As part of our Women in Design series, we speak with Patricia Anastassiadis, the acclaimed Brazilian architect, interior designer, and product innovator behind Anastassiadis Arquitetos, the São Paulo-based studio she founded at just 22 years old.

Guided by her Greek, Polish, and Jewish heritage and a design philosophy rooted in dialogue rather than monoculture, Anastassiadis creates timeless, story-driven architecture, interiors, and furniture that blend culture, craftsmanship, sustainability, and emotion.

Leading an international team of more than 35 collaborators, her studio has delivered projects for renowned brands including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, and Artefacto, where she also serves as Art Director.

Her work has received multiple international accolades, including Good Design Awards for the Solis Armchair, Hipos Coffee Table, Baco Sofa, and Radix Table, along with Prize Designs Awards for Modern Furniture + Lighting for the Lux Table, Solis Armchair, Eclipse Dining Table, Boyang Coffee Table, and Pietra Cabinet Bar.

In this interview, Anastassiadis reflects on the courage that launched her career, the role of cultural dialogue in creating timeless design, and why sustainability, empathy, and collaboration are shaping the future of the profession.

What key lesson from your first project, Filomena, propelled your success as a young woman?

Courage comes first. Then resilience and focus. Filomena, my first project was born from a fortuitous and completely unexpected encounter. I was in a store and ran into an acquaintance in the fitting room next to mine.

She told me she wanted to open a restaurant, and I recommended another architect. I had graduated in Architecture just three days earlier. She asked if I wouldn’t do it myself. With a great deal of courage, I said yes.

Filomena also taught me that confidence is built through responsibility. At the time, the renowned architect Ruy Ohtake visited the construction site and offered his praise. The opening was a success, and from that moment on, the studio established itself in the city.

The courage to face the challenge and to stand by the project amid chaos – since halfway through construction the engineer abandoned the job – is what carried me forward. It also showed me that fear is part of growth.

I did not feel entirely ready, but I moved forward anyway. That experience gave me resilience. It taught me that leadership does not require loudness, it requires clarity and consistency.

How does your “dialog” philosophy—rejecting monoculture for mixing global flavors—shape timeless, story-driven projects?

I only know how to work by weaving connections with culture and the human condition. Without that, architecture becomes a mere pile of stones. My approach to design is archaeological.

I am drawn to history, to understanding where things come from and where they are heading. I need to visit the site, engage with its culture and materiality, observe how people live, the climate, the landscape, and discover who is working with local craftsmanship and contemporary art.

That is how I enter a project – in order to create a new chapter in the narrative of that place. I believe this coherence is what drives timeless, story-driven projects.

Using coconut husk and fish skin: How do sustainable innovations make luxury furniture healthier?

I believe sustainability in luxury furniture begins with responsibility toward time. When we explore materials such as coconut husk or fish skin, we are not simply experimenting with novelty; we are rethinking cycles.

These materials are by-products, elements that would otherwise be discarded. When treated with intelligence and respect, they can become refined, durable, and deeply expressive surfaces.

For me, innovation is meaningful when it reduces waste, minimizes toxic processes, and reconnects design to natural origins. Furniture should not be an object of excess, but of continuity.

If we choose materials that are responsibly sourced, biodegradable, or naturally processed, we reduce the chemical load within interiors and create environments that are healthier for the body and calmer for the mind.

I often say that one of the pillars of sustainability is reducing consumption. A piece that is well made, constructed with integrity and thoughtful materiality, will age with dignity instead of becoming disposable.

Coconut fibers, for example, bring texture and breathability; fish skin, when properly treated, becomes a resilient leather alternative with unique character.

These solutions are not aesthetic acts only, they are conscious decisions. True luxury today is about creating objects that respect the planet, honor craftsmanship, and support a more balanced way of living.

With 35+ international collaborators in São Paulo’s vibrant global hub, how does this diverse team fuel timeless, story-driven designs?

São Paulo is a city shaped by layered cultures, by constant reinvention. That energy naturally attracts professionals from different countries, disciplines, and backgrounds.

For me, this diversity does not dilute authorship, it deepens it. Every project begins with research, observation and with listening. When you bring together architects, designers, and creatives who carry different cultural references, the conversation becomes richer.

However, diversity only fuels timeless design if it is guided by a clear philosophy. At Anastassiadis, we do not replicate formulas. We begin from zero each time, building a narrative rooted in place, culture, and human experience.

The team challenges one another, questions assumptions, and refines ideas until the story feels coherent. Timelessness comes from depth. A multicultural team helps us see beyond the obvious and avoid clichés.

It allows us to weave architecture, art, and design into spaces that feel layered and authentic. In that sense, collaboration becomes a form of cultural dialogue, and dialogue is what keeps a project alive beyond its time.

Throughout your pioneering career, what feminist shifts do you foresee in design’s future evolution?

For me, the most meaningful feminist shift is related to expanding sensibility. It is aboutreinforcing that architecture exists to shelter human life.

Empathy, listening, and collaboration – qualities often historically undervalued in leadership – are becoming central to how we define strong design. I see the future of design evolving toward greater balance: less ego, more dialogue; less imposition, more understanding of context and people.

Another important transformation is the refusal of the disposable culture that dominates

many industries. The commitment to durability, to projects that respect memory and time, also reflects a broader cultural maturity.

Women have played a significant role in bringing attention to sustainability, heritage, and social responsibility within the profession.