Family
Enter the Sun-Bathed Apartment of Designer Valeria Vasi and Interior Designer Isern Serra.
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Valeria Vasi and Isern Serra, Lea and Gaia, 1 year and 2 months old
Valeria Vasi and Isern Serra are all about light! Light that is sought out and hunted down to make it an essential part of this immaculate interior layout. Its importance is reflected throughout the flat, with light travelling across surfaces such as the floor, covered with white micro-cement, right up to workbench in the kitchen! This creates a monochrome environment punctuated here and there by minimalist furniture selected by the artistic couple themselves as a way of respecting their desire for a space of “simple beauty, serene and unpretentious”. As a logical continuation of their respective professions, here both interior designer and designer have created an interior design with self-defining simplicity where everyone is allowed to add their own piece to the home. While Valeria brings her expertise and experience from the point of view of the object, Isern lends his eye by imagining the space as a whole. For example, the windows “open fully using an accordion system, which encourages a strong interior-exterior flow” to create an ideal repository for displaying in detail the many craft creations the couple has acquired on their travels Pieces that the couple love for their sentimental value that goes beyond mere aesthetics. This is because the couple have been globe-trotting since their younger days. Whether it’s Valerie’s travels from Moscow to Paris via Tokyo, or Isern’s journeys from Barcelona to Milan, their wanderings have nurtured their “visual baggage” and have helped to formulate their signature creative style. Geometric lines and a taste for the handiwork of craftsmen whose work manifests itself within their home.
Location
Barcelone
Author
Juliette Bruneau
Photographer
Valerio Geraci
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TSF
Valeria and Isern, could you introduce yourselves, please?
Isern
I’m an interior designer, and I have a studio in Barcelona where we design different types of projects: houses, restaurants, exhibitions, decorative schemes and so on. We don’t get bored! Valeria is a designer. She produces small collections of pieces using a variety of fine materials, including wood, ceramic and glass, all in collaboration with local artisans.
TSF
What is your background?
Isern
I studied in Barcelona, where I spent a few years in Toni Arola’s studio until I opened my own studio about 12 years ago. Valeria comes from the world of fashion. She studied in Barcelona too, and soon went to work in Paris, eventually setting up her business here in Barcelona.
TSF
Tell us about your formative years. Where did you grow up, and how did your tastes develop as a result?
Valeria
I was born in Moscow, but I moved to Barcelona with my mother when I was six. I grew up between the two cities before moving to Paris for a few years. That’s when I started working in the fashion world. Afterwards, I returned to the Catalan capital, and before developing my business, I had the opportunity to travel widely around the world. As much for work as for pleasure. I think all this has built up a very important visual reference for me. Then, I started to develop my business, designing, and to look for local craftspeople with whom I could produce small sculptures. Now I work with several workshops and artisans who have mastered different techniques. It’s a fascinating world.
Isern
I grew up in a small village north of Barcelona, a tiny hamlet of 700 inhabitants… I had a very happy childhood; the people in the village kept an eye us. I could go out and play on my own from a very early age. I think our family home is really like a rural village house. At weekends when we got up and wanted to have a quiet breakfast in the sun, we didn’t feel like we were in Barcelona, but in a small residence on the coast, and it was very pleasant… Then, when I reached the age of higher education, I studied at Eina, a design school in Barcelona. I then lived in Milan, and when I came back, I started to work on my own with a friend from university. Until I joined Toni Arola’s studio, where I learned a lot about light and product design. Twelve years ago, I opened my own studio in Poblenou, where I develop interior design projects for homes, restaurants, offices and exhibitions.
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I think we share concepts of beauty like minimalism, serenity, pure geometry, simplicity, colour, materiality, and craft.
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TSF
What about designers and artists? What works have influenced you and your work?
Valeria & Isern
We really like light installations, like those by Yayoi Kusama and Olafur Eliasson, but we also admire the work of Constantin Brancusi, Eduardo Chillida, Isamu Noguchi…and the architects Luis Barragan, Ricardo Bofill and César Manrique and their work in Lanzarote.
TSF
How would you each describe your aesthetic world?
Isern
I think we share concepts of beauty like minimalism, serenity, pure geometry, simplicity, colour, materiality, and craft. Valeria looks at things from the point of view of the object and I approach them from the point of view of the space.
TSF
Tell us how you came across this house.
Isern
We had been looking for industrial premises in Poblenou for a long time to convert it into a house, but we couldn’t find anything, so we gradually expanded our search. Until, finally, while Valeria was in Tokyo, I stumbled upon this place. I fell in love with the place immediately when I saw it, but I was afraid to give the go-ahead without Valeria. So I sent her photos and videos. And she loved it just as much! So we confirmed the sale and paid the deposit, and when she came back from her trip, she saw it for real.
TSF
Isern, how is your interior design style expressed here?
Isern
A comfortable, Mediterranean, serene, architectural, artisanal, open, and bright space… these are the concepts we had in mind when we started planning the house.
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We had been looking for industrial premises in Poblenou for a long time to convert it into a house, but we couldn’t find anything, so we gradually expanded our search.
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TSF
… and Valeria, how is your creative side reflected in these spaces?
Valeria
Fortunately, Isern and I share the same aesthetic and have very similar tastes, so this house is a reflection of everything we love. All the elements carry a story, which makes it very personal. There are also objects we’ve collected over the years while we’ve been travelling and pieces that have a sentimental value that goes beyond their aesthetic value.
TSF
Natural colour palettes and mineral materials feature prominently in your interior design. Can you tell us about this choice?
Valeria & Isern
We wanted one floor covering for the whole house… we wanted the room to look like a big covered outdoor porch. So we used a micro-cement that covered the workbench, the planters and the kitchen… the windows open completely with an accordion system which makes for a very strong connection between indoors and outside.
TSF
What does this house say about you?
Valeria & Isern
It says how much we love simple, serene, unpretentious beauty. We like peace and a calm feeling. We love large spaces with lots of light where we can welcome our friends.
TSF
What places in Barcelona would you recommend?
Valeria & Isern
We recommend you visit Ricardo Bofill’s studio, Antoni Bonet’s Ricarda, and Gaudi’s Casa Batlló. For dinner or lunch: the new Fiskebar restaurant that I just designed for the Tragaluz group.
TSF
What does TheSocialiteFamily mean to you?
Valeria & Isern
It’s a very interesting medium that presents spaces through people. Beautiful, everyday and authentic spaces.
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We love large spaces with lots of light where we can welcome our friends.
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