Antony Cestra is an entrepreneur, design leader, and business development executive with more than 20 years of experience across hospitality, luxury residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. His holistic approach is guided by the belief that the places we create can influence how we live, connect, and experience the worldand ultimately contribute to a greater sense of individual and collective well-being.
Educated primarily in Italy, Antony earned his first professional degree in Civil Engineering, followed by a degree in Architecture and Interior Design from La Sapienza University in Rome. He later relocated to the United States, completing a Bachelor of Architecture at the New York Institute of Technology, where he graduated magna cum laude.
From his early apprenticeship at his family’s construction company in Italy to leading cutting-edge design initiatives worldwide, Antony blends technical rigor with entrepreneurial vision, crafting environments that are innovative, impactful, and deeply meaningful.
Passionate about purposeful design, sustainability, and business strategy, he is dedicated to shaping environments that elevate the human experience while creating lasting value for people, places, and the planet.
As founder and principal of Studio Antony Cestra, Antony leads a design and development advisory practice working across New York, the Hamptons, and Italy. The studio provides design leadership, development strategy, and project management services for hospitality, residential, and wellness projects in the United States and internationally.
Antony works alongside owners, developers, operators, architects, designers, and consultants to guide projects from initial vision and feasibility through design development, coordination, and delivery. His approach combines creative leadership, technical expertise, commercial understanding, and hands-on project management to preserve the design vision while navigating the practical complexities of development.
Antony is also the creator of Alta Dimora, a heritage hospitality venture dedicated to the thoughtful regeneration of culturally significant properties across Italy. Conceived at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, design, and cultural preservation, Alta Dimora seeks to give new life to historic estates, monasteries, villas, and overlooked architectural treasures through experiences that are both contemporary and deeply connected to their surroundings. More than the restoration of individual buildings, Alta Dimora represents a broader vision for preserving Italy’s architectural heritage by making it relevant, sustainable, and meaningful for future generations. Through this work, Antony aims to create enduring destinations that honor the past while contributing new economic, social, and cultural value to their regions.
Antony has refined his design craft through international experience and senior leadership roles with world-class firms, including Foster + Partners, Rockwell Group, Lemay_id, and Stroop Design. He has played a key role in the design, development, and delivery of notable hospitality, cultural, residential, wellness, and mixed-use projects across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Working alongside distinguished multidisciplinary teams, he has helped create environments that unite design excellence with strategic vision, operational performance, and lasting social and environmental value.
His international experience also includes a formative collaboration with IBUKU in Southeast Asia, where he contributed to sustainable bamboo structures for local communities and the award-winning Green School in Bali. This experience further shaped his commitment to environmentally responsible design, craftsmanship, and projects grounded in their cultural and natural context.
Drawing on Antony’s extensive international experience, Studio Antony Cestra provides clients with strategic insight, design leadership, and hands-on project guidance, bringing clarity to complex decisions, aligning creative and commercial objectives, and delivering enduring value from initial vision through execution.