Casa Horta Barcelona by Guillermo Santoma

At times, writing about incredible design can be a little intimidating. Finding the right words to give pure visual brilliance justice can be difficult, especially when a design speaks so strongly for itself. Casa Horta, designed by the enormously talented interior and product designer Guillermo Santomà is one of those rare but very particular projects that has us feeling a little speechless. A combination of strongly assured minimal geometry and a bang-on saturated palette make this space feel more like an artfully constructed set than somebody’s home. But the closer you look the more you see, like the textured heritage bones and ergonomic built-in efficiencies, revealing that this space is in fact a domestic one (and home to the designer himself, might we add).

Casa Horta is a 1920s three-storey home, located on the outskirts of Barcelona. It was recently purchased and subsequently renovated by Santomà, who gutted the space so only selected volumes and original materials remained for him to creatively work with. The geometric forms are highlighted with colour making the space feel like one immersive artwork – somewhat reminiscent of Ricardo Bofill’s La Muralla Roja.

Santomà sees object and space as one, a philosophy he has successfully mastered in Casa Horta. We also love his tongue-in-cheek literal approach to the skylight.

At first, we didn’t even notice that the home is not furnished, the pure geometry is decorative enough to fulfill the eyes. Santomà shares, “A place to live is always transformed depending on the needs – the purpose is to live surrounded by something that represents you. Be throughout the construction process, day-by-day, or in the play, I’m continuously rethinking the space”.

We are truly excited to see this home evolve over time with the additions of life and object. ’80s disco meets fantasy meets raw heritage – an epic combination we’ve not seen before, and probably never will again. A true creative, with an artistic vision that transcends a field or role, Santomà is a true poet of design. Shit. Hot.