In Conversation

The Art of
Living Well
by Design

An exclusive interview with Juan J. Carretero, founder of Studio Carretero — New York City

Interior Design · New York City

Few designers manage to make a room feel simultaneously collected over a lifetime and perfectly composed. Juan J. Carretero does it with ease. We sat down with the New York–based architect and interior designer to talk about where he came from, what drives him, and why he believes every great room deserves a dash of wit.

01

Juan, let's start at the very beginning. How did you fall in love with design, and where does that story originate?

Juan J. Carretero —

Growing up in Mexico City, I was completely surrounded by great design without fully realizing it. My parents were both deeply passionate about architecture and we moved several times into homes that had been thoughtfully designed — blueprints were practically part of the furniture. I was also a very visual, artsy child who drew constantly, and my parents had the travel bug, so from an early age I was fortunate enough to visit places that opened my mind to the concepts of beauty, function, and cultural expression. By the time I was a teenager, the decision was already made for me: I was going to be an architect. That love of space — of how a room can make you feel — has never left me.

02

You trained in Mexico, Australia, and the United States. How did that international education shape the designer you became?

Juan J. Carretero —

It was genuinely transformative. Each country gave me a completely different lens through which to understand space, proportion, and culture. Studying architecture in Mexico City grounded me in a rich tradition of bold color, craftsmanship, and spatial drama — think Barragán. Australia offered a modernist sensibility rooted in connection to nature and a refreshing lack of pretension. And the United States, particularly New York, taught me the art of pragmatism, ambition, and reinvention. Holding credentials from all three places gave me a toolkit that is inherently cross-cultural, and I believe that depth directly informs my ability to design for an extraordinarily diverse international clientele today.

"Traveling is, by far, the most provocative source of inspiration. When you travel, not only are you exposed to what's different — your mind is open and relaxed enough to truly take it all in."

— Juan J. Carretero

03

Tell us about the founding of Studio Carretero. What was the vision from day one?

Juan J. Carretero —

The beginning was quite organic — almost accidental, in the best possible way. After arriving in New York, I fell deeply in love with the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains region. I started restoring and renovating older homes there — that landscape, with its historic farmhouses, stone buildings, and extraordinary natural light, was the perfect canvas for an architect with a passion for old bones and good proportion. When the projects were complete, I would stage them for sale or for local house tours, and people simply started asking for my services. The transition from architect to interior architect felt completely natural. Studio Carretero was built on that foundation: a profound respect for existing architecture, a genuine love for the Hudson Valley and Catskills, and a philosophy that a beautiful interior is always the result of true partnership between designer, client, and place.

04

Where do you find your greatest sources of inspiration today?

Juan J. Carretero —

Travel is, without question, my greatest muse. Having had the privilege of working in places like Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Texas, Miami, and Aspen, I've learned that fully immersing yourself in a culture — its food, its light, its materials, its history — is the fastest route to genuinely inspired design. Beyond travel, I am a devoted observer of the past. I love poring over old interior design magazines and analyzing what has remained timeless and what has dated. I also draw lessons from unexpected places: fashion, film, food culture, nostalgia. I'm perpetually curious about how geography, economics, and cultural identity shape our ideas of beauty and comfort. Good design, I believe, is always anthropological at its core.

05

The studio has worked across a remarkable range of locations. Which markets do you currently serve, and is there a particular region you consider your home territory?

Juan J. Carretero —

New York City is our base, but the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains are truly where our heart lives. We have been deeply embedded in that region for years — from weekend retreats and historic farmhouse restorations to full-scale country estates — and it remains one of our most active and beloved markets. From there, our work extends to the Hamptons, Miami, Texas, Aspen, and Washington, D.C., as well as internationally to Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. We are fully bilingual — Spanish is my mother tongue and I conduct projects, presentations, and client relationships entirely in Spanish when that serves our clients better. This has been enormously valuable for our Latin American clients, for projects in Mexico and Spain, and for the large and vibrant Spanish-speaking community here in New York City. We genuinely welcome projects anywhere in the world; our process is designed to travel.

06

You work across both residential and commercial spaces. How does your approach differ between the two?

Juan J. Carretero —

The fundamental principles are actually the same: good architecture, honest proportion, and spaces that genuinely serve the people who inhabit them. The key difference is the nature of the "inhabitant." In residential design, I am designing for a specific human life — someone's dreams, habits, comfort, and personal history. That relationship is deeply intimate and collaborative. In commercial work — whether a restaurant, a boutique hotel, or a corporate office — I am designing for an experience and a brand narrative. Both require the same rigor, but commercial projects demand that the design communicate clearly and memorably to a much broader audience. I love the challenge of each. Some of our most published work has come from high-profile commercial installations, including show houses here in New York City.

"I am never fearful of combining high and low, old and new, antiques and contemporary art. This mix is what creates true timelessness and real personality."

— Juan J. Carretero

07

How would you describe your design aesthetic? And is "eclectic" a word you embrace or find limiting?

Juan J. Carretero —

I embrace it wholeheartedly, though I'd say it only tells half the story. My trademark is an approach that combines the old and the new, the casual and the elegant, and always — always — with a touch of humor. I believe rooms should feel collected rather than decorated, as though they have evolved naturally over time rather than arrived fully formed from a catalog. I am never afraid to mix high and low, antiques and contemporary art, a grand gesture with something completely unexpected. What I am very deliberate about is proportion, rhythm, and editing. Knowing what to leave out is as important as knowing what to include. The goal is always spaces that feel timeless, personally relevant, and a little bit surprising — rooms with a real soul.

08

You've described spaces that feel "collected and bohemian yet refined." How do you navigate that balance for clients with very different sensibilities?

Juan J. Carretero —

That is genuinely the most exciting part of the job. While we do have a recognizable point of view, our style is fundamentally a framework rather than a fixed destination. We have designed a Moroccan-inspired sanctuary on the High Line with hand-painted murals and gold-leafed ceilings, a razor-sharp masculine suite inspired by Tom Ford for a Holiday House show in SoHo, sun-drenched coastal retreats in the Hamptons, and deeply traditional farmhouses in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. What unites them is quality, intention, and a refusal to be boring. I always say I want to gently slap each room in the face with something unexpected and witty — that tension between beauty and surprise is what creates a truly memorable space. The style adapts; the standards never do.

09

With more than 20 years of practice, what would you say are some of the most meaningful milestones for the studio?

Juan J. Carretero —

There have been many, and I cherish each one differently. Being published in books, magazines, and media outlets around the world has been deeply gratifying — it means the work resonates beyond the client relationship. Participating in Holiday House, New York's prestigious annual designer show house, was a wonderful creative challenge and a significant platform. Completing a Diplomatic Villa in Washington, D.C., and working on historically significant buildings have been particularly meaningful from an architectural standpoint. But honestly, some of the most profound milestones are the quieter ones: a client who calls years later to say their home still feels exactly right, or a space that has aged beautifully and remained relevant. That is the truest measure of success in this business.

10

Walk us through your process. What does working with Studio Carretero actually look like for a new client?

Juan J. Carretero —

It always begins with listening — deeply, carefully, and without assumptions. I tell every new client at the outset that I want to be their partner, not just their decorator. We invest significant time at the start of every project understanding how a client lives, what makes them feel at ease, what they find beautiful, and equally important, what they dislike. From there, we develop a strong concept rooted in the architecture already present — because without good bones and good proportion, there is little hope for the interior. We like to design from the inside out. The process then unfolds through space planning, material and furniture curation, sourcing from artisans and makers around the world, and rigorous project management through to completion. Editing remains our constant companion throughout.

"Good light — both natural and artificial — is the single most essential element of any great space. Everything else follows from there."

— Juan J. Carretero

11

You've spoken before about the importance of local craftsmanship. How does that inform the way you source and specify for projects?

Juan J. Carretero —

It is absolutely central to how we work and always has been. Having operated across so many countries and cultures, I developed an early and deep appreciation for the intelligence embedded in local making — the particular way a certain region handles stone, or textiles, or plasterwork, or joinery. These things carry authentic meaning and cannot be replicated by mass production. When we work on a project in Mexico, we seek out the artisans and traditions of that place. When we work in Europe, we look for the workshops and ateliers that carry centuries of knowledge. In New York, we have wonderful access to skilled craftspeople from around the world. This philosophy also means that our projects tend to feel genuinely rooted rather than generic — and our clients deeply appreciate that specificity and care.

12

Finally — what would you most want someone to feel when they walk into a space you have designed?

Juan J. Carretero —

That they belong there. That the space has been created for real life — to be lived in fully, comfortably, and with great pleasure. I want them to feel a subtle sense of delight, perhaps even surprise, but above all a deep ease. I am not interested in interiors that are beautiful only in photographs or that intimidate rather than welcome. A great room should be tailored, collected, inviting, timeless, and genuinely exciting — all at once. If someone walks into one of our spaces and immediately feels at home, feels like the room has always been theirs, then we have done our job beautifully. That is the quietly ambitious standard we hold ourselves to at Studio Carretero, every single time.

"I want clients to feel that the room has always been theirs — that it was simply waiting for them to arrive."

— Juan J. Carretero

13

Last question — for someone who is just discovering Studio Carretero right now, why should they hire you?

Juan J. Carretero —

Because we bring something genuinely rare to the table: the rigorous training of an architect combined with the sensitivity of an interior designer and the curiosity of a world traveler. We don't impose a signature look — we listen, we study your life, and we design specifically for you. Our clients in New York City, the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the Hamptons, Aspen, Miami, Texas, and internationally in Spain, Germany, the UK, and Mexico have trusted us precisely because we treat each project as a unique problem worth solving beautifully. We are a boutique studio, which means every project receives my direct, personal attention from the first conversation to the final installation. We are also fully bilingual — we work seamlessly in both English and Spanish, which matters deeply to many of our clients. And above all, we genuinely care. We care about your home, your comfort, your story, and the quality of what we build together. That combination of expertise, versatility, personal commitment, and real passion is, I believe, what makes the difference. We don't just design rooms — we design the way you'll feel every single day you live in them.