Growing up in a low-income household in Puerto Rico, Miriam Cotto had little opportunity to experience architecture outside of her country.
“My world was small and contained mostly within the walls of our small home,” she wrote.
“I had minimum exposure to travel or the broader world outside; museum visits were only school field trips, so my early ambitions weren’t shaped by famous landmarks.
“Instead, my ambition was deeply personal: I wanted to understand the spaces we inhabit. I loved bright colors and I found solace in drawing portraits and painting.”
Today, Cotto is an architectural and interior designer and project manager at Napa Design Partners, where she helps shape homes and commercial spaces while drawing inspiration from Napa Valley’s landscapes and architecture.
1. What was your first job?
My first job was in the as-built documentation industry in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we recorded existing conditions for government and historic buildings. Much of our work centered on the traditional facades of Old San Juan — vivid pastel colors, thick coral-stone masonry walls, carved wooden doors, and wrought-iron balconies that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Documenting these Spanish Colonial streetscapes taught me precision, respect for historic fabric, and how architecture carries cultural identity across generations.
2. What job would you like to try/not try?
Try: Architectural/construction industry law and musical theater writer based on albums by The Killers or Muse.
Not try: Crisis PR specialist.
3. How did you get into this industry?
Architecture sparked as an unexpected calling during high school, but entering architecture school felt like stepping onto an uneven playing field. I immediately felt at a massive disadvantage. My peers had grown up traveling, visiting European cities, or discussing famous designers at dinner tables, while I was starting with a blank slate.
For a long time, I struggled to fit into the rigid, traditional framing of academia. The turning point came when I finally decided to let go of trying to match everyone else’s background. I embraced my unique perspective instead.
4. What do you love or like best about what you do?
I love creating patterns and playing with color schemes and textures from different materials whenever it’s included within a project’s scope. Since project costs drive most decisions, it becomes a fun challenge to achieve the same visual intent while hunting for the right brand or product that delivers the look within the client’s budget.
5. What is the biggest challenge the architecture industry has faced?
Permitting remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. While codes continue to evolve, requirements and interpretations can vary widely from one jurisdiction to another, and staffing changes within agencies often add uncertainty to project timelines.
It is also part of our scope to design within the project’s budget: Many specialty products require pricing through exclusive manufacturer representatives, which can slow the decision-making during design. More direct and transparent access to pricing information would help teams evaluate options more efficiently.
Architects are responsible for balancing aesthetics, performance, regulatory requirements and client goals, while contractors must navigate labor availability, scheduling constraints, constructibility considerations, and fluctuating market costs. The earlier architects, consultants and owners work with a contractor, the more successful the project will be at avoiding delays, cost overruns and unnecessary redesigns.
6. If you could change one thing about the design industry, what would it be?
I would love to invite developers to see design not just as a checklist of regulatory codes, but as a high-yield long-term investment in human dignity. While Napa’s recent Objective Design Standards and zoning rewrites are a great framework for preventing cramped layouts, the real opportunity lies in how the market brings these new regulations to life.
7. What’s one thing Napa could do to help local businesses or the economy?
To genuinely support Napa’s local businesses — from our historic wineries to downtown hospitality — we must realize that workforce retention starts at home. Napa’s business ecosystem depends entirely on the people who power it, and they need housing where they can actually decompress. With the city recently wrapping up public comments on its new Draft Zoning Ordinance, Napa is moving in the right direction by rethinking density. However, local policy is only half the battle. As new regulations push for better site integration, developers must embrace optimized open-space ratios as a core business asset.
Info: Napa Design Partners,
855 Bordeaux Way, Suite 260, Napa,
napadesignpartners.com
