style & design

We spoke with Barcelona-based interior designer Miriam Barrio.

Q. Please tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to become an interior designer.

I was born in Zaragoza but am Catalan and have lived in Barcelona since I was four. Ever since I was a child I’ve enjoyed creating things by hand. A fan of crafts in school, I developed a taste for the plastic arts and played at designing the room of my dreams. Some of that came from my father, an architect, but my creative and aesthetic side I owe to my mother. It wasn’t hard for me to decide that interior design was for me, and I left behind the idea of ​​becoming an architect since I was never inclined toward physics or math. My four years at Bau were incredible – for the first time I seriously enjoyed learning and didn’t care about all the hours spent finishing projects.

Q. How did you launch your career and come to found your studio?

As I finished my studies, I went to work for an architecture studio where I matured greatly since my role there was to be in charge from the beginning as interior designer, or at least to look like it! hehe. During my five years there I learned a lot, absorbing everything I worked on and developing confidence in myself. Then, in the midst of the 2008 recession, a friend and I set up our own studio and we spent the next five years enjoying the ups and downs of entrepreneurship! In 2014, I decided to make a change, refocusing my career and and betting on my own ideas and convictions – one of the best decisions of my life!

Q. How would you define Miriam Barrio studio? 

We define ourselves as a versatile, optimistic and open-minded interior design studio with the capability to adapt to all desires and meet any challenge we face. Passion plays a big role and we leave our mark on each project. Empathy towards our clients is essential to understanding their needs, and we keep an open mind to find the best results that respect their desires. We are very involved with each project and this develops trust and harmony with our clients. The important thing is not to show how we are, but rather to listen and find the ideal design for each project and be able to surprise with the result.

Q. How would you describe your artistic vision? 

We’re passionate dreamers; we enjoy each new project and we love that each is different to the one before. We’re not tied to one style – all are possible candidates as a font of inspiration. We always take advantage of the chance to create new things, with projects that surprise not only the client but also ourselves. This is why we like to create custom furniture, lamps, coatings… anything that makes a project unique! There are common elements in our work such as shaping space using materials, colors and mirrors, which we love to play with to transform spaces or create effects that go beyond decorating.

Q. Which recent projects stand out? What do people like best about your work?

It’s hard to pick, but the apartment on Aragó was a great success. I think it was thanks to the bold choice of color and materials that we used – the use of gold with many details combined with unusual colors created a remarkable result. People tell us they love the care for detail in our projects – that our designs breathe balance and lots of personality, with strong, distinctive identities.

Q. Anything more you’d like to share?

I’m lucky to work with a brilliant team of enthusiastic, passionate professionals, and what I’d like most is to keep growing alongside them!