by Nila Do Simon | January 13, 2025

How Carlos Rodriguez Designed a Daring Side of Miami

Carlos Rodriguez turned discomfort into a design philosophy with his Miami-based interior design studio, Escala Forma.

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Queen Miami Beach by Carlos Rodriguez
Queen Miami Beach’s dining room inside the Paris Theater. Photography courtesy of Escala Forma.

By his own account, Carlos Rodriguez likes to be uncomfortable. Like when, as a young adult, the interior designer left behind some of Miami’s most glamorous spaces, forgoing the comforts of his tropical South Florida abodes for the concrete jungles of New York City to study architectural design at Pratt Institute. And when, after graduating from Pratt, he eschewed working at a traditional architectural firm to seek a job in the grittier world of construction. 

“I’m the type of person who puts himself in the most uncomfortable sector to learn about it,” said Rodriguez, who admits that as a gay man, being in the tough-guy construction field gave him additional reason for unease. “Life is too short, and the discomfort is what makes you better. If you don’t allow yourself to take risks, the possibility your design (will) have a voice that echoes is very short.”

The ability to be comfortable with the uncomfortable has served Rodriguez well as of late. In the past two years, Rodriguez and his studio, Escala Forma, have bestowed form and function on the highly anticipated Lafayette Steakhouse in Miami’s trendy Brickell neighborhood, as well as the luxurious Japanese restaurant, Queen Miami Beach. Most recently, he designed the interiors of the reopened Marion, a restaurant-nightclub crossover that helped launch Miami’s clubstaurants era. 

Carlos Rodriguez
Carlos Rodriguez founded Escala Forma design studio, which has transformed some of Miami’s most iconic spaces and structures. Photography courtesy of Escala Forma.

Despite the obvious differences in each space, certain qualities in a Rodriguez design make it distinct from its contemporaries. Artwork and bespoke linens drape every corner of a room, and a hat tip to old-world elegance melds harmoniously with contemporary aesthetics. And his use of lighting? That’s best described by Rodriguez himself.  

“I’m a firm believer that lighting is what controls design. A beautiful chandelier can control a story and help tell its story.”

Including the tale of Aiko, an ultra-exclusive private dining room, bar and lounge inside Queen Miami Beach. Aiko, the Japanese word for “little loved one,” is a marriage between Japanese restraint and Miami flair, all housed inside the historic art deco-styled Paris Theater, built in 1945 by architect Henry Hohauser. Already a melding of multiple cultural concepts, Aiko’s melting pot story forced Rodriguez to be intentional about how to incorporate lighting into the historic room. With ceilings that had pockets of recess, Rodriguez thought, why not put design on its head and include an inverted Japanese sand garden on the ceiling? The result created not only a beautiful nod to the calmness of a Japanese sand garden, but also a functional, organic indentation to place glass chandeliers from Murano, Italy. 

Aiko designed by Carlos Rodriguez
An inside glimpse into, Aiko, an exclusive and private lounge at Queen Miami Beach. Photography courtesy of Escala Forma.

Rodriguez’s tie to design is deep-seated. Born into a family of doctors who supported his love of art and painting, he remembers his father, Jorge, converting their family shed into a workshop for them both to design and create together. There, the two made time for each other and bonded over discussions of art and style. As Rodriguez took an interest in architecture, he began building models in the shed, where he and Jorge would shared “these moments together and really, really connected to understand two different versions of architecture: I, being younger, had this brighter approach, and my dad had this strict approach.” 

“I’m the type of person who puts himself in the most uncomfortable sector to learn about it.”
—Carlos Rodriguez

Conversations with his father led Rodriguez to appreciate the confluence of new and old ideas, a characteristic that served him well when he went on to work at Faena Group as a designer and project manager in 2014. Working alongside visionary Alan Faena to transform a stretch of Miami Beach into a new revolutionary art and hospitality district, Rodriguez helped turn the historic Saxony Hotel, built in 1948, into a lavish luxury resort filled with artful moments. Rodriguez worked on the public areas, helping to translate concepts created by designer Catherine Martin and her husband, film director Baz Luhrmann, to restore the old hotel. Each described “design in a cinematic way, how the person would be impacted in a space and making it feel residential, but also a little bit regal.”

Residential space designed by Carlos Rodriguez
In addition to glamorous commercial work, Rodriguez’s design studio also reimagines residential spaces for clients who appreciate Escala Forma’s daring approach, seen here in this Boca Raton home. Photography courtesy of Escala Forma.

Two years later, Rodriguez branched out, first opening design firm ModPlay Studio with a business partner, and then Escala Forma on his own. Using his degree and background in architectural design, Rodriguez said he’s been able to translate the technical aspects of a building’s structure, including structural engineering and electrical plans, when he’s designing interiors. That way, he said, clients can feel more protected, as if they have an ally in him at every step of the building and design process. 

Above all, Rodriguez said, “I want my space to be fearless, to be impactful.” As much as that statement is about his design, one couldn’t help but wonder if it’s also a message about who Rodriguez is himself.

“Yes, it’s partly my aesthetics, but I’m not going to live in this space, the client is,” he clarified. “I believe that this life is comprised of all these moments: You work hard, and you just want to go to these venues for dinner, and you want them to have an impact on you. That’s what I’m creating: spaces with impact.”


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