With degrees in both industrial engineering and interior design, Margarita Bravo brings a rare blend of technical precision and creative vision to her design work. Her frequent travels to Europe and Latin America, paired with design studios in Denver, Miami, Montecito and Barcelona, continually shape her perspective, allowing her to create elegant, bespoke spaces that reflect each client’s unique personality. After years of designing custom interiors at her Denver studio, Margarita teamed up with her sister, Maria Bravo, to launch Sorella Furniture. The brainchild of two Venezuelan sisters, engineers, and entrepreneurs, Sorella — Italian for “sister” — is more than a furniture line. It’s a movement designed to empower women, offering one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces that blend European craftsmanship with bold, modern elegance. See how Margarita Bravo fuses precision and passion in today’s Maker Monday.
Crafted from white oak with elegant bronze detailing, the Camilla Dining Table combines timeless sophistication with modern appeal through its sculptural S-shaped base.
Andrew Joseph: How do you stay creative and inspired?
Margarita Bravo: Creativity isn’t a switch — it’s a practice. For me, it lives in the quiet in-between moments: flipping through rare design books, absorbing textures at design fairs, or spending an afternoon at a design biennale in the South of France or Spain. Travel plays a role, especially in Europe, where design is part of the cultural rhythm. But inspiration is just as present when I’m back in our studio, sketching or observing how natural light falls across a piece of raw wood. It’s less about chasing ideas and more about staying awake to them.
AJ: Can you tell us about a specific moment in your career that made you feel accomplished?
MB: When we opened our studios in Montecito, Miami and Barcelona, it felt like more than just a business expansion; it felt like a statement. It was significant to us that two sisters could build something global, rooted in craftsmanship and purpose. Each space reflects a different aspect of who we are, but together, they embody the heart of Sorella: bold, timeless and resilient.
AJ: What is your favorite aspect of your job?
MB: Design is fundamentally tied to emotion, and furniture holds significant emotional value. My favorite aspect of this work is the intimacy it offers — being welcomed into someone’s life to help shape their environment thoughtfully and gently. This trust is a privilege, making the process even more meaningful.
The Noah Sofa.
AJ: What is your favorite type of furniture to design?
MB: Benches, sofas and accent chairs are often overlooked, yet they hold space in intentional ways. I’m drawn to the challenge of designing pieces that are sculptural yet silent—supportive but never overpowering. At Sorella, those are the moments where form, function, and story meet.
The Noah sofa, for example, embodies this philosophy beautifully, offering a blend of comfort and elegance that enhances its surroundings without dominating the space.
AJ: How do you balance functionality and aesthetics in your designs?
MB: I don’t see them as opposing forces. Functionality is beautiful when it’s thoughtful. A piece should live easily in someone’s day-to-day but also reward a closer look. Hidden joinery, an unexpected curve, a material that patinas over time — these are the quiet luxuries that define how we work.
AJ: What would your dream project or dream client be right now?
MB: A commissioned furniture collection for a long-term residence — something grounded in place, whether it’s a serene hillside home in Montecito, a coastal apartment in Barcelona, or a glass-wrapped space high above Miami. It is the kind of project where every piece is considered, not just selected — a client who sees furniture not as decoration but as architecture in the room. Someone who values process welcomes collaboration and understands that time is the most important material we work with.
The Ana Console is a solid marble piece, meticulously handcrafted to make a powerful statement whether styled with a mirror, paired with art or left to stand on its own.
AJ: How do you approach designing for different types of clients?
MB: By listening with intention. Clients arrive with their rhythm and vocabulary, whether they speak in mood boards or memories. Our role is to translate that — not into something trendy or impressive — but into something that feels deeply personal. Style follows substance.
AJ: What is your favorite design era and why?
MB: I’m drawn to the quiet rigor of mid-to-late 20th-century European design — where form is honest, materials are celebrated and ornament is never the point. Studying in Barcelona deepened that appreciation. There’s a certain rhythm to the city’s design language: the expressive forms of Gaudí, and the enduring relevance of its modernism. It’s a place where architecture teaches you to be bold and measured at once — and that duality continues to inform how we design and shape furniture at Sorella.
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