about us
Making precedes abstracting
our design philosophy
driven by the courage to create, embracing constraints as opportunities, and making innovative design possible.
7 was founded in July of 2007 by Rene J. Balderas. Before launching the firm, Rene spent three years in partnership following a decade with Sprinkle Robey Architects, where he developed a deep passion for architecture and technical detailing. Elizabeth Balderas joined the firm immediately after it was founded, brought sixteen years of experience from Callins & Marks and later The Marks Design Group, cultivating her expertise in interior design and project delivery. The team also includes Destiny Pichardo, who began as an intern with Jason Moran Collaborative and 7, and now contributes full time as a project manager helping transform ideas, requirements, and aspirations into built reality.
Together, we form a cross-functional team capable of guiding a project from its earliest conception through final completion, creating spaces our clients truly deserve.
what is studio culture?
Studio is both a place and a process. It is a place of production that draws from a diverse range of sources. Studio is where we learn, there is not one singular solution or linear process. It is where we work: research, analyze, explore, propose, test, develop and present. It emphasizes collaboration, dialogue, critical thinking, creative problem solving, continuous critique, and a place of iterative inquiry and mutual respect.
Culture is the shared behaviors, beliefs, traditions, values, customs, arts, practices of a people/tribe/group. Culture is where one “belongs” NOT “fits in”. Culture is the direct reflection of the people alive now that make it, even though it has been passed down through generations.
Studio Culture demands that in order to create evocative work, work that stirs people’s emotions, one must include equal portions of the Objective and Subjective. The facts rearranged due to our own unique contributions. The combined atmosphere that is created, the Studio Culture we inhabit, reminds us that the project we are working on is ourselves.
meet the team
Principal Owner
Rene j. balderas
Interior Designer
More of Liz’s artwork: ….www.mijafolkart.com
liz h. balderas
destiny pichardo
Interior Design Project Manager