Architect and designer Alberto Rivera believes that design is “90 percent common sense and 10 percent aesthetics.” His approach to design is simple and clear, but with an opportunity to be playful through his use of color. This is evident in the work he’s done as architect for Design Within Reach’s Studios, as well as in his first line of consumer furniture, the 9.2.5 Collection, launched by DWR in Spring 2006.
“Since an early age, I was more interested in expressing ideas through drawings than through words. I have always been interested in figuring out how things are built and assembled,” says Rivera. This tendency compelled Rivera to earn a B.A. in architecture from UC Berkeley, followed by a year at the Architectural Association in London and a master’s degree in architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Rivera worked as the in-house designer for San Francisco-based retailer Esprit, then in Barcelona for Pepe Cortes. In 1994, he launched his own studio, Rivera Design, renaming it Dax Studio in 1999. A multidisciplinary design firm, Dax specializes in retail spaces, and its work spans the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. His clients include Adidas, United Colors of Benetton, Dolce & Gabbana, Naartjie and Frette. Living and working in Los Angeles, Rivera is inspired by simple objects that possess tactile and compositional beauty.
“Since an early age, I was more interested in expressing ideas through drawings than through words. I have always been interested in figuring out how things are built and assembled,” says Rivera. This tendency compelled Rivera to earn a B.A. in architecture from UC Berkeley, followed by a year at the Architectural Association in London and a master’s degree in architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Rivera worked as the in-house designer for San Francisco-based retailer Esprit, then in Barcelona for Pepe Cortes. In 1994, he launched his own studio, Rivera Design, renaming it Dax Studio in 1999. A multidisciplinary design firm, Dax specializes in retail spaces, and its work spans the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. His clients include Adidas, United Colors of Benetton, Dolce & Gabbana, Naartjie and Frette. Living and working in Los Angeles, Rivera is inspired by simple objects that possess tactile and compositional beauty.