Mariela Buendia-Corrochano was born in Lima, Peru, and came to the U.S. as a child in 1986. She already knew the career path she wanted to take. “I was nine years old when I realized I loved to draw with technical instruments like protractors and compasses,” she recalls. “I started researching architecture and design and took art classes. I fell in love with architecture while learning about Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.”

As a female immigrant with English as a second language, the journey through architecture school and to establish herself as an architect and designer “required effort and perseverance,” Buendia-Corrochano says. After 25 years at a global architecture firm, she founded estudioMBC in 2023, a boutique design firm specializing in commercial and residential architecture and interiors. She and a staff of three designers focus on workplace and real estate strategy, building repositioning and transformation, hospitality, new homes and renovations and conversions of historic structures into net-zero Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Buendia-Corrochano has extensive experience in product and custom furniture design, artwork integration and accessories curation.

“We propose a bullet-proof process that engages the client and provides a white-glove service,” she notes. “Our spaces convey a sense of humanism with a touch of forward thinking. We pride ourselves on creating places that reflect our clients’ goals and delivering experiences that make their architectural journey a delight.”

Recent accolades include a 2022 Best of the Year Award from Interior Design magazine and a 2022 award from IIDA Mid-Atlantic. Buendia-Corrochano’s work has been pub-lished in Home & Design, ArchitectureDC and The Washington Post.