A French Design Lover’s Home in Barcelona

Name: Hortense Giraud owner of My Barrio
Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain.
Size: 750 square feet.
Years lived in: Rented, 1 year.

A dynamic french girl named Hortense moved to Barcelona a year ago. She then decided to quit her job as a Design Studio Director for fashion brands and follow her heart to start her own business called My Barrio. With it, she’s created a community for design lovers who share her passion for the slow life and thoughtful products. Hortense is dedicated to finding the beautiful shops, brands and places around the city where meaningful design is celebrated.

Hortense’s home is a place full of light, furniture and decor that reflects her own history. She doesn’t like the same old things you can find everywhere, so she worked to create a space that shows off her own taste and personality. This sense of unique, personal style makes for a home where friends and visitors feel warm and relaxed. It truly brings on a palpable cozy feeling the second you enter. A big, beautiful tree stands in front of her windows, adding a wonderful and calm view to the already chill atmosphere. Add in beautiful things chosen with care, soft muted colors mixed with bold shiny ones, and of course, lots of great design and good vibes and you have Hortense’s happy home.

My Style: A fresh mix of tropical, vintage, folk, retro and Mediterranean.

Inspiration: I get my inspiration from the trips I make to Morocco, Greece and South America, but also from the day to day life, from artists, designers I meet or simply from my favorite authentic local restaurants and bars of MY BARRIO and all of Barcelona.

Favorite Element: I love all the elements of my home. Every object or piece of furniture has a story. I searched for every individual piece, mostly on French “Le Bon Coin” or “Brocante Lab”. But, if I have to choose just one it might be my retro cocktail bar bought in La Coruña (Galicia, Spain).

Biggest Challenge: To not accumulate too many things. My homes are always full of chairs, I have an obsession with them 😉 So now I have decided that if I bring one chair in, another should go out! I love buying and selling vintage or second hand home decor.

What Friends Say: They say it has good vibes. All kinds of friends like it, they feel at home and like my personal touch. I am surprised that even guys are crazy about it and ask me to help them with the decoration of their homes.

Biggest Embarrassment: My huge messy dressing room!! For nearly a year I’ve been trying to sell or give away the clothes I don’t use. I have been buying way too much these last ten years, and now I consume in a better way, promoting local production and design or wearing second hand.

Proudest DIY: The wooden floor and decoration of my terrace. I tried to make it as warm and tropical-inspired as possible.

Biggest Indulgence: My terrace has become my office. I so enjoy sitting on my white spaghetti chair with the laptop on my legs as I overlook the amazing tree in the front.

Best Advice: Try to make your flat as personal as you can. Telling your own story will bring you the best energy ever. If you are not especially creative or don’t have a defined idea of what you like, I would recommend you get inspiration from Pinterest. Pin what you like and organize your files!

Dream Sources: “Somewhere I Would Like to Live” by curators based in Barcelona. The Selby. The Socialite Family.

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