Masquespacio is an award winning creative consultancy created in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse. Combining the two disciplines of their founders, interior design and marketing, the Spanish design agency creates branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts rewarded with a continued international recognition by media specialised in design, fashion and lifestyle trends. They have worked on projects in several countries like Norway, USA, Germany and Spain.
They are passionate persons who like to face new challenges and approach each new project with enthusiasm and eager to give the best of themselves. They look for authenticity in each project working closely with their clients with the aim to create a unique experience for the user of their product or establishment.
We chatted with Chris and found out how the minds of the creative Valencia-based duo work together and come up with the fresh and versatile designs that characterise Masquespacio:
We don’t have any favourites. We like to let ourselves be inspired by both young emerging talents as well as known artists, but if we should choose only one, it would be Patricia Urquiola. She’s all passion, emotion and color, just like us.
INSPIRATIONIST: Where are you from and where do you live now?
Christophe Penasse: I am from Belgium and Ana is from Colombia. Right now, we live both in Valencia, Spain.
I.: What’s your background?
C. P.: I studied marketing in my country, while Ana came to Spain to study interior design.
I.: How did you fall in love with design and why?
C. P.: Ana has been passionate about design since childhood. From an early age, she was exposed to it through her mother who worked in floral design. Being more attracted to interior design though, she decided to cross frontiers and study it in Spain. I, myself, got into the design world when I met Ana, almost 9 years ago. I became interested in it from the very beginning and that’s when and why we decided to start our own design studio.
I.: Where do you spend most of your time, and what does a typical day for you entail?
C. P.: To be honest, most of our time is spent behind our computers: the morning is mostly is attributed to production, while the afternoons and evenings are for design. If we have some free time, we love to visit countries and cities we don’t know, learn about their culture, architecture, gastronomy.
I.: What is your favourite part of your job?
C. P.: There are many things we love about our jobs: meeting interesting people, learning about new materials, technologies and cultures, traveling. But most of all, of course, we love to design.
I.: Can you describe an evolution in your work from when you began until today?
C. P.: At first, we started as an interior design studio focused on the home decoration market. But it wasn’t long until we understood that we couldn’t be completely creative in this sector, so we decided to focus on contract and retail instead. In the beginning it was all low cost and pure creativity, but step by step we reached other kinds of clients who were looking for unique designs. Along the way, we added the branding, art direction and product design to our studio’s services. Not because we specifically wanted to extend our services, but because they are something we are passionate about and also because we believe they are closely related to interior design.
I.: If you had to choose one single designer/artist/architect who has provided a source of inspiration for you personally – who would it be and why?
C. P.: We don’t have any favourites. We like to let ourselves be inspired by both young emerging talents as well as known artists, but if we should choose only one, it would be Patricia Urquiola. She’s all passion, emotion and color, just like us.
I.: Which is your favourite design/work of art?
C. P.: Most of the designs from Italian brand Moroso.
I.: Which of your designs is your personal favourite and why?
C. P.: We always try to make a step forward with each new design, so we’re having new personal favourites every time. Nevertheless, we can say that Nozomi Sushi Bar and our Toadstool collection are the most relevant projects we have worked on until today.
I.: How do you unwind?
C. P.: Enjoying a great dinner in a great place.
I.: What kind of music are you listening to at the moment?
Chris: I’m very eclectic, but in this exact moment, I’m listening to Kanye West’s ‘The Life of Pablo’. Most people hate him, but I think he is innovative in his own way.
Ana: New jazz.
I.: What is your favourite colour?
Ana: Pink
Chris: Blue
