Andreu Carulla was born in Banyoles in Catalonia, a town that he still has links with today, as it is where his design studio is located. His passion for invention led him to study industrial design engineering at the Universitat de Girona, graduating in 2002. He began his professional career with projects for masters of Spanish design such as Rafael Marquina and Benedito Design.
With the idea of “setting a course and really going for it”, drawn from his passion for competitive sport - he was a member of the Spanish canoeing team in the world championships - he opened his own product design studio in 2006.
Since 2009 he has collaborated with the award-winning restaurant "El Celler de Can Roca", for which he created everything from singular dishes and design pieces for their culinary creations to his first interior design project: the restaurant Normal, in Girona, a comprehensive project that stands out for its naturalness and local design. Furthermore he is Creative Director of the Roca brothers' restaurants.
In 2016 Carulla founded his second studio ACID, which focuses on more technological projects, aiming to achieve "the industrial design of the future".
Today Andreu Carulla is one of the biggest names in industrial design in Spain, thanks to his transversal approach to design, based on four pillars: an empowering vision of craftsmanship; sustainability applied to each stage of development in terms of concept and production; innovative solutions for industry, and design that is aware of the value of our country’s cultural heritage and historical legacy.
His transformative talent is reflected in product designs ranging from furniture to tableware, to lighting and jewelry and to the latest technological gadgets, as well as inspiring interior design projects pay no attention to current trends, and the artistic and creative direction of firms such as Calma Outdoor, Roca Recicla and Isist Atelier. Sharing his philosophy with clients such as El Celler Can Roca, Muji, BBVA, Simón, Roca, Cervezas Alhambra, Mahou and the Potato Head hotel chain in Bali and more. Furthermore, he combines his professional activity with teaching, giving courses in design schools and universities such as ELISAVA or EINA in Spain, and the University of Talca in Santiago de Chile and the National Design Center in Singapore in the wider world. Thanks to the diversity of his ideas, his work has been nominated for numerous international awards such as the Red Dot Awards, the Good Design Award and the IF Design Award, and in the last two years he has been included in the international edition of the Top 100 ADEspaña (2022 and 2023).
His latest projects include a collaboration with the Potato Head resort in Bali since 2022, focused on recycling the island's waste to transform it into beautiful and functional products, the design and development of the TURA bathroom collection for Roca in 2023 and the "Designing Repopulation" project he presented at the Madrid Design Festival (MDF) 2024.
We chatted with Andreu about his professional career and his projects.
Interiors from Spain: It's been almost 20 years since you created your own design studio. After these years of hard work, have you had time to rethink the future of your studio? What do you feel you have yet to experience?
Andreu Carulla: Well, we’ve been working in the sector for many years now, but I’d say that we’ve been constantly evolving. In these years we have expanded our capabilities as a studio, integrating different professional profiles. We now have a multidisciplinary team with an industrial designer, an industrial design engineer, a graphic designer, an interior designer, an architect and even a lawyer (partner). As for experimentation I think every project presents a new challenge, which means it's a new opportunity to experiment. At the moment we still have the drive and energy to keep exploring and pushing the boundaries of design from our own perspective.
Interiors from Spain: Is there a word or phrase you identify with today?
Andreu Carulla: Multidisciplinary.
Interiors from Spain: What importance do you attach to the concept of "humanization of design"? How can it be achieved?
Andreu Carulla: For us it is inseparable part of everything we do, our understanding is that everything we design is for humans (for the moment!). Anyway, our way of working is 100% linked to comfort in all its complexity, acoustic, ergonomic, visual, etc.
Interiors from Spain: Your studio is located near an idyllic lake, surrounded by nature. How does it inspire you to recharge your batteries and face new challenges?
Andreu Carulla: Apart from the obvious pleasure of being surrounded by nature, one of the main things that anchor us to the village is the logistical optimization of day-to-day life. Both personally and as a family. We never have a commute that takes us more than 15 minutes by bike!
Interiors from Spain: Do you remember your first meeting with the Roca Brothers? Is there anything about them that fascinates and inspires you?
Andreu Carulla: Yes, of course. It was with Joan, the eldest of the brothers, at the christening of a friend's son in Girona in 2009. Since then we have been working together continuously. We’ve been collaborating for 15 years now.
Interiors from Spain: Tell us about the key items and interior design projects you’ve done with them.
Andreu Carulla: The most important was the first one, Normal, the restaurant, as it meant a leap into interior design for the studio. We’d never designed a space before, and they knew that. Even so, they commissioned us. Today it’s one of our main lines of business.
Interiors from Spain: In 2014 you founded your second studio ACID, focused on technological projects. What were your goals? How is it going and what products are you developing?
Andreu Carulla: After exporting our design services for the first time in Japan in 2012, we found that the diversity of our portfolio wasn’t understood, and it was difficult for them to commission projects from us because of this. Since then, we’ve been working as a separate studio, thus differentiating the portfolios and offering our clients services that are more clearly tailored to their needs.
At the moment we continue to work for Roca, Platanomelon, and Metalquimia etc., and also for Startups in the electric mobility and gastronomy sectors.
Interiors from Spain: One of your most recent projects is "Nothing is possible" where you combine craftsmanship and the R&D needed to be able to reuse plastic waste from the sea. Could you tell us a bit about this project and the results?
Andreu Carulla: The "Nothing is possible" project was born with Potato Head, a Balinese resort with zero waste as a goal. We’ve been working with them since 2022, and the results have been very good. It’s a company with a philosophy very much in line with our own, that bases all its actions on sustainability, without compromising on design, or in the case of its resort, luxury. We were asked to create some furniture from the plastic that’s constantly washed up on their shores, and after studying Balinese craftsmanship and architecture, we created a technique we’ve christened "styrowrap" by melting the plastic so that it becomes a malleable material, allowing us to work with local artisans in the same way they’ve been working with rattan for centuries. The result is a series of chairs and stools that are already in use at the resort.
Our latest project with them has led us to collaborate with the architectural firm OMA from Amsterdam, designing all the furniture and lighting with waste from Bali for a restaurant in Singapore based on the circularity of everything, from the ingredients used in the menu to the furniture.
Interiors from Spain: You’ve been creative director for brands such as Calma and Roca Recicla. What added value have you brought to them?
Andreu Carulla: Creative direction is very demanding, but at the same time it gives you a lot of leeway to make decisions. We love these types of projects, as we can directly apply our vision and make it a reality. In them we try to bring authenticity and sustainability, and generate a return for society, which are exactly the same principles that we try to apply in all our work.
Interiors from Spain: A few months ago you presented "Designing Repopulation" at the Madrid Design Festival. How has this life experience changed you as a designer and as a person?
Andreu Carulla: It was a great experience, and one that I treasure. The truth is, we have a big problem, not only in Spain but globally. In our case, depopulation also entails a loss of craftsmanship, which is an unquestionable historical and cultural heritage. Working with these experts has given me not only a great personal experience but has opened up a world of creative possibilities combining tradition and modernity.
Interiors from Spain: What projects are you currently involved in?
Andreu Carulla: We’re currently working in more sectors than ever, and greatly expanding our interior architecture division, but without forgetting product design and the creation of pieces more closely linked to the world of "art design".
At the moment we’re designing two fashion stores in Korea, a 5-star hotel in Madrid, a furniture collection - each project leads us on to the next one, and we’re open to everything. Everything becomes an opportunity for exploration.
.jpg "GOOD LUCK tables designed by Andreu Carulla for Idée, (Muji´s subsidiary). Photo courtesy of Andreu Carulla.")
-Joan-Pujol-Creus_ALTA-A.jpg "TIMELINE objects by Andreu Carulla for El Celler de Can Roca. Photo by Joan Pujol Creus, courtesy of Andreu Carulla.")
