Diogo’s career in design began while earning his BFA in Interior Design from ESART, Castelo Branco, Portugal where he won the Award for Best Student in Equipment and Interior Design during his freshman year, and graduated first in his class.

His teachers, especially Prof. Rui Carreto, PhD-Design who Diogo counts as a mentor, inspired him to continue to explore his passion for design ultimately leading Diogo to pursue an MFA in Interior Design from FBAUL, Lisbon where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA in 2014.

For his Master’s Thesis, Diogo conducted an introspective study on the work of the famed Portuguese interior and furniture designer, Cruz de Carvalho who opened up his life and work unlike he had ever done before, offering Diogo the unique opportunity to intimately discover, study, organize, and write about his achievements, thoughts, drawings, sketches, projects and designs. Lighting was consistently a critical element in Cruz de Carvalho’s countless exhibitions and interior designs. Cruz de Carvalho passed away in 2015 at 84 years old and both he and his family will forever hold a special place in Diogo’s heart.

While working at Deleme Janelas, a high-end Portuguese window frame manufacturer, Diogo learned an appreciation for daylighting and energy conservation which he continues to apply to his work today. Diogo pursued his growing interest in lighting by earning an MPS in Lighting Design from NYSID in 2018, receiving The Chairman’s Award for outstanding creative achievements made by a graduating student.

Today at Cooley Monato Studio, Diogo enjoys putting into practice his background in interior design and his passion for real-world lighting design projects in retail, hospitality and residential.