Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictions

Marta de la Rica describes herself as ‘a New Yorker by birth, French by adoption and Spanish at heart’. Stepping into her Madrid studio, you can feel this patchwork of influences: American cool blends with Spanish warmth with elements of French classicism creeping in to create something which is all and none of them at the same time.

Residing next door to the designer’s home, the studio, which she calls ‘the laboratory’, is a multi-functional space used for work and play. And what a space it is, characterised by big, bold, statement-making objects juxtaposed with exquisite, soulful details. It is a space of balances and contradictions – form and function, humor and elegance, old and new – pitched in a way that is perfectly complimentary.

De la Rica’s studio is considered, but not minimalist. Colour and texture play a major role: although the base palette is earthy and natural, featuring an abundance of wood, there are bold splashes of colour throughout – an oxblood kitchen, a princess-pink sofa. Materials like veined marble, velvet, and thick, plush carpet add texture. The space plays with proportion and scale – a single stem, for example, is placed in a spindly vase on a vast, blocky worktable hewn from terrazzo stone.

Each object feels thought-through, with bespoke furniture coexisting with antique pieces. De la Rica’s eye for uniqueness was developed during childhood trips to flea markets, fairs and brocantes that she would take with her father, a passionate antiques collector himself. The designer still works with her father today through Gaztelur, a restaurant, boutique, florist and storage space for de la Rica’s ever-evolving collection of interior objects, housed in a gorgeous stately home in the Basque Country.

Unlike some studios, ‘the laboratory’ feels lived-in. It’s not a showroom – cushioned chairs are meant for sitting on, and one can easily imagine pouring over ideas at the table, which stretches the length of the room. This reflects the philosophy that underpins de la Rica’s practice: the desire to share ‘l’art de vivre’, or ‘the art of living’.

De la Rica started her eponymous studio in 2014. Today, her multidisciplinary team works across all aspects of design, from the conceptual and aesthetic to the architectural and technical. The studio’s work is eclectic, while remaining true to its amalgam of influences, from the lightness and liveliness of Madrid to the laid-back elegance of Biarritz, where de la Rica has spent much of her life.