--- title: "Studio ai — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/studio-ai-pfvwus-pf~252216668 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~252216668.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Studio ai" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/06436bba04e7975d_1164-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "124 West 30th Street #205, New York, New York 10001, United States" latitude: 40.7484 longitude: -73.9967 phone: "(718) 488-6268" website: http://www.studioai.com/ rating: 5 review_count: 7 best_of_houzz_awards: 1 followers: 105 last_updated: 2026-09-05 --- # Studio ai Original Houzz profile: [Studio ai](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/studio-ai-pfvwus-pf~252216668) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** New York, NY - **Serves:** New York City - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (7 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2016), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Recommended on Houzz - 1,000 Ideabook Saves Studio ai architects was created by Lily Lim and Mateo Paiva in New York in 2004. Both are licensed Architects and have worked for Rafael Viñoly Architects in New York for number of years as Project Managers for large scale institutional and commercial projects all over the United States as well as in Asia and Europe. Since its inception, studio ai architects has been involved in projects from residential buildings to commercial retail and office spaces in New York, Argentina, Uruguay, Singapore and Japan. In 2011, Louis Lim joined studio ai architects and started a furniture and in-house design build shop. Our fabrication and design-build shop is located in Industry City in Brooklyn. In 2012, Esteban Erlich joined studio ai architects. Esteban is licensed in both Argentina and New York and has worked on large scale projects in both South America and the United States. He is also an illustrator and has published two children’s book. In 2015, studio ai architects opened an office in Buenos Aires with Rosario Murua and Jenny Harvey. The office is located in the building developed and designed by studio ai architects in the Palermo Viejo district: malabia933. At studio ai architects, every project is a set of unique design challenges that are met with simple and elegant solutions. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design ### Areas Served - New York City ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Studio ai | | Address | 124 West 30th Street \#205, New York, New York 10001, United States | | Phone | (718) 488-6268 | | Website | http://www.studioai.com/ | | Followers on Houzz | 105 | **Social profiles:** - Blog — http://www.studioai.com/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Studio ai](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/studio-ai-pfvwus-pf~252216668) - **Website:** http://www.studioai.com/ - **Phone:** (718) 488-6268 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Featured in: New York Times, Huffington Post, Architectural Record, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. - **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2016), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 7 reviews** ### All 7 reviews **★★★★★ — \_neat\_, Sept. 2015** > It was our absolute pleasure and good fortune to work with Studio a+i. "Tell us your wish list" they began.... We were hesitant, having already been led to believe the site and our budget held serious restrictions. This was not true in Studio a+i's capable vision. Lily and Mateo challenged us respectfully when they felt we were wrong, with reams of additional renderings to show us where we could carve more space, or spend a little to achieve more. They were tireless in delivering what we wanted, within our budget. > > It was a space that had been many times divided and never combined. From what had been pieces of an apartments, carved into two one bedrooms and a studio, Studio a+i created a single family dwelling, with an intuitive flow. Early century bones gave us the space for amenities unheard of in Manhattan terms (a washer dryer, air conditioning, and in Studio a+i's proposal an unused hallway became an office and a breakfast area... Its helpful to mention ALL, as an architect we dismissed had been clear NONE of that would be possible). They were delighted to work with materials and finishings from every source and price point, finding better performing and more aesthetic solutions without being solicited. > > Studio a+i graciously owned the few bottlenecks that inevitably crop up in gut renovating a landmarked Manhattan co-op more than a century old. Lily and Mateo, and their staff were a pleasure. Professional, Courteous, Considerate, Timely and Daring! There is no doubt we would not have the home we have today without Studio a+i and three years later.... where we did not take their advice? We will tell you they were right. **★★★★★ — ppvv, Sept. 2015** > Complete renovation of a modernist house that was originally built in the '40s. > We looked for an architect with a strong sensitivity for modern architecture and an understanding and respect for the spirit of the original building. > Mateo and his team have been extremely professional: they helped us with original ideas and careful planning during the design stage, and a thorough and knowledgeable supervision during the execution of the project. > Above all, the communication with Mateo has always been a pleasant and stimulating experience. > We were completely satisfied with the results. > > We highly recommend Studio a+i and we hope to hire them again in the future. **★★★★★ — paganaviles, Sept. 2015** > I worked with Mateo Paiva on the complete renovation of a one-bedroom apartment in New York City. His practice was able to deliver an innovative design solution given a challenging space. His Team worked within the budget and on schedule. He was able to maintain an effective line of communication with the property manager. The client was extremely happy with the results. **★★★★★ — pavithra\_suri, Sept. 2015** > Studio a+i renovated our loft in Tribeca. They were imaginative and managed to create a space that was both comfortable and edgy at the same time. Mateo and his team are personable and listen very carefully to what we want. We plan to use them again when we build our dream home. **★★★★★ — mcbb5, Aug. 2015** > I hired Studio a+i to help with a full gut of a brownstone. The kitchens, bathrooms and walls were moved and redone. The entire rear of brownstone was opened up to the garden. All new electrical, plumbing and HVAC were installed. > The Studio a+i team was a pleasure to work with, and I would hire them again in heartbeat. The team clearly has tremendous natural talent and creativity, but I was also impressed with the dedication and follow through in the project. **★★★★★ — danrlittman, Aug. 2015** > Mateo Paiva oversaw a gut renovation of my apartment, completely reworking the floor plan in a prewar building owned by NYU. He came up with a very creative design that vastly improved the space, and dealt well with the university-hired contractors and project manager. He was great at coming up with the big picture, and at helping negotiate for changes that the manager had resisted. **★★★★★ — fm275, Aug. 2015** > We hired studio a+i twice. Our first experience with them was a gut renovation of our downtown loft. The project included a complete redesign of the space, including adding windows. The space turned into a beautiful three bedroom apartment that maintained the character of the original apartment, with exposed beams and large spaces, and allowed our family of five to live comfortably. We had a wonderful experience with them, from designing the space, top picking the materials of the bathrooms and appliances. > > Based on our extremely positive experience, we hired studio a+i again to build a house form scratch in Mountauk. We are about to break ground and we are happy to report that we have had the same experience than we did with our original apartment. ## Selected projects - [West Village Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/west-village-residence-pj-vj~937559) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Carroll Gardens Brownstone](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/carroll-gardens-brownstone-pj-vj~1207858) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - [Carroll Gardens Apartment Renovation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/carroll-gardens-apartment-renovation-pj-vj~1323540) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Brooklyn Loft](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/brooklyn-loft-pj-vj~1474495) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - Description: Gut renovation of loft in Brooklyn. The goal was to combine two apartments into a large loft. Keeping as much as possible the original detailing and materials of the former factory building and using crisp new walls to define clean volumes defining the private spaces (bedrooms and bathrooms). Simple details, tactile finishes and original details make this apartment the absolute New York Loft with a European twist. - [Long Island Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/long-island-home-pj-vj~1216795) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - [Rye Classic Modern Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/rye-classic-modern-residence-pj-vj~937545) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 7 - [Tribeca Loft](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tribeca-loft-pj-vj~937520) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Upstate New York](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/upstate-new-york-pj-vj~1216808) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - [SoHo Cecilia De Torres Gallery](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/soho-cecilia-de-torres-gallery-pj-vj~913) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Buenos Aires Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/buenos-aires-home-pj-vj~1216801) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Tribeca Loft Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tribeca-loft-residence-pj-vj~871) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Studio a+i Office](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/studio-a-i-office-pj-vj~1003411) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 1 - [Loft in Chinatown](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/loft-in-chinatown-pj-vj~1825441) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 [See all 13 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/studio-ai-pfvwus-pf~252216668) ## Community Q&A **Q: Light/chandelier in living room?** *(in Photo Questions)* Hi, where is the living room light and ceiling pendant from? Thanks A: http://pelledesigns.com/ **Q: Where did you get the dining room light?** *(in Photo Questions)* Where did you get the dinning room light? A: http://www.lindseyadelman.com **Q: Love the rug!** *(in Photo Questions)* Loving this rug. Where is it from? A: http://marcphillipsrugs.com **Q: Doors.** *(in Photo Questions)* Who are the doors made by? Thanks. A: Kitchen cabinet is from Wood Mode (http://www.wood-mode.com), with a custom brush stroke finish. We selected a main color and a brush overlay color from Farrow&Ball (http://www.farrow-ball.com). **Q: Nice bed!** *(in Photo Questions)* Where did you find the bed? Luv it! A: Vintage! **Q: Where is the blue and white chair from? Thanks!** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Vintage also. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-05.*