Color, Curves, and Verve Combine at an Architect’s Playful Brooklyn Loft

Antonio Monserrat likes to start small. The architect—who grew up on an island in Spain, worked for Zaha Hadid Architects in London, and recently launched his own practice in Brooklyn called Monserrat Studio—builds small-scale prototypes as a way to test his design concepts. The pieces often resemble chairs, though Antonio regards them as fluid, multifunctional objects that can be used as seating, bedside tables, plant stands, and the like. In building them, he plays with form and structure before experimenting with paint and other finishes. "I see them as temporary architectures that help me explore ideas," Antonio says.