A camera witnessing the most beautiful interiors: Interview with Stella Rotger

Does a falling tree make a noise when it falls if there is no one in the forest to hear it? Does the beautiful homes Do they exist if there is no one to portray them? Probably yes, but we wouldn't know about it.

Luckily we have the Stella RotgerShe is a restless mind and photographer of interiors, architecture, landscapes, food, and all those things that make us feel so good. In her curriculum we can find a multitude of reports in decoration and interior design magazines, and in her Instagram we can see a catalogue of moments hygge that invite us to close our eyes and teleport. In this interview, Stella talks to us about her work, which she says she loves. And so do we.

Tell us about yourself and your work. Where did your vocation come from?

I'm Stella Rotger, 45 years old, interior design, decoration, architecture and lifestyle photographer. Born in Vallés Oriental, I now live in Alt Empordà. I studied photography at the Institute of Photographic Studies of Barcelona (IEFC), where they knew how to awaken something I had inside but didn't see clearly. I have worked for a lot of decoration magazines, but for the last few years I have been publishing monthly in the magazine The Furniture. I also take photos for decoration catalogues, photos for websites and social networks of architects, interior designers... and for everyone who wants to give a plus to their product.

What do you find most satisfying about your work? Any work you are particularly proud of?

Enjoying every day of what I do is a gift! Obviously, there are parts that I love, like going every day to different houses, different places, with different stylists, travelling... and other parts that I don't like so much, like the hours and days of computer work that come after each shoot.

There is no work that I want to highlight above the others, but I keep good memories of those in which I manage to transmit sensations of the place or space, not just the graphic image that is already given to you when you click.

What is your creative process like? What are your sources of inspiration? 

I try not to create expectations before arriving at a house. I always work with natural light. Finding the time of day that suits each part of the house is important to create the desired atmosphere.

I don't have any favourite source of inspiration, although for many years I used to buy foreign decoration and lifestyle magazines. I have to admit that now with the new media, mainly Instagram, I'm at a love-hate point.

Any special music while working?

When I have to tinker for many hours at a time, the evening is a very grateful time, because the phone doesn't ring, the doorbell doesn't ring and no girl calls me, and I really enjoy listening to the radio programme. The CompetitionI can listen to four or five programmes in a row, or maybe more! Sometimes I think that if they have a record of online listeners, they must think that in the Empordà there's someone who's a bit confused by so many hours of La Competència in a row. If I fiddle around during the day I listen to everything on Spotify, but my favourites lately are Ferran Palau, Angus & Julia Stone, Ben Howard, José González, El Petit de Cal Eril...

Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order!

Green is one of my favourite colours, but I think I rather like all earth colours: green, brown, beige... in all their shades.

Favourite book.... ouch! I have read very little in recent years, but I am very fond of a book called Hey, Petrel! Notebook of a lonely sailorby Julio Villar (Editorial Juventud).

Film, Schindler's List.

Record... Disc or LP? I've always been a big Bruce Springsteen guy, but Cat Stevens is also on my mind.

Is your home a reflection of who you are?

Yes! 15 years ago we did a major refurbishment - the work had not even started yet and I could already see it finished with all the details!

Tell us what it smells like, your favourite corner, your favourite decorative object or piece of furniture, if you treasure a collection... And if you have a pet, introduce it to us!

I like it to smell clean and airy; in winter I love vanilla candles.

My favourite spot is the terrace, sitting in a chair with a big cup of coffee and oat milk. Be it winter or summer.

I have an old, simply shaped, natural wood cupboard that stole my heart just by looking at it through the glass of the shop window when the shop was closed. I remember covering my eyes with my hands to block the light coming from outside... and I said: "This is it!

I'm also delighted with the decision to paint all the walls with lime and natural pigments - it's healthy and beautiful! And with the sink taps... if I ever move house, they will come with me! And my friend Catalina's lamps! Y...

I had collected bars of soap, I had them on display in the bathtub on a metal shelf that belonged to my grandmother, but one day I decided to use them, I still have soap for years!

A year ago we had a cat and a sister cat that we found abandoned. Their names are Suís and Nata. Nata disappeared for six days, and in the days of searching we found Tokio, a Siamese, barely two months old... we couldn't leave her in the street... and now we have three cats! I'm allergic to their fur and they don't come in the house, but I'm delighted with them!

If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!

One more bedroom! For my teenage daughter, who already needs her space.

A great plan at home always includes...

Friends, red wine and music!

Do you have a signature dish?

I always like to try risottos if they are on the menu. At home, everything that is fresh, organic, local and meat-free.

Where is your favourite place in your city and abroad?

I live in a very small village that has a narrow alley with old stone walls and overhanging trees, where the leaves are always dancing in the wind. At the end there is a small bridge and I love to walk under it.

Abroad... Morocco, the south of France... But in Catalonia, the Parc Natural d'Aigües Tortes, with those mighty mountains and lakes... and sleeping in a mountain refuge.

Anything you want to tell us that we haven't asked you? Speak now or forever hold your peace!

I'm not very good at keeping quiet, but I'm getting better at it over the years 🙂

I will try to be brief... A better world is possible! Let's get to work!

Stella doesn't just portray spaces, she listens to them. With her camera as her ally and a gaze that knows how to focus on the details that others overlook, she manages to make each image make us feel at home. Because beyond the light, the framing or the colour, what there is in her photos is sensitivity. And Stella has plenty of it.