MOIZ STUDIO: PROJECTS THAT TELL STORIES
The origin of a shared passion.
Cristina Moya and Víctor Ruíz are architects and friends, an infallible combination that led to the creation of Moiz Studio. Based in Valencia and Oslo, they achieve the most important thing for them, which is that their clients are always happy and satisfied with their projects. There is probably only one person more pampered than Moiz Studio's clients, and that is Zeta, (zetapom on instagram), Victor's adorable pomeranian.
Tell us about yourselves and your work. Where did your vocation begin? Any first memories?
Cristina: When I started I didn't have a special vocation, the vocation came to me during my degree, it's when you study the history of architecture that I fell in love with the discipline. Perhaps as a memory prior to my degree, I remember that I was fascinated by an exhibition I saw at the Guggenheim in New York about Frank Ghery, I was fascinated by the exhibition, the models, the drawings, as well as the building, which is a true masterpiece.
Victor: My vocation developed at school, everyone in my family thought I was going to be a computer scientist and I secretly enrolled in architecture. Looking back now, I don't know if I made the right choice hehehehe. In the first course I was lucky enough to come across some spectacular teachers (Enrique Fernández-Vivancos and Carla Sentieri) and after only 4 months with them, I knew I was in the right place.
What do you find most satisfying about your work, and is there anything you are particularly proud of?
Cristina: For me it's seeing a family feel at ease and enjoy their home, it's seeing people use the space you have designed freely and seeing how they concentrate and interact. Contributing a little bit so that people can live, eat, work... in pleasant spaces.
Victor: I think a happy client is the most satisfying thing there can be, but I really enjoy the process. I love the design and the work and the conversations with everyone involved make the product richer. I always hope that the next project will be the one I am most proud of, but these first projects with our own studio will always be special, as they are where you start to express yourself in a personal way.
What is your creative process like, what are your sources of inspiration, any particular music while working?
Cristina: I wouldn't know, inspiration comes when you least expect it. I'm mainly inspired by travelling, seeing exhibitions, discovering new places, cultures...
Víctor: For me a good process would be Listen (client, place, programme,...), Research and Design, but it can't always be done in that order hahaha. I tend to get a lot of inspiration from architecture websites, social networks or magazines, to see what's going on in our world. Cristina can attest that I have a thousand references in my head. Another main source is travelling, getting to know new places, smells, flavours... which you then try to capture in your projects.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order! ;D
Cristina: Yellow. 1Q84 by Murakami. I'll tell you a series: Black Mirror. I've just seen Muse, any of them.
Victor: Blue. The Name of the Rose. Gladiator (or Life Sentence, I don't know which I've seen more). A week in a bus engineby Los Planetas.
Is your home a reflection of who you are? 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!
Cristina: Maybe... I like things with soul, everything very simple, very few elements, only the basic ones or those that contribute something. There is nothing superfluous. Any corner with plants. The truth is that looking at it now, it could be a decoration, I've moved house many times so I try not to accumulate too much.
Víctor: I had never thought about it, but now that you ask, I think I did a bit. I was able to make the house I wanted with a day space without divisions, in neutral tones but with touches of warmth. If I could highlight something it would be the light, although it is a first floor, the balcony overlooks a tree of paradise that in spring seems that we have it inside the house. We have a pomeranian (zetapom), who is the most spoilt in the house. She has beds in every room, but in the end she always ends up on the sofa with us.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
Cristina: An original work of art by my friend Belén Segarra or other more well-known artists like Olafur Eliason hahaha!
Victor: A terrace with a swimming pool... I think that's all I'm thinking about right now hahaha. Another thing will be how to put it without the neighbours complaining.
A great plan at home always includes...
Cristina: Drinks and music (and special lighting)
Victor: Background music, beer and a good conversation in which we put the world to rights.
Do you have any star dishes?
Cristina: As a good Valencian, it has to be rice. The one that works best for me is arroz caldoso de pollo, as I'm still not very good at paella.
Víctor: Although I love cooking, I haven't been doing it much lately, but if I had to choose my special dish, it would be risotto. Waiting to make it mellow, with a good fresh white wine can be one of the best plans for a Saturday.
Where is your favourite place in your city and abroad?
Cristina: Right now I'm living in Oslo, and my favourite place here is the Akerselva river, full of waterfalls and breathtaking wilderness.
Víctor: In Valencia, the Jardín del Turia, I don't think there is a place I enjoy so much, or spend so many hours in. Abroad, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, near Copenhagen.
