About me

Carmelina Santoro

Portrait of Carmelina Santoro, architect and founder of Carmelina Santoro Designs

An Italian architect from Turin, with a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Politecnico di Torino.

In 1988 Carmelina moved to New York, where she interned at Bentley LaRosa Salasky Design and Vignelli Associates before joining Peter Marino Architect — the practice behind flagship stores for many of the world's leading luxury houses.

She went on to become Store Planning Manager for a roster of international fashion and jewellery maisons, shaping retail environments across the United States.

Alongside her work in luxury retail, Carmelina has developed a portfolio of high-end residential interiors in New York and Miami, creating refined, highly tailored environments with a focus on architectural detail, materiality, and a strong sense of place. In some of her more recent residential projects, including the Classic Apartment, she has collaborated with freelance designer Diamante Pedersoli, bringing together their complementary approaches to design and interiors.

Her hospitality portfolio includes the Laluna Resort in Grenada, the Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive in Miami, completed in 2009, and design work for The Carlton in South Beach.

I believe that all designers love to leave a signature, whether it is a building, interior, installation or urban structure. I love for people that see my designs to remember their experience as comfortable and soothing, speaking to their soul, and possibly thinking that the designer must be a happy person!
Carmelina Santoro

Clients & maisons

Tod's Hogan Bulgari Ermenegildo Zegna Brunello Cucinelli The Betsy South Beach LaLuna

Contact

Get in touch

Tell us about the place and the idea — we'll take it from there.

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