Work
Fluent in a range of design vernaculars – click the icon image or the text for more information on Studio Tre’s completed and in-progress work.
Casa Cavada is the latest and most emphatic expression of the Islas Secas ethos, rooted deeply in the spirit and natural beauty of the place itself. Building architecture designed by Hart Howerton takes cues from the promontory of the site, and the sweeping geography and organic forms of the striking and immensely biodiverse island archipelago located on the Pacific Coast of Panama. Casa Cavada commits deeply to the idea that nature is architecture’s original muse.
The villa structure and its design elements create a presence “of the island” utilizing volcanic rock, coral stone, and regionally sourced timber. The interiors of Casa Cavada draw inspiration from the rich tapestry of local and regional vernaculars, traditional Panamanian and Latin American patterns of building, decorative arts and crafts, and the natural geology and flora of the islands and isthmus from which it emerged.
Traditional Spanish Colonial pieces as well as more rustic reclaimed timber furnishings are woven throughout, acknowledging the area’s connection to trade and exchange, and the notion of many traditions and cultures of building washing ashore. Mola textiles by the indigenous Guna tribe, Panamanian basketry, and tapestries, pottery and more sourced from Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica abound.
The design exudes the Islas Secas spirit of luxury – asking if there is a finer thing to be so close to and attuned with nature. In embrace of natural materials and the environment, the hardworking elements of the interiors aim to stand the test of time and the elements of the island. Outside meets inside with a palette of materials inspired deeply by the local flora and fauna.
Photograph above: Studio Tre Projects
The spirit of sustainability finds a home in this approach rooted in timelessness – in pursuit of design elements that endure trends and tides. As the building itself and its rock rubble foundation emerge as if of the island, Casa Cavada at Islas Secas commits to a lasting and beneficial relationship between the manmade and truly natural.
See you out there.
All photography Islas Secas / Douglas Friedman, unless otherwise noted.
See Casa Cavada in Architectural Digest here.
In Progress: architectural musings in and around the liminal space between modern and traditional – renovations to an apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City.
Situated at the western edge of Soho – at ease located on edges and boundaries lies Kiko. A natural and intuitive East-meets-West attitude pervades the spirit of the design, taking cues from this same embrace of cross-pollination as the food & beverage offerings, led by Lina Goujiane and Chef Alex Chang.
Imports from both eastern and western frontiers are grounded by a distinctly New York take on how these references get sampled. Existing exposed brick walls, skylights, and fireplaces are left to let be their original selves, and new textures of oak wood and rich red marbles, brushed and polished metals, hand-shaped tile in oceanic blues and greens, and supple leathers and mohair layer against these bones.
Natural materials invite familiarity and a warm embrace against a cooler, tougher backdrop. An overall artistic & intuitive expression of design is underlined as in all Studio Tre projects by a disciplined approach to well-composed configuration of the architecture – its entry, bar & lounge, and subsequent dining rooms, kitchen – culminating in the sunlit fireplace room at the summit of the experience.
Custom furniture & lighting throughout choreographs this sequence. The dance of the flame against reflective, supple surfaces is ensconced in a uniform treatment of sources of energy throughout – not one but two fireplaces, the glimming bar – both natural and electric humming together.
Vintage furnishings brush up against the new. Stainless steel is met with mohair and sueded leathers, reclaimed oak flooring and millwork meets polished copper detailing. The material palette is an earthen one – rust, the verdigris of patinated copper, submerged seaweed, algae at the surface – life washed ashore.
Symmetrical, ordered millwork and architectural framing devices provide order – sinuous forms inspired by the rhythms of nature – fronds of seaweed, the creative force of waves, memorialized in sand and stone – establish a certain beauty at the forefront of the experience.
Behind an otherwise unmarked, graffiti-worn door on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side unfolds the latest addition to New York’s downtown cocktail scene – Tigre. The polished brass and tortoise shell door pull offers the first touchpoint of the transportive experience – an attitude of the refined meeting the raw in a way only NYC knows how.
Run by the impresarios of Premiere Enterprises, of the oft-lauded Maison Premiere, this embrace of contrast is woven through all scales and facets of the design and experience. Beauty emerges from the grit, and from a constellation of memories and muses a new path is charted.
Studio Tre has crafted the interior to revel in the exuberance of the creative forces that fuel the energy and dynamism of downtown. Uninhibited by an allegiance to a particular style or period of architecture or fashion – the spirit of the design at Tigre is bold, confident, and at ease being multiple things.
Masculine and feminine in equal measure, reverent to both traditional and modern modes of design, handcrafted as much as it is machined.
Disco beams ensconced in mirror mark the transition in the later evening. Dark umber, electric chartreuse, iridescent aquamarine, stainless steel, sanguine copper, bronze mirror – all equally at home. Candlelight shimmers through tortoiseshell votive glass.
The interiors by Studio Tre aim ultimately to evoke a spirit of ferocity and gracefulness.
Just like its namesake – Tigre burns bright.
Photography by Victor Stonem.
Lighting Design by Map Design Studio.
Situated atop the hills of northern New Mexico, this new ground-up residence is positioned to prioritize views across the mesa and synchronize with the rhythms of light and the landscape.
Organized around a central courtyard, the layout simultaneously provides vibrant living spaces and tranquil private moments. Flanking flat-roof terraces provide a home for rooftop lounge and chimenea and sustainable energy & resource management alike.
Both indigenous Pueblo building patterns and Spanish colonial practices inform the true adobe construction, with modern interventions to maximize light and enjoyment of the site and its surroundings. The architecture, interiors, and landscape design take cues and inspiration from the site and the sublime natural environment.
Built in 1882 in the historic Spanish colonial center of town, what was originally a simple schoolhouse adjacent to the local timber mill had later been added onto and renovated. Intending to restore the character of the cottage to its original vernacular roots, great care was taken to respect and restore the original spirit of the structure with a relaxed approach sensible for a cottage near the beach.
Work included sensitive additions to the exterior with outdoor shower and pergola, renovations to the interiors, and a complete re-envisioning of the garden and hardscape. With a small footprint of both home and plat, thoughtful plantings and architecture serve to frame quiet moments and inviting spaces to gather.
Photography by Grant Legan.
Photography by Rob Culpepper
See this project’s feature in Garden & Gun here
For the beloved Chocolate Cortés family and brand, growing cacao and manufacturing chocolate from farm-to-bar since 1929 across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, a second outpost of the Chocobar Cortés café and restaurant on new but familiar shores of New York City.
The design embraces the warmth of the Caribbean and recognizable textures, colors, and patterns of the Viejo San Juan neighborhood of the original location. Imbuing this Caribbean spirit into the design, with also the vibrant and artistic spirit of the neighborhood in the Bronx, the interiors of the restaurant establish Chocobar Cortés as a joyful celebration of culture, chocolate, and community.
Photography by Grant Legan.
Our studio space in New York presented the opportunity to prototype our own ideas on craft and originality. With all our projects, we blend extant with bespoke – we are excited to arrive where it makes sense to create something anew, or to sample a classic.
All drawings start by hand, and everything we build is colluded with the artisans and makers who bring the vision to life. Mies Van der Rohe’s Brno chair finds new life recovered in a woven natural raffia print by contemporary textile maestro Aissa Dione, of Senegal. Inspired by a Ming-era console sourced in Paris – the meander motif, in some tongues the Greek key – we are endlessly inspired by its universal appeal.
Tectonics underline all the work we do, architectural or otherwise. Modular, systematic, and an expression of what connects us. Beauty, durability, and most of all – a particular sensibility to practicality – ground our approach. Meditations on materiality and the essence of the thing in hand are familiar patterns of thought to us. The geological and biotic essence of a site and location inform all that we do.
Proportion, geometry, and ornament are informed by the Djed as much as the Doric – we believe in a timeless and universal human and nature-based approach to beauty, form, and order. The language of design manifests from the formal to the vernacular – we are energized by and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this conversation.
Photography by Grant Legan.
Studio Tre’s headquarters was most recently a photography studio from 1970s New York. Flooded with light, taking advantage of the southern exposure – the space has been reconfigured into a collaborative, multidisciplinary studio to work, dream, and build together. A calm but productive energy pervades this home and this laboratory.
A place of, and for, our making.
Photography by Grant Legan.
For Nicoletti Contemporary in London, in partnership with Pantograph, Ritornellos was a group show that took place in the spring of 2023, and featured work by Kevin Beasley, Devin B. Johnson, Mohamed Bourouissa, and Appau Jr. Boakye-Yiadom. For the exhibition design, Studio Tre reimagined the gallery interior and introduced an architectural framework to physically interpret the ritornello as a weaving of disparate parts, orchestrating a symphony – a combining of discrete, disparate elements into a cohesive coherent dialogue.
Drawing from the meaning of ritornello, “little return,” Studio Tre has reimagined the gallery interior to physically interpret the exhibition’s theme of Assemblage as a weaving of disparate parts, a contemplation of the relationship between origin and originality – and ultimately the responsibility of architecture to frame and provide shelter to what we value most, in deference to society.
An architectural kit of parts – expressing and inviting contemplation on overlapping territories and existence.
All photography for Ritornellos by Ollie Hammick.
