Eugeni Quitllet, a tireless creator, utilizes all available resources and his brilliant capacity for association to find inspiration. Marcel Breuer, Oscar Schlemmer, Pablo Picasso, and “Beauty and the Beast” serve as elements that inspire him to design the Tube chair a steel tube chair with a hidden mask beneath the seat.

Marcel Breuer designed the Wassili chair, one of the first chairs made with steel tube, drawing inspiration from observing a bicycle, also constructed from tube.

The resilience needed to support a person seated on a bicycle lent itself to the idea of durability required for a chair. This is a compelling example of how designs can emerge from reflecting on objects that, at first glance, seem unrelated to the intended creation. One of the most evocative images associated with the Wassili chair is that of Marcel Breuer seated in it

The other reference is that of a woman with a mask sitting in the chair. This photograph was taken by a student of the Bauhaus and shows a woman wearing a theater mask designed by Bauhaus professor Oscar Schlemmer, known for the Triadic Ballet.

These are two of the references that form part of Quitllet’s inspiration: the chairs and masks of the Bauhaus. The other aspect of his inspiration is associated with Pablo Picasso. It is widely known that the figure of the bull or the minotaur appears frequently in Picasso’s work, whether in sculptures, drawings, or paintings. His affinity for African masks is also notable, as he had a collection of them. Furthermore, the painter depicted himself wearing masks on several occasions.

As previously mentioned, the bull and the minotaur figure prominently in Picasso’s work. From this artist, we’d like to spotlight “Tête de taureau,” a sculpture crafted from bicycle components: featuring a leather seat for the head and horns fashioned from handlebar tubing.

The Minotaur evokes immediate associations with “Beauty and the Beast.” This connection is not confined solely to the drawing found in the Suite Volard but extends to the numerous occasions when Picasso depicts it throughout his career.

Quitllet skillfully connects all these references with the TUBE chair. Its seat features a mask drawn underneath, echoing Schlemmer’s and Breuer’s works. Breuer’s steel tube structure and bicycle are reminiscent of Picasso’s sculpture “Tête de taureau.” Additionally, Picasso’s Minotaur, intertwined with the story of “Beauty and the Beast,” influences Quitllet’s narrative of the chair. The designer aims to pay homage to both poetry and industry, juxtaposing the chair’s feminine shape with the robustness of the tube structure industry.

Meritxell Arjalaguer

Photographer

I could start by congratulating you for all these years, but what comes from my heart is gratitude. Thank you for allowing me to share the journey with you, for making each photo shoot fill me with emotion, excitement and happiness, and for allowing me to see the magic that suddenly appears in the details of a chair, in the shadow of a shelf, in a set of stools…

Celebrating you is a source of pride for the marvellous job you have done.

What values would you highlight from Mobles 114?

The values that I would highlight from Mobles114 are visible in each piece: confidence, subtlety and quality.

Confidence: You believe in everyone involved in Mobles114, throughout the entire creation process until it reaches the people who will use your products. It’s a teamwork environment where each element is important and valued.

Subtlety: Your products are devoid of superfluous elements; everything is where it belongs, everything seems simple within complexity. Special attention is paid to details that may go unnoticed but are the foundation of each piece.

Quality: Mobles114 is meticulous, using resistant and durable materials, and with those manufacturing processes that best adapt to each piece. This is why Mobles114 products are timeless and capable of accompanying people throughout their lives.

How would you define the path we have followed over the last 50 years?

Rigorous and flexible. A company that has been in existence for 50 years has had to be flexible, prioritize what is best at each moment, invest correctly, and identify moments that will be turning points in survival, growth and stability.

In your opinion, what is the most iconic product in the furniture catalogue?

For me, there are different iconic products, but the Nuta stool stands out because it synthesizes the values of Mobles114. It manages to be in a space without overshadowing other elements and it is discreet, but undoubtedly defines the space where it is used and gives it character. Its lightness does not detract from its firmness when you sit on it. In addition, it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see it anywhere.

David Martí

_{Editor and designer}

_{What values would you highlight about Mobles 114?}

Mobles 114 is a company characterized by its sobriety and the firmness with which it has always stood between tradition and innovation.

_{How would you define the path along these 50 years?}

Throughout these 50 years, Mobles 114 has built a solid catalog that promotes comfort and quality without ever departing from its principles.

_{According to you, what is the most iconic product in the furniture catalog?}

I think the most iconic product in the catalog is the Torres Clavé armchair. I have enjoyed the Ona coat rack all my life and I intend to purchase the Nuta stool soon.

Carles Riart

_{Designer and interiorist}

_{What values would you highlight about Mobles 114?}

A special balance between, on the one hand, fidelity to their principles in maintaining an open language with refined and careful proposals in every detail for so many years and, on the other hand, determination in the commitment to all of us.

_{How would you define the path along these 50 years?}

The coherence to maintain the principles of a design that originally stems from our environment, with qualities that give rise to ways of doing that only time grants and that are identified in those subliminal aspects that clearly show the merit of Mobles 114’s genuine work.

_{According to you, what is the most iconic product in the furniture catalog?}

Undoubtedly, the Tria system is the one that best defines and synthesizes the method of its creators, not only because of its idea of a versatile piece of furniture that offers solutions in all areas, but also for the variety of creative solutions in the small constructive details.

Secondly, the Ona coat rack made with Montse Padrós, as a sample of a happy conception of design.

And also the Torres Clavé armchair as a token of a learned and committed tradition in defense of social values and rights.

America Sanchez (without accent marks), the name used by Juan Carlos Pérez Sánchez, was born in Argentina and moved to Barcelona in 1965. He is recognized as a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer, and has an extensive career in these disciplines.

In 1992 he was awarded the National Design Award for his excellence in the field of design. His graphic works are exhibited at the MoMA in New York, while his photographic work can be seen at the French National Library, the Aurillac Museum, the IVAM Centre Julio González and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

In 1973, America Sanchez created the Corporate Identity for Mobles 114, an initiative backed by JM Massana, JM Tremoleda and M Ferrer, the founders of the brand. This proposal, which projected a highly contemporary and modern Corporate image for its time, was redesigned by Sanchez on four occasions.

This article presents the first sketches and graphic material used in the 1970s.

_{Images courtesy of the Design Museum of Barcelona – America Sanchez Collection}

Júlia Esqué

_Designer

_{According to you, what is the most iconic product in the furniture catalog?}

The Pey table system.

_{How do you think Mobles 114 will evolve in the coming years?}

At a steady pace.

Umberto121 is a rural lodging in the village of Montisi, one of the five towns of Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both in this small village of 300 inhabitants and in the surrounding area, you find yourself in one of the most beautiful regions of Italy: Tuscany. A peaceful and quiet territory where every cypress tree is a symbol of hospitality.

The owners of the Umberto 121 are a clear example of the centuries-old hospitality of the cypresses, and they have achieved it thanks to the renovation of an original 14th century building with the wisdom to preserve the authenticity that the passage of time has impregnated in the spaces. They have preserved the 17th century frescoes and the terrazzo from the 1930’s and have eliminated those parts that were not original in order to leave the most authentic element visible in each room.

The five double rooms and the rest of the house have been meticulously renovated and decorated with delicacy and good taste. Both in the living room and in the bedrooms, the visitor feels at home, surrounded by a cozy atmosphere and light. The house has a total of 350 square meters and includes a garden area from which one can see the medieval village of Montisi.

The house has been decorated with furniture and lighting acquired in local markets and antique shops combined with contemporary furniture designs by Italian and Spanish creators. Not surprisingly, the owners are an Italian-Spanish couple. Good taste, sobriety and simplicity have colonized the spaces to respect the essence of a house with more than 600 years of history.

On the house’s first floor, the house features a living room with two sofas (one of them, an Italian design from the 60’s) that accompany Tria Shelving System bookshelf. On this floor there is also a dining room and a kitchen available to guests.

On the second floor are the five double bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Some of the bathrooms have preserved the terrazzo of the 30’s, but have been completely renovated to provide the elements of modern comfort. Each room has preserved its own little history.

We also find a foyer between the rooms that has become a pleasant area where you can read, rest or contemplate every detail of the house.

^{Photos: Meritxell Arjalaguer}

André Ricard

_Designer

_{What is your perception on the evolution of Mobles 114 from its creation to the present?}

Very consistent. Both in their own designs and in those of others. Everything that carries the brand Mobles 114 is authentic design; sensible, useful and friendly pieces, without shrillness in shapes or colors.

_{What are the features that turn a product into an iconic design?}

The fact that a product becomes an icon, a classic, does not only depend on a good design, nor on the fact that the company that produces it has promoted it appropriately, nor on the fact that influencers and mass media have widely supported it.

Even if all that certainly helps, it is people as users who really elevate a product to such an iconic status.

A design becomes a classic through the conjunction of thousands of people who, satisfied with the features offered by this design, are loyal to it, use it and make the product transcend the barrier of time and fashions. Thus, the design becomes an icon.

Josep Maria Jujol, son of the architect Josep Maria Jujol Gibert, has recently left us.

Jujol Jr. devoted a good part of his life to the work of his father through the Jujol Archive, located in Els Pallaresos. He was also director of the Friends of Jujol association and author of numerous books on his father’s work.

In 2018 we contacted Jujol Jr. to issue (reissue?) the Double Oval Table. This table, along with another one, was shown in an exhibition at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya conceived by the artist Perejaume. In this exhibition entitled Maniobra Perejaume, the author paired works from the museum itself with works by other artists with special attention to oval forms.

In the exhibition, Perejaume matched the Double Oval Table with a drawing by Joan Miró, and the Oval Coffee Table was linked to a drawing by Antoni Tàpies.

After the exhibition we came up with the idea of producing the Jujol 1920 table, as we have named it. The original model is built with two oval tops superimposed on two planes creating a three-dimensional cross supported by a slatted structure.

The relationship with Jujol Jr. was full of mutual understanding. In one of the visits to Els Pallaresos we recorded an interview in the Jujol Archive. In that interview, Jujol Jr. vindicated the figure of his father. The truth is that Jujol’s work has not received enough recognition, as is usually the case.

Fortunately, the modernist movement began to be vindicated from the 1960s, and so was the unknown figure of Jujol in particular. One of the promoters of this movement was the architect Oriol Bohigas, who himself had been his pupil. Jujol was an outstanding collaborator of Gaudí, who allowed him to experiment with total freedom. In his later career he experimented with all styles until he forged his own creative universe far removed from the conventionalism of his time.

At Mobles 114 we also wanted to participate in publicizing his work as a designer. The table we chose to issue is at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya and we believe it is a unique piece. The way it is built, with imperfect joints, some with a nail right through, without glue or contact between woods, others in which the screw goes through the wood or inclined planes that do not fit, makes us think that the table is more a prototype than a piece out of the workshop of a woodworker.

Perhaps it is a table half made by a woodworker, half made by a bricoleur (maybe Jujol himself?). Perhaps… What we know for sure is that it was part of the furniture that the architect had in his house, in the Rambla Catalunya in Barcelona. His son testifies to this through his memories. He explains that they had it in front of a window with a couple of vases, one on each top. Sometimes with, sometimes without flowers.

One of the ways to vindicate Jujol is to put his work on display. Jujol was an architect, but he also drew, painted, sculpted and designed. In the market, before our reissue, there was only the glass bottle Casa de Familia published by BD Barcelona Design.

The Jujol 1920 table (a name we chose with the aim of highlighting Jujol’s name) is his first furniture design on the market and is part of Mobles 114’s Classic catalog.

The architect’s work and archives are divided between the COAC, the MNAC and the Jujol Archive.

^{_{Photographs from the Jujol Archive by Meritxell Arjalaguer}}

Mariano Ferrer

_{Co-founder of Mobles 114 and designer}

_{What are your memories from the beginnings of Mobles 114?}

Massana, Tremoleda and I started together the adventure of Mobles 114. In those years, starting a business involved a certain risk, but the endeavour was successful thanks to our energy and good mood. I was part of it until 1981.

Massana and Tremoleda were excellent partners, and it was very pleasant to work with them as a team.

_{How would you define the evolution throughout these 50 years?}

Mobles 114 has managed to operate excellently during these first 50 long and difficult years. Since 50 years are always long and difficult, this anniversary is quite an achievement and I hope they can continue for many years to come.

_{What is the product you would highlight from the collection?}

As is obvious, I consider the star product to be the GIRA lamp, which paved the way and has remained the brand’s hallmark. Everything by them has never lowered the bar, quite the contrary.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Mobles 114, we have published ‘50 anys d’una editora de Mobles‘, a limited edition book that commemorates the compilation of our trajectory. We wanted to bring together all the products we have manufactured or distributed, both those that are still featured in the current catalog and those that are no longer present.

In addition, we have highlighted the people who have been a fundamental part of our history, the logos made by América Sánchez or Folch Studio, the several different fonts that have been used over the years and also the multiple locations we have had since our inauguration on October 19, 1973 at 114 Enric Granados Street.

From the beginning, Mobles 114 has put on the market a series of furniture and objects with the intention of doing things as well as possible and avoiding discordance. We have given life to pieces that have transcended the simple functionality of furniture, some of which (such as the Tria bookshelf, the Torres Clavé armchair or the Ona coat rack) have become icons that have filled spaces all over the world.

This collection carried out by the founders and designers, JM Massana and JM Tremoleda, has benefited from the participation of other designers and artists throughout these 50 years, such as Antoni Arola, Martín Azúa, José Antonio Coderch, Isidre Ferrer, Mariano Ferrer, Joan Gaspar, Josep Maria Jujol, Lagranja, Enzo Mari, Javier Mariscal, Rafael Marquina, Nani Marquina, Miguel Milá, Gabriel Mora, Isamu Noguchi, Gabriel Ordeig, Montse Padrós, Lluís Pau, Jorge Pensi, Lluís Porqueras, Eugeni Quitllet, Carles Riart, André Ricard, Germán Rodríguez Arias, Santiago Roqueta, América Sánchez, Pete Sans, Álvaro Siza, Josep Torres Clavé, Helena Tremoleda and Oscar Tusquets. They all have created collaborations producing unique pieces.

Each and every one of these authors have contributed to the enrichment of our portfolio, as well as the consolidation of our commitment to innovation and sustainability. We have adopted responsible practices to preserve the environment, and such commitment has influenced our design and production processes.

Finally, we look ahead with encouragement through new projects and new collaborators to ensure the continuity of the legacy of the past 50 years.

This book was made possible thanks to Studio Albert Romagosa, who suggested its idea, structure and design. The illustrations are by Luis Mazón. We would also like to thank the Design Museum of Barcelona, collection Mobles 114, for lending us the images that have illustrated this book.

^{Photographs: Marcel Juan}

In recent years, to celebrate the beginning of the year we have had the pleasure of collaborating with some the brand’s friends: designers, photographers, illustrators, craftsmen, etc., who have created personalized greetings.

In 2023 we have commemorated the 50th anniversary of Mobles 114 and we have decided to look back at 1973. The images of events, architecture, product design, fashion design, art and music belong to 1973, the year in which Mobles 114 was born.

Thank you very much for accompanying us all these years.

We wish you a happy 2024.

The Advent calendar is a way of marking the days before Christmas. This period, observed in some traditions, is characterized by the expectation and preparation to celebrate Christmas. Our calendar is designed to help you choose the best gift for those that are dearest to you.

Click on the images to know more about each product.

Find your nearest reseller by clicking here!

Tria shelving is a versatile, modular piece that can adapt to any space and need. Its individual modules can be configured in a variety of ways, allowing parents and children to create a shelf at their own pace.

Made of sturdy, eco-friendly materials, this bookshelf is safe for children and stands the test of time. Modules of different sizes and shapes invite children to organize their books, toys and treasures in creative ways. This customized layout encourages spatial thinking and the development of organizational skills from an early age.

Tria Shelving System is an invitation to explore, learn and dream. With its contemporary design and its ability to adapt to the growth and development of children, it becomes an essential element in the room of any young artist or inventor. Your child will have a space for creativity and organization, accompanying them on their journey towards self-discovery and learning.

Tria stands out for its color palette. A carefully selected palette that brings sophistication and style to any space, even for the youngest ones.

Tria Shelving System is a modular system of contemporary design ideal for children’s and youth rooms with infinite combinations. Combine yours with the online configurator.

Mobles 114 was founded in Barcelona in 1973 by designers JM Massana, JM Tremoleda and Mariano Ferrer. Its first headquarters was located at 114 Enric Granados Street, and that’s where the name comes from: a location in the center of a city that was beginning to participate in the social and cultural changes that had begun in Europe in 1968.

Mobles 114 reads and recovers the modernity proposed by GATCPAC. This was a group of Catalan architects in the 1930s who followed the influences of European rationalism, an architectural movement initiated in the 1920s by Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius, among others. Another influence is the Bauhaus school, which Gropius founded in 1919 and which was closed in 1933.

The proposals of the GATCPAC architects promoted a modern way of conceiving spaces to live in that was close to Mediterranean culture. Unfortunately, this movement was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. In addition, subsequent historical events left the country disconnected from the rest of the world in many respects. Torres Clavé died during the Spanish Civil War, Josep Maria Sert went into exile in the USA and Germán Rodríguez Arias fled to Chile, just to name a few examples.

Massana and Tremoleda, well aware of this evolution, follow a path that also proposes tradition and modernity with a character that does not drop its Mediterranean roots. Tradition is well represented in the recovery and re-edition of classics of Catalan design, while modernity is evident in their own proposals and in the choice of designers or authors who will contribute to the Mobles 114 catalog.

Tradition and modernity have ensured that the Mobles 114 catalog maintains the same validity it had in its beginnings and that many of its older products coexist naturally with those that have just been incorporated.

Since 1973 up to the present, the company has launched more than 150 products on the market. Some of them are still in the catalog, others are part of the Barcelona Design Museum. Almost all the products published during these years have followed the faithful character of their founders in designing furniture where modernity is very present and respect for tradition is evident.

Recently, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Mobles 114 donated its archive to the Documentation Center of the Barcelona Design Museum, and it was the first archive of a furniture publisher to be part of this collection.

Throughout these 50 years, our catalogue has included furniture and objects designed by Álvaro Siza, André Ricard, Antoni Arola, Carlos Riart, Enzo Mari, Eugeni Quitllet, Gabriel Mora, Gabriel Ordeig, Germán Rodríguez Arias, Isamu Noguchi, Isidre Ferrer, Mariano Ferrer, Javier Mariscal, Joan Gaspar, Jorge Pensi, José Antonio Coderch, Josep Maria Jujol, Josep Torres Clavé, Lagranja, Lluís Pau, Lluís Porqueras, Martín Azúa, Massana-Tremoleda, Josep Mora, Miguel Milá, Montse Padrós, Oscar Tusquets, Pete Sans, Rafael Marquina and Santiago Roqueta.

Over the years, we have received several awards, but we are convinced that the best recognition is not given by a jury, but by the people who live with our furniture. For decades, this recognition has made it possible for this timelessness to transcend generations. This spirit of permanence, of staying forever, of accompanying, is what has guided us as a company to do things with coherence and discretion, with respect for tradition and admiration for modernity.

“What’s old I adore, what’s new elates me”

J.V. Foix – Sol, i de dol (1947).

We want to thank everyone who joined us last October 18th at Casa de les Punxes x Cloudworks to celebrate our 50th anniversary. A day full of emotions and reunions. We were delighted to see so many people who have been and still are part of our history. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

_{Photography: Enrique Muda}

Tria Shelving System has been designed in a floor and a wall support version with two depths and four heights, which allow any composition you might need. It adapts to any space, whether office, restaurant, retail, supermarkets, libraries and anywhere you can imagine.

The current office requirements are ever-changing. Tria is a shelving system for the modern office. A modular design that allows you to expand it, change its use or add new elements as you need: customized configurations for workspace, shelves for organizing documents and even space for hanging jackets.

Almost any type of store needs to display its items. Tria Shelving System can become your ally. It has different shelves for retail stores. If you need to store small items, Tria has cabinets and drawers. You can also display items in the glass cabinet case, where light can be incorporated to make for an ideal retail display unit.

Tria Shelving System can also be used by the finest supermarkets. The slanted display shelves, combined with the regular shelves, also serve as a bottle rack if you don’t want to use the grid shelves.

Although not its most obvious feature, the Tria Shelving System can also be used as a wine rack for restaurants; its modular system with many features allows the storage of beverages or the display of beverages for wine bars in modern restaurants by means of its slanted shelves.

In some library spaces you can also design a space for books with Tria. The shelves are available in two widths (60 and 90 cm) to adapt to different wall sizes. It has a simple signage system that makes it easy to update any relevant information. Accessories such as a book holder complete the features.

In short, Tria is a shelving system that accompanies and supports the multiple needs of many projects.

_{Corella. Sant Cugat del Vallès
Funky Bakers. Barcelona
Marset. Terrassa
Acid House. Barcelona
Obbio. Barcelona
Biblioteca Montserrat Abelló. Barcelona}

In October this year, Mobles 114 celebrates half a century of life and that is why we want to share some of the most significant moments of our journey. Featuring Josep Maria Massana, Josep Maria Tremoleda, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, Joan Gaspar, Miguel Milá, Antoni Arola, Martín Azúa, Curro Claret and Marc Morro, we have prepared a video that aims to reflect our history and our most emblematic creations. Local collections arising from the avant-garde of design. Products that inspire stories fostering artistic and cultural values.

Born in 1973, Mobles 114 has consistently been part of the world of contemporary furniture thanks to its commitment to improving the quality of collective and home spaces with signature, timeless and careful designs which are inspired by a philosophy that values functionality, durability and aesthetics. In a world in which trends prevail and fashions set the public agenda, Mobles 114 is committed to furniture in which quality and design endure over time.

So don’t miss the video we have prepared, which includes some of our most iconic designs, such as the Tria bookshelf, the Gràcia chair, the Danesa armchair, the Ona and Hulot coat stands, the Torres Clavé armchair, the MMS table, the Tombal umbrella stand or ashtray, the Taiga coat stand, the Catalana armchair, the Luco stool, the Nuta and Tube collections, the Tong ice tongs and the Copenhagen ashtray; timeless pieces that are part of the history of contemporary design and serve as our particular tribute to these 50 years of modernity and tradition.

“Contemplate [verb, transitive]: To look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully.

One of the things I love most about summer is the unique opportunity to contemplate, to look again and again at the same scene and discover something new each time. When the gaze is blurred and one stops chasing information, a new world of infinite possibilities opens up. At this precise moment, a space for reflection emerges.

This is the origin of this video art piece, or musicalized visual poem, inspired by one of the journeys that has had the greatest impact on me, where I was lucky enough to allow my gaze to reach indescribable places: Iceland. There I discovered artists who have guided my inspiration ever since. That is why my proposal is an edition of a text by Ólafur Elíasson which, along with the music of JFDR (Jófríður Ákadóttir) and Ólafur Arnalds, offers the possibility of contemplating the sea, the unmistakable symbol of summer”.

M.C.

Every July, Mobles 114 invites an artist, designer or photographer to create a special greeting card. This summer we feature Marc Castañé, co-founder of Åkerblom Studio, who has used the art manifesto of the Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson, a source of inspiration for his work, to create this piece of video art. Åkerblom is the audiovisual production company responsible for directing our 50th anniversary video, which we will be unveiling over the coming months.

Marc Castañé is a passionate audiovisual communicator with a deep love for Nordic culture. After living in Sweden for a year, he was captivated by its lifestyle, interior design, climate and artistic expressions. This experience led him to found Åkerblom Studio, a space dedicated to audiovisual creation with a special focus on telling stories that normally go unnoticed.

Throughout his career, Marc has worked closely with important figures in the design sector such as Nanimarquina, Camper or FAD Barcelona, among many others. His dedication to audiovisuals and his closeness to design and storytelling have led him to grow and evolve with the Åkerblom Studio team.

There is something in the soul of nature that traps us; for centuries, human beings have been linked to the environment in which they live. Architecture is a faithful reflection of this phenomenon and the human hand seeks to capture their reality in the constructions they create.

Modernism, a movement born in Catalonia (contemporary of Art Nouveau in Europe) and which attracts so many international looks of appreciation and respect, emerged precisely from this anthropological impulse. Catalan modernist artists sought to ornament the streets and buildings they designed, and left a special Mediterranean imprint that reflected the topography of Catalan landscapes. 

In this regard, the Ona coat rack is an updated look at this topography. A design that stems from the formal play between the undulation and the inclined plane that abounds in lobbies from the Eixample district in Barcelona.

Ona, which means wave in Catalan, is a wall coat rack with a linear structure made of wood, designed in 1990 by Montse Padrós and Carles Riart for Casa Pedreño, in Vallvidrera, Barcelona. 

_{Casa Pedreño, Barcelona. Photo: Jordi Sarrà.} 

The ornamental, almost sculptural value, as well as the professional recognition of its designers made Mobles 114 look for a way to industrialize the production process of this timeless coat rack with the aim of reverberating its ancestral form in time. Ona has become one of the most emblematic pieces of Catalan and Spanish design. Internationally recognized, Ona has been awarded the Gold Delta from ADI-FAD 1992 and the Grand Prix de la Critique du Meuble Contemporain 1999, and is part of the permanent collection of the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona and the MoMA in New York.

_{Photos: Meritxell Arjalaguer.}  

A group of people gather in meetings that last until dawn, meetings in which there is no shortage of tobacco or wit. Repression did not manage to stop joy. It is obvious that the mere fact of being able to get together, laugh and talk, no matter how small the space, was an act of freedom. An act of freedom, of vindication and rebellion.

Emerging from one of those furtive encounters, from the ashes of what could have been and was not, the publishing house Llibres de Sinera tried to give voice to those whose language had been taken away, mixing dust and water to knead the eternal mud of a new immortal culture.

“The action is set on a day in the second half of the sixties, perhaps in the early seventies. A city, Barcelona. An apartment in the Eixample neighborhood. The living room. And in it, there is conversation, analysis, debate. No tea, no coffee, but smoke. They have taken risks. They take risks. In the middle of the scene, the ashtray Copenhagen (1966), by André Ricard, is the silent observer of History. Geometry of the cylinder.

Espriu, Capmany, Pla-Narbona, Salvat, Cid… Circumspect, daring and at the same time prudent, they weave the threads of a battered culture, they intend to challenge censorship, they fight with their weapons: words. Stemming from their publishing venture, Llibres de Sinera, launched in 1967 in the midst of Franco’s dictatorship, the following works would see the light a few years later: Mister Evasió, by Blai Bonet, La revolución cultural en Cuba, by Alberto Moravia, Crítica i veritat, by Roland Barthes, or Tots els contes 1936-1967, by Pere Calders, among others. A short, yet intense adventure. They are part of history.

Since 1966 the Copenhagen ashtray, featuring a minimal and unadorned design, has united function and contemplation, beauty in the useful, in the everyday. It has been a silent witness of the life of a country and it is part of its cultural heritage, just like Llibres de Sinera”.

Tona Gustà

Susan Sontag said that “all photographs are memento mori“. In a way, the mere fact of capturing a moment in an eternal image reminds us of the transience of human life. However, we like to think that photographs also have the opposite function, as they immortalize the human condition in the face of time passing by.

In a way, photography is a powerful tool against oblivion. When François Kollar took this photograph of the Pavilion of the Spanish Republic at the 1937 Paris International Exposition, he was doing his bit to preserve memory; the memory of a specific historical moment, the memory of a whole generation of intellectuals and artists who were eradicated because of their progressive and universal ideas, the memory of a country that after suffering the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War endured the resulting oppression for many years.

But in a corner of this photo, on a table we notice a “porrón” that can be seen in the left margin of the photograph. This is a popular, useful and hygienic object that allows one to drink water or wine without using glasses. An object of unknown origin that has been used in Spain for many years. It has been made by craftsmen for centuries who confirm that a good design is one that is useful, that serves people efficiently and that offers excellence with minimum resources.

Whoever designed the Pavilion knew how to recognize quality in design, architecture and art, and that is why we wanted to highlight such a tool from this photograph: a good design! Leaving the “porrón” aside, this photograph features: Josep Lluís Sert and Luis Lacasa, the architects in charge of designing the Pavilion. Torres Clavé, the armchair designer. Calder, the author of the mercury fountain. Picasso, the painter of Guernica.

Pavilion of the Republic for the 1937 Paris International Exhibition. Author unknown. Historical archive of COAC. Mercury fountain by Alexander Calder with the painting Guernica in the background, 1937 Médiathèque d’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris. Photo: Henry Baranguer (C) Calder Foundation New York / ADAGP, Paris (C) Succession Picasso – Gestion droits d’auteur (C) Ministère de la Culture – Médiathèque du Patrimoine, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais

A table, a farmhouse and a painting. Tarragona, Sant Joan Despí and Figueres. Modernism and surrealism hand in hand embody the avant-garde essence of Catalonia at the beginning of the century that converged in an intense, bohemian and combative Barcelona during the inter-war period.

Catalonia is a fascinating place for many reasons, but it doubtlessly stands out for its rich social and cultural history, for the artistic movements that had an impact on the architecture and design of its cities, salons and buildings, and for being a necessary melting pot for the rise of modernism and the avant-garde.

By beholding this composition of the Jujol table, it is inevitable for the echo of history to reverberate strongly. What could this stylized side table, designed by Josep Maria Jujol in 1920, have in common with the Can Negre farmhouse, which he himself renovated in 1930, and with Salvador Dalí’s painting The Temptations of St. Anthony?

The scope of the comparison is unclassifiable; in many respects, Jujol actively participated in certain avant-garde movements, as the design of Can Negre reflects. Its undulating forms, religious symbols and surprising colors hint at a rich inner world of the architect and a dreamlike vision of reality, close to the surrealist movement that permeates all of Dalí’s work, but particularly to this wonderful painting he painted in 1946 and now housed in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.

 If one looks closely, the legs of the elephants support a carriage reminding of a Parisian basilica, just as the legs of the Jujol table support its structure in the composition of our photograph, which in turn we transfer to the façade of Can Negre and its columns, which display a concomitance with Dalí’s world that irrevocably evokes the essence of our history.

Photos: Can Negre by Joan Palau, Mesa Jujol by Meritxell Arjalaguer.

“L’home dels nassos is a traditional mythological character from Catalonia (also from Valencia and the Balearic Islands) who has as many noses as days in the year – or as many days are left. Children are told that he can only be seen on December 31, when, as is the case for us all, he has only one nose left.

This possible portrait of l’home dels nassos, allows us to share this kind of traditions so that they live on and thus vindicate our popular culture.”

A. R.

2023 is quickly coming closer and we are ready for a year that promises to be special for Mobles 114: the year in which we turn 50 years old. We say goodbye to 2022 with a message of congratulations on behalf of the team at Studio Albert Romagosa, a small graphic design office whose work stands out because of the precision and serenity of their projects.

Studio Albert Romagosa’s methodology is based on a deep analysis both of the task and its context which allows them to offer designs with attention to detail and with very diverse formal resolutions which are tailored to each case.

Some outstanding editorial design projects include “Cross Cultural Chairs”, published by Onomatopee; the redesign of HIC‘s identity and website, a reference blog on architecture; or the graphics for the exhibition “Cine y Moda por Jean Paul Gaultier” for CaixaForum.

This plural approach to design has led them to work for both local and international clients and entities and to be awarded in numerous editions of the Laus awards. In addition, some of their graphic production is catalogued and preserved in the archives of the Design Museum of Barcelona and the National Art Library of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

_{Images: Studio Albert Romagosa}

On November 30, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona was given Mobles 114’s archive as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the company, which is due in 2023. This donation adds to the already existing collection of the museum and also includes material from the beginnings of Josep Maria Massana and Josep Maria Tremoleda, founders of Mobles 114 alongside with Mariano Ferrer in 1973. 

The archive includes photographs, commercial catalogs and even material bearing witness of the company’s graphic evolution, which is the work of graphic designer and photographer América Sánchez. Also on display is the work process behind the edition of some of the designs produced by Mobles 114 in the form of sketches, plans or prototypes.

The donation also includes a number of products from Mobles 114’s catalog, including furniture, lighting and accessories which have been designed since its foundation in 1973 by national and international designers, such as Enzo Mari, Jorge Pensi, Santiago Roqueta, Gabriel Mora, Carles Riart, André Ricard, Álvaro Siza and others.

Among the pieces that belong to this donation are iconic and current designs in the publisher’s catalog, such as the Torres Clavé armchair designed in 1934 by the architect Josep Torres Clavé, the Ona coat rack by Montse Padrós and Carles Riart, the Nuta stool by Lluís Pau, or the TRIA shelving system designed in 1978 by J. M. Massana and J. M. Tremoleda.

This heritage, which is added to the already existing collection that forms the makes up the permanent collection of the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, will complete the various periods of Mobles 114’s career and contribute to the history of design in Barcelona.

Mobles 114 takes part in the exhibition “Scenes from the Near Future”, curated by design journalist Tachy Mora and with a project authored along with designers Júlia Esqué, Marc Morro and Jaume Ramírez.

From November 23rd to March the 19th, at the CCCC Centre del Carme, it will be possible to visit the exhibition, which is organized by the WDC (World Design Capital) in collaboration with the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana, in which several designers, architects and manufacturers present solutions to address issues related to the paradigm shift of current domestic design. 

Besides the decrease in the average size of houses or the need for homes to fulfill new requirements such as home offices, design needs to take into account the incorporation of new, more dynamic lifestyles, such as digital nomads or new family structures, which force homes to adapt in a quick, simple and accessible way.

“Scenes from the Near Future” explores these changes and invites participants to design solutions around five concepts: flexibility, multifunctionality, nomadism, modularity and sustainability.

PEY Superligera, 2022
Design by Júlia Esqué, Marc Morro and Jaume Ramírez.

“We have designed a piece of furniture for sleeping, working and eating. It is composed of a thin canvas stretched over the PEY table system by Mobles114, which we have slightly hacked. It is easily disassembled and transportable, and as suggested by its name the whole thing is superlight”.

Dimensions:
Long 200 cm
Wide 80 cm
Height 90 cm

The exhibition can be visited until March 19, 2023 in the Carlos Pérez hall of the CCCC Centre del Carme, which belongs to the official program of World Design Capital València 2022.

Images: Jara Varela

Barcelona-based Basque illustrator Luis Mazón has been in charge of bringing color to some of Mobles 114’s most iconic designs. The illustrations, which can be found on our home page, pick up the baton of the graphic work produced by this artist, who is renowned for his GIFs and digital brushstrokes.

Inspired by everyday moments, Luis Mazón’s illustrations feature vibrant color schemes and pop culture references that come to life by means of small circular movements. Heavily influenced by the graffiti technique, Mazón studied graphic design, later moving on to illustration and specializing in motion graphics. This background has led him to work for international clients such as New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Zeit Magazine, Airbnb or Odiseo, among others. 

In spite of the digital presence of his celebrated GIFs, Mazón does not restrict himself to a single medium. His working procedure begins with the creation of a photographic collage as a reference, which he then digitizes to try out different compositions and colors. Once he has reached a satisfactory result, he draws it by hand using different techniques (such as watercolors, markers or oil pastels), then scans it, corrects colors or details and finally animates it. A whole transformation through which the illustrator experiments with different processes that bring texture and energy to his work.

The collaboration between Luis Mazón and Mobles 114 features several compositions of tables, seats, accessories and various configurations of the TRIA system made in his characteristic ‘crayon style’ line which are available in the color palette of the brand’s catalog.

Font: mazonluis.com

On 2022 we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Catalana armchair, an iconic design by Germán Rodríguez Arias, reissued since 2017 by Mobles 114 within the Classics collection. 

The Catalana armchair is the result of the emotional friendship forged between the writer Pablo Neruda and the Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias, during the years the latter spent in Chile. Rodríguez Arias a founding member of the group of architects and technicians who founded the GATCPAC.  

Amidst an atmosphere of exile and change and after collaborating with several Chilean architects and signing projects under their names, Rodríguez Arias focused his activity on interior and furniture design. One of his most outstanding projects during this period was the interior design of the Café Miraflores, a meeting point for Spanish intellectuals in Santiago de Chile. After such a successful project, Rodríguez Arias founded the company Muebles Sur along with Cristián Aguadé and Claudi Tarragó, which would become one of the most important furniture factories in Chile.

_{Imagen: Diaz Wichmann}

The relationship with Pablo Neruda was born at this time, as he used to frequent the Café Miraflores. The Mediterranean style of the place won over the poet and not only did he commission Rodriguez Arias to intervene in three of his houses in his native country, but he also asked him for original pieces of furniture to accompany their spaces. Specifically, the Catalana armchair could be found in the house that Pablo Neruda had in Isla Negra, which was also enlarged by Rodríguez Arias. 

The Catalana was conceived as an armchair with a very personal structure and a strong link to local tradition. Its curious six-legged design is inspired by the chairs made of turned pine wood and bulrush which are typically Mediterranean.

_{Plan and elevation of the chair designed by Germán Rodriguez Arias for Muebles Sur, in pine and totora wood, with the seat made of boga, in the Catalan style. Image: Museu del Disseny.}

This unique seat rests on four main legs and two rear legs featuring two small buttresses that provide greater stability and allow the inclination of its high backrest. 

This is a chair that has been present in the Mediterranean imaginary since the time of its creation and has been part of the homes of figures such as Salvador Dalí, who had them for his enjoyment and that of his guests in his house in Cadaqués.

_{Image: Joan Vehí}

Catalana is a piece of furniture with great emotive power and native flavor, far removed from the more purely conservative and rationalist style of the time; a seat with welcoming forms and a strong organic sense that projects a serene yet totally current image, even 80 years after its design.

_{Image: Meritxell Arjalaguer}

Mobles 114’s Classics collection advocates bringing back emblematic pieces of furniture by attending to their properties and formal characteristics, and always respecting the original design as much as possible in its reissues.

With the Classics series we also try to pay a well-deserved tribute to all those designers whose works have contributed to improve the quality of life of our society with their creations and that have come to be considered cult pieces and are part of exhibitions and museums.

Summer holidays are getting closer, and like every year in July, Mobles 114 invites an artist, designer or photographer to make a greeting card. In order to take a break from a year full of challenges, we thought of designer and activist Curro Claret to make this summer’s postcard.

For the Barcelona-born industrial designer, design is a tool to promote a more equalitarian, diverse and inclusive society. After studying industrial design in Elisava Superior School of Design in Barcelona, Central Saint Martins in London, and working for some years in several activities related to design, Curro decided to rethink his professional career and engage in new ways of understanding design to change society. 

During this time, Curro Claret’s projects have reassessed materials, processes and technologies in response to the social, economic and environmental barriers around us. Good examples of that are Pieza T300, a metal piece that allows to transform found materials into functional furniture pieces such as a stool, a bench or and a table, or the design of the Camper Stores, in collaboration with some foundations dedicated to the attention of homeless people.

Always relying on creativity with a humble and sustainable approach, the works of Curro Claret demystify the cliché of an elitist designer by favoring the most vulnerable collectives and going back to the idea of design as a tool to improve people’s lives. 

Curro currently combines his work as a designer with teaching, an activity in which, along with new generations of designers, he reflects about how their work can be a solution to reduce waste, improve durability and develop the best environment for objects in the future.

Pictures: Curro Claret

On June 7 the Milan Design Week was launched with a series of events spread throughout the city. In addition to their stand at the fair, Mobles 114 also participated in Fuorisalone by being part of the project “Inspired in Barcelona: A gathering place”, an exhibition promoted by the Barcelona Centre de Disseny (BCD).

The Inspired in Barcelona platform aims to showcase creative and design ideas born in Barcelona and give them an international visibility by gathering a range of brands and industry professionals along with other emerging projects with the aim of expanding the potential of local industries centered around design. On this occasion, the proposal “Inspired in Barcelona: A gathering place” was represented by more than 100 designs from 39 companies and more than 60 creators, and inspired by culture that exists in Barcelona around bars and their cooking tradition. 

The exhibition, which was organized in two main areas focusing on the contract sector for bars and on food design, had the participation of Mobles 114 in the space dedicated to interior and product design. One could find there the Tube table and chairs designed by Eugeni Quitllet, the Gimlet swivel stool by Jorge Pensi and the Nuta stool, a design by Lluís Pau which is perfect for the hospitality Industry. All of them were exhibited along the lines of a narrative articulated around eight concepts related to the personality of spaces and furniture. 

Next Wednesday June 22, in the context of the Barcelona Design Week, Mobles 114 opens the doors of its showroom to introduce “Touchstone”, a collaboration with blown glass designer Pròsper Riba Vilardell, founder of the project ‘The Glass Apprentice’. 

This is the third occasion in which Mobles 114 invites a designer to explore the artisanal component from the field of object design based on the Tria shelf. This year, the publisher has chosen to collaborate with ‘The Glass Apprentice’ for the creation of “Touchstone”, a collection of glass pieces to welcome Tria’s new features. 

One of the developments presented by Mobles 114 this year at the Milan Fair was the display cabinet with transparent sliding doors, which joins the family of available options for TRIA Shelving System. “Touchstone”, by The Glass Apprentice, was born out of the aim of finding a relationship between the display cabinet’s glass doors and the glass vases. From the color palette available for TRIA Shelving System the designer has chosen orange and green. 

For his process, Pròsper Riba Vilardell has focused on a proposal without mold and has included chance as a component in the execution process. Starting with a transparent bicolor ball to which the orange or green color is added, the piece is taken to the limit of elasticity during the firing process and is deformed by the effect of gravity itself.

This type of handcrafted production means that each piece is different and thus unique, which enhances the essence and value of handcrafted elements. The result is a collection of pieces that fuse the artisanal influences of glass with the timeless and functional character that are so characteristic of Mobles 114.

“Touchstone” will be on display in the Mobles 114 showroom as part of the events held during OFF Barcelona Design Week. We invite you to discover the collection on June 22nd in a relaxed environment while enjoying croquettes and beers. 

We invite you to discover the surprising outcome of this collaboration!

At Avinguda Diagonal 420, right between the streets Roselló and Bruc, stands the imposing Casa de les Punxes, one of the most emblematic and unique monuments of Barcelona’s modernism. Recently adapted by Cloudworks as a coworking space, we went inside to find an elegant, eclectic and cozy café-restaurant ready to host any passerby looking for a dynamic and inclusive place to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee.

Located on the border between the dynamic and vibrant Gràcia neighborhood and the beautifully structured Eixample, Casa Terradas was built in 1905 as a medieval castle in an attempt to give the work of the modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch a Gothic touch. One could say that is exactly the most defining feature of Casa de les Punxes: the eternal dichotomy between new and old, contemporary and classic, basic and refined.

The Cloudworks project is divided into three well-defined spaces that allow a seamless combination of combine work and relaxation. The lobby, where pieces from Mobles114 have been incorporated, is located at street level and is open to the public; anyone is welcome to have a coffee or enjoy a tasty menu.

The modernist decoration, typical of the building’s origins, is a perfect match for the industrial inspiration of the resistant and adaptable Tube chair, designed by Eugeni Quitllet and featuring rounded lines, which takes us back to the Barcelona of the beginning of the century, as well as with the Nuta Colors stool, designed by Lluís Pau and displaying the rationalism and minimalism of the Bauhaus, whose timelessness and metalsmith finish reinforce the holistic vision in the lobby. On the other hand, the Forc coat rack, a piece by Lagranja Design, delights us with its friendly style and the clarity of its mild shapes. Carved in beech wood, practical and functional, its stylized hanger fits perfectly in the fusion between classic and contemporary.

The coworking area is located on the second floor just above the lobby in the space known as the office, which consists of 74 comfortable and pleasant workspaces. However, enjoying the most spectacular surroundings of this emblematic building requires going up a little further until the rooftop, where everything is seen from a different perspective under the protection of the famous six punxes (spikes) that account for its name. The Cloud is a space for relaxation and contemplation with five bright meeting rooms and a canteen area where one can eat and chat. The terrace furniture is composed entirely of the Tube collection. In addition to the chairs, Eugeni Quitllet surprises us with the Tube side table, perfect for both indoors and outdoors due to its aluminum construction. Sitting at the top of Casa de les Punxes and with Barcelona at your feet, Monday mornings are nothing but extremely pleasant.

Images: Meritxell Arjalaguer

From the first brushstroke to the publication of the finished illustration, Pol Montserrat works following an intentionally experimental process and with each order allows him to shape fluid images and familiar silhouettes using India ink or gouache. From his studio in Barcelona this artist, whose work has given life to several editions of Mobles 114 catalogs, illustrates ordinary scenes in a minimalist and beautiful fashion.

From that first collaboration, a link was born that resulted in a series of illustrations for the Classics catalog. In them, the Catalana armchair, the Jujol table, the Fil lamp or the Copenhagen ashtray are filled with color thanks to the fluid and conceptual strokes of the artist; diluted and close images that invite the viewer to feel an immediate connection.

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PEY Table System

The latest collaboration between Pol and Mobles 114 was an animation for the video opening of the PEY table collection. In it, Pol turns a neutral scene into a cozy home with his characteristic brushstrokes. The illustrator also intervenes in the video exemplifying some of the functionalities of the set of tables for workspaces or home offices.

Just a few quick strokes allow Pol Montserrat to bring us closer in a dreamlike way to the honesty and simplicity that Mobles 114 also seeks in all its designs.

Video: Marc Mitjà & Laura Galofré

Illustrations: Pol Montserrat

More than just a restaurant serving delicious, traditional catalan food, the “Nou” Mas Vell is a place that exudes creativity and where things happen all the time. Serving also as a brewery, pub, coworking space and a place to host events, the people behind the project are positive that this is also a lifestyle. And not only do they brew their own beers here, but this practice also extends to ideas and creative energy.

Located in the Masnou area near Barcelona, in a former farmhouse from the 14th century overlooking the sea, this building was later integrated by modernist architect Bonaventura Bassegoda into the Casino complex during the very first years of the 20th century. The building was then restored, preserving its impressive doorway and some other iconic features in Gothic style that meld with a certain Mediterranean flair due to the proximity to the coastline. 

The current project of architect Stefano Colli for “Nou” Mas Vell incorporates pieces by Mobles 114 in both the interior and the patio. The Tube chair and table designed by Eugeni Quitllet has a distinctive style, reminiscent of Barcelona’s industrial past, which works wonders in the outdoor dining area; while the metal of the Nuta stool and the Oxi bistrot table echoes the surfaces of the adjacent beer brewing tanks inside the restaurant. Colli has also incorporated the collection made up of the Gràcia Wood chairs and table in the coworking areas.

The graphic identity of this new Mas Vell was developed by Ingrid Picanyol Studio in parallel with Stefano Colli’s project; as a result, they compliment each other. These interventions were understood as a homage to the iconic legacy of El Mas Vell by respecting the original architectural setting, rescuing elements from the past and by adding some others that may have been present back in the days.

Photos: Leo Garcia Méndez

Mobles114 co-produces the documentary “André Ricard, el diseño invisible“, directed by filmmaker Poldo Pomés, with script by journalist Xavier Mas de Xaxàs. This 56-minute documentary depicts and goes over the life and work of one of the first Catalan product designers. A pioneer who has developed products from a humble standpoint to make our lives easier and more pleasant.

André Ricard (Barcelona, 1929) is considered, together with Miguel Milà, one of the founding fathers of Catalan design. From an early age he felt the need to analyze the form and function of objects around him. That early inclination led him to study at the Academy of Warnia Zaraszescka, a Polish artist from whom he acquired the teachings of Bauhaus, to visit the United Kingdom when the Festival of Britain was taking place, and to admire the work of Raymond Loewy.

Having design as his banner, Ricard worked to draw attention to and extol an occupation that was totally unknown in the Spain of the 50s. He also did so by drawing connections between national designers with their European and North American counterparts, as well as actively participating in the ADI-FAD (Association of Industrial Design) until it became the organization we know today.

Aesthetic beauty as a consequence of functionality

Since the beginning of his collaboration with the fragrance company Puig, where he used to design their perfume’s packaging, André Ricard has conceived some of the most recurrent designs of Spanish daily life, from the Norit detergent bottles to the Orion tongs, as well as the iconic Copenhaguen 1966 ashtrays or the Tong 1964, both reissued by Mobles114 and belonging to the “Classic Collection“.

By means of “André Ricard, el diseño invisible” and through his own words and those of people close to him such as clients, friends, former students or collaborators, we discover his way of working and conceiving design. Throughout this documentary, Ricard himself designs a container for serving and eating olives in which the pits remain hidden. “In every design problem you have to immediately put yourself in the user’s shoes,” Ricard recalls, making it clear that his vocation has been, is and always will be to make our lives easier and more beautiful.

In the Victoire area, in the heart of the world’s wine capital, you will find BodeGon, a modern bistro with a large terrace which is the stage of numerous urban scenes in a city where an eminently classic style converges, but where there is also a great sense of modernity and freshness. 

Mobles114 has collaborated with Benayoun Architectes providing the outdoor furniture from the Tube series for this bar. Under the premise of contributing to the creation of a pleasant and relaxed space, especially designed to encourage social gatherings and create an informal atmosphere. 

Located in the heart of Place de la Victoire, opposite the triumphal Porte d’Aquitaine, BodeGon stands out for its dynamic and lively appearance in an eminently urban area that is busy with pedestrians and packed with cyclists and students passing by.

What is surprising about the project is the incorporation of an eye-catching element that contrasts with the classical architecture and confronts it, which reminds us of the typically Parisian Haussmannian style.

The pieces belonging to the Tube series, designed by Eugeni Quitllet, are perfectly suited to the terrace of this emblematic bar thanks to their adaptability to different outdoor and even indoor environments. Moreover, they are a perfect solution for the hospitality industry. Thanks to the combination of aluminum and polypropylene that makes up the seat, the Tube series is light, resistant, stackable and easy to maintain.

The most characteristic feature of its design and where all the attention is focused is the continuous aluminum tube, which gives it great dynamism and visual appeal without detracting from its light appearance. The Tube table, which is mounted on three legs that enable a simple installation, keeps the series’ essential straight lines and brings a sense of continuity to the project.

Photos: Meritxell Arjalaguer

Product Distributor: Agora Mobilier

The duo consisting of the interior designer Isern Serra and the artist Valeria Vasi has entrusted Mobles 114 with the creation of their home in Barcelona, a serene space where minimalism and Mediterranean character dominate.

Located in an old office building from the 1950s in Barcelona’s Clot neighborhood, the 120 m2 home of this creative couple is also Valeria Vasi‘s studio. A relaxed and casual atmosphere pervades all its rooms, as it has been conceived as an open space bathed in light where you can live, create and enjoy in good company.

The couple knew they wanted to create an open space that would facilitate communication and favor the social dimension. That is why they decided to opt for large spaces where the kitchen, dining room and living room merge into a single space that is oriented towards the large windows, receiving full sunlight at noon.

With clear lines and abundant natural light, the kitchen consists of a large central island covered with an ash wood countertop where the sink and hobs are placed, including the extractor fan that is integrated into the induction cooker. The absence of an extraction hood promotes a smooth transition between kitchen, dining room and living room. 

Such an island acquires great prominence and is a key space when it comes to articulating the kitchen and dining room. The versatile Nuta stool by Mobles114 fits in perfectly with this setting thanks to its simple and functional lines. This design by Lluís Pau stands out for its light and balanced shape, which makes it particularly suitable for the hotel and catering industry in outdoor and indoor spaces, as it integrates optimally with styles ranging from classic to contemporary thanks to its formal sobriety. Nuta’s elegant yet functional character has earned it several design awards, such as the Delta ADI-FAD 1990 Delta Award Selection.

In addition, Nuta is a lightweight, stable and durable design which is available in various heights, finishes and colors, making it even easier to adapt to the use and characteristics of any environment.

In Isern Serra and Valeria Vasi’s home, the Nuta stool by Lluís Pau for Mobles114 fits exceptionally well into a warm, minimalist space which includes personal elements, such as works by the artist herself, paintings by her grandmother and objects acquired by the couple on several trips they have taken together.

Photography: Salva López

As its very name reveals, the Danesa armchair by Mobles 114 is a most welcoming piece; inspired by the elegance and simplicity of typically Scandinavian design.

Created by industrial designers JM Massana and JM Tremoleda, Danesa is a highly comfortable seat, with pure but generous lines, inviting to be enjoyed while reading or having a relaxed chat.

Made with resistant and high quality materials, this is an infallible piece that adapts to any environment, both in public spaces (hotels, restaurants, showrooms…) and in the domestic environment or more intimate areas.

An improved design

Its design once again demonstrates the classic precept that function is what determines form, since Danesa has a backrest with two clearly differentiated parts and a cushion on the backrest for extra comfort that can be adjusted by means of a clever magnet system, allowing the height to be modified for better adaptation. This detail ensures both the wide backrest and the cushion’s adaptability to any sitting position and thus offer greater comfort even over long periods of time.

Its structure consists of solid varnished oak wood, a noble and warm material that perfectly matches the textile upholstery of the Danish brand Gabriel, available in a wide range of rich, warm and neutral tones.

The Danesa armchair is a highly versatile piece of timeless and elegant design with clear reminiscences of the modern Nordic style that fits easily in contemporary environments; it brings a warm and elegant note while inviting you to enjoy its great comfort thanks to its backrest system.

Pictures by: Meritxell Arjalaguer

It’s a wrap! As this intense year comes to an end, we are already anticipating a 2022 with this dreamy abstraction especially created by Júlia Esqué for Mobles114.

The work of the Barcelona-based designer is everything but easy to define; always suggestive and enticing. In her practice, she constantly demonstrates how fond she is of all materials and solutions available for her to explore.

Always moving between the conceptual realm and the functional aspect of design, her work delves into a wide range of research fields, from ergonomics to textures, as it is proven by the some furniture designs.

From her Barcelona studio, the designer is keen on the relationship between objects and their ultimate users: us, people. Furthermore, she has been devoted to color studies and pattern experimentation for her most recent works.

It is just that, that ability to flow; to be open to any kind of new exciting projects that the future may bring that makes us so optimistic about this coming year.

From Mobles114, we would like to wish you a happy New Year.

Sert’s architectural rationalism, the emotional paintings of Miró and Picasso and the warmth of Torres Clavé’s furniture served as a means of political propaganda and laid the foundations of a modern movement that achieved recognition in exile.

The World’s fair in Paris lasted only a short time: it opened on May 25th, 1937 and closed on November 25th of the same year. Inside that diaphanous space, a sculptural calmness was experienced for a second in the face of the imminent chaos that lurked in Europe.

The 1937 pavilion

In autumn 1936, in the midst of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the government of the Second Republic considered its participation in the Paris World’s Fair to be indispensable due to the enormous propaganda potential of the event and in order to turn Spain into a reference in terms of art, architecture and design.

On February 27^th 1937, in Trocadéro Square, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the first stone was laid of what would become an architectural icon and a symbol of the Spanish modern movement: The Pavilion of the Republic, a piece by Josep Lluís Sert and Luis Lacasa. The pavilion, curated by the philosopher José Gaos, had two signatories: on the one hand Josep Lluís Sert, a prominent disciple of Le Corbusier and founder of GATCPAC (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture), and on the other Luis Lacasa, a member of the Communist Party and promoter of the Alliance of Antifascist Intellectuals for the Defense of Culture.

While Lacasa was close to regionalist architecture, Sert tended towards rationalism. Due to the short deadlines for the construction of the pavilion, Lacasa’s idea, based on brick construction, was discarded to make way for Sert’s proposal, which was based on a “dry” construction using prefabricated modules. In addition, as if the time and investment constraints were not enough, the construction plan had to be adapted to an irregular sloping terrain and had to respect the existing trees.

The 1,400-square-meter building, conceived by its architects as an empty container, became a symbol of innovation and talent, hosting the work of Spain’s most prominent artists and intellectuals. The writers Max Aub and José Bergamín, the poster designer and photomontage artist Josep Renau, the filmmaker Luis Buñuel, the sculptors Alberto Sánchez and Julio González, the painters Hernando Viñes, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso and the architect Josep Torres Clavé, with a sample of his refined furniture, gave a shape, images and words to what was happening in Spain.

Although from the very beginning the event’s organizers asked Picasso for his collaboration, thus guaranteeing its success and public repercussion, he ended up being the one who delayed the inauguration. Guernica, later considered the great icon of 20th century Spanish painting, had a key place in the pavilion. Located on one of the walls of the courtyard, on the open floor, Sert and Lacasa had arranged the columns supporting the building in such a way that none of them prevented the painting from being seen in its entirety.

In the central part of the courtyard was also the Mercury Fountain, a work by Alexandre Calder, the only foreign artist participating in the pavilion. In the same area, covered with a canvas that served as an auditorium, were several wooden armchairs with rope backs designed in 1934 by Josep Torres Clavé which we currently produce at Mobles114.

The current building

On the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games, the City Council of Barcelona commissioned architects Antoni Ubach, Miquel Espinet and Juan Miguel Hernández León to build a replica of the pavilion. This construction, which respects the original project, is located in Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron district and is currently home to the CRAI, one of the world’s most important archive-libraries on the Second Republic, the Civil War, exile, Franco’s regime and the Spanish transition.

The Torres Clavé Armchair

As a small tribute to the legacy of the architect and designer Josep Torres Clavé and to this design that has been with us for years and is part of our Classics catalog, photographer Jara Varela captures in this collection the beauty of the armchair inspired by the popular Ibizan “cadirats” in different corners of the pavilion, as it must have been seen by visitors in 1937.

Torres Clavé, co-founder with Antoni Bonet of MIDVA (Furniture and decoration for the current home), mastered the search for comfort, which becomes evident in this design combining devotion to craftsmanship with a rational exercise in ergonomics and proportions.

Pictures by: Jara Varela

After three decades of history and great commercial success in the textile industry, the Catalan brand is still committed to social issues. More than thirty people with functional diversity work on handlooms producing unique pieces in an environment that exudes care and affection for quality craftsmanship. Some other elements have been added to this social initiative as well: add design, natural raw materials and sustainability.

Previously renovated by the architectural cooperative arqbag, this modernist building designed in 1916 stands out once again for the work of architect and interior designer Stefano Colli and Mobles 114 in equipping the offices and multipurpose spaces.

Colli believes that design and architecture can “transform and improve small things, spaces, places, people and their habits”. Such a statement finds a perfect confirmation in Teixidors’s premises in Terrassa, where its diaphanous spaces gladly welcome the functional designs of Mobles 114.

According to Colli, interior design is also another way of communicating, which is evident in his selection of furniture for Teixidors’s interiors. Our Tube chairs, with their industrial spirit and relaxed lines, fit perfectly into any environment thanks to their versatility. With a solid body of pure lines, the Pey table is the protagonist of the office spaces, whose walls are covered by our functional Tria shelving system. Our Green Eco chair, produced with 100% recycled and 100% recyclable material from industrial waste, can also be found in the work environment. The polygonal geometry and the high relief engraving on the seat give it an absolutely original look, while its sustainable character resonates with the values of the firm Teixidors.

The workshop also highlights Luco stool’s modern forms and traditional spirit. We can find pieces of functional furniture in every corner, such as the Hulot coat stand or the Riga bin, which blend perfectly. The sculptural shapes of the Om Textil chair and the Oxi Bistrot table bring balance and a touch of color to a space where wood shades prevail and whose protagonist is the light entering through large windows.

The new interior design of Teixidors boasts creativity thanks to the original furniture of Mobles 114, which gives its own identity to an industrial space where the attention and taste for details contribute to create a warm and pleasant atmosphere for its employees.

Pictures by: Meritxell Arjalaguer

Tierra de arcillas is a project that was born to create ceramic pieces and objects right from the origin of the process.

A humble project that, precisely because of its simplicity, seeks a more honest way of understanding the world, more rooted in the territory. That is why it makes us a part of the process of research, the quest for materials and their transformation from the original soils of the Andarax river in Almería.

The result is a careful selection of different clays, textures and colors creating a unique collection that connects soil, table and food through ceramic.

Being aware of this project, at Mobles 114 we wanted to side with this philosophy and that’s why we asked Tierra de arcillas to design a vase to wish you all a good summer 2021.

We hope you like it.

The last big project by mobles114 has been very popular and because of that it has been published on some of the most important magazines and blogs about design and trends. This is the clipping in national and international media:

diarioDESIGN: Biblioteca Caterina Albert de Camp de l’Arpa: apertura visual y luminosidad por Oliveras Boix Arquitectes.

First design magazine in Spanish and published everyday at the internet focus on luminosity, openness and clarity of the space, where all the elements have an general distribution harmony.

Nextic: Biblioteca Caterina Albert de Camp de l’Arpa.

Design, interiors, architecture and trends website published weekly allows the visitor to make a virtual trip to the building which originally was home of plastic producer Alchemika.

Infurma: Biblioteca pública Caterina Albert en Barcelona. Un proyecto de Oliveras Boix Arquitectes y equipamiento de mobles114

Spanish directory of furniture and lighting producers explains the collaboration between company and architects to get the desired atmosphere of the space.

English version here.

Marie Claire Maison Italia: La biblioteca è “in”!

The popular magazine about fashion, beauty, trends, news and trips chooses Caterina Albert library in a summary about libraries where mixture of architecture, design and technology is a success.

b-guided: Biblioteca Caterina Albert de Camp de l’Arpa. Oliveras Boix Arquitectes

International guide about Art, Gastronomy, Hotels, Fashion and Beauty, Design and Nightlife explains industrial past and multifunctional use of the complex. (Fotografia: José Hevia)

English version here.

d[x]i magazine: Biblioteca Caterina Albert de Camp de l’Arpa en Barcelona / Oliveras Boix Arquitectes

International magazine reflecting contemporary design and creativity also points out the collaboration between authors and company.