It wasn’t only paint, but textures, furniture, and the constant movement of those who inhabit this flat in Barcelona's Eixample what has been placed over a deep and spotless white background that opens itself onto the streams of light entering through the windows. A cosy void, functionally resolved to house and give prominence to a small but interesting collection of pieces of furniture, art and literature curated by its young owners: an dark haired industrial designer and his fair skinned language teacher wife. However, the most valuable they have “acquired”, over the years and between the two, are not the original prints hanging on the walls or the contemporary classics of industrial design that dot the monochromatic amplitude of these newly integrated spaces: The authentic and unquestionable “star” of their universe will have to be no other but Joaquim, their son, who in just about 4 years has managed to colonize every room of the house with a whole lot of “stuff” that is doubtlessly less expensive but certainly a lot more colourful, resistant and fun.
The time to design toy-proof homes had arrived, and though designing for fellow designers can certainly be tricky, this time it entailed also a sense of playfulness and lots of fun, allowing us to question the leading role of the built surrounding within the domestic realm, while posing the opportunity to raise questions that, as those of the children, might result uncomfortable: Can the "oh-so-sacred architecture" be a mere backdrop behind the “true starring design objects”? How can the background become the figure while remaining at the “back”? The answers to the above are so clear, practical and simple as this house: Yes!, a bright, neat and comfortable backdrop, that through the random admission of powerful splashes of colour, becomes the object, the frame or the background depending on the occasion, the aim and the focus the viewer chooses to use.
