“My goal as a designer is to try to improve all the time.”

Carlos Rodriguez, the founder of the boutique architecture firm Rodriguez Studio, took a break from his busy schedule to tell me a little bit about his inspiration, his approach to design, and some tidbits you want to know about this up and coming architect.

“My goal as a designer is to try to improve all the time.”

Carlos Rodriguez, the founder of the boutique architecture firm Rodriguez Studio, took a break from his busy schedule to tell me a little bit about his inspiration, his approach to design, and some tidbits you want to know about this up and coming architect.

1) I see that you grew up in Puerto Rice. How did the culture there help define your style?

Well I lived in Puerto Rico until I was 5, then I moved to Kansas, then to Madrid, and finally back to PR for high school. So it is tough to say how my past has defined my style.

But my past has influenced me in different ways.

In Puerto Rico, everything is fairly modern and everyone there strives for modern, not traditional, designs. Materials also play an important role in Puerto Rican design. Living in Europe I got to experience a lot of great culture and old architecture; and seeing that gives you a sense of grounding. My exposure to old architecture has given me a reason not to design according to a particular style. There is something dishonest about copying a style.

2) When did you discover that you first had a knack for design?

I don’t think I even discovered that I have a knack for design. In high school a friend of mine invited me to go to an architecture program in Washington DC and I really enjoyed it. But I actually dropped out of architecture after my first years and to study economics and business. But then I decided that I wanted some sort of a lasting legacy that was meaningful to me, and I had to accomplish that through building and creating things.

3) Where you always attracted to modern design (or whatever else he said) or has your style changed over time?

As a firm, we definitely do modern work cause we do live in the 21st century. We are interested in a certain minimalism and using different materials. We definitely do not apply style to the building like a paintbrush. We don’t like to say we do X style or Y; we apply a certain style when it applies. For instance crown moldings used to make sense because of how buildings were made, now you don’t need them and you can just buy them at the store.

I could see, in the right setting applying a different, traditional design, for instance if it came up on the conceptual level. But my goal as a designer is to do something unexpected that will withstand the test of time.

5) What are some distinctive features that you include in your work?

We are a young firm, we are three and a half years old, and we don’t have any distinct features in our work. Our goal is to defy classification.

However, we especially value our use of materials. We play materials off of each other: Hard and soft, vivid and light. Using materials has to do with transitions; there is a dialogue between two distinct systems. Additionally, a lot of residences are in fact these systems that have to do with how two people interact, like husband and wife.

-Rebecca Bootin