Silent Luxury

Guatemala sits on a living surface. Volcanic earth, tectonic shifts, dense rainforest – the land is in constant transformation. This movement, written into the Guatemalan landscape over millions of years, finds its translation in wood at Piegatto. Since 2006, the studio of Alejandro Estrada and Sandra Ovalle has been developing furniture that works like organic sculptures. Flowing lines, gentle curves, no sharp edges.

Estrada, architect and sculptor, worked for several years in Florence. "In Italy I understood proportion," he describes in conversation with 1stDibs Introspective. "In Guatemala I found freedom." This freedom shapes every design to this day – a departure from rigid geometry, a turn toward organic form.

The Geography of Form: Piegatto’s Iconic Design Philosophy

The iconic Pipo chair from 2006 shows the philosophy in its purest form. 29 curved layers of wood become a monolithic sculpture. "The chair becomes a person in a certain way because it's communicating through the armrests. It is a gesture that is welcoming," explains Alejandro Estrada. The perforated surface lets light pass through – shadows play over the curves like through the canopy of the jungle.

Material and Emotion

"A monolithic piece where all the parts are created from the same material," Estrada tells 1stDibs. "Our aesthetic comes from understanding our bodies – soft when we touch, harder when we walk. Nature is like that, and we endeavor to discover ways to create as nature creates."

The curved Sweep Bench, the sectional chairs – each piece invites the body to nestle in. These furniture pieces carry the organic fluidity of nature into built space.

A Family as Atelier: The Continuity of Craftmanship

The couple met as architecture students at Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala City. After graduation in the mid-1990s to Italy – a time Estrada describes as a "beautiful beginning." In 1998, back in Guatemala, they opened an architecture office, an art restoration workshop, and a gallery. From this creative cosmos, Piegatto developed in 2006.

Today, around 100 people work at several locations in Guatemala City – architects, designers, craftsmen. The family is active in all areas: Alejandro as CEO and Design Director, Sandra leads the textile department, son Pietro is Operations Manager, his wife Analuz handles sales, daughter Crisol and her partner Esteban are interior designers. "The key was understanding how everyone is involved in the process and sees themselves in Piegatto," Estrada describes how this structure functions.

Design, production and finishing share the same roof. The showroom in an Art Deco building with a glass facade was once the family's home. Pietro grew up in this gallery – among sculptures, prototypes and the first furniture designs.

Paths of Life

The "Paths of Life" collection launched in spring 2025 marks a high point in Piegatto's approach. "With Paths of Life, we wanted to create a collection that speaks to the emotional architecture of our experiences — the twists, the calm, the chaos, and the beauty in between," explains Pietro Estrada in conversation with Resident Magazine. "Each piece reflects a moment, a decision, or a memory, captured through flowing forms. It's not just furniture; it's a narrative in motion."

Designing Emotional Architecture

The Coffee Chair from this collection invites pause, reflection, the simple joy of a morning ritual. The Radian Coffee Tables with their radial forms suggest the passage of time. "Each curve is a memory of time," says Alejandro Estrada. "You cannot rush a form. It must find its own balance."

"Luxury isn't always loud," Resident Magazine formulates it. "Sometimes, it's the quiet curve of a chair that holds your breath and the soft glow of light that shifts the mood of an entire room." Design is dialogue – between form and function, between creator and collector, between stillness and movement.

Piegatto doesn't follow seasonal cycles. "The material tells us when it's ready," explains Sandra Ovalle. This approach shows everywhere – from the design process, which Estrada describes as beginning with "a period where nothing comes up," to manufacturing, where each piece is hand-sanded, painted, and inspected.

The New Generation

Pietro Estrada joined as a junior designer in 2016 and today serves as Production and Growth Manager. With architecture studies and an MBA, he combines design thinking with business strategy. His generation defines success differently.

"Ambition today means creating something that lasts," he describes in Authority Magazine. "We care deeply about the why of our work, not just the what. Financial security is important, but not at the cost of meaning or mental health. Success must include giving back and building something that reaches beyond oneself."

Sustainability as Mindset

This mindset manifests in Piegatto's sustainability approach. The studio exclusively uses certified wood from renewable sources and minimizes waste through precision modeling. Even the finishes reflect a commitment to natural preservation rather than synthetic perfection. Alejandro Estrada is pursuing B-Corp certification – "from when the piece was born until it is delivered," as he tells Hospitality Design.

The contrast between generations is telling: Alejandro grew up as a child on his father's farm, far from urban life. Pietro grew up in an art gallery, in an Art Deco building in the heart of Guatemala City. Both perspectives flow into Piegatto's DNA.

Lake Atitlán as Testing Ground

On the shore of Lake Atitlán, Estrada and Ovalle completed Casita Piegatto. "The architecture, furniture and natural environment complement one another as a cohesive whole," Estrada describes. "We explore our concepts about integrating architecture, furniture and nature here."

The Casita serves as an Airbnb. "It's always booked, which allows us to quality-test each piece in real time," says Estrada. The view extends over the volcanic lake, framed by three volcanoes. Here, at the water's edge, the studio's philosophy becomes tangible.

Technology with Memory: The Precision of CNC Meets Human Refinement

Piegatto's use of CNC technology is deliberate. The machine executes what the hand defines. Estrada tells that he saw his first CNC mill in a dream. With their friend and engineer Estuardo De La Rosa, they "jumped into the depths of digital fabrication to change the way we do things, to create things that were not created yet."

Digital Precision, Human Touch

After milling, each piece is hand-sanded, painted, inspected. "Technology only counts if it serves precision. The final gesture is always human," Estrada says. This connection between digital tool and manual refinement makes it possible to extract organic complexity from the wood.

The studio has used Rhino and Grasshopper for years for product design and architectural projects. For Pietro, fascinated by parametric principles behind natural forms, these tools are indispensable for translating organic geometries into realizable objects.

The Quiet Revolution: Credo of Organic Design and Global High-End

"Design is not decoration – it is dialogue," is Piegatto's credo. "We don't just design objects. We create experiences that allow people to think about who they are and how they live."

In the board meetings held once a month, new ideas are discussed. "No idea is stupid," Pietro emphasizes. "Every family member has their own voice and their dreams. It was even difficult for me to find my own voice in Piegatto, and it's important to bring all family members' ideas and dreams into the conversation."

Design as Dialogue

Piegatto shows that global high-end design and local origin can belong together. The Guatemalan landscape provides the blueprint, cultural heritage the care, digital technology the precision. Each piece is a statement about the beauty of organic form.

The Future is Slow

2024 marked a turning point: Piegatto exhibited twice at Highpoint Market in North Carolina and prepared its presentation at Salone del Mobile in Milan. "Our goal is to make Piegatto a global brand," says Estrada. No trends, no rush – the patient translation of a landscape into a language meant to last centuries.