We had the good fortune of connecting with Home Sapiens Mercedes Marracos & Cecilia Ortega and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Home Sapiens, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we started our career, we never thought that it was going to take this path. It was very different from what we do now, but every experience counts and leads us to what we do today. We both have different stories: my partner Mercedes studied Communication sciences, and me, Cecilia, Graphic design. Mercedes worked in commercials spots as a production designer, and I have always been linked to architecture, I love handicrafts and restoration work. The two of us had been working independently in different areas, always linked to design and decoration, and at one point we began to work together, mainly making shop displays in commercial premises throughout the country.

Soon we had clients coming up to us with different needs and we sat down and started working to solve their needs in the best possible way. This is how we began to assemble teams, choosing the right people for the requirements of each project. We added figures such as a visual merchandiser and other specialists to the company.

At one point, those who saw our work, and often the clients themselves, began to ask us to improve their homes. So, since we are both big fans of decoration and details, we could not say no. This is how we expanded to work on the decoration and renovation of spaces.

It is precisely there that we discovered a new world. We found installations that were poorly solved or untidy and we decided to start offering maintenance services and installations with a critical and aesthetic eye. We began to work with maintenance suppliers from film production areas, bearing in mind that they are suitable people in various areas and are used to finding solutions while taking care of the aesthetics.

Our clients were mostly stores such as free shops and large bazaars. This last year we opened a new division especially focused on small business entrepreneurs. The latter have the challenge of solving everything themselves and in the order of priorities they end up postponing important actions for their business. That is where we come in that we offer solutions such as solving a shop display that involves defining a calendar, making a design, searching for and buying materials, etc. We also take care of lighting, layout, display design, carpentry and maintenance.

Thus, today our company is divided into two large branches, on one hand, private houses and on the other the area of ​​commercial premises, such as free shops, bazaars, and small business entrepreneurs.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
For us, the main priority is the client. Allowing us the time to get to know them and generate a bond to really understand their needs is our differential. As well as getting to know their tastes and what is the best way to solve the situations that may occur. Contemplating the different realities and generating a relationship of trust and fluid back and forth is vital for the success of the project.

We deal with both decoration and managing all kinds of facilities and solutions. We take on the challenge of giving a new life to the elements that our clients already have, restoring or relocating them. Our specialty is to redistribute the furniture creating more functional and warm spaces.

The most exciting and rewarding thing for us is to contribute to people’s daily lives. We love what we do, so much so that sometimes it is difficult to consider it work and that is why we do it with love, which generates a totally different result.

Daily living makes us to stop perceiving what we do not like about our homes. Poorly resolved corners, wear and tear of time, things to repair, or projects that never come to materialize. In reality, the space we inhabit greatly influences our mood and our energy, in addition to the comfort or functionality it may give us.
Therefore, we consider our task to help achieve this well-being so important. The same happens with our workplaces, since it is where we spend so many hours a day and in commercial premises where the people who visit them also feel like staying and returning to an environment that is cared for and harmonious in their exhibitions.

When one begins to renovate, fix, order, etc., it is a process that is carried out internally as well, which generates a lot of well-being.
When the client perceives it and tells us how it has changed their lives, seeing their houses like they are now, how beautiful they are, how good they feel, and that they could not believe how they lived before, is the best that can happen to us.

That is when it all makes sense!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Although Montevideo is the main tourist destination in Uruguay and has super interesting places to visit such as the promenade on the banks of the Río de la Plata, the old city with its pedestrian and the Mercado del Puerto where you can eat the best barbecue in the city, we would like to recommend other more hidden places.

For those who like contact with nature, Villa Serrana is a place with incredible energy in the middle of the mountains of Minas (Lavalleja). There you can find small inns where you can stay and eat homemade food from the region.
Another recommendation, especially if you come in summer, is to go to Cabo Polonio, which is one of the most mystical places in the country. It is a completely singular and unique national park within the Uruguayan territory, as it has dunes that exceed 20 meters in height. It is reached by trucks that climb the dunes, which makes it a unique experience.
The most precious part of the wild landscape is its natural beauty, and the greatest spectacle will be the one you can contemplate at night: millions of stars illuminating the sky since there is no electricity in the place.
Clearly in this place all seafood is recommended and something that cannot be missed are the fritters made from freshly harvested seaweed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We both come from entrepreneurial families, our parents were and it is something that came naturally, so clearly both one and the other recognize their father as an inspiration when it comes to working and inventing. Both were independent entrepreneurs, Cecilia’s being a very innovative architect and mine, a pioneer in the area of ​​optics and design. This has helped us to have an aesthetic eye since we were girls, which has trained us to be able to do this job.

Instagram: @homesapiensuy

Facebook: Home Sapiens

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.