Rodrigo Manriquez

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  • Detroit, MI
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Rodrigo has dedicated his career to celebrating the impact and interplay that arises when lighting and design are purposefully woven together within a thoughtful solution. He recalls being attracted to the way these two elements harmonize to evoke emotion and affect the public's perception of space. "Design allows us to focus on the voices and stories in the communities that we serve and orchestrate the spaces that emerge," says Rodrigo. "Lighting then elevates the sensory connection to environments and helps to clarify how we perceive the spaces we create for users." Rodrigo's inherently creative side also is drawn to poetry. "Growing up in Chile, it was spoon-fed to us in school. I have used it to reinterpret common challenges and frame design approaches." Had his life taken a different path, "I would be running a small bohemian coffee house alongside my wife in the artisan town of Bellavista," he says, "a town that captures the cultural and creative spirit of my hometown of Santiago."