Applying Design
to Your Rituals
‘Obra de arte’ translates from Spanish to English as ‘work of art’.
Drawing inspiration from the word, Obra infuses workspaces with elegance and personality by understanding our clients’ rituals and cultivating a harmonious union of design, function, and purpose.
OUR MISSION
Crafting harmonious workspaces, infused with elegance, that enhance your rituals.
OUR VALUES
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Trust is rooted in our communication, expectation-setting, and collaboration throughout each project. Successful projects require honest feedback during every phase of the process from all teammates: Obra & our clients.
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We treat every project with respect, because we know today’s decisions impact our clients for years to come, sometimes lifetimes. Obra knows firsthand the importance of changing a space in a home. We recognize our clients’ efforts & commitments (time, money, energy) to a successful project, and we treat these commitments as an extension of our own.
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The Obra process is rooted in personal experience and is meant to be enjoyed. For Obra, it is not enough to simply install a new kitchen or living space. We insist on our clients’ involvement in the process, because we’ve found a stronger connection between the client & their space for years to come.
OUR HISTORY
Travel Buddies Turned Business Partners
Sergio is an industrial designer, the son of a chef & artist, and a key figure in the contemporary Mexican design space. Sam studied operations and supply chain management before joining the technology and transportation industry. We’ve grown as friends and professionals through Obra. We are problem-solvers who approach every project and challenge with positive energy.
We are problem solvers & our process is designed to be savored and respected.
Design, production, installation, & celebration. We take on projects we are passionate about and want to work with clients who are equally excited.
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Our ideal projects begin with an in-person meeting at a physical Obra space. This allows us to break bread, get to know one another, and provides prospective clients the opportunity to see, feel, and experience a completed Obra space.
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Once we align on general timelines, budgets, and project scope, we dive into our collaborative design phase. This stage is centered on understanding our client’s wants, needs, and overall inspiration. Feedback from both parties is essential, fostering open communication through various channels like WhatsApp, phone calls, in-person meetings, email, and texting. This encourages natural brainstorming to extract inspiration that shapes the final Obra outcome.
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After receiving approval on renderings and details, we transition into the production phase. Here, we leverage the expertise of skilled craftsmen and advanced technology. Embracing transparency, Obra provides progress updates and invites clients to visit the workshop in Mexico City, offering firsthand insight into production.
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Upon completion of production, Obra takes charge of all logistics, ensuring seamless delivery and installation of our clients' projects. We respect la obra (the worksite).
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The collaboration & teamwork between Obra & our clients does not end after installation. We provide training on maintenance & care, and are available for service after project completion. The Obra community grows with each project. We stay in touch & and encourage our clients to participate in our annual Ritual Cookbook by highlighting their favorite recipes.
Meet the Team
Sammy Rivedal
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Sammy Rivedal, born in Milwaukee, WI, and proud resident of Austin, TX, is a Co-Founder, & CEO of Obra. He is the facilitator & bridge between the Obra and the outside world. Aside from that, he also holds the position of the pulse of Obra Fam, always making sure team members, friends, and customers are happy and comfortable.
Sammy is passionate about connecting the dots—he loves understanding business needs, defining strategic plans, and making things happen by leveraging each team member’s skills to get the absolute best out of them. For him, being part of Obra Fam means building trust and care above all else, connecting with Obra’s talented team members, clients, vendors, and everyone who supports our journey.
Sammy loves two-step dancing, protected bike lanes, evening strolls down 6th Street, and spending time at coffee shops without a laptop. He co-founded Obra with Sergio after years of an awesome friendship that has only been growing stronger as time goes by.
Sergio Morales
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Creative Officer
Sergio Morales is Obra’s Co-Founder, President, and CCO. He is the backbone of Obra: an Industrial Designer, born and raised in Obra’s HQ Mexico City, Mexico, with more than a decade of professional experience, and a master of creation.
Since day one, Sergio has seen Obra as a passport to the world, a way to work with friends and family, embrace the daily challenges, get to know new people, and explore new places alongside loved ones. For him, this is a dream come true. Being part of Obra Fam means sharing the journey of creation, and enjoying the process of things, whether big or small. One of the most valuable things he sees in Obra is how every team member is walking in the same direction, always being the best version of themselves.
Sergio is a true early bird: he loves waking up at the crack of dawn, grabbing a cup of coffee, and enjoying the world at its quietest. By 6:30 AM, you’ll find him out for a walk, clearing his mind, and probably thinking about his next dream vacation somewhere unexplored. He loves cooking Italian food, hanging out with his loved ones, and setting the mood with Charley Crockett’s “Welcome To Hard Times”.
Giovana Alcazas
Storyteller & Social Media Manager
Giovana Alcazas is a professional journalist & student of History. Born and raised in Paraná, one of Brazil’s subtropical states, she is the words behind Obra, from a 4,500-mile distance and two languages apart. Gio is passionate about informative articles, profiles and features, educational content, and deep-diving into each client’s rituals.
For Gio, belonging to Obra Fam means writing her own tales as she tells other people’s stories. Most of her work happens alongside Aster. Being heard, taken into account, and listening to every single client’s journeys is what keeps her words sharp and her heart soft.
She loves to soundtrack her work with music from around the world, with a soft spot for Ney Matogrosso, Korn, Tool & My Chemical Romance. Gio blindly believes her superpowers include summoning Shania Twain’s music anywhere. She also loves to collect new tattoos, attend live concerts, read novels and werewolf horror stories, watch princess animations and Barbie movies, and spend time with her loved ones—family, friends, two huge dogs, and two round rats she feeds religiously.
When it comes to feeding herself, it all comes down to Brazilian food & beverages: red wine sagu with cream, galinhada (rustic one-pot chicken & rice stew) and anything stuffed with guava paste & mozzarella cheese. For cold days, chimarrão (hot, loose-leaf yerba mate infusion) and hot chocolate are more than welcome; when it’s too hot, ice tea & tereré (iced yerba mate) are what keep Gio from becoming one with the southern sun.
Aster del Valle
Graphic Design Manager
Aster del Valle, the eyes of Obra, was born in Mexico City, Mexico. They’re a professional digital developer & artist, with a passion for illustration and strong atmospheres that take the viewer to whole new worlds. Their journey with visual storytelling goes far beyond Obra—short films, graphic design, and tattooing are parts of Aster’s professional background.
Obra Fam would never be the same without Aster’s beautiful vision: while celebrating the brand’s aesthetic, they also create visual identities for customers, help clients visualize their projects through concept sketches, and illustrate furniture, texture, and people’s rituals. They work in tandem with Gio to create Obra content.
Aster’s life is art: whether drawing, writing, watching Crimson Peak by Guillermo del Toro, or enjoying a new TV show, there is not one second when art and spookiness aren’t fully present. When it comes to music, their headphones will most likely blast My Chemical Romance, Spiritbox, Sisters of Mercy, and Twin Tribes, but don’t be too surprised when you catch them belting out some Ateez.
The way to Aster’s heart is through their stomach. They love cooking classic california rolls for birthday dinners and special occasions, and katsudon for family and friends, even if it takes a while—it’s all about the journey, anyway. Every meal is special for them if it’s shared with the people they love, no matter the day or time.
Edgar Navarrete
Production Manager
Edgar Navarrete was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He is the alchemy of Obra. As Obra’s Production Manager, he is responsible for bringing designs to life by transforming initial projects into 3D wood models, guiding the Maestros (master carpenters) around the shop, assembly, and installation.
An industrial designer by trade, Edgar has worked in furniture and Interior Design since 2017—he considers his mission as a part of Obra Fam to make the clients’ visions become reality as closely to their dreams as possible. Ever the perfectionist, his advice has always been to never trust factory-given measurements and always measure everything twice. Take no chances!
Edgar loves being outdoors, and one of his favorite things to do is camping, where he prepares his favorite recipe, hunter’s bread: take dough, water and nuts, wrap them into a little packet and pop it into the campfire for a wild snack. He’s also passionate about handcrafts and Tabletop Role-Playing Games—in his free time, you will find him painting Warhammer miniatures or making leather pieces. Edgar is a huge fan of musicals; his favorites are Hadestown and Heathers, and he really, really likes the soundtrack of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
He considers his family and friends to be his top priority besides his job, and most of his personal rituals revolve around them. When it's movie night, everyone in his home will sit on the couch with some popcorn, forget about the outside world, and enjoy a good story together.
Explore More Projects
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Project Búho
A project that invites the outdoors in by infusing the space with a contemporary blend of rich wood textures, natural stone and a dynamic color, inspired by lichen.
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Project Este
A project focused on daily rituals and the Obra process. We leveraged natural light, color, & materials to complement the industrial roots of this contemporary loft.
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Project Casa Pancha
In this bustling hostel, we created a warm space for world-travelers, artists, and professionals to call home while exploring La Colonia Hipódromo Condesa CDMX.
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Project Nicolás San Juan
This project is the result of heavy collaboration between Obra and the clients to find the perfect design and color. We are proud of the results and the strong connection between the client & their space.
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Project Sombrerete
The driving force of this project was to highlight the integrity & beauty of the focal material: Tzalam wood.
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Project Tepoztlán
This was one of our most challenging and satisfying projects. The city of Tepoztlán is a registered Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town). We paid homage to the original home by maintaining the essence of the traditional kitchen, and introducing modern function & contemporary design.
