Rafael de Cárdenas is the founder of Architecture at Large, a design agency that focuses on architecture, interiors, furniture, and objects. His highly geometric work combines sharp lines and polygonal shapes with vibrant colors, almost like a futuristic take on Art Deco and Prairie School design. Throughout his career, he has rejuvenated countless spaces and turned them into dazzling sights––from retail stores (the OHWOW BOOK CLUB in New York), to pop-up shops (NEW YORK MINUTE in Rome), to buildings (the WYNWOOD BUILDING in Miami) and private homes. Jeremy and I had the pleasure of meeting Rafael in his downtown Manhattan workspace.
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Alexandre Stipanovich: So you're an NYC native. Why did you choose to stay in New York?
Rafael de Cárdenas: I grew up near Columbus Circle and I have never really had a strong desire to leave New York. I don’t actually think there’s any other place that’s better for me. I did go to RISD for college and lived in LA and Vienna for a bit, too.
AS: And you opened an office in London three years ago.
RC: I have long-standing ties to the city and I have family there. Architecture at Large opened when we got a project there that warranted having a office. Since, it’s been perfect for running projects in Europe.
AS: How did you come to be an architect?
RC: Actually, it chose me. I was seeing someone who wanted to go to architecture school, so I applied too, just as some weird competition. It worked out!
AS: Are you still competitive with this person?
RC: No. I’m still a little competitive, but with myself rather than with other people.
AS: What are your architectural references when you design?
RC: They're really varied. Many of my references are not architectural. I often look to music, art, and fashion, which is what I used to do before I studied Architecture. I love Mies, Alvar Aalto, Morris Lapidus, Ettore Sottsass, and Philip Johnson for making Modernism so American––for doing a really Hollywood version of Modernism. I also like Isozaki a lot. He designed Palladium, a New York club in the 80s. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened it in 1985 after they closed Studio 54. It was amazingly beautiful.
AS: What happened to it?
RC: NYU bought the building and demolished it to make a dorm. [Laughs] It’s on 14th Street and it's called Palladium Dorm.
AS: Would you want to design a nightclub?
Rc: I’d love it. I mean, that's like Constant [Nieuwenhuys]'s Babylon. There’s nothing more that I’d want to do than a nightclub. But I don’t feel like there’s the nightlife to do it...
AS: No?
RC: Well, I don't go out enough, so I guess I don’t really know! There's lots going on at Santos—I know Spencer [Sweeney]. But having grown up here in the 80s and the 90s, today's nightlife is not as inspirational from a visual standpoint, for me. It was once arresting, a contrasting to what was "normal." Club kids used to dress in a certain way... I don't think that exists anymore?
AS: If you were a
_____________________________________________
Alexandre Stipanovich: So you're an NYC native. Why did you choose to stay in New York?
Rafael de Cárdenas: I grew up near Columbus Circle and I have never really had a strong desire to leave New York. I don’t actually think there’s any other place that’s better for me. I did go to RISD for college and lived in LA and Vienna for a bit, too.
AS: And you opened an office in London three years ago.
RC: I have long-standing ties to the city and I have family there. Architecture at Large opened when we got a project there that warranted having a office. Since, it’s been perfect for running projects in Europe.
AS: How did you come to be an architect?
RC: Actually, it chose me. I was seeing someone who wanted to go to architecture school, so I applied too, just as some weird competition. It worked out!
AS: Are you still competitive with this person?
RC: No. I’m still a little competitive, but with myself rather than with other people.
AS: What are your architectural references when you design?
RC: They're really varied. Many of my references are not architectural. I often look to music, art, and fashion, which is what I used to do before I studied Architecture. I love Mies, Alvar Aalto, Morris Lapidus, Ettore Sottsass, and Philip Johnson for making Modernism so American––for doing a really Hollywood version of Modernism. I also like Isozaki a lot. He designed Palladium, a New York club in the 80s. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened it in 1985 after they closed Studio 54. It was amazingly beautiful.
AS: What happened to it?
RC: NYU bought the building and demolished it to make a dorm. [Laughs] It’s on 14th Street and it's called Palladium Dorm.
AS: Would you want to design a nightclub?
Rc: I’d love it. I mean, that's like Constant [Nieuwenhuys]'s Babylon. There’s nothing more that I’d want to do than a nightclub. But I don’t feel like there’s the nightlife to do it...
AS: No?
RC: Well, I don't go out enough, so I guess I don’t really know! There's lots going on at Santos—I know Spencer [Sweeney]. But having grown up here in the 80s and the 90s, today's nightlife is not as inspirational from a visual standpoint, for me. It was once arresting, a contrasting to what was "normal." Club kids used to dress in a certain way... I don't think that exists anymore?
AS: If you were a