Evoking history, rarity, and emotion, Ulysses de Santi’s design practice seeks beauty through the revelation of dialogue. His recent Christie’s Los Angeles furniture exhibition paired seminal modernist furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro with contemporary designer Lucas Simões — both Brazilian — initiating a visual conversation about contrast and enduring beauty. He continues that conversation in a forthcoming New York collaboration, exploring continuity: how Brazilian modernism evolves from its history into new work through the intertwined voices of its makers.

What do you do when you hit a creative block?

I turn my attention to things that have nothing to do with work — cooking with my children, listening to records, walking by the ocean. Often clarity arrives not in the act of searching, but in stillness.

What book have you gifted most?

The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. It captures something I believe deeply — that our surroundings shape our emotional lives more than we realize.

What’s the last article you sent to a friend?

A piece about the resurgence of collectible design in Latin America — how a new generation of curators and makers are reframing our cultural heritage for the global stage. It’s exciting to see that dialogue finally getting the attention it deserves.

Who is your forever inspo?

Joaquim Tenreiro. His work represents the soul of Brazilian modernism — restraint with warmth, structure with emotion. He understood that true modernity isn’t cold; it breathes.

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Find Ulysses on Cosmos and Instagram.