Studio Catenaccio is a design practice founded by Grace Catenaccio and based in London. We work in London, around the UK, and internationally.
The studio specialises in design within and alongside existing contexts, enhancing their unique, often historic, features, including residential and commercial buildings, interiors, urban spaces, and landscapes.
The practice’s design approach is client-focused, with an emphasis on collaboration. By taking inspiration from the existing built elements and working closely with clients, we design spaces that feel both grounded and personal: part of a continuum, but also fresh and new.
About the studio
Grace Catenaccio, Director
Grace founded Studio Catenaccio in 2022 as an opportunity to apply her skills and experience to more personal and creative projects.
Her expertise draws on nearly 20 years’ experience, including at architecture practice Studio PDP, where she delivered complex heritage projects including for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and as a Projects Director at public realm consultancy Publica, where she shaped major West End public realm strategies and co-led the Mayor’s Good Growth by Design guidance Making London Child-Friendly.
Recent projects with Studio Catenaccio include work with Islington primary schools on strategic improvements to their outdoor spaces, restoration of a listed structure in Barnet, and several domestic schemes.
Grace’s expertise is cross-cutting, spanning buildings and heritage, public space, and spatial strategy, applying a contextual and child-friendly approach to all her work. Her commitment to design that fosters connection to place is informed by early work in the cultural sector and environmental education, alongside a career-long exploration of topophilia and city life.
Grace is also a design tutor at the Welsh School of Architecture and a Trustee of local childcare and education charity Camden Community Nurseries, reflecting her interest and expertise in design for children and families. Originally from New York City, she lives in north London.