The Founder

Maria Montecinos Franjola

Maria Montecinos Franjola is the founder and creative director of Montecinos Franjola Design, a Swedish interior architecture studio based in Gothenburg. With over 15 years of experience in interior design and 11 years in the international luxury hospitality industry, Maria brings a global, intuitive, and deeply personal perspective to every project.

Raised by the sea in Lysekil on Sweden’s west coast, Maria moved to Gothenburg for her final year of high school before setting off to London at 18. Her time in London shaped her early career in hospitality, retail, and boutique hotels—including roles at private members’ clubs and with the Morgan Hotel Group.

Originally enrolled in fashion design, it was a perceptive tutor who recognized Maria’s intuitive eye for space and encouraged her to pivot toward interiors. She studied Foundation to Interior Design at the London College of Printing, then returned to Sweden to study Hospitality Management. That led to an internship at the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town and final studies in Oxford, where she was recruited by the prestigious Four Seasons hotel group.

Her hospitality career took her from Oxford to Miami and Toronto, eventually back to Miami, where she was promoted—and where her passion for design grew stronger. Maria pursued formal studies in interior architecture at the Miami International University of Art & Design and began her design career at Cuba Fernandez Design (now Olson Fernandez Design). Her first interior project: designing a full Irish pub at Miami International Airport.

After 18 years abroad, Maria returned to Sweden and reestablished Montecinos Franjola Design in Gothenburg in 2014. Today, she is known as a leading female interior architect in Sweden, celebrated for her structured yet intuitive leadership—creative, emotionally attuned, and driven by detail. Her ideas are often sparked by visuals, dreams, music, and nature. Clients appreciate her warm presence, curiosity, and professionalism.

In 2023, Maria realized a longtime dream with the opening of the MFD Showroom, Boutique & Studio in Borås—a sensory design destination that embodies her vision of beauty, stillness, atmosphere, scent, sound, and the magic of truly thoughtful design.

With projects across Sweden, London, and Miami, Maria continues to lead MFD with clarity, curiosity, and an unwavering dedication to crafting interiors that elevate experience, express identity, and leave a lasting impression.