Upstairs Studio was founded by Maricarmen Martinez, AIA, in 1994 above an avant-garde theatre in Coral Gables, Florida.  From the beginning, their focus has been to create custom architecture for select projects where each design is unique and memorable. They are passionate about the home space and dedicate their practice to single-family residences designed for individual homeowners.  

Their designs are inspired by the great Modernist architects of the mid-Twentieth Century and the context we live in. They aim for their designs to be simple, functional, and beautiful. The studio has a fundamental belief in the importance of creating meaningful space that has a relationship to the built and natural environment. They believe in sustainable design that begins with a structure that is permanent and stands the test of time. How the work will be seen 50 years from today guides what they do and the decisions they make. Over the past 28 years, Upstairs Studio has designed over 200 projects that have been built to completion based on this philosophy.   

Upstairs Studio is an architecture firm based in Miami, Florida, USA, and the trendsetting company has, in 2022, received 2 Luxury Lifestyle Awards for Best Luxury Architect Studio in Florida, USA, and Best Luxury Architecture (Single Residential Project) for Pinecrest Place in Florida, USA. 

Maricarmen Martinez, the principal of the award-winning studio, earned her Architecture Degree at Cornell University, after studying at the Vicenza Institute of Architecture in Italy and the University of Florida. She was born and raised in the Caribbean where light, vernacular materials, and methods of construction have richly influenced her architecture.  Maricarmen, a registered and licensed architect is passionate about the art of building and is very involved in the execution of her designs. She is dedicated to research, education, and the construction of contemporary architecture.   

Upstairs Studio, Inc. architects hold acknowledged expertise in architectural problem-solving and excel at innovative, quality, and idea-based design strategies. The Studio has been recognized internationally for the work done locally, and wherever they go they take with them their locally learned lessons – the beauty of tradition, the wonder of nature, and the excitement of technology.  No matter where they have been commissioned, their desire to create great architecture is constant. 

Upstairs Studio is a boutique architectural studio. They are a small firm by design. Their philosophy was to create and nurture a studio environment reminiscent of the kind they cherish from their architectural education experience. They believe in the collaborative approach to design, encouraging the flow of ideas and interactive processes between architects, clients, and consultants. They recognize that great ideas come from everywhere and everyone. In addition to Maricarmen Martinez, the studio is comprised of professional women, both young and experienced, that come from the United States, the Caribbean, Spain, and South America. Their diverse backgrounds and experience levels feed the creativity of the firm’s designs.  They are a place of creativity.  

Luxury Lifestyle Awards recognized this highly regarded firm for their development, Pinecrest Place – a residential development that was started in 2014 and completed in 2016. THM Structural Consulting, RPJ Consulting Engineers, as well as Claudia Uribe Photography need to be credited for their contribution to the project.  

Upstairs Studio has described this prominent work as “a house where every space is used and where everyone, family and friends, feel welcome and a part of the life within.”   

The clients for Pinecrest Place were very precise and articulate about the home they had been dreaming to create. Both very social and interesting individuals with a tight-knit family and group of friends, they dreamed of a home where they would spend long hours cooking, dining, talking and lounging. They wanted every space, whether it was the kitchen, the living area, or the art studio, to serve the individual as well as the group. They cherish their company and presence and wanted a home that connected them even while in separate areas.   

 Sketching the home that reflected the program was effortless for the team at Upstairs Studio. The way the clients described their home life, their evenings with friends, and their various activities transferred fluidly into spaces that were relaxed, open, connected, and celebrated.  

 The materials for the home also reflected the personality of the family. Their home is raw and unpretentious, simple, beautiful, quiet, and sincere.   

To learn more about Upstairs Studio Architecture, visit their website here:  https://www.upstairsstudioarchitecture.com;  and discover more about the Pinecrest Place project here: https://www.upstairsstudioarchitecture.com/pinecrestplace