On 18 October, the Capella García Arquitectura architecture studio will showcase its VITALITY HAVEN Concept Room at the latest edition of Interihotel.
The studio has created an innovative design consisting of various textures and warm materials reminiscent of an idyllic Mediterranean bay by the sea. Tres is grateful for the opportunity to provide our products to help create this space.
We interviewed Juli Capella, architect and co-founder of Capella García Arquitectura, to hear about the magic that lies behind the studio.
1) Capella García Arquitectura is a studio backed by more than 20 years of experience and countless major projects. As things stand today, what does a project need to have in order for it to motivate you like before?
There needs to be some room for creative freedom, but not a case of “do whatever you feel like”. We don’t want to be asked for an improved version of a previous project but rather for something innovative in which we can take some risks somewhere. That motivates us and gives us the chance to let the client go somewhere beyond the expected, to be on the cutting edge and to blaze new trails. We want to create better projects; it’s very easy to make something new and eye-catching, the hard part comes when trying to make it better than what came before. We work hard every day to maintain that beginner’s curiosity while using all the tricks and secrets you learn from experience.
2) How would you describe your interior design and architecture style and how do you apply that style to your projects?
We are professionals and our style is to adapt ourselves to the style we think each commission needs. That’s why you’ll find minimalism, maximalism, organicism and, when called for, high-tech and neobrutalism in our projects. You might call that eclecticism, which is much reviled, but it’s honest and it works.
3) How do you achieve that balance between looks and functionality in your projects?
Even such a rationalist designer as Richard Sapper once said that even though something works, what truly matters is making it beautiful. Something functional but ugly just won’t cut it. Although it might seem illogical, we tend to put up with something useless when we fall in love with it. The mind might be appalled, but we’re not robots; we’re human.
A project from us would provide a distribution plant where everything works perfectly, we would streamline spaces, volumes, routes, etc. Meanwhile, at the same time, we come up with the highest aesthetic quality for each component part and make sure they all fit into the whole. This is especially important for indoor spaces, where there are fortunately infinite ways to improve a good layout with some common sense. Or mess it up if you don’t pay attention.
4) You are one of the partner studios at this edition of Interihotel, what does a studio like yours get from attending one of the most important trade fairs in the sector?
Fun, in principle; it’s a chance to create something conceptual, with more freedom. In reality, it’s a sadomasochistic exercise in pleasing the client, a lot of brands, the organisers, the media... where you supposedly raise your profile but lose money. Very rarely do you find clients at this sort of event; you might receive some praise but criticism as well for even attending. But the challenge is stimulating, worth the effort and drives you forward.
5) At Tres, we design, manufacture and produce all our products from our central headquarters in Vallirana. Do you think that domestic and sustainable production like ours at Tres is something that designers, interior designers and end users take into consideration when choosing the items that will form part of their home or business?
In our case, definitely. We have always been a studio that is highly committed to good design, not only our own but we promote anyone else’s too. We are also committed to the best companies, both nationwide and locally, as well as such social values as sustainability. That choice is apparent in almost everything we do, whether in Spain or overseas, where we have tried to be ambassadors of local quality by raising its profile elsewhere with pride. That’s why TRES suits this project perfectly and we hope it suits future projects just as well.
Juli Capella
