ABOUT KARINA | FOUNDER RIVIERA & CO
From my first job at 14 in a restaurant, I fell in love with the art of hospitality—the way a space, a service, and an experience could leave a lasting impact. But in the Netherlands, hospitality wasn’t seen as a career, only a stepping stone. So I pursued law, leadership, branding, and marketing while working in hospitality and retail, determined to carve my own path.
At 18, I launched my first business—a luxury confection company designing custom curtains and cushions, which soon became the best in the country, even supplying curtains to the Dutch Queen’s Palace on the Dam. Later, I founded a law firm empowering women to achieve financial independence, while also becoming a guest lecturer in entrepreneurship and business.
“Luxury isn’t just how it looks—it’s how it works.“
But hospitality, design, and branding were always calling me back. With a mother specializing in interior design for short-term rentals, I grew up understanding how spaces could transform not just aesthetically, but financially. In 2022, I launched Home Staging Portugal, and within two years, won Best Luxury Home Staging Company in Portugal and landed my first hospitality design project.
That project became the foundation of Riviera & Co.—where branding, interiors, and guest experience strategy come together to elevate hotels, branded residences, and luxury developments.
It’s more than just design—it’s about creating spaces that don’t just look beautiful, but sell, book, and perform.