Founder and President – Echeverria Design Group
Background
Mario Echeverria is the founder of Echeverria Design Group, a Miami based design firm working across retail, commercial, restaurant, and large scale experiential environments. Originally from Chile, he moved to the United States at a young age and began building his career in Miami during the early 1980s.
His introduction to design came through a furniture showroom, where he began sketching layouts and concepts for sales teams. What started as an entry level opportunity quickly developed into hands on design experience, eventually leading him to open his own practice after realizing there was growing demand for his work.
One of his first major opportunities came through a residential client who introduced him to a commercial retail project in Coconut Grove. That project became a turning point, leading to additional retail commissions and long term industry relationships that helped expand the business nationally.
Approach
Echeverria’s work is rooted in observation, functionality, and understanding how people interact with spaces. His process focuses heavily on the end user, an idea reflected in the company philosophy he established early on.
“We design for our clients clients.”
Rather than approaching projects with a fixed formula, the firm studies each location, customer base, and operational need before developing a design direction. This approach has allowed the studio to work across a wide range of environments while maintaining long standing relationships with major retail and commercial clients.
Echeverria is especially interested in how people move through spaces and respond to their surroundings. Whether walking through a store, restaurant, or public environment, he constantly studies circulation, behavior, and functionality as part of an ongoing learning process.
Beyond Design
Over the years, Echeverria Design Group has developed relationships with major retailers and commercial brands, including department stores, jewelry retailers, entertainment concepts, and cruise related projects. The firm’s work often involves large teams, technical coordination, and complex operational requirements.
Echeverria credits much of the company’s longevity to the strength of the team around him, particularly their ability to manage systems, communication, and project delivery across multiple markets.
Outside of work, he values time with family and maintaining a sense of balance away from the pace of the business. Collecting orchids with his wife, spending time at home, and watching his grandchildren play sports all provide a way to disconnect and recharge.
Even with decades in the industry, he continues to approach design with curiosity, intuition, and a strong interest in how spaces shape human experience.
