Keiro Architects

Keiro Architects is a small, founder-led practice in Ħaż-Żebbuġ that designs buildings and their interiors together rather than handing the two to separate teams. For a UK reader planning a home, a restaurant or a renovation in Malta, that matters: the person who shapes the walls, the light and the structure is also the person choosing the materials, the joinery and the finishes, so the result feels like one idea rather than several.

The studio was established in 2014 and has grown through private commissions into residential and hospitality work in Malta and Gozo. On VisitMalta.co.uk it is listed among the architects in Malta and the interior designers in Malta, which reflects how the practice works across both fields.

Who is behind the studio

Keiro Architects is led by two architects, Keith Schembri and Rosianne Schembri, who co-founded the practice. Both stay involved from the first sketch through to the finished building, so a client deals directly with the people who are accountable for the work rather than a succession of junior staff.

The studio describes its scale as deliberate. It has chosen to stay focused rather than chase volume, which allows close collaboration with clients and consultants and a clear line of professional responsibility. The guiding idea is what the practice calls intelligent restraint: spaces that are well resolved, honest in their materials and responsive to their setting, built for lasting use rather than short-term effect.

The Schembris have been recognised by the local industry several times. Keiro won Best Interior Design and Décor Entrepreneur of the Year at Malta's Best Entrepreneur of the Year and Best-in-Business Awards in 2017. In 2022 it received the Public Award at the MASP Awards for ONE80 tal-Belt in Valletta, and at the Malta Real Estate and Property Development Awards it was named Best Residential Maltese Architect of the Year and took Best Home Design of the Year. In 2024 the studio was honoured in the hospitality category of the BIG SEE Interior Design Awards, which cover south-east Europe, for ONE80 Izakaya in Gozo.

One discipline, not two

The core belief at Keiro is that architecture and interiors depend on each other. Structure, services, space and materials are considered together from the earliest stage, so that decisions about a wall or a ceiling height are made with the finished room in mind. The studio argues that when architectural and interior choices are made in isolation, technical clashes appear later and are fixed with compromises. Coordinating early is how it tries to avoid that.

For a client this usually means fewer surprises on site. Design development takes account of planning rules, building realities and how the space will be used and maintained over the years, not only how it looks on handover day. The studio also remains the coordinating lead when other professionals are involved, working with structural and services engineers, specialist consultants, contractors and the regulatory authorities so that everyone works to the same intent. That framework supports informed decisions on complicated briefs without losing the coherence of the design, and it keeps a clear record of who is responsible for each part of the work. Across every commission the stated priorities are clarity of thinking, professional accountability and long-term value.

What the studio designs

Keiro works on private residential projects, hospitality, commercial space and adaptive reuse, the conversion of an existing building or shell to a new purpose. It does not specialise in a single building type. Instead the practice is defined by its method, and it is especially suited to briefs that need careful coordination, sensitivity to context and an integrated approach.

Projects are normally taken on from the early advisory stage, when feasibility, site context and constraints are assessed, and then followed through design development into delivery. The level of involvement is adjusted to each job, from a full commission to a narrower role, while the same architects keep authorship of the design throughout.

The services recorded on its projects include architectural design, interior design, custom furniture and project management. On its hospitality work the studio has also helped clients with the notarial side of getting a site ready and with finding contractors, which can be a real help to an overseas owner who is not on the island day to day. If you are weighing up a move to Malta, our guide to relocating from the UK is a useful companion to a conversation about designing or renovating a home.

Hospitality and heritage projects

Restaurants and bars are a strong thread in the portfolio. ONE80 tal-Belt sits on St Christopher Street in Valletta, inside the historic Palazzo Spinola. Heritage rules and planning conditions set the frame for the design, and the irregular existing footprint was turned into features of the plan rather than treated as an obstacle. Traditional Maltese proportions and materials are reinterpreted in a contemporary way, and the space allows casual and more refined dining under one roof. If the capital interests you, our Valletta guide covers the city, and the story behind its buildings is told in our piece on the Knights of Malta.

ONE80 Izakaya, in Mgarr on Gozo, was completed in 2023 as a new fit-out inside a disused garage. Working within a tight footprint, the studio created a compact dining room with a strong Japanese character, drawing on research into Japanese architecture and interiors, from the meaning of colours and numbers to the feel of materials. Visitors planning a trip across the water can read our Gozo guide for the island itself.

Other hospitality and retail schemes in the portfolio include Sorbino, Vini e Capricci, Gianfranco Berta Lounge, Vinoteca Livio Felluga and a boutique bed and breakfast called Aqueduct. The work shows how the studio handles anything from a wine bar to a lounge, with a consistent attention to joinery, lighting and the sequence in which a visitor moves through a room.

Homes, clinics and community spaces

On the residential side the portfolio includes Villa 'C' in Ħ'Attard, a semi-detached family home in an established villa area that is still being completed. Because neighbours and the street are close, the design concentrates on privacy and on the side garden and rear garden as part of the composition. The exterior keeps to a calm, neutral palette, while warmer timber and softer materials inside make the home comfortable. Interior finishing is treated as a continuation of the architecture rather than a separate stage.

Other residential projects include 'C' Townhouse, House 'V' and Petal Park Apartments, together with Hamlet Square. The studio also designed The Dental Practice, a clinic interior, and LALU Childcare Centre, which turned a former industrial garage in Fleur-de-Lys into a structured early learning environment. In that project the narrow shell, the sequence of rooms and the careful handling of light were used to bring clarity to a limited space.

Anyone with an older townhouse or a farmhouse in mind will find that adaptive reuse is part of the studio's everyday range. Historic towns such as those in our Mdina guide show how much character older Maltese buildings carry, and a good brief respects it.

Visiting and getting started

The studio is based on Mikielang Sapiano Street in Ħaż-Żebbuġ, a town in the west-central part of the island, and its office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, excluding public holidays. If you are combining a meeting with a trip, our Malta things to do guide and our about Malta overview will help you plan the rest of your stay.

Keiro asks for a considered enquiry. An early conversation is used to understand what you need and to check that your expectations and its way of working suit each other. Fees are not published, so describe the site, the kind of building and the timing you have in mind. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Keiro Architects, who will reply to you directly.