Exploring Life & Business with Vanessa De La Hoz of Studio De La Hoz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa De La Hoz.

Hi Vanessa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story begins in Davie, a small town in South Florida that sits at the edge of the Everglades. It’s the kind of place where the people you meet in preschool are the same ones sitting beside you at high school graduation. My Colombian parents moved there from Miami in 1988 and raised my younger sister and me in a very traditional Colombian household. We were kept close to our ancestral roots through language, cooking, music, and dance. They instilled in me a deep sense of heritage that has served as my anchor. It shapes how I see, how I design, and how I create.

It was in high school that I fell in love with ceramics. I understood the material instinctively, as if it were an extension of my own body. I was madly in love.

At 21, I was making progress studying architecture at Broward Community College. As the daughter of hardworking immigrants, art school never felt like a viable path, no matter how deeply I loved making ceramic sculptures. A degree in architecture felt like a bridge between expression and stability. I continued taking pottery alongside my architecture courses, holding tightly to both worlds.
When it came time to transfer, I was rejected from the schools I thought I would attend. At the time these moments felt like failures; the truth is, they were redirections. With my options in Florida narrowing, I discovered The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles.
I didn’t fully understand how much I wanted it until I flew out to visit. I remember stepping onto the mezzanine and looking out over a sea of makeshift desks, each with its own 3D printer humming; a stark contrast to the quiet, sprawling town I came from. Once again, I was in love.

I spent 3 grueling years at SCI-Arc before graduating and going on to work in the offices of Eric Owen Moss, Marmol Radziner, and Kevin Daly. Those offices immersed me in a wide range of work, from luxury residences to tech campuses and affordable housing, allowing me to grow through real responsibility early in my career. The greatest pillar of my professional development was Kevin Daly; he saw potential in me and invested in my growth. By 31, under Kevin’s guidance, I saw a ground-up project through from design to completion, built from a drawing set I developed.

Starting my own design practice was something I wanted from the moment I began studying architecture at BCC. It would be dishonest to say I always felt confident it would happen, but the drive that brought me here has lived within me for a long time. I took this leap of faith upon completing my licensure. It wasn’t planned but life rarely unfolds that way; you’re brought to a crossroads and you must choose. I chose to bet on myself.

Currently, I’m starting the third year of my entrepreneurship as an architect, interior designer, and ceramicist. I’ve blossomed despite many challenges, remaining true to the person I always hoped to become. I believe my work reflects that. My work, whether objects or spaces, is always deeply personal; my heart beats loudly into everything I do and touch. The spaces I design begin with the people who live in them and evolve from the way they truly live. The ceramics I make honor my ancestors and the Colombian blood that runs through my veins, connecting me back to a faraway home.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. Every day is a fight.

To get to Los Angeles all those years ago, I had to defy my parents. Any child of immigrants understands what that means. For my parents, the thought of me moving across the country and taking on $200,000 in student loan debt was unimaginable.

My years at SCI-Arc were arduous. I arrived feeling behind many of my peers and struggled to find my footing for over a year. During one difficult semester, a studio professor looked through my portfolio, paused at the pottery work in the back, and said, “Oh, now I see why they let you in.” It was a sharp blow to an already fragile sense of confidence. I questioned whether I belonged there and whether this was just an expensive mistake. In the end, I succeeded by leaning into my own perspective rather than distancing myself from it. I left with a resilience that has shaped my career ever since.

My growth as a professional has been hard-earned. Architecture is a high-pressure discipline shaped by risk and real-life consequences. I take pride in knowing how to build a project from the ground up, fully aware that the process requires endurance, precision, and accountability.

Starting my own practice has introduced an entirely new level of difficulty. Architecture is deeply intertwined with capital, and access often determines who gets to build. As an outsider to those networks, I’ve had to be scrappy and inventive in creating my own momentum. It has required resilience, patience, and a willingness to keep showing up even when doors did not immediately open.

I am here because I built it.

We’ve been impressed with Studio De La Hoz, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m an architect, interior designer, and ceramicist. I design residential and boutique spaces while also creating one-of-a-kind ceramic works, each guided by the same care and attention. No matter the scale, my approach is grounded in the belief that beauty and purpose should never exist separately.

My process begins with learning how a space is truly lived in and what matters most to the people who call it home. Rather than imposing a signature style, I let identity, ritual, and daily rhythm shape the design. Often, the objects my clients already treasure become the foundation for a vision that feels layered, cohesive, and entirely their own.

What sets my studio apart is the dual perspective I bring to every project. My architectural training gives me technical rigor and discipline, while my ceramics practice keeps me connected to material, intuition, and heritage. As a first-generation American and Latina business owner, I move between two worlds, and that duality shapes how I see and design. I understand space at both the building scale and the object scale. That perspective allows me to design environments that feel layered, thoughtful, and deeply human.

I’m most proud that my clients see themselves in the spaces we create together. The work feels elevated and refined, yet entirely familiar because it is rooted in who they are. I don’t design to impose a signature style; I design to reveal one. For me, this process is intimate. A home is both sanctuary and self-expression. It deserves to be approached with care, precision, and deep respect.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Courage, relentlessness, and a constant hunger to grow have been essential to my journey. I’ve taken many leaps without any guarantee of a safe landing, trusting the intuitive voice that pushed me forward even when the path wasn’t clear. Along the way, I’ve had to confront what I don’t know and let that awareness push me toward deeper learning. Growth is ongoing, but I’ve learned not to let fear dictate my decisions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiodelahoz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiodelahoz