Nicolene Mausenbaum
Interior designer, 27 years in the industry. I help home-based entrepreneurs create home and work spaces that support presence, productivity and profitability. Writing and commenting on how homes and home offices actually work.
Based in Johannesburg, designing and working with clients and press internationally online. Quoted in UK and African press on colour, storage, biophilic design and the home office. Available for comment, columns and features.
The numbers
Signature topics
The home office as a business decision
Layout, storage and finish choices weighed against how a room looks and how it earns.
Colour and material
How colour, texture and material choices change the way a room feels and functions.
Storage and organisation
Making a home work for how people actually live, not just how it photographs.
Multigenerational and shared-household living
Designing homes that work for more than one generation under one roof.
Biophilic and neurodiversity-supportive design
How nature-based design choices support different ways of processing a space.
Niche and specialist spaces
Home libraries, collections and rooms built around what someone actually owns and does.
- Interiors and home sections of national newspapers and magazines
- Women's lifestyle titles and recurring columns
- Business and entrepreneur press covering the home-as-workplace angle
- Wellbeing, neurodiversity and biophilic design features
- Contributor slots on design or lifestyle newsletters and sites
Media list
Some of the outlets Nicolene has been quoted in:
Quoted as an expert
| Daily Mail | Home libraries feature |
| Ideal Home | 11 pieces, including living room mistakes, plant ideas, warmth and patios, and more |
| Saga | Organise a living room and shoe storage |
| Country Living | Colour combination rules (60-30-10) and 6 ways to make a home cosier |
| Woman & Home | Jewel tones and 2024 interior design trends |
| Stylist | Dopamine decor |
In print
| Platinum | Feature, November 2023 |
| Ideal Home | August 2024 and October 2024 issues (distinct pieces from the online ones) |
| My Weekly | November 2024 |
Words by Nicolene
| Journal of Biophilic Design | "How neurodiversity is supported through nature based solutions and biophilic design" |
| Renovation Magazine | "Nicolene Mausenbaum on holistic home design" |
| Preneur World | "How to create the perfect home office" |
| Kizzi's Health Journal | Designing for wellbeing, Bringing nature indoors, A holiday glow, Your space, your year |
| Africa Outlook | Dezyna Interiors profile |
| Spotlyts | "In the spotlight: Nicolene Mausenbaum" |
| Work + Life by Design | Work + Life by Design |
Recognition
African Excellence 2023, Best Unique Interior Design Studio
African Excellence 2024, Best Bespoke Interior Design Firm
Build Architecture 2024, Best Interior Architecture Practice, Gauteng
Completed projects
Two completed projects, from plan to finished space.
Commercial: Veer Build, Sydney
"Dezyna has helped Veer Build with a number of design and construct projects here in Sydney. Nicolene's skills and vision are amazing interpreting the brief. The attention to detail and quick turnaround help us greatly in locking in the client. We would highly recommend Dezyna's services and will continue with our collaborations."
Residential: home office redesign
"The 3D design was very helpful for the builders and the electricians when showing them how the rooms would be used. And for me too, to visualise the space and decide on any furniture to keep from my previous space and any new items I might need."
"With an eye for detail, thinking outside the box, I have valued Nicolene's expertise and advice on my home office changes. The changes we have implemented most certainly make a huge difference in my office space and adds to my overall effectiveness in my business."
Press kit
Everything a commissioning editor needs in one place.
One-page media sheet
Name, contact, bio, top credits, topics and headshot on a single page.
High-res headshots
Two high-resolution, web-ready versions: Headshot 1 · Headshot 2
Bios
Short, medium and long, drafted below.
Short bio
Nicolene Mausenbaum is a Johannesburg-based interior designer with 27 years in the industry. She's quoted in UK and African press on colour, storage and the home office, and writes on setting up spaces that support presence, productivity and profitability.
Medium bio
Nicolene Mausenbaum has worked in interior design since 1999. Since 2007, she's freelanced across design, technical drawing, shopfitting, 3D visualisation and turnkey delivery, working on corporate, commercial, retail, residential, hospitality and hospital projects under her studio, Dezyna Interiors. She's since been quoted as an interiors expert by outlets including Ideal Home, Country Living, the Daily Mail and the Sun, and writes on how homes and home offices can be set up to support presence, productivity and profitability. She's based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and designs and works with clients and press internationally online.
Long bio
Nicolene Mausenbaum is a Johannesburg-based interior designer with 27 years in the industry. She completed a three-year diploma in November 1998 and qualified from Technikon Witwatersrand in April 1999. Her career started in corporate interiors and space planning, and since 2007 she's freelanced across design, technical drawing, shopfitting, 3D visualisation and turnkey delivery, working on corporate, commercial, retail, residential, hospitality and hospital projects under her studio, Dezyna Interiors.
Nicolene has been quoted as an interiors expert in outlets including Ideal Home, Country Living, the Daily Mail, the Sun, Stylist and Woman & Home, and has written for Renovation Magazine, Preneur World and the Journal of Biophilic Design. Her work has also been featured and profiled by Africa Outlook and Spotlyts, and recognised with five industry awards, including two Corporate LiveWire Studio of the Year titles.
Her focus now is consultations, design, writing and commentary on one idea: that a home and a home office, set up with intent, change how someone shows up, works and earns. She publishes this thinking weekly through her newsletter, Work + Life by Design.
Frequently asked questions
Who can write about home office design for a magazine or website?
A Johannesburg-based interior designer with 27 years in the industry, Nicolene Mausenbaum is quoted and published across outlets including Ideal Home, Country Living and the Daily Mail. Her writing and comment focus on one idea: setting up a home and home office to support presence, productivity and profitability. She's available for quotes, columns and features on request.
Who is a good expert source for interior design colour advice?
She's covered colour twice for Country Living, including the 60-30-10 combination rule, and written on jewel tones and 2024's design trends for Woman & Home. Nicolene Mausenbaum is available for comment on colour, material and mood in a room.
Can a designer comment on multigenerational or shared-household living?
Nicolene Mausenbaum has been quoted by Good Homes on designing for multigenerational households. Her background spans corporate, residential and hospitality projects, and she's available for comment on shared-household design.
Who writes about biophilic or neurodiversity-supportive design?
The Journal of Biophilic Design published Nicolene Mausenbaum's piece, "How neurodiversity is supported through nature based solutions and biophilic design," and ran a bio on her. She's available to write or comment further on this topic.
Is there an interior designer who writes a regular column or newsletter?
Yes. She publishes Work + Life by Design, a weekly newsletter on home and home office design, and previously wrote four columns for Kizzi's Health Journal. She's open to a recurring column or contributor slot with the right outlet.
How many outlets has Nicolene Mausenbaum been featured in?
17 titles across the UK and South Africa, and 30+ articles and features. Full media list is on this page.
How can a journalist or editor reach Nicolene Mausenbaum for comment?
Email is the fastest route: info@dezyna.com. She's based in Johannesburg and works with press internationally online, so time zone isn't a barrier to comment or interview.