When beauty makes happiness in the apartment of Abel Pérez Gabucio, founder and director of AbagStudio Architecture Agency.

I was born and raised in Barcelona. I am an architect and interior designer and I have the chance to indulge this incredible passion in Spain, but also in Paris, Amsterdam, and even in Italy for the first time this year! I love interior design and decor, which constitutes a major part of my work today. I’m a dad of two and love my city, where I spend a lot of time with my family.

I see my job as a mise-en-scène, an art of staging. I really like to create real contemporary works, even if it is a workspace. What I love most of all, and this is also the case with my colleagues, are the meetings I have in my job. My whole profession is to put their needs first, not my own desires! Listening to only your own ego as a designer is a common mistake, but luckily it is increasingly being refuted by professionals. We are just a tool for achieving a vision of a specific way of living and designing your personal or professional space. I am interested in this; it is the DNA of AbagStudio.

I live in Barcelona, a small city compared to Paris and yet so alive. We live in the city center, in a fairly chic neighborhood. I love Barcelona, life is so good! The sun, the sea and at the same time a city, this connection with Europe thanks to our international airport. As for our home, it is a simple but perfect apartment for 4 people. The only condition my wife made when we were looking was to have a single-story apartment. It was a challenge because there aren’t that many in this old district! So, I was very flexible because we didn’t have too many choices. I remember the only question I asked myself was, is this apartment practical with small children? And it is the case, unlike our previous apartment on several floors.

This district looks like a small village in the very heart of the city. We are 15 minutes from the center! It’s lovely, you can do everything on foot, it’s so nice, very family friendly.

The light was amazing and the space, all open, so spacious. Before, I loved unusual, atypical places, with convoluted circulation, several floors, nooks and crannies. I’ll be honest with you, my wife was right in the end… It’s easier to live in a more standard place. It’s such a comfort!

The kitchen, I love to cook and eat! We socialize a lot, there are always wonderful scents. Even just having a coffee… It’s so authentic as a space. And then also my hammock on the terrace!

I tried to create a positive, soft vibe, with light colors and design elements, all of which are really useful. Mainly, I tried to make the circulation and movement very smooth. This is often the most difficult element for those new to architecture to design, but it is essential for everyday well-being.

Yes, I love that! But I try at all costs not to repeat myself and not to enter into a pattern of creation by taking up the same trends seen everywhere. I try to reinvent myself, not to copy a style or a brand. This is what motivates me every morning: to create, invent new things every day, through our new projects, which prove to be ideal for the specific needs of clients.

I think people are more inclined to open up and improve their living spaces. And many now need a home office. They will therefore often look for professionals for this.

I am currently working on three projects that excite me a lot, because they represent challenges and require a very strong creativity. The renovation of a church, an absolutely fantastic place, into seasonal apartments around a new tourist concept for the locals; the refurbishment of a restaurant into a private club in a trendy district and finally, the construction of an ecological complex in Sardinia, a real blank page! These are magnificent experiences which require using new technologies while retaining the soul of the place and adding a contemporary touch.

It makes you happy, makes you feel better. I sometimes compare it to the way some people use fashion as a therapeutic tool. Sometimes I do say to myself: “this work is beautiful but expensive…” And then immediately after… “Listen, the well-being that this gives you is worth it! Because every time you see her, she will fill you with joy”.