12 minute read
Essential Home Meets Masquespacio
MID-CENTURY SPECIAL:
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Considered to be one of the rising stars in the interior design world, the MASQUESPACIO studio has created a unique mid-century modern collection that invites you to revive the iconic sets of the Old Hollywood movies. Like many other enthusiasts, Christophe and Ana (the two top designers and founders of the studio) love the iconic lines, colors, and textures that marked the Golden Era, and thought that this is inspiration was the perfect fit for Essential Home’s new furniture collection. Created in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse, the Spanish design agency, who was considered to be Young Talent of The Year’ by Elle Decoration in 2020, creates custom-made branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts. From the romantic movie “An Affair to Remember”’ to the burlesque world of Zsa Zsa Gabor and the strong presence of Charlie’s Angels, “Hollywood Glamour” by MASQUESPACIO gives the unique experience of living these iconic movies throughout the amazing design. The Hollywood world of the mid-century era is composed of many iconic concepts that marked the cinema industry as we know it. Most people will say it is impossible to represent the old Hollywood culture as a whole, however, MASQUESPACIO has proved that there is no such thing. “Hollywood Glamour” is a unique mid-century modern collection inspired by three of the most popular movie styles in the mid-century years, from passionate love affairs to fun burlesque environments. Each and every one of the mid-century modern products were inspired by different actors and actresses from the past and the present and connect or just can stand out separately. Enhancing the Memphis design style that is commonly associated with the designers’ colorful vision, the “Hollywood Glamour” collection is a unique selection of products that can fit any project type, from a luxurious hotel bar idea to fun and shabby chic dining room area. Unlike most collections that we are used to seeing, the new Hollywood Glamour by MASQUESPACIO is composed of three sets of mid-century modern pieces that shine as a solo element or work together in pure symphony. We can almost say that these unique concepts are three collections in one, but one thing is for sure, they will take you to your favorite movie set through excellence in design that is adaptable for every type of project, from the modern residential idea to the shabby chic hotel bar design. “Hollywood Glamour” by MASQUESPACIO is a collection that redefines the limits of the products and shows its versatility is unique and unexpected spaces. Three different ideas inspired Ana Milena Palacios and Christophe Penasse to create a unique collection that can easily shine on its own, or compose a unique mid-century space that takes you back in time to the best of the iconic Golden Era.
MASQUESPACIO Captures The Old Hollywood Charm In A New Collection For Essential Home
Being from different countries and different cultures, their origins in Belgium and Colombia, are highly reflected in every one of their projects and way of working. Maybe not so much in terms of style but in the Latin passion that Ana has in the projects and the Belgian methodology/structure that Christophe is recognized for. Together, they create unique design ideas as we have never seen before, like the new collection for Essential Home.
The Masquespacio young designers have been awarded the ‘Massimo Dutti New Values award by Architectural Digest Spain and the “Wave of the Future” award by Hospitality Design USA, next to a continued international recognition by media specialized in the design, fashion, and lifestyle trends. They have worked on projects in several countries like Norway, USA, Germany, France and Spain. In 2020, Ana Hernández and Christophe Penasse were named ‘Young Talent of The Year’ by Elle Decoration International Magazine, while in 2019 they have been awarded ‘Interior Designers of The Year’ by the Spanish edition of The New York Times’ T Magazine. Masquespacio is an award creative studio recognized for its unique signature style that celebrates the most colorful side of design. Combining the 2 disciplines of its founders (interior design and marketing), the Spanish design agency creates custom-made branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts. “Neither of us came from families related to interior design and product design, nor architecture, so although we developed a business plan the first years, we had a bit of finding our way, however, we were very clear that we had to offer something different to compete with the existing studios. Little by little, we began to develop our vision”, explain the designers. What started as an opportunity to creatively explore their creative side has grown into one of the most promising design studios in the world. It was in 2010 when Ana had recently finished her studies in interior design, that the founders of Masquespacio found their selves in a very tough financial crisis in Spain with few job opportunities. The few available jobs were looking for people who wanted to develop the technical part of the projects more, while the young design duo was more interested in developing her creativity. This was the moment when they decided to create their project. “At first, we were focused on decorating houses, but we realized very quickly that we wanted to design custom projects, so we quickly refocused on the commercial sector. We started by building a store and office to evolve into restaurant design. As an intermediate step, we also began to offer to brand and consulting services for furniture and lighting brands”, explained Christophe Penasse. To make sure that their custom design projects were recognized as one of a
kind, Christophe and Ana always tried to develop unique signature products that could complement their vision for space. However, it was only in 2015, when they decided to enter the product design industry and developed their first collection, one new adventure that turned out to be a success and the starting point for an all-new world of ideas.
“We create emotional projects, full of details and textures that surprise users, whether in an interior design project or a product design.” Their unique designs create unique experiences always starting from a clear strategy to reach and seduce end users of different products and markets, in which mixed colors materials, and textures play an important part. The concept of their projects can change in a blink of an eye since each one of their designs is based on the clients’ needs and vision. For a studio that is all about exploring the unknown side of creativity, their creative process is quite technical and strict, but it always starts the same way: knowing the client and their needs. “For us, it is of major importance to have a good connection with
our clients as this is the beginning of a successful project. When we receive a request from a client the first thing we evaluate is if we are connecting with them and if the concept, they want to develop matches our requirements. Without an open relationship and a client in search of something new, it would be impossible for us to create a unique project design.” Besides their traveling experiences, their clients are the biggest inspiration source for Masquespacio’s incredible works that are usually described as emotional, like home and personified. “Creating a concept for a hamburger chain in which a commercial image is sought is not the same as a boutique hotel in which a much more unique project can be developed. Once the concept is determined, I begin to create the project. I do everything in 3D and I go through many sources of inspiration: fashion, cinema, design, and art, among others. Regarding the 3D processes, I do tests and tests and tests until I reach a result that I can say I am satisfied, without looking at the clock and the hours invested”, affirmed the designers. The final result is always emotional, experiential, and surprising. Ana and Christophe have been creating exciting colorful commercial spaces for the last 11 years, making it difficult to select just one project that marked their life and career as interior designers. The designers share an incredible connection with every one of the works, but there are a few that stand out throughout the way, such as, the Nozomi Sushi Bar, the Toadstool collection (that was their first official furniture collection developed for a brand), the two residences of the Student Hotel in Barcelona and their most recent
exhibition at Milan Design Week, which celebrated the 100 years of the Italian company, Poggi Ugo. Like any other renowned design studio in the world, Ana and Christophe want to break through the interior design industry
by introducing their own trends, instead of following those that already exist. “Although when you work on a more commercial project, we think it is important that you know the design trends and try to reuse them as you will need to attract a mass market. When you are working for a chef or a boutique hotel on the other hand you can get away from the design trends. The market is although evolving and the masses are more and more informed by the design trends, for which they are also much more open to totally new and innovative concepts”, explained Ana and Christophe. Due to their unique vision where bright colors take the main role in the project, the Masquespacio aesthetic appeal is usually associated with the popular mid-century modern style, which has gained a lot of popularity among design lovers, through the past few years. “The reinterpretation of the Mid-Century aesthetic by new young designers is pushing it to another level. This also happened many years ago with the New Memphis which evolved to a mass market. The New Mid-Century will possibly evolve the same way although as it is much more timeless it’s probable that it will maintain to be a trend for a more selected market”, affirm the founders of the Masquespacio studio. It was this fascination with the fun and timeless feel of this design style that made Ana and Christophe were excited with the challenge of creating a unique collection for Essential Home, a unique mid-century modern furniture brand known for their high-quality hand-crafted pieces that seek more to the present emotions and unique forms. “We have been working previously with some Portuguese brands and were highly surprised by the high quality of carpentry in Portugal, combining craftsmanship and technologies to create an outstanding production. We especially like to highlight the capacity of Essential Home to create a much more innovative design with singular forms and mixing different techniques that are highlighted amongst the many brands with an approach to Nordic Design.” The founders of Masquespacio have been following Essential Home’s culture and collection over the past few years so creating this new collection was an exciting new challenge that would allow them to explore the brand’s emotional factor traduced in furniture collections full of surprising details. “For us, it is important that we feel connected with the brand that wants us to develop some items for them and this was the case with Essential Home”.
Due to the world’s pandemic situation, this incredible partnership between Essential Home and young designers was the first collaboration created exclusively in the virtual world, because the two teams only met each other through the popular virtual meetings. Although it is always more difficult to create a connection through the new reality that we live in, Christophe reinforces that they “directly created a great connection with the Essential Home team. I think it was clear from the beginning that both teams as a partner wanted to do the same: create unique collections to surprise their customers.” From chairs and tables to barstools and even some lighting features,
Ana and Christophe developed a wide range of mid-century modern products that are divided in 2/3 main sets of products, each one with a different aesthetic. These creative sets are inspired by different actors and actresses from the past and the present and connect or just can stand out separately. From the romantic movie” An Affair to Remember”, to the burlesque world from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Charlie’s Angels, and come together as one unique harmony (collection) called “Hollywood Glamour”. Essential Home’s new furniture collection by Masquespacio is full of emotions, organic forms, and contrast of materials in the typical style of their design style, as well as a strong touch of color and a new type of textures. “We want them to enjoy a moment of joy full of emotions when they use our designs in their environment no matter if the products are used for a restaurant, hotel, or just your home. Let’s make the customer smile for a moment and be surprised by some pieces full of surprising and exciting details”, reinforced Ana and Christophe. Most design lovers would say that the “Hollywood Glamour” collection by Masquespacio would be more fitted for the commercial and hospitality industries, and have a hard time placing these beautiful products in a trendy residential design that screams a timeless and colorful concept. But Ana and Christophe believe that “it’s especially important to understand that you can make combinations for your projects. We have proposed the collection with a type of material, textures, and colors, but by combining it by yourself you can easily adapt the products to your projects.” All in all, we can expect an emotional, explosive, and joyful vision for Essential Home’s brand-new series of products that are going to be presented for the first time this Spring season. Cross the limits of your imagination and allow you to live in the Golden era through a unique and modern design vision.
