isern serra's workspace for an advertising agency is a design-minded oasis in barcelona

a playful workspace for a creative team

interior designer isern serra presents his latest project completed in barcelona, the new offices for the spanish advertising agency fuego camina conmigo. while the space primarily serves as an office, it is also the showroom of furniture design studio SANCAL. upon the project’s completion, the designer notes that the space ‘marks the DNA of the company,’ and that it ‘surprises and doesn’t leave you indifferent and always looks for the value added to creativity.’

at the multipurpose workspace in barcelona, geometric forms take center stage. bold, circular cuts and stacking volumes evoke a playful atmosphere and encourage creativity among the design-minded clients. 

images by salva lopez | @salvalopez

the renovation by isern serra

the workspace by isern serra (see more here) consists of the third floor renovation of a building in barcelona’s industrial neighborhood of gracia. the space occupies a rectangular plan, and is defined by its intricate structural details, preserved architectural elements, and windows across three facades.

to fulfill the needs of the advertising team at fuego camina conmigo (see more here), the space includes areas dedicated to meeting rooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, and storage. the so-called ‘agora zone,’ is to be used for informal meetings and calls, presentations, and temporary exhibitions. finally, a permanent work zone can accommodate forty-four people.

sculptural micro enclosures occupy an open plan

during the renovation, isern serra sought to create an open and dynamic space, steering away from glass enclosures typical among offices. instead of a cloistered condition, the closed areas in the barcelona workspace take shape as moments of ‘micro architecture’ that interact with one another and generate a sculptural passage. circular openings are carved out to form doors and windows, allowing the light to circulate and evoke a world of art and creation. the designer notes: ‘each module is thought of as a small sculpture, which at the same time is compositionally related to the other rooms.’

the meeting areas

after excavating the area of partitions, the space was divided into three sections. the first zone — with storage, bathrooms and meeting rooms — best shows the idea of micro architecture. to emphasize the sculptural concept, each module has a distinct height, length and width.

there are five different meeting rooms. one large room to host twelve people, and four that are more private. the openings and windows of each room optimize the amount of light that enters. when viewed as a whole, the rooms offer a unique perspective of the space, creating a dynamic intervention. the different heights, emphasize not only the height of the architecture, but also make visible the existing unique metallic beams. the furniture of each room is chosen carefully with the spanish furniture brand sancal. with a neutral color pallet that complements the space, environment and the client.

a series of spaces smaller zones are organized for ‘fast calls.’ here, the team carefully curates the lighting to evoke an artistically illuminated space inspired by james turrell.

the kitchen

the kitchen is also a multipurpose space, with a capacity for thirty people, that at the same time can be used as a training room. with three large custom tables, made by ‘fusteria vidal,’ with rounded edged on the base of the table. the stool seating in the space, is a another sancal piece. with a matte black structural base, and a natural wood seat, to complement the space. a space fully equipped, for relaxation, that can also be converted into an impromptu meeting room.

the entrance of the kitchen is marked by large circular opening, with the glass sliding doors. the color pallet is kept white like the rest of the space. including the white tiled countertops, and the finished of the cupboards. with a curved detailed handle that mirrors the architectural curves in the rest of the space.

the agora

the agora is by far the most multipurpose space of the project. two big metallic, mobile steps structure the space. small islands are generated in the space, through the use of colored circular carpets that bring together sofas, table and other furniture from sancal. to hold improvised meetings. each island is treated with a distinct color pallet, and fabrics chosen for each carpet match the assigned tones.

the last space is the most private, with four large custom-made tables by ‘fusteria vidal.’ each table with a capacity for eleven people. the table continues the sculptural concept of the space. composed of the white top, with a circular detail on the extremes of the tables, supported by blocks of glass.

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project info:

interior design: isern serra | @isernserra

location: barcelona, spain

clients: 
fuego camina conmigo | @fuegocaminaconmigo, SANCAL | @sancal

construction: 
tegola rosso

carpentry: fusteria vidal | @fusteriajvidal

completion: november 2021
photography: 
salva lopez | @salvalopez

the furniture chosen with SANCAL are remnant, vestige, dividuals, diwan, totem, click and roll. including the other singular products like tortuga, magnum, nido, silla40, vesper, pion or tab.

remnant armchair, vestige table and dividuals pouf: note design studio

totem stools and side table: sylvain willenz
roll chair: mut design
diwan chaise: perezochando
click seating programme: estudio sancal
tortuga armchair and table, silla40 chair and tab side tables: isaac piñeiro
magnum chair: estudihac
vesper occasional table: sebastian herkner
pion tables: ionna vautrin