Armed with the conviction that “without love there is no creativity” Iris Tarraga and Lucía Castro are P.A.R., the design and art direction studio responsible for the identity of some of the current furniture and fashion brands. Behind all their efforts lies an emotional connection with their clients or the belief that construction is better when there is an emotional relationship. With this approach, they have managed to create together an extremely sensitive and original narrative.
TELL US HOW IT ALL BEGAN. WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE P.A.R.?
We have been together for 14 years, and P.A.R. is not just a work project but a life project. It all started with a very strong friendship, lots of enthusiasm to do things, shared ambitions, ways of thinking, and planning that led us to come together and start considering the idea of collaborating. From there, clients started to appear, and unintentionally, we ended up building what became the studio.
THE NARRATIVE YOU USE WITH BRANDS IS DEEPLY CONNECTED. WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU USE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
One of the things we always say is that the relationship we have with the people we work with is not only professional but also builds a larger emotional bond. We try to somehow connect to the projects, needs, and everything surrounding the relationship we have with that client. In the end, it’s our way of operating, attempting to turn the connection with people into an emotional bond, and I think that is very noticeable in how we project ideas. There is a very close relationship; we are a small studio, and either both of us or one of us is always in charge of the project. We don’t leave it in the hands of others. That is also what makes the brands and the work we do have a direct connection to our way of working and designing.
YOUR WORK WITH MILAN ILUMINACIÓN IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. TELL US ABOUT THIS COLLABORATION.
In the case of Milan, it is a project that we hold dear. It’s a venture we’ve been working on since 2017, and we’ve grown alongside the brand. The brand had an outdated narrative and needed to enter the market and communicate differently. The lighting sector was booming, and the demands in its language called for a change, and that’s where we came in to assist. The work was not just design; it involved helping them in the “curator” aspect, choosing designers who could create collections for the brand, being involved in design processes, art direction, language, writing all the texts, and working with the brand in its entirety. This is a good example of how a brand grows, and we also grow with it. Milan has allowed us to work in many areas of brand communication and generate an evolving discourse that ultimately reflects well on our work, both in terms of results and the trust the client has placed in us. I believe it’s a success story that we cherish.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?
What we love most about our work is primarily the ability to work together. In the end, we are two great friends leading a common project. We feel very fortunate to grow together and thoroughly enjoy contributing to building through communication and all that it entails: how it is projected, and how it develops. The power to imagine and bring to life what you envision is wonderful! We love transforming based on a thorough conceptualization beforehand.
¿HOW IS YOUR SPACE, THE SPACE YOU LOVE?
Here, the definition of space is a bit ambiguous. Our space is not only physical but also emotional and mental, encompassing what we create not just in the workspace but in the living space as well. We have a close relationship where we build not only professional but also familial and personal things. Our dream space, which we love, would be a place where we could coexist as a family and share the simplest things in life without the need to leave it. Building an equipped space where both Iris’s and my families could live together, where things happen, is our vision. Ultimately, our spaces define us, and we believe the space we love is a bit of that. A space with plenty of greenery, areas for fun, sharing, cooking, reading, everything. The crucial aspect is being able to share time together.
