Daniela Gottschalk is the creative force behind Tinzeltown, a high-concept project development and interior design firm redefining “content creator spaces.” Known for bold, immersive interiors, Gottschalk’s landmark project, The Bohoho in Camps Bay, South Africa, recasts 1960s Palm Springs glamour with striking hues and retro-Hollywood flair—offering an Instagrammable haven that blends luxury and creative freedom for travelers and creators alike.
An influential figure in Germany’s hospitality scene, Gottschalk also owns Frankfurt’s iconic Theplacetobe bar. With a unique background spanning marketing and psychology, her spaces transcend mere aesthetics, inviting deep engagement and fostering self-expression worldwide.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Depending on whether I am in Germany or South Africa, I sleep very long or rise to action with the sun. I never have a to-do list, but always projects to finish, clients to consult or things to change in my own house. In between, I sit somewhere sipping coffee and observing people and surroundings that spark new inspiration.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Once I have the idea, it basically demands to be born, and it usually doesn’t take 9 months. If it’s strong enough, I have a strong urge to make it happen. Only a shortage of space or needed material can make me stop for a while. An idea that doesn’t survive the pause may come to fruition later.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Color drenching, hand-painted terraces, and the renaissance of breezer blocks.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I don’t need a habit. Instead of a reproductive inner clock, I have a
productive inner clock that rings whenever a great thought crosses my mind. And as I never stop thinking, I never stop creating.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t value anyone’s opinion over your own, and never stay with someone or in a situation that wants to shrink you, control you, or tell you who you are. Always move in the direction of free speech and self-expression.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
All mothers love their kids unconditionally.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Rescue animals, take supplements, drink celery juice, question everything, go to therapy, face your shadow.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Stimulate my vagus nerve, watch one of my favorite shows, listen to Anita Baker or Cigarettes After Sex, cuddle my cats or random ones, take a hot bath or cold shower.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I have no strategy other than to be 100% authentic and always do my best. I don’t cheat, I don’t take shortcuts. I create with love and passion and people are drawn to it like a real thing in a very fake world.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I didn’t follow what was best for me and the business, and I was more emphatic with employees that I dragged through while I couldn’t afford them.
The business and you must come first. You carry all the responsibility and you cannot pour from an empty cup. You cannot be popular and be the boss.
A business is not family.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A vegan restaurant that runs entirely on “saved goods” and the profits go entirely to animal sanctuaries.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I don’t use software. I have a phone and Instagram and that is it.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
I bought a dress that will have me ready at any time to receive an Oscar, a Grammy, or a design award.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Everything Gabor Maté, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine, or Hollywood Husbands by Jackie Collins.
I only read psychology books, because the human soul never ceases to fascinate me, or really trivial novels from Old Tinseltown Hollywood, which must have been the time I lived in my previous existence.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
The Offer and Succession.
Succession for the high-end setting and toxic family dynamics and The Offer for the story and excellent 70s Hollywood landscape.
Key learnings:
- Strive for unapologetic self-expression
- Don’t hold back.
- Be the most important person in your life, but be good wherever you can.
- Everything with pure intentions leads to success.
- Strong feelings make strong impacts