‘I wanted to do something different,’ says designer and art consultant Juan Moreno Lopéz-Calull, speaking about the structural screw-you to convention that sits at the centre of his apartment in Barcelona’s Eixample neighbourhood.
A steel portal connecting the public and private areas of his home, it has a geometry all of its own. ‘It doesn’t respect the angles of the walls,’ Juan admits. ‘When I asked the artisan to build it for me, I sent him the drawings and he immediately called me back to say that there was a mistake on the plans. I replied that I knew and that is how I wanted it.’
This is the kind of confidence most home decorators could only dream of having, but for Juan, who is the director of interior design and art consultancy John Brown Projects, the chance to truly stamp his mark on a space was one not to be squandered. Before adding that controversial steel-framed doorway, Juan chose to knock through most of the internal walls to create an open-plan living area, dining space and kitchen.
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The biggest transformations, though, have been the artistic touches that this creative force has added. Perhaps the most instantly noticeable is the bold stripe of colour that traverses the top of the walls, changing its hue at every corner. Like a painted rainbow border framing the room, it is a concept devised by one of Juan’s artist friends, Albert Riera Galceran. Not merely a fun idea, it is a playful homage to the decorated ceilings of the past, reduced and simplified to a single line. A smart way to highlight this home’s most desirable traditional feature: its original ceiling mouldings.
Look back after entering Juan’s home, and you will be treated to another permanent work of art, daubed on the reverse of the front door. The white female figure by Sandra Modrego turns a normally purely functional part of the home into something special.
‘I suppose this space is like a showroom,’ says Juan. ‘And there are only two pieces that are really important to me, which I would not be willing to sell.’ He regularly invites clients to visit his home, as it offers a chance to see art in a domestic environment rather than a gallery. ‘It usually helps to convince them,’ he adds. And, if it also inspires his visitors to be a little braver, less tentative, in their design choices, that’s just a bonus. johnbrownprojects.com
This article first appeared in ELLE Decoration April 2023
