VALÉRIA ROCHA CARDOSO-TAN, founder

Architect ( Brazil ) Designer ( USA )

I love to celebrate.And for me, serving as a channel —through design —for people’s true connections with their own spaces and the world around them is reason to celebrate.It makes me feel genuinely happy when the magic happens.

I love to celebrate.

And for me, to serve as a channel —through design —to nurture the profound emotional connection between people and space is itself a celebration.

It makes me genuinely happy when the magic happens.

Exposure & Influences

For over twenty-five years, Valeria has cultivated expertise across the complementary fields of architecture, interior and industrial design, branding, and visual identity — drawing inspiration from life abroad, extensive travel, and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Her global perspective has been shaped by work in cities around the world, including Barcelona, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Vienna, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and most recently, Lisbon.

Well-being & Sustainability

Valeria’s passion for design stems from a deep belief in its transformative power to improve people’s lives. Guided by Human-Centered design principles and inspired by ancient architectural traditions, she founded VALERIACARDOSO — an integrative practice of interior architecture and design devoted to creating environments that foster well-being — spaces that honor people, nature, history, place and time.

Design Strategy & Innovation

Before establishing her own studio, Valeria spent five years at the global design firm IDEO, where she applied design thinking to complex challenges across industries. Her work identified new opportunities for innovation and translated brand and design strategies into meaningful, human-centered experiences.

As a senior environmental designer, strategist, project leader, and mentor, she led a wide range of projects that reimagined systems and models for retail, financial services, hospitality, healthcare, education, and workplace innovation. Her clients included Bank of America, First Solar, State Farm, Pearson, Equinox, Allen Edmonds, Cisco, Nemours Children’s Hospital, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

Valeria also served as Creative Director of Interior Design for the tech startup Bumblebee Spaces, a San Francisco–based company using AI technology to double usable living space in compact urban homes — a venture born from a shared commitment to sustainability and responsible design.

Valeria holds a degree in Architecture and Urban Design from UFRGS School of Architecture (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil) and completed the Professional Feng Shui Program at the Golden Gate School of Feng Shui in Berlekey, CA.

She currently works on projects in Lisbon and the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her husband, industrial designer Joe Tan, their two sons, and their dog. They are often found somewhere above the Atlantic, balancing family life and work across continents.. Together, they obsess about design while raising their children.