Photography by M. Sharkey
After starting his career in the '90s as a collection designer for Calvin Klein, Cardenas made the switch to architecture a little more than a decade ago and--with his work on a number of high-profile projects for companies like BMW and HBO -- has become a sought-after, multidisciplinary tastemaker. Just this past year, he launched his own furniture line, oversaw installations and interiors at his firm, Architecture at Large, and designed Jeffrey Chodorow's new Manhattan restaurant, Kutsher's.

Photographed at Sun Studios in New York City on September 18, 2012 / Bricks courtesy of LEGO (r)