024: From San Diego to Global Stage: Lorena Gaxiola's Journey in Design, Licensing, and Creative Expansion

This week on Interior Design San Diego, Rachel sits down with Lorena Gaxiola—San Diego native and global design force—whose career spans luxury hospitality, high-end residential, product licensing, and international practice. Lorena shares how curiosity, systems, and a whole lot of courage helped her scale from local projects to designing around the world—while staying grounded in purpose, people, and energy.

What you’ll hear in this episode

1. How Lorena’s architecture-rooted upbringing shaped her “superpower” in design
2. The real reason merchandising/model homes became her masterclass in branding + emotional connection
3. How she landed opportunities with major retailers and built product/licensing partnerships (hint: ask, show up, follow through)
4. Her definition of “style”: experiential design—less ego, more user experience
5. Practical advice on contracts, IP ownership, and building a small-but-mighty international firm

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