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In the world of kitchen and bath design, efcient and creative use of space can make all the difer- ence for the homeowner. This concept is what Luis and Laura Bebchik, owners of Miami's hausscape, have built their business on. They have found the key to success by integrating architectural design into their business, which not only wins clients, but also awards. When asked why their frm, specializing in kitchen, bath and closet design, is so success- ful, Luis attributes it to two things: their educa- tional background and their method of working with kitchen and bath space. "We concentrate on modern design," says Luis. "Our education and our backgrounds are architecture, and when we design a kitchen, we like to look at the whole space. We are trying to build with space. The way we organize layouts, the way we can think out of the box to create a diferent layout is something I don't know a lot of companies can do here in Miami." FROM BUENOS AIRES TO MIAMI Natives of Argentina, the pair graduated from the University of Buenos Aires with degrees in architecture in 1985. In 1987, they moved to New York where Luis worked as an architect building mansions on Long Island. While he enjoyed his work, he realized that it wasn't entirely fulflling. "I realized that the architectural profession is a difcult one, where you end up knowing very little about a lot," says Luis. "When my wife and I switched into [kitchen and bath design], we decided that we wanted to know a lot about very little." The couple moved back to Buenos Aires in 1994 and opened their own kitchen and bath design frm, euroconcepts. They found success working all around South America including Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Brazil. Luis says they were even the frst Argentinean import- ers of Sub-Zero and Viking. However, when the economy collapsed in 2001, the Bebchiks decided to move back to the U.S, and set up shop in Miami. In 2002, hausscape was born. Today the company has two Miami area showrooms and 10 employees, all of whom have a background in computer design, industrial design or architecture. DESIGN COMES FIRST The Bebchiks have two priorities ingrained into their business strategy: be green and sustainable, and focus on design over proft. In designing green and sustainable spaces, hausscape uses lines that refect these same values, such as Valcucine, an Italian company that specializes in reducing waste. The duo pays particular attention to lines that focus on dema- terialization, or cutting the total material that goes into making a product. "We really worry about what's going on, how we, as humans, are taking care of the environ- ment and the planet. So it's very important that our lines – all of them – are green," says Laura. One of the challenges of designing sustain- ably is that green can be costly. However, hausscape's high-end clientele seems not to mind. The customers keep coming, according to the couple, not only due to the company's state- of-the-art designs, but also because of its values. "For us, design comes before proft. Sometimes we give up profts – we try to give our frst priority to design." INNOVATIVE PROJECTS Design awards not only recognize great projects, they also give a frm added credibility. So the Bebchiks were particularly pleased when hausscape won consecutive regional prizes for the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest. Their latest winning kitchen was in a Fisher Island condo. They completely redid the entire Miami Firm Makes Space its Frontier BY ASHLEY LAPIN OLIAN This award-winning kitchen split the refrigeration units in two separate areas – one unit closer to the cooking area and the second unit closer to the eating area. hausscape won the regional prize for the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest for designing this innovative Poggenpohl-brand kitchen in which an extra wall was added as a design element to hide water supply and drain pipes. Luis and Laura Bebchik had a successful kitchen and bath frm in Buenos Aires. However, when the economy went south, they headed to Miami to start over, capitalizing on their architectural background to showcase creative space planning. Photo: Michael Stavaridis Photo: Reinier Boulart 38 Kitchen & Bath Design News • January 2016 DESIGNER PROFILE