I was born in Madrid, Spain, but I´ve always felt a little Galician; Galicia is a province in the north of Spain where my parents are from. It is all about passion and flavor there. Galician people are hard-working and very determined. They mostly depend on fishing and farming; they are intelligent people. The kind of vital intelligence that families who have always struggled to get ahead have.
MAGAZINE · INTERVIEW
Patricia Bustos
Patricia Bustos is a Spanish designer and founder of Patricia Bustos Studio, an interdisciplinary practice based in Madrid working across interiors, furniture, and collectible design. Guided by a pursuit of beauty and emotional experience, her work creates immersive environments that merge architecture, art, and craftsmanship, balancing functionality with a distinctly expressive visual language.
Drawing inspiration from nature, fashion, philosophy, and contemporary art, Bustos develops spaces and objects that navigate between reality and imagination. Characterized by bold colour palettes, organic forms, and a dialogue between handcrafted materials and innovative techniques, her practice reinterprets traditional craftsmanship through a contemporary lens, creating environments that are both poetic and deeply experiential.
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Interview
Where were you born and where are you from?
What is your first memory connected to the art world?
When I was only 8 years old, I joined the art and painting classes in my neighborhood church. My teacher was passionate about impressionism, abstract art, and modern art; she inspired us to love art. She introduced us to Monet and Sorolla’s works while we were learning about the importance of light and color and how both of them influence our perception of every object we see in the world. She also taught us about Kandinsky’s color theory, the golden ratio, how to communicate emotions, and phenomena such as synaesthesia. I remember how she talked about Gaudí and his work. Nowadays I believe He is one of the greatest many-sided artists next to Leonardo Da Vinci. In addition, since I was a little girl, I loved fashion design very much; I was obsessed with it, and I remember designing a thousand dresses for my dolls. I think design and art have always been in my DNA.
Have you always worked in the art/design field?
I have always been interested in it. I had an aunt who had studied Fine Arts, and I thought it was something sublime. But I chose Finance; it seemed to have the best opportunities, yet my love for design was always there, so when I finished my degree, I launched myself into the adventure. I began studying fashion at Central Saint Martins in London, then spent a few years working as a fashion designer for Inditex. After that, I moved into interior design, where I have been developing my professional career since then through my own experience and a mix of various courses and diplomas.
How would you describe your creative process and its influences?
My creative process goes from abstract to concrete, from complex to simple. In the beginning, I try to be very open-minded; my inspiration comes from many places. The natural world has always been my muse, and the female figure a source of incessant inspiration for me. The femininity, the curves, the sensuality, and the collaboration- all this together is an inspiration for me on a daily basis. I love to be in contact with Art as much as possible, to travel often and to meet new people. I also like to experiment with everything, including sports, new meditation techniques, reading about philosophy, history, and personal growth. I try to have a 360 lifestyle. I believe that in order to create, you have to connect several disciplines; then more interesting things will emerge.
What led you to design creation?
I love to create; it comes naturally to me. The passion for the blank page has been a constant throughout my life. Since I was a child, I had an overflowing imagination, and I used to dream of designing my own bedroom or my own clothes. When I was 13 years old, I fell in love with the character of Marie Antoinette during a school trip to the Palace of Versailles. I was passionate about her rebellious personality and her aesthetic style, so I decided to design my entire bedroom according to her. I painted my room all in soft pastel colors, and I remember placing gold leaf and Judea bitumen Rococo frames made by myself on all the photographs and paintings in the house. I designed a side table and a chandelier in that style too.
I think I caught the trends before they hit; that’s why it was always hard for me to find the pieces I really wanted, so eventually I decided to create them by myself or with the help of artisans from my neighborhood. This was how it all started, because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. Over time, I developed a love for transmitting emotions or ideas, and telling something through my designs.
At this point, I am interested in the paradigm shift into a digital era. How that transition will be and how both worlds are going to coexist. I want to communicate the importance of respecting nature in this process, but at the same time the courage to embrace the change with enthusiasm. Because if we value the physical, the natural, the craftsmanship, and the care for people, we should see the new digital experience as an opportunity to increase our greatness.
Could you describe a typical day of your work?
I wake up at seven o’clock every day, drink my first coffee in the morning, and work out for 45 minutes. Then a quiet breakfast; it’s the best time of the day. There are no people in my house; being alone gives me the opportunity to answer emails and brainstorm ideas that are on my mind. The most productive time of the day by far. Afterwards, I go to the studio and solve day-to-day issues with my team. I usually design new pieces or new projects in the afternoons. In the studio, I have a small workspace where we do models and prototypes. Also, I spend a lot of time at the artisans’ places. All the pieces designed in the studio are produced by artisans whom we know and admire. Working hand in hand with them is one of my greatest passions. Their patience, care, and affection with which each object is made and the respect they have for the environment and nature are what I admire the most.
Talking about my influences, I would say that they are pretty extensive. Over the years, the use of curves has been a great ally in my designs, so architects like Gaudí, Higueras, Saenz de Oiza, or Antti Lovag have influenced me a lot. Currently, I am fascinated by Carlo Scarpa and Agustin Hernandez, who is an ultra-futuristic Mexican architect who has conquered me.
Why did you choose the specific materials you work with?
I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of translucent and synthetic elements with natural and raw materials. I find that contrast beautiful and very interesting. Combining glass, resins, and recycled plastics together with stones such as travertine, handmade ceramics, rattan, or natural brushed brass is a pleasure for me. On the other hand, I have always been inspired by sunsets, their chromatic range is irresistible to me. Maybe that’s why pink is one of my fetish colors. I believe it is both a brave and comforting color. Bold but welcoming.
What are the technical particularities of your creations?
A lot of my creations have an iridescent or iridescent effect. We achieve this with paint gradients or by using materials that have holographic effects and change color according to the way the light falls on them or the viewer’s perspective. I like to play with the reflection of light because it brings an illusion of movement to the piece. When it comes to handmade materials, I like to work with rattan because of its flexibility and durability, and its use is one of the techniques that I am most passionate about. Now I am also beginning to experiment with blown glass. I have consolidated my career through projects and physical works, but now I am working with digital pieces too. This mix of materials refers to both worlds, and it’s this intersection that I find particularly beautiful and interesting. Since I began working on interiors and pieces, I’ve been closer to utopia than reality; occasionally I’ve been told that my projects looked like digital images. I guess I find the future fascinating, and that’s why I tend to stay that way.
What advice could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works?
I would say that they should surround themselves with good artisans and maintain a curious and open-minded attitude towards everything (amateur attitude). All the artists I have met throughout my career have fulfilled this requirement. First of all, we must be authentic with ourselves. Expressing what we have inside and everything else comes from experience and continuous training. I am constantly experimenting.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Aesthetic emotion enhances companionship, and therefore we seek to transcend the function by honoring beauty and authenticity. Both our pieces and our interiors are unique and unrepeatable. Through the overlapping of translucent or reflective elements with handcrafted and raw materials, we find a soft balance that is atypical and fascinating at the same time.
If your works had to belong to a design movement, how would you define it?
I would say space age, organicism, and brutalism.
What designers and artists have influenced you?
Designers like Mario Bellini, Pierre Paulin, Saarinen, or Joe Colombo. But there are countless others. Also architects like Bofill, Gaudí, or Antti Lovag.
What contemporary designers do you appreciate?
Lately, I have been inspired by the work of Hugo Toro, but I have always been inspired by the work of women like Kelly Wearstler, India Mahdavi, Studio Pepe, or Kelly Behun. My work is very influenced by women and their qualities. I find everything feminine attractive and prolific.
What contemporary artists, in any kind of art, have you been inspired by?
James Turrell, Sabine Marcelis, Charlotte Kingsnorth, or Es Devlin.
If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be?
Between craftsmanship and utopia,
That is where true beauty is found.
“I believe that in order to create, you have to connect several disciplines; then more interesting things will emerge.”
The Questionnaire
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Inner peace and adventure mixed side by side.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my curiosity or my intellectual capacities.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Sometimes I doubt too much, it kills.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of loyalty and commitment.
Which living person do you most admire?
My parents.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I have a passion for what’s new, I love fashion and trends.
What is your current state of mind?
Enthusiastic.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Comfort.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sense of humor and confidence.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Empathy and charisma.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Beauty, utopia and craftsmanship
Which talent would you most like to have?
Creativity, passion and emotional intelligence
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would have more self-confidence
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Is still yet to come ,but my three kids are might be the best thing I ever do in life
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I would not change anything
Where would you most like to live?
On the beach, somewhere with an incredible sunset
What is your most treasured possession?
My ability to understand people
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not knowing how to love others
What is your favorite occupation?
Designing or surfing
What is your most marked characteristic?
My imagination run wild
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty and sense of humor
Who are your favorite writers?
The classics and the Greeks, I love to read about philosophy. Plantson, Aristotle, Socrates, more current Alan Moore, Paul Dors or Dostoyevsky
Who is your hero of fiction?
Any hero who fights for freedom and equality of rights
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Cleopatra
Who are your heroes in real life?
Those who fight for humanitarian rights in war-torn territories
What are your favorite names?
Maya, Bella y Nacho, the names of my children
What is it that you most dislike?
Jealousy and greed
What is your greatest regret?
Not graduated in architecture
How would you like to die?
Very old and asleep
What is your motto?
Fall In Love with your life
“Between craftsmanship and utopia, that is where true beauty is found.”
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