Design a Better Life
Bay Area

Life evolves.
Your space
should too.

Whether you're welcoming a child, beginning a new chapter, or creating a place to learn, your space can help you thrive.

Minimal interior

Interior opening to garden
About

Design for Health & Pleasure

I believe good design supports healthier bodies, calmer minds, stronger relationships, and more joyful lives.

I transform homes and adaptable living spaces to support life's transitions — from welcoming a baby and raising children to beginning a new chapter.

I also transform learning environments — from homes and daycares to schools and libraries — creating spaces where children can explore, focus, and flourish.

A PhD in Architecture. Research in Japan on small spaces and transformability. Collaboration with Rem Koolhaas. I have designed furniture, homes, schools, libraries, and adaptable living environments.

Everything I do is guided by one question: How can design help us live better?

01

Elegance

Refined simplicity. Spaces that breathe — where every choice is intentional and nothing is superfluous.

02

Economy

Purposeful use of what is already there. Every element earns its place through function and beauty.

03

Ecology

Harmony between space and self. Choices that are conscious of material, longevity, and life.

"Your home, transformed for a longer, better life."
Kitchen with color
Minimal living room
Bookshelf and terrace
Pink room

Your home is either supporting your health — or working against it.

Light, circulation, visual rest, and spatial flow all affect how you sleep, focus, and feel. This is the foundation of every diagnosis.

A well-designed space doesn't just function — it gives you pleasure.

Calm, sensoriality, beauty, and joy are not luxuries. They are the conditions that make a home worth living in.

How I work

Good design starts by listening—to the space, and to you.

Free

First Conversation

  • A 20-minute conversation to understand your home, your life, and whether I can contribute.
Book a free call →
Online

Design Consultation

  • Video consultation
  • Spatial diagnosis
  • Immediate recommendations
  • Clear next steps
Book a consultation →
In Person

Life Transitions

  • Walk through your home together
  • Identify opportunities and priorities
  • Immediate design recommendations
  • Personalized action plan
Learn more →
In Person

Learning Environments

  • Homes for children and families
  • Daycares and schools
  • Montessori and educational spaces
  • Healthy, joyful learning environments
Learn more →
Ongoing

Space Coaching

  • Ongoing design guidance
  • Furniture and custom solutions
  • Support through life transitions
  • Room-by-room transformation
What clients say

"Dr. Marta helped me re-envision the use of my home's quirky compact footprint to give it a more calm and airy feel that has really improved the way we live in my home. She worked with me to identify and amplify the things I loved about it, while giving me concrete, workable ways to improve it. Best of all, she developed and implemented a plan to move my toddler out of my room and into my older child's bedroom without crowding anyone! The room actually feels more spacious and easier to keep organized. The joy I feel when I walk in the door is priceless."

— Lisa Newstrom, Fremont CA

"I was impressed with the way that Marta instantly connected with the vibe of the house as soon as she entered. We needed advice on kitchen redesign. Before the consultation, we simply thought the issue was making more efficient use of our small space. Marta opened up the possibilities of integrating the kitchen with the overall flow of the house, not only making better use of the space but also creating a sense of continuity. Highly recommended!"

— Mary Gomes, Berkeley

"Marta transformed my home in a single design visit! She found a simple, elegant, and affordable way to turn my unfinished basement into a home office and guest room, and gave me practical ideas for every other space, from my toddler's room to the living room and bedrooms. After that visit, I realized Marta is really a space coach. I decided to treat myself and continue working with her over the next few months."

— Isabel Carreras Baquer, Berkeley

"Dr. Marta is warm, lively, and knowledgeable. Her expertise and philosophical approach comes through in her suggestions. She helped our home feel more put together, relaxing, and fit our vision. Totally recommend her services!"

— Gisela Garcia, Oakland

"Marta Rodriguez's expertise of maximizing small spaces is without compare. She understood our project, she was genuine — but more than anything, she brought a passion that not a single other architect had. At one point I said 'Is she moving in with us?' She thinks different."

— Jay Marroquin, Homeowner, Photographer

"Even as a carpenter with my own solutions, I appreciate how Marta thinks differently. She sees all angles and brings a creativity that surprised me. From the folding door that almost magically transformed a one-bedroom into two, to the organic stairs in the little cottage, her Japanese-influenced approach feels perfectly in tune with the spirit of the Bay Area."

— Jan Sturmann, Carpenter, Berkeley

Read more reviews on Google →

A global perspective

A global perspective

Dr. Marta with her designed H-Shelves Dr. Marta

Practice

  • Learning Environment Design Advisor, HABITABLE Studio — Berkeley, CA
  • Architectural Designer, OMA / Rem Koolhaas (Pritzker Prize) Rotterdam · Rothschild Bank London · Córdoba Congress Center
  • Project Director, Lahoz Lopez Arquitectos — Madrid San Gil Abad School, Cuenca · José Mª del Moral, Ciudad Real

Education

  • PhD in Architecture
  • Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSAM)
  • UC Berkeley, California
  • Sciences Po, Paris

Recognition

  • Rothschild Bank London — First Prize · OMA team
  • University Library, UPM Madrid — First Prize
  • LUCIA Research Center, Valladolid — First Prize

Research

  • Neuroarchitecture: space, brain, and wellbeing — Spain & United States
  • Longevity & space: how design extends quality of life
  • Elegance and transformability in small spaces — Japan

Transformable Shelves

Modular · Adaptable

Transformable Shelves began as a response to a simple question: what if storage could give something back?

Seven modules, each different. Slide, rotate, reconfigure. Storage, display, seating, room divider, bench, even stairs. The same piece, infinite arrangements.

Inspired by the Japanese Tokonoma — a space of intentional display and quiet beauty. Designed to move with you as life changes.

Custom Furniture →

Designed for your home and your life.

Transformable Shelves configuration 1 Transformable Shelves configuration 2

Blog

"What is your home doing to your body?"
Warm wood interior

Contact

Tell me about your space.

Perhaps you're about to buy a home and want to see what it could become before you sign.

Maybe life has shifted — a new person, a new chapter, a new version of yourself — and your space hasn't caught up yet.

Or it could simply be that something isn't working, and you want to live better because of it.

I work with you to understand your space and shape solutions that fit your life.

hello@drmarta.design

+1 530 507 8896

Book a free first consultation →

Expecting a baby? Learn how your home needs to adapt →

Photography: Bokey Grant, Tony Endievari, Cierto, h03, Saint Remy, Maynard