Borja Esteras is a technical architect who began his career in the field of interior design and renovation in 2010. After leading and overseeing projects of varying size and scope for several companies for many years (ranging from property renovations to stores for top clothing brands), he decided to take the next step in 2018 and set up Arquitalia with his partners. Arquitalia is an interior architecture firm specialising in the design, execution and project management of interior design and comprehensive renovation projects for private homes, commercial premises and offices.
Since 2020, Borja can be found on Canal Decasa presenting the ‘Reforma y sé feliz’ programme. Other projects of his have also appeared on various TV channels, such as La Sexta and Telemadrid.
He has over 13 years of experience, in which time he has also worked with a number of interior designers on several editions of Casa Decor. He is known for the individual attention he pays to each project, his strong demands for the finishes he uses and for paying maximum attention to every detail in all his projects, for which functionality and looks are always most important.
How do you achieve that balance between looks and functionality for your interior design projects?
They are two very important qualities in any interior design project. You can come up with and design as many beautiful things as you like, but they will eventually lose value sooner or later if they aren’t functional. Finding that balance is essential and I’ll tell you how you do it: firstly, you have to be very clear about what a space or room is going to be used for. With that in mind, you then have to think about and find the aesthetic solution that balances the scales. It’s not easy to get it right immediately, but details can always be changed during the design process until you do.
What factors do you consider when trying to harmoniously integrate everything within an interior space?
Firstly, you need to put yourself in the client’s shoes and consider what they will use the space for exactly based on their needs. I try to visualise the various times of day at which those needs might vary. With that in mind, I start planning things out while thinking about the dimensions and deciding whether any interior walls might need to be changed or removed. I then start positioning what I believe to be the priority elements. I add them to the plan and see the spaces that result from this step. I then start thinking about the secondary elements. Once the most voluminous elements are more or less defined, I move on to the wall tiles, finishes, colours and textures in order to have a global idea in my head. Finally, I finish by defining small decorative elements that come together harmoniously within the project overall.
How do you approach the topic of integrating taps with other bathroom or kitchen elements?
Taps usually have to be a point of connection with everything else in a bathroom or kitchen. I always try to make sure they are something over which great care is taken in my projects. If anything in the bathroom or kitchen has a touch of colour, I try to integrate that by using taps of the same colour. On the other hand, if I have already decided on the taps and their colour, I try to ensure the other elements of the bathroom or kitchen match them perfectly. However, on other occasions, I look for something that stands out and adds a touch of character to the project. At the end of the day, every project and every client has their unique characteristics.
We can see that you use Tres taps for many of your projects. What is it that makes you choose our taps? Do you have a favourite collection?
Working with Tres products makes my job a whole lot easier when choosing taps. I can tell you that almost 99.9% of my projects have taps from Tres and I even have Tres taps at home, electronic ones. One of the main reasons is the huge variety of models they offer to suit all my projects. Some models have curved lines, others have straight lines, some have a large lever, other have smaller levers, electronic taps, taps for sinks beneath or above the worktop, recessed taps, etc. But they always offer a modern design and meticulously crafted lines... Something else I like a lot is the variety of colours and finishes. This means that the taps from Tres combine perfectly with any project in terms of versatility and design. Orders also arrive quickly and, finally but by no means least importantly, I have never had any problems with a Tres tap installed in a project of mine over all these years. That is a very important factor for me.
With so much variety, it’s hard to have a favourite collection. However, I could say that I very much like the Slim and Study models from the Exclusive collection. The Loft model in the Selection collection might also be among my favourites. That said, I intend to use the Mont Blanc model in one of my projects because it looks like a tap with the perfect balance of functionality and looks to me.
