Rafael de Cárdenas is a designer and the founder of Rafael de Cárdenas / Architecture at Large (RDC/AAL). Prior to founding the firm in 2006, he worked as a menswear designer at Calvin Klein and a creative director for the production house Imaginary Forces. Today, his work with RDC/AAL spans commercial and residential interiors, art advisory, object and furniture design, and more.
De Cárdenas’s enduring interest in creating atmospheres and moods, rather than honing a specific style, has garnered a global clientele including Nike, Kenzo, Baccarat, Gentle Monster, Cartier, and Nordstrom. RDC/AAL’s projects span the United States, Europe, and Asia: the new apparel floor of the historic Au Pont Rouge department store in Saint Petersburg, Russia; the Delfina Delettrez boutique in London; the Demisch Danant Gallery in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village; and residences in New York, Paris, and London, among other locations. De Cárdenas has been included on Architectural Digest’s AD100 list every year since 2014 and was named the Maison & Objet Americas Designer of the Year in 2016.
A monograph on his work and the first ten years of Architecture at Large was published by Rizzoli in October 2017.