Architecture runs through the veins of the Valentino family, so it was almost inevitable that Sandro and Peter, who now own and run Valentino Architects, would follow this mětier. Peter's father, Anton, was a partner at the firm Sapienza & Valentino, while Sandro's sister Daniela graduated as an architect two years before he did.

"I never seriously considered any other career," smiles Sandro, "I always had a passion for it and I was lucky to have my uncle and sister to guide me."

For Peter, the path to architecture was a little bit rockier. "I wasn't eager to become an architect at first," he laughs, "Before I started the university course, I took a gap year as I was very involved in sport and sailing. But when I came back, I decided to go for it."

So, even though Peter is a year older than Sandro, they graduated in the same year at university. Back then, there was already the thought that they would eventually set up a business together. However, first, life got in the way, as it often does. When they graduated in 2008, they both started working in different places - Sandro with Chris Briffa Architects and Peter first with Sapienza & Valentino and then with Architecture Project (AP). Following his time at AP, Peter took another sabbatical for a sailing trip across the Atlantic, and returned home with the mind-set to set-up shop.

"When I had just come back, Sandro wasn't ready to leave Chris," explains Peter, "He was very happy there and was doing very well. I started thinking that this partnership was never going to happen. Sandro was the obvious choice to do this with, so it was all very frustrating."

A few months later they met at a wedding and started talking - that conversation resulted in the creation of Valentino Architects. "By this time, seven years had passed since we had graduated and it somehow felt that the time was right" Sandro explains, "We said that if we didn't do it now, we just won't do it at all. We were the right age and at the right point in our lives to be able to dedicate enough resources to it."

So, Valentino Architects was born a little over three months ago. "We work well together", says Peter, "so even though having your own business is a lot of pressure, we can rely and depend on each other. We take a very collaborative approach, even in the way we approach our projects - we intend to keep up the teamwork spirit even when we expand. It's hard but it's exciting too. Setting up shop on our own was a big decision but we're glad we did it."

At this point, Peter and Sandro show me some examples of their work - sketches and actual works in progress - all stunning. They explain that their focus is on the creation of quality spaces through a study of form, proportion, detailing and materials, as well as the manipulation of natural light. They are concentrating on attracting a variety of design oriented projects - from new buildings, to interiors and renovations. They aim to design buildings which are sustainable from a number of aspects and which do not focus on the notion of 'style', as well as to provide an experience for the end users.

Their projects also vary in scale, and they tell me that whatever the size or nature of the project, one of their main aims is to focus on the detail. On one end of the spectrum lies their design for the 2015 RC44 Valletta Cup Trophy - a prestigious international sailing event which was brought to Malta for the first time earlier this year thanks to Yachting Events Ltd. The trophy brings together two recognizable images - a dynamic pair of sails and the clean-cut lines of Valletta's bastions - into one iconic object. The trophy was sculpted by Halmann Vella using Gozitan hardstone, the same stone used for the façade of the new Parliament which is rapidly becoming part of the image of the new Valletta. More than just a trophy, it is a work of art.

After going through a number of projects, they finally show me some images for the design of a Cultural Centre in Bamiyan, Afghanistan - an international competition that they recently took part in. The brief called for a low-tech building which belongs to the landscape as much as it does to the village. Although they didn't win, they are still very proud of the work they did in designing a building which combined eye-catching aesthetics with down-to-earth practicality.

So, what does the future hold for architecture in the Maltese Islands, I wonder. Peter thinks for a while and then says: "A good project needs to tap into both the head and the heart. It needs to make sense, for example, functionally, financially, environmentally - that's where the head comes in. Add poetry and aesthetics - that's the heart. I think that the heart part of the equation has been missing for some time, especially during the building boom era of a few years ago. Fortunately it is now coming back into the equation, and it's not only architects saying this but clients requesting it too. People are realising that living in a well designed environment has an impact on the quality of our life. This makes it a very exciting time to be an architect."