Tell us about yourself and your work. Where was your vocation born? Any early memory?
My earliest memories are from childhood. Even as a little girl I used to constantly rearrange my bedroom, much to the despair of my mother...
What is it that most satisfies you about your work?
The smile on the customers' faces. Seeing them happy in their new spaces, their excitement and, above all, their gratitude.
I invite you to stop, put your phone aside, play some good music and think: "And me… how do I want to live?"
What is your creative process like?
First of all I like to sit down with potential clients, get to know them and talk while we have a coffee. I give them a notebook, specially created for the occasion, and I invite them to stop, to write by hand in the notebook their “How do you want to live”. From there, I work with their dreams, first in a more intangible way, with textures, colours and images, and then I translate those dreams into floor plans, giving shape to the spaces. Once the project is defined and after several meetings, the construction work begins, always hand in hand with the client and with a fixed budget to avoid unpleasant surprises and to be able to enjoy the nice things. That journey is intense and sometimes feels tedious because of the eagerness to see it all finished, but every site visit brings surprises and excitement. And so on until the very end, until moving day and the subsequent weeks of settling in.
Any special music while you work?
I confess that I listen to music all the time; depending on the project I might put on the Rolling Stones or bossa nova…
Favourite colour, book, film and album. In that order!
White (naturally).
I would read it again The Abysses of Iban Petit (edited by Polar Expeditions) o All that I loved by Siri Hustvedt (edited by Seix Barral).
Any of Wes Anderson's (his use of colour is wonderful).
And an album... how difficult... a thousand, but right now I'm listening to the concert by La Fusa with Vinícius de Moraes and great Brazilian musicians.
Is your home a reflection of who you are? Tell us what it smells like, your favourite corner, your signature piece of furniture or decorative object, whether you treasure any collections...
My home is me in my purest essence. It smells of jasmine. I have several favourite spots... my wonderful chaise longue armchair in sea green velvet for my reading moments; my huge solid pine table for breakfasts and dinners with friends; my patio, which is my little oasis; and my mezzanine, my most private and intimate part. On the walls, my small art collection, my second passion, each painting with a memory and all with a common thread.
Do you have a pet?
I don't have a pet, but I do have lots of plants that I tend to with affection.
If you could buy yourself anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
I'm not very fussy, but I'd say any piece of art...
A cracking night in at home always includes…
I have two favourite masterplans: Filling the house with good friends with endless dinners, a good wine and ending up dancing (having previously moved the rug out of the way). Or relaxing, reading, with background music, an intimate conversation...
Do you have a signature dish?
I'm quite the foodie. Tell me what you'd like!
What is your favourite place in your city? And abroad?
In Barcelona, so many… but I like sitting on the beach sand or at MACBA and thinking.
Abroad... I'll take the parks in Berlin, a certain café in Paris, the Nikki Tibbles Wild at Heart florist in Westbourne Grove in London... Shall I go on?
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us that we haven't asked you? Speak now or forever hold your peace!
Rather than telling you, I want to invite you to stop, put your phone aside, put on some good music and think: “And me… How do I want to live?"
The interiors designed by the Espacio en Blanco studio surprise with their vitality, luminosity, harmony and high doses of feel-good vibes. Bárbara Aurell is one of those people who, when you compare her life and her work, you know was born to do what she does...
