HiP > 2026 > People > HiP Residential Development Leader

Photo: Evan Sung

Ximena Rodriguez, visionary designer, principal and director of interior design at CetraRuddy, brings an architect’s rigor and business acumen to a design practice spanning from intimate residential settings to iconic hospitality venues to large-scale urban transformations. Passionate about shaping spaces for living, working, and playing, she embraces interior design as a uniquely personal architectural expression. Trained as an architect at the University of Buenos Aires, Rodriguez studied management at the University of Palermo, aligning her global design perspective with sound market strategy. After an early career in interior renovation and commercial development in Argentina and Spain, Rodriguez vaulted from an emerging design studio to five formative years with Interior Design Hall of Famer Vicente Wolf, working with international clients on homes in Sweden and Israel and on large-scale hospitality projects, including acclaimed Las Vegas restaurants. Recruited by Hall of Fame inductee and Interior Design’s Giant/Rising Giant CetraRuddy in 2006, Rodriguez emerged as a leader in mixed-use, commercial, and residential design with 50+ award-winning projects for clients such as Rockefeller Group, Fotografiska, TishmanSpeyer, Columbia University, SL Green, Starwood, and MetroLoft. She specializes in office-to-residential conversions that reimagine legacy commercial buildings, such as landmarked Walker Tower, star-studded 443 Greenwich, and SoMA 25 Water—the nation’s largest. Rodriguez’s signature multifamily approach treats each residence and amenity with the care of a private commission, crafting refined experiences informed by her hospitality leadership on successes such as SushiSamba and Galleria Hotel Jeddah. Rodriguez leads CetraRuddy’s diverse, growing interior design team with a collaborative spirit, infusing architectural clarity and material sophistication into artful interiors rich in curated detail. A recognized thought leader, Rodriguez educates on innovative interior design strategies and ideas behind such market-makers as One Madison, ARO, and Rose Hill. Enthusiastically sharing and mentoring new talents, she supports charities PENCIL and Architects’ Regatta.