{"id":426223,"date":"2025-12-05T10:15:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T10:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/426223\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T10:15:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T10:15:29","slug":"step-inside-the-home-of-interior-designer-marta-de-la-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/426223\/","title":{"rendered":"Step inside the home of interior designer Marta de la Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story<\/a>, Wallpaper\u2019s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.<\/p>\n

One of the most captivating spaces we\u2019ve featured for The Inside Story was the Madrid studio<\/a> of designer Marta de la Rica<\/a>. Naturally, expectations were high for her home \u2013 also in the Spanish capital \u2013 and we were not disappointed.<\/p>\n

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\"marta\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

The first thing to note about de la Rica\u2019s home is the unusually narrow plot it occupies. Flanked by party walls, the house had no choice but to grow upward rather than outward. \u2018The verticality of the building shaped the home\u2019s circulation and the way it functions,\u2019 says the designer. A central staircase links the floors, with a double-height living room serving as the centre point. Here, the verticality becomes an asset, creating an unexpectedly generous sense of space.<\/p>\n

De la Rica\u2019s studio feels meticulously curated, as one might expect of a professional space. Her personal space, by contrast, is a looser, softer counterpart \u2013 existing within the same creative universe, but less rigidly composed. The aesthetic is one of \u2018ordered eclecticism\u2019, where \u2018old and new coexist in multiple layers\u2019, says the designer, embracing the natural contrasts that emerge when a space evolves organically rather than following a plan.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

\u2018My intention from the beginning was to create a gentle flow, one that matched the rhythm of our family life,\u2019 continues de la Rica, who has three daughters. \u2018The home had to truly support the way we live \u2013 a place with flow, warmth and purpose, where every space invites you to stay.\u2019 The \u2018perfectly imperfect\u2019 space is filled with moments of \u2018gathering, work, play and calm\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Colour is my language, and choosing the palette was one of the most intuitive parts of the project,\u2019 says de la Rica, who opted for terracottas, pinks, yellows and soft greens, uniting to create an atmosphere that feels innately optimistic. Material choices \u2018followed the same instinctive path\u2019, favouring tactile, sometimes imperfect, elements of linen, timber, handmade tiles, marble, bronze and embroidered fabrics, many developed in collaboration with artisans in Spain<\/a> and France<\/a>. These materials, and the contrasts between them, were selected for their depth: \u2018Harmony was essential, but so was character,\u2019 the designer adds.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

De la Rica\u2019s home is filled with objects collected over the years from brocantes, artisans and antique markets<\/a>. These items that \u2018carry memories and humour, [creating] an atmosphere of lived-in elegance.\u2019 The designer\u2019s \u2018personal maxim\u2019 of \u2018making the ordinary extraordinary\u2019 is deeply felt, with \u2018every corner [feeling] considered, welcoming and quietly special\u2019.<\/p>\n

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n

One of de la Rica\u2019s favourite pieces is a tapestry on the wall: \u2018I first saw it in Biarritz as a child, in an antique shop I used to visit with my father. The owner wouldn\u2019t sell it because it decorated her shop. Twenty years later, by complete chance, I came across it again in Nice \u2013 the same owner, now about to retire, agreed to part with it.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\"marta\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

This encounter captures the power of memory and intuition in shaping a truly personal space. The vertical form of de la Rica\u2019s home may have been restrictive, but the result is a home that feels expansive, inviting and imbued with personality.<\/p>\n

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\"marta\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

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\"marta\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Antonio Rodriguez)<\/p>\n

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