Designer Q&A: Max Humphrey and Meghan Rienks

Photos: Lu Tapp

Meghan Rienks' namesake YouTube channel has over 2 million subscribers and thousands of videos. She paired up with interior designer Max Humphrey to create the perfect office for filming all of her beauty tips, DIYs, and baking videos in her southern California home.

Humphrey, a former rock star, made the drastic career change to interior design—and spent 10 years designing homes all over the US from his LA base before opening his own firm in Portland, Oregon, this year. He believes that "style is about knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn." File that under: Design advice to remember.

Photo: Lu Tapp

What is your design philosophy?

Max: My only rule about design is don’t be boring. I think every room should show signs of life. I like to encourage clients to surround themselves with stuff they love and not be too precious about any of it.

How would you describe your style?

Meghan: It was a series of trial and error before I really honed in on what style I love most—and I’ve settled on a mix of mid-century modern meets California bohemian. I love the minimalist look and clean lines of modern pieces but with a touch of beauty and Moroccan influence.

Your background is rock and roll, television production, and interior design. How do those experiences interact with your approach to design?

Photo: Lu Tapp

Max: The key to any creative job is confidence, and my experience has allowed me to be able to make a decision. Even if it’s the wrong one, I can at least pull the trigger and then figure out how to make it all work. With that said, there’s no amount of schooling, Pinterest scrolling, online window shopping, or mood-board making that can replace actual, real work experience. And the common denominator in all of my different jobs is there’s a tiny spark of creative action at the start of each project whether it’s a movie or TV show, record album, or home design. The rest of the process is all about organization and communication. Like Andy Warhol said, “good business is the best art.”

Photo: Lu Tapp

What was your first impression of Meghan? Describe her style in three words.

Max: My first impression of Meghan was one of good vibes, sunshine, and high fives. She’s southern California personified.

The three words that come to mind are: hard working, chatterbox, and chocolate chip cookies. Hard working, because during the time I was designing for her, she was shooting 14+ hour days on her TV show and making it look easy; chatterbox because, well, she’s chit-chatty; and chocolate chip cookies because somehow in her free time during the day we photographed her new home office she managed to bake a batch of cookies for me and the Wayfair crew (which I ate all of).

Photos: Lu Tapp

As a beauty and lifestyle YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers, what unique accommodations and features are must-haves for your home office?

Meghan: When Max and I first started talking about the design for my office, I expressed the need for video backgrounds at all angles. I wanted every corner of the office to be visually engaging without being too busy or loud in the background of my videos.

Photo: Lu Tapp

What was the inspiration behind this office?

Max: The only direction Meghan gave me was to make her office cute and functional, so I trolled her Instagram for some inspiration and her personal style really jumps off the page. It was easy to translate all that in to a tangible design. I wanted to give her a sophisticated space filled with cool art and accessories, but also somewhere she could use for work with a nice big desk and place for storage. I kept the palette light and bright, and brought in pattern and colour in subtle way.

Photos: Lu Tapp

Walk us through the design of the new office.

Max: I started with the furniture plan—people have a tendency to push all their furniture up against the walls, but I wanted to float her desk in the middle of the room to put her in the power position. This also makes the room look bigger. The actual furniture pieces are mix of light and medium wood finishes, white lacquer, and marble. I wanted to keep things fun, girly, light, and bright. The fabrics are the type of stuff you’d see in a cute clothing store: tan leather, lace, bohemian fringe, tribal patterns, whites, creams, and pastels.

What was your goal for this redesign?

Meghan: My goal was to create a peaceful and productive space for me to work from home. Because I film and edit all my own content from home, it’s important for me to create a work-life balance. Being able to shut the door to my office and be done with work for the day keeps me sane and stops me from editing in bed until 3 a.m.

Do you think Max was able to bring your idea to life?

Meghan: Oh 1000000 percent. I was in awe when I saw the finished room, I still can’t wrap my head around how well he captured my aesthetic and practical needs.

Photos: Lu Tapp

You’re constantly juggling acting ventures, staying on top of a regular video production schedule, and other projects, such as Camp Aim. How do you keep your space (and life!) organized while being pulled in so many different directions?

Meghan: I’ll be honest, it’s hard. I’m a total control freak so I insist on doing pretty much everything myself—think Monica Geller, but worse. I’m all about routines when it comes to keeping the sanity in my space and in my life. I am constantly tidying up my house. I feel like if I do a little bit every day to maintain a clean home, it rarely gets too out of hand. As for my life, I keep a pretty regular morning routine of waking up at about 5 a.m., working out, watching the Food Network, and just mentally preparing for the day. But I’m human and sometimes my closet is a total mess and I sleep in until 10 a.m. It’s all about balance.

What’s your favourite piece in Meghan’s new work space?

Max: It’s a tie between the lounge chair and the credenza. I love the Toro lounge chair by Blu Dot because it looks so inviting, it’s modern, and it’s going to just look better the more it gets worn in. And extra bonus points because it was made in the USA. I also love the DwellStudio Grayson Media Console because it brings in a hit of mid-century design, and the walnut finish is super yummy.

What is your one favourite part of your new office?

Meghan: Can I say everything? I’m just in awe of how everything pairs together. Max has such an incredible eye for putting unexpected pieces together, and I swear I notice something new every day. Right now I’m obsessed with all the plants (which I haven’t killed yet).

Photos: Lu Tapp

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