Architect. Creative. Observer.
I tend to notice how a place feels before I understand why it works — the light at a certain time of day, the proportion of a room, the material you instinctively want to touch.
I'm Maria Luiza — Malu, if we've met. I'm an architect and urbanist from Brazil, with over ten years of experience across residential, hospitality and high-end interiors. My work has taken me from the first sketch to construction sites, through detailing, materials, furniture, lighting and everything that happens in between.
For five years at Bernardes Arquitetura, I worked on projects of very different scales, eventually coordinating multiple projects and a design team. Houses, apartments, hospitality spaces and projects developed across different countries taught me something I still carry into every job: a good concept only matters if it survives execution.
Milan became part of my story through a Master in Design Management at Istituto Marangoni, and later through years of working closely with Italian design and manufacturing. It changed the way I understand the relationship between design, craft and industry — and the amount of knowledge behind something that can look remarkably simple.
I keep an archive of what catches my attention — spaces, objects, materials, cities, art, films, conversations. Some references become projects; others simply change the way I look at things.
This site is a little of both.
Listen
Every project starts with understanding how people actually live. The morning routine, the long dinner, what they collect, what they hide, where everyone naturally ends up.
The brief tells me what a project needs. Listening tells me what it should become.
Draw
Then comes precision.
Plans, elevations, joinery, lighting, furniture, materials, details. I like taking an idea far enough that the decisions made at the beginning are still visible at the end.
A project is built through hundreds of small decisions.
Build
I believe in being on site.
Drawings inevitably meet constraints, craftspeople, tolerances and unexpected conditions. Knowing when to insist, when to adapt and how to protect the original idea is as much a part of design as drawing it.
That is where a project becomes real.
Materials should feel like themselves
Stone, wood, metal, plaster, linen. I am drawn to materials that age rather than simply wear out — and to using them in ways that respect what they naturally do.
Luxury doesn't need to announce itself
For me, luxury is proportion, comfort, craftsmanship and restraint. It is often found in what has been carefully resolved rather than deliberately displayed.
Details matter, even when nobody notices them
The alignment between two materials. The depth of a reveal. The way a drawer closes. Most people will never consciously notice these things.
They will notice when they are wrong.
Spaces should welcome, not perform
I want rooms to be beautiful, of course. But more importantly, I want people to want to stay in them.
The photograph should be the consequence, not the purpose.
Interiors that will age well. Hospitality that feels personal. Architecture with a strong relationship to place. Brands that understand material and craft as part of their culture. Based in Milan. Drawn everywhere.
Design & BIM
Design development, technical documentation, detailing and coordination.
Visualisation
Testing atmosphere, material and light before a space exists.
Image & Layout
Post-production, presentations and visual storytelling.
AI
Research, visual exploration and faster creative iteration.