About

Strada Design/Build unites a modern design sensibility with a deep commitment to historic preservation on the East End of Long Island. Founded by Robert Strada in 2011, the firm builds on a career that began with his first studio in 1974, extended through international collaborations in Italy, and included global commissions for Brioni and Cassina. Living and working in a landmark brownstone in Manhattan’s West Village Historic District, Robert’s transformative work at Princeton University’s Garden Theater led to a passion for architectural preservation, and today Strada Design/Build is known for restoring some of the region’s most significant historic structures with sensitivity, craftsmanship, and vision.

Strada’s journey began in 1974 with the opening of his first design studio in Broadway Alley in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. This first venture laid the foundation for a career defined by creativity and craftsmanship. Over the next two decades, his work spanned furniture, interiors, and large-scale projects that blended art and function. His work in furniture design was highlighted by a personal collaboration with master cabinet and furniture maker Pierluigi Ghianda in Bovisio, just outside Milan, Italy, an experience that profoundly shaped his approach to design, detail, and material integrity.

In the mid- to late-1990’s, Robert was commissioned to design and install the Brioni global network of retail stores, a role that brought him to fashion capitals around the world. Around the same time, his own line of furniture was produced by Cassina in Italy, further solidifying his reputation for modern design of the highest standard.

That international experience set the stage for a new direction. In 2000, Princeton University invited Robert to design the restoration of the university-owned 1935 Garden Theater. The project proved transformative: it sparked a lifelong passion for historic preservation. He soon launched a lecture series at Princeton - The Artist as a Working Man - and turned his focus toward architectural restoration. Not long afterward, his work on the East End of Long Island began in earnest, where one of his earliest projects involved the careful deconstruction and cataloging of one of the oldest buildings in early American history. That formative experience shaped his approach to preservation, adaptive reuse, and architectural conversions, and let to a reputation for solving complex challenges with sensitivity and vision.

By 2011, Robert founded Strada Design/Build, LLC, to bring together his international design background and his growing dedication to historic preservation on the East End. A few years later, in 2013, he was contacted by the American Academy of Arts & Letters to collaborate with Harry Cobb of Pei, Cobb & Partners and architect James Czaika on the meticulous deconstruction and reconstruction of the home studio of composer Charles Ives at the 1923 McKim, Mead, and White building that houses the Academy. The project was a singular opportunity to merge architectural precision with cultural stewardship, and it underscores the trust placed in Strada Design/Build by leading institutions.

Since then, the firm has continued to be entrusted with restoring some of the East End’s most significant structures, including the Blacksmith Shop and the Captain Isaac Sayre Barn at the Southampton Historical Museum, th mule barn on Gardiner’s Island, and the Smith-Taylor Cabin on Shelter Island. The restoration of the Topping Rose Inn and Barn in Bridgehampton and the Canoe Place Inn and Cottages in Hampton Bays further illustrate the firm’s ability to preserve the past while creating spaces that remain alive and meaningful for generations to come.