Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 32
Occupation: Interior designer.
Instagram: @studiovaleriename
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela.
Studio location: New York, Athens, and Paris.
Describe what you make: Interiors, furniture, lighting, and objects.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The Scavo Lights. An antique fire in modern rooms.
Describe the problem your work solves: Through my work, I aim to not only preserve these traditions, but to reimagine them—breathing new life into spaces that honor their history while inspiring modernity. It’s a way of ensuring that the artistry of the past continues to live on, evolving and resonating in today’s world. Our focus is to create timeless pieces—living stamps of history—that become a part of everyday life.
Describe the project you are working on now: An interior residential project for a friend in London. It has been a beautiful process where we chose every material carefully together and put the time and love it deserves. A big part of the process has been researching the site’s context and exploring how we can best honor and respect its unique charm.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: Through our furniture pieces, we’ve developed a distinctive language known as “sculptural buttons” crafted in ceramic, wood, and glass. Recently, through thoughtful conversations, we created an exclusive collaboration with Mareva Grabowski’s design studio, Mare Studio, in Athens. At the heart of this collection are intricate replicas of ancient Greek symbols that serve as these buttons, each one protected and historically significant. To have access to such sacred artifacts has been a real dream of mine. These symbols have been meticulously sewn into the upholstery, transforming each Naos stool into a one-of-a-kind piece that carries the spirit of Greek craftsmanship. Each stool becomes a piece of history. We’re launching it very soon.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Fresh flowers, Gal Costa or Gil Gilberto, a few cherished fragments I’ve collected along the way, and a warm cup of matcha.
What you do when you’re not working: I make an effort to embrace boredom.
Sources of creative envy: Not envy, but admiration for Claude Lalanne, Lucas Arruda’s paintings, Fausto Melotti’s lightness, Piero Portaluppi, Lucie Rie, Vincenzo de Cotiis’s material explorations.
The distraction you want to eliminate: The endless pull of the phone. It can easily become a vortex!
Concrete or marble? Marble, without a doubt. Always amazed by the colors and textures the earth creates.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Both are needed.
