Catalán and García Orte reinterpret a live-work house in a contemporary key

The Gràcia neighborhood is one of the most charismatic in the city of Barcelona—popular, active, and multicultural. Among its narrow streets and hidden courtyards, alongside artisan and designer shops, a project is reborn that restores to Barcelona an almost forgotten typology: the live-work house. The studio of Marcos Catalán & Marta García Orte has transformed what was once a dark carpentry workshop into a home that is open, calm, and profoundly connected to the craft of its owner: the ceramist Contigo Ceramics.

The designers speak of “tailoring a bespoke suit,” a metaphor made tangible in every corner of the project. An architecture simmered from values shared with their ceramist friend: the fascination with light, the flexibility of spaces, chromatic sobriety, material austerity, and the beauty of craftsmanship.

The patio, a luminous heart

The first decision was to open a new patio. That gesture, both simple and radical, flooded what was once shadow with clarity. Around this light, life unfolds: the sequence of living room, dining room, and kitchen; the intimacy of the library and the studio; the retreat of the bedroom and the bathroom. The house unfurls naturally around this luminous void, where each space is threaded together with the rest.

The project finds in ceramics not only a material but a language. The floor is laid in exposed brick, some partitions are designed with the same sincerity, and the hand of the ceramist himself completes the work—turning washbasins, shaping small tables, crafting lamps, composing tableware and small objects that inhabit the space. The house thus becomes a living catalogue of his passion, where each piece, beyond its daily use, is also a poetic statement.

A workshop open to the city

The home and the workshop are connected naturally. The access from Passatge Alió serves the workshop and opens artisanal production to the neighborhood, in a continuous dialogue between intimacy and community. The live-work house is reborn as an urban model, capable of diversifying ground-floor uses and reactivating social and economic life at the scale of the everyday.

In this project, architecture and ceramics merge into a unique experience: that of a space that embraces the artisan with the very matter that gives form to his craft. The project by Marcos Catalán & Marta García Orte recovers an urban typology of great historical value and restores to the act of inhabiting its most essential dimension: surrounding oneself with what one loves and living in the company of one’s passion.

Project: Casa taller “Contigo”.
Architecture: Marcos Catalán & Marta García Orte Studio.

Architects: Marcos Catalán y Marta García Orte.
Location: Passatge Alió. Barcelona.
Completion: 2023.
Built area: 91 m²
Photography: Eugeni Pons.
Source: Marcos Catalán & Marta García Orte Studio.

Marcos Catalán y Marta García Orte

In the vibrant urban fabric of Barcelona, more than fifteen years ago, the architecture studio of Marcos Catalán was born, a practice that understands each project as an invitation to reconnect with the very senses of space, of detail, of the silence generated by well-crafted forms.

In 2017, he joined forces with Marta García Orte, consolidating a studio where each work is approached as a tailor-made garment, adapted to the singularities of the place, of those who inhabit it, of its light, its history, and its surroundings. Catalán and García Orte are committed to simplicity, functionality, and beauty as paths toward lasting architecture, believing that true sustainability —that which transcends trends and technologies— resides in the enduring pleasure of inhabiting.

Their architecture seeks to nurture not only what can be seen, but also what is felt by those who live within it. Each project is forged with the right collaborators, materials, and strategies, carried out with technical rigor, balance, and sustainability.

The studio has received numerous awards and recognitions: selected and finalist projects at the FAD Awards, the Biennials of Architecture of the comarques of Girona, the Saloni Awards, among others. Their work has been featured in national and international publications such as AD Architectural Digest, Casa Fácil, Diseño Interior, Arquitectura y Diseño, El País Semanal, and many more.

Marcos Catalán

A designer trained at Elisava School of Design (Barcelona, 1997), Marcos Catalán began his career collaborating with various studios until founding his own practice in 2006, “Marcos Catalán, Studio,” dedicated to integrated design: architecture, interior design, and product design. In 2017 he took a significant step by partnering with Marta García Orte, consolidating a shared vision.

Alongside his professional practice, he teaches in master’s programs in interior design at Elisava, and has participated as a guest lecturer at design schools across Catalonia and Spain, as well as an international speaker in Monterrey, Mexico.

Marta García Orte

An architect trained at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB, 2005), Marta began her career collaborating in both national and international practices, until in 2010 she founded her own studio, developing comprehensive architectural projects. She complemented her education with a Master’s in Construction Management at La Salle Barcelona – ETSALS (2007) and a Master’s in Architecture at the Barcelona Institute of Architecture – MBIArch (2010).

Since 2012 she has combined professional practice with teaching at the School of Architecture of UIC Barcelona, where she teaches subjects related to design, university competitions, and ephemeral installations. She has also been recognized in competitions such as Urban Plunge and Llum BCN (2019), reflecting her interest in the dialogue between the everyday, the ephemeral, and the spatial.

Project by Marcos Catalán & Marta García Orte