Close cookie popup

COOKIE NOTICE

We use our own and third-party cookies for internal and analytical purposes only. These cookies permit us to remember, manage and understand how users navigate on our website so we can offer a service based on this information. Some of them belong to third parties which are located in countries whose legislation does not guarantee an adequate level of data protection. Click here for more information about our cookie policy. You can accept all cookies by clicking the "Accept" button or configure or refuse the use of cookies by clicking "Settings".

 

phone contact

(+34) 913 497 100

|

FEDER
11/24/2020

Masquespacio

???HABITAT_703_Prev??????HABITAT_702_Next???
Ana Milena and Christophe Penasse co-founders of Masquespacios. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Ana Milena and Christophe Penasse co-founders of Masquespacios. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Breathe shop in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo by Mateo Soto, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Breathe shop in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo by Mateo Soto, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the La Sastrería restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the La Sastrería restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the La Sastrería restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the La Sastrería restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Rubio shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Rubio shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Rubio shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Rubio shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Roca Tile space at Casa Decor 2020 in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Paula Caballero, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Roca Tile space at Casa Decor 2020 in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Paula Caballero, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Piur restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Piur restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Piada restaurant in Lyon (France). Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Piada restaurant in Lyon (France). Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the TSH Campus Poble Sec student hotel in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the TSH Campus Poble Sec student hotel in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Hikari Yakitori bar in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Hikari Yakitori bar in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Kento shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Interior Design of the Kento shop in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

TOADSTOOL furniture collection by Masquespacios for Missana. Photo by Cualiti, courtesy of  Masquespacio.

TOADSTOOL furniture collection by Masquespacios for Missana. Photo by Cualiti, courtesy of Masquespacio.

Mas Creations brand collections by Masquespacios. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Mas Creations brand collections by Masquespacios. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

WIN chair by Masquespacios for Houtique. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

WIN chair by Masquespacios for Houtique. Photo by Luis Beltrán, courtesy of Masquespacio.

MASQ mirrow collection by Masquespacios for Lucie Kaas. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

MASQ mirrow collection by Masquespacios for Lucie Kaas. Photo courtesy of Masquespacio.

Masquespacio is a creative consulting firm established in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse in the city of Valencia. Combining its founders' different disciplines, interior design and marketing, the Spanish agency creates brands and interior design projects through its own unique vision. The resulting concepts are fresh and innovative, receiving constant recognition from the specialized design, fashion, and lifestyle media. In 2020 they were named 'Young Talent of The Year' by Elle Decoration International, and in 2019 they were awarded with the 'Interior Designer of the Year' prize by the Spanish edition of The New York Times' T Magazine. Previously, they received other internationally prestigious awards such as the German Design Award "Interior Architecture" for the Albabel restaurant (2017) or the 'Wave of the Future' Award from Hospitality Design USA (in 2016) among others. In addition to their interior design projects, they have designed furniture for firms such as Lucie Kaas, Poggi Ugo, Houtique and Missana. They have worked in different countries, such as Norway, Germany, France, and the United States, and they are currently involved in several hotel and restaurant projects in Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, among others.

We talked with Ana Milena and Christophe Penasse about the studio's history, its design system, how they approach interior design and furniture projects, as well as their latest projects.

Interiors from Spain: Ten years ago, you created your “creative consulting firm”. Congratulations on the anniversary! What is your take on this decade of hard work, awards, and projects?


Masquespacio: Thank you very much! It has been an interesting, though exhaustive, journey because we have had to change our roadmap several times along the way. We are satisfied with how far we have come, striving day after day to turn our passion into our work. However, we feel that in between everything, we have lost a few years. When we started 10 years ago, Spain was in the middle of a financial crisis, just as it is today. It made our early years slower and we moved forward at a more modest pace. At the same time, though we learned much more than just interior design. We had to look for alternative revenue and learn to understand the market beyond design. That is undoubtedly what today has made us a studio that offers more than just a beautiful space; we offer an experience adapted to each type of business. The awards over these years have rewarded our efforts, although for us, the greatest compensation is satisfying the client and seeing users enjoy the space.

Interiors from Spain: How does a Colombian-Belgian team work? What have you learned from each other, and how has that fusion shaped the way you design and sell your ideas?

Masquespacio: Without a doubt, our cultural mix from Latin America, Central Europe and the Mediterranean is what makes up our studio’s DNA. Ana brings the purely emotional, more creative part, while Chris brings the rational, more structured part. We have learned from each other, understanding both sides and creating a joint vision while developing a project and then when presenting it. However, as we have evolved, we have both understood over time that each of us had to focus on our specialties: Ana on the creative side; Chris on the sales, organization and communication side. Our strengths, and those of our team, have enabled us to create a studio focused on creativity for both private and multinational clients, maintaining a style that seeks to innovate in every project.

Interiors from Spain: How would you define your creative process? Is there any feature or element that identifies your interior design or product design projects?


Masquespacio: For us, a job must always begin with the client's desire to find something authentic and different from any other. Even though the client might be in a commercial and/or mass market sector, we need to offer them a concept that stands out from their competitors. Getting to know their history and their dreams is essential because those are the first sources of inspiration for our designs. Once we understand their history, we try to develop a concept that can range from a story with different nuances in the space, an inspirational lifestyle or even an element that connects with the brand. As far as design is concerned, it is essential that we work on it until we are satisfied with the combinations of materials, textures, and colors that we are going to use. This obsession with perfection is perhaps what stands out most in our projects. We are not satisfied with just adding an attractive detail; the design needs to guide the visitor through the space from the entrance to the end. Although we combine elements in our designs, we have a minimalist approach in most projects; we don't like adding different details in every corner. We like to unify all the elements to create a single identity. This is an important part of our style, along with the use and combination of color and materials, always searching for innovation with a highly emotional factor. In the product, on the other hand, we like to break the rules by looking for combinations of materials and shapes that are impossible to combine, to create unique pieces.

Interiors from Spain: When we look at your interior design and furniture projects, the first thing that strikes us is the range of colors. Do you choose them based on fashion trends or based on the type of project?

Masquespacio: Each project is completely different, and there are different ways to approach each one. If it is a more commercial project focused on an audience and lifestyle, the colors can be trendy, though we always try to add our own interpretation. Other times, when working on a project where the potential consumer’s lifestyle is less important than the focus, like at a restaurant in the chef's food, we may select colors in a completely different way. For example, at the last restaurant we designed, La Sastrería in Valencia, color selection was based first on the colors of the sea, as the chef’s food is produced mainly with products of the sea, and then another area of the restaurant was inspired by the emblematic neighborhood where the restaurant is located, so we took the colors there from the neighborhood’s façades.

Interiors from Spain: How do you approach the interior design of a commercial space? What do you focus on first? Do you also design furniture and other decorative elements?

Masquespacio: The first thing we always do is to analyze the condition of the premises before starting the design. We love to recover and reinterpret the past, so if the place has some architectural elements, such as beams or facing bricks, those elements would be the starting point for our project. Once we have researched the premises, it is important for us to listen to the dreams and wishes of our client. From there, we propose a visual strategy for their business. Once we've received the client's approval, we focus on designing the project. In general, we love to create a custom design for every element to produce the authentic look we are looking for. However, when working, for example, on a large hotel chain or large coworking spaces where larger buildings have to be designed, we mix a bit more of branded furniture with some custom-made elements. We would love to customize everything, but unfortunately it is not always possible in large projects due to the guarantees required by the client, budget and how quickly they need it.

Interiors from Spain: What is the most beautiful compliment or heartfelt comment you have received on any of your projects? 

Masquespacio: Seeing people of different ages keeping up with your career, eager to enjoy the experience being the first to see one of the new spaces you have designed, is very rewarding. In the end, we, like everyone else, want to do our bit for the world, and this confirms in some way that our work is achieving that.

We don't have a specific example, but it has happened to us many times. We meet someone in one of the spaces we have designed and see how excited they are about our design when talking to us. It is a strange feeling that we enjoy and that often leaves us speechless.

The last few months, however, a curious thing has happened. More and more people are contacting us for projects and asking us, very excited, where we're from, telling us that our work is out of this world. Seeing how people are so attracted to our work is very rewarding.

Interiors from Spain: Your furniture is characterized by...?

Masquespacio: Bringing the past to the future, with a new reimagined look.

Interiors from Spain: What materials do you feel most comfortable working with? Which are the most complicated?  


Masquespacio: We're especially fond of materials that have a handcrafted production, such as tiles, because they provide more freedom when designing and personalizing the products that we will include in our projects. Fabrics are another product that we believe should always be included in our design because it is one of the materials that adds the most warmth to the space, and it provides a large range of colors. Perhaps the most complicated material is wood because each carpenter works in a different way. Plus, the lack of artisan woodworkers in Spain makes it increasingly difficult for us to do something different. Acrylic glass is another of our favorite materials, especially because of its wide range of colors. However, its lack of resistance means that we are not able to use it as often as we would like in our projects.

Interiors from Spain: Tell us about your latest works outside Spain. What do people value most about the way you design spaces?  What differences do you find between a Spanish client and an international client?

Masquespacio: Working outside of Spain is very nice for us because it enables us to discover new cultures and ways of working. However, it is also important to understand that working from a distance has its complications. Being with your client at a table developing the project is very different than talking over a computer.  In addition, each culture is different, and we need to adapt to their customs and working methods. Our advantage with foreign clients is that most of them have been following us for a long time and are absolute fans of our work, so it is much easier for us to be hired for a project. In the end they, as well as our clients in Spain, are looking for authenticity, and that is why they are looking for us.

Interiors from Spain: By the way, you have been nominated for and won a number of national and international awards over the years. How important is that recognition for a small studio like yours?
 
Masquespacio: First, it is a reward for our work and an affirmation from design specialists that we are doing a good job. Second, clients are not design experts, and these awards help convince them to trust you and the innovative ideas you are offering them.

Interiors from Spain: This year will be remembered as the year the global pandemic. How is it affecting your business? What trends do you expect will mark the post-COVID-19 world in the sectors you work with, such as restaurants and commercial spaces? 

Masquespacio: Looking back at what has happened from February until now in November, we can say that we are very lucky. At the time the pandemic started in Europe, we had several projects under construction or about to begin. We were afraid that they would all be suspended, but fortunately they all went forward. On the other hand, it is true that in the first months, project requests were minimal, but and then they took off again. The interesting thing about this moment in time is that new businessmen and women are coming to us. Many of them are starting their first projects or their first projects in a new market, with little experience in working with a designer. This had been happening less in recent years and working with these new entrepreneurs from scratch motivates us. Of course, we have to admit that the current uncertainty is unusual and reminds us a little bit of our beginnings in 2010. We do not see great changes in the spatial distribution of a restaurant or commercial space, although it is possible that at the aesthetic level, a more austere trend looking for natural and ecological spaces may come back. On the other hand, we think that using technology to avoid the use of physical menus in restaurants is here to stay, as well the safety precautions.

Interiors from Spain: Returning to the present, what interior design projects are you currently working on? Any new furniture collection?

Masquespacio: Right now, we are working on a boutique hotel in Málaga, several restaurants for the "Bun Burgers" hamburger chain in Milan, as well as some stores for a tea chain in Singapore. At the same time, we are building several spaces designed in previous months, such as a new Piada in Lyon, a coffee shop in Saudi Arabia and several restaurants in Cambodia, among others.

As for new furniture collections, we are 100% focused on developing new pieces for our new personal "Mas Creations", brand and on the launch of several pieces in the coming months. We created the brand in June, and it is a new step in our evolution as designers. It is our most personal and unlimited vision, focused on creating the most unique designs for all types of products. You can currently buy the first pieces in the online store. It is also important to note that all products are made by Spanish craftsmen.
 

Our brands:
  • Foods & Wines from Spain
  • Interiors from Spain
  • Aula Virtual
  • Invest in Spain
  • ICEX CECO
  • EmarketServices
  • ICEXNext
  • Audiovisual from Spain
  • Diary
  • News about interesting fairs and events which Spanish companies and designers are taking part in
  • find out

European Regional Development Fund

Logo ICEX Ministerio Economía 2024

A way to make Europe