategic decision to move its head office to Singapore in 1994, and has since evolved into a 40-member firm with secondary offices in both Dubai and Manila.

The company’s Dubai debut was the result of a chance encounter with a local client and resulted in MDG designing the Radisson Blu Media City. From there, Miaja was appointed on Dubai’s Desert Palm resort.

A few years on and this region remains vitally important for Miaja, and is a place where she “really wants to count”. CID met her to find out why, and what the future holds for MDG.