Sticotti’s two-story showroom and studio in Palermo, Buenos Aires, allows guests to peruse the firm’s elegant, minimalist designs in a loft-like setting. Read a brief Q&A with founder Alejandro Sticotti below, and watch the video for a full tour of the light-drenched space.

How did you land in Palermo?

Alejandro Sticotti: About 30 years ago, before Palermo was Palermo, I decided to buy this spot and turn it into a studio. Palermo was a marginal neighborhood, dangerous at times. In that time it was largely unoccupied, so the properties were cheap.

Here, a group of technicians had set up a shop where they manufactured vents for electronics. As soon as I was able to buy it, I opened up the window at the front.That’s what let us communicate with the neighborhood. People would stop by and watch to see what was happening behind the big window, in a neighborhood filled with manufacturing shops.

How did the studio space evolve?

After some time I wanted to have more space for my studio, so we built the upstairs area for meetings and my office. The downstairs is now more for exhibition. Also downstairs, my wife, Mercedes, has her offices. She has a stationary brand called Mono.

What inspires you as a designer?

My inspiration is minimalism, wood, simple designs, and Japanese designs.

What inspired me and my beginnings was purchasing furniture and fixing it. I learned a lot about furniture doing that. I had learned techniques about how furniture was built, and now I’m proud to say my furniture is well-built.

I like wood materials a lot. It’s a noble material, and you can get a lot of use out of it. Almost 50%of the wood we use is reclaimed wood. And if not, we like to use wood we know is from reforestation.

How does your work as an architect relate to your work as a designer?

Design is a discipline that can be applied to architecture and objects. Giving it form, proportions—it’s the same. I don’t like big things. I would never want to design a hospital; maybe I’d like to design a hotel. But it’d be the biggest thing I’d design. I’m not interested in getting to know big cities.

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