Essentially, I talk to people and write about it.

I’m curious about creative individuals and the stories behind their professional endeavours:
How did they find their path? What motivates them? What are their hopes, fears and regrets?

I also write about Barcelona, the city I’ve lived in for a quarter of a century, and a few other topics that escape categorization.

My work has been published in a variety of digital and print publications such as Monocle, Ignant, Freunde von Freunden or The Weekender.

Laon Pottery / Weekender

Erika Mayr / Bee Project

Guillermo Santomà / Ignant

Supernatural Coffee Grounds / SOLO

Apparatu / Freunde von Freunden

Marcia Krygier / Freunde von Freunden

Mountain Passions / Monocle

Hernáez+Sticotti / FvF

Julieta Benito / Sneakery

Carrer Parlament / Deriva Paper

Melodie Michelberger / Sneakery

Aldo Paparella / FvF

Blooming pots with Laon Pottery

Joohyun Baek, who grew up in rural South Korea, runs her ceramic enterprise Laon Pottery out of her home in the outskirts of Madrid. She creates deeply personal pieces that are influenced by the rhythms of nature, and her story is one of resilience, the power of positive thinking and the challenges of staying true to oneself while keeping a small business afloat.

“Joohyun avoids the artificial and overly embellished, and the tools she uses — a wooden kick wheel, a gas-fired oven, a few handmade wooden utensils — mimic these choices. There is nothing to distract her from the essence of her work, which is the intimate relationship she has built with clay over the course of a decade.”

This profile was printed in the summer 2019 issue of The Weekender. Read it by clicking on the thumbnails below (in German).

Erika Mayr. Over Berlin’s rooftops

The story of an afternoon in late spring spent on a rooftop in Kreuzberg with Erika and her bee colonies, talking about her activism in Berlin’s beekeeping community and her particular high-altitude approach to urban apiculture.

“The possibility of practicing agriculture in the city without the necessity of landownership fascinates Erika, not only because of the flexibility that it provides, but as an act of urban reappropriation.”

This profile appeared in BEE PROJECT, a print publication by Barcelona-based independent publishers Publications for Pleasure.

Read the full story by clicking on the thumbnails below (in English).

at second glance: Guillermo Santomà

A dive into the eclectic world of Barcelona-based architect, sculptor and designer Guillermo Santomà: exploring his warehouse-studio in L’Hospitalet, where he produces highly conceptual pieces of furniture as well as large-scale installations, and taking a tour of his pastel-coloured home Casa Horta.

“While the overarching vision that Guillermo had for his house in terms of volumes, shapes and colors is still very much graspable, a layer of everyday life has been superimposed on the architectural model: crumbling plaster, plants in need of watering, squished couch cushions, children's toys lingering in the corners...”

This profile appeared on IGNANT. Read the full story here (in English).

supernatural coffee grounds

For this piece, I dug deep into the world of used coffee grounds and discovered the myriad ways in which we can give this nutrient-rich and wonderfully versatile resource a life beyond the trashcan.

“The environmental impact of used coffee grounds may appear insignificant — ultimately, we're talking about biodegradable matter, which seems rather harmless compared to the offensive plastic cups or their mischievous friends, the coffee capsules. But as turns out, the vast majority of used coffee grounds are disposed into landfills, where they start emitting methane, an incredibly potent greenhouse gas.”

This profile appeared in the fourth issue of Solo Magazine, a print publication that explores coffee and its peripheries.

Read the full story by clicking on the thumbnails below (in English and Spanish).

apparatu: reinventing the family business

Xavi Mañosa had no plans of following in his parent’s footsteps and becoming a ceramicist — in fact, as a child, he hated ceramics — and yet today he is working along them in the family workshop. But his experimental approach to the craft has turned the business completely upisde down, so in many ways, he has started completely anew.

“The pieces that come out of the family workshop in Barcelona’s outskirts go far beyond being visually stimulating, forming a reflection on the profession itself and the ceramic tradition Xavi inherited from his father. However, his desire to constantly question and reinvent his own work comes with a large dose of lightness.”

This profile appeared on Freunde von Freunden. Read the full story here (in English and Spanish).

carrer parlament, 5pm

A humorous look at Barcelona’s über-trendy Carrer Parlament and its evolution from a laid-back, nondescript street to hipster’s paradise.

“After six hours of field work and more than a pretty penny spent on keeping me motivated, I’ve come to realize that the true value of this street lies in the balancing act of two universes coexisting side by side, pretending not to notice each other, like shy teenagers at a club. Only they won’t make out at the end of the night but rather punch each other in the face.”

This essay appeared in the second issue of Deriva Paper, a guide to urban wandering published in Stockholm.

Read it by clicking on the thumbnails below (in English).

marcia krygier, buenos aires

Trained as a chef and architect, Marcia has an incredible sense of style and an innate talent for combining mundane objects into small works of art. To this day, her huge collection of tableware and household props remains my biggest inspiration while scouring fleamarkets and car boot sales.

“If being a set designer for your own life was a job, Marcia would be an industry hotshot. Setting foot in her house in Belgrano compares to entering a theater featuring a very special show, where she plays the main character and all secondary roles while creating wonderful backdrops on- the-go.”

This profile appeared on Freunde von Freunden. Read the full story here (in English and Spanish).

heart of stone - a guide to dating on montjuïc mountain

Part humor piece, part travel guide, this essay leads you through the various stages of dating, set against the backdrop of Barcelona’s city mountain Montjuïc, a place rich in history and sightseeing spots.

“The higher you climb, the harder you fall. If applied to the realm of human emotions, this simple reasoning would make Montjuïc, a prominent hill that rises on the southeast side of Barcelona, the perfect setting to really fall for someone. Whether you're looking for a short infatuation or a long-lasting liaison — if the probability of successfully sparking someone's love interest grows with increasing altitude, why not give it a try? After all, popular wisdom has long established a link between the natural elevations of the earth and the mysterious ways of the heart: love can move mountains, they say.”

This essay appeared in the Barcelona issue of the Monocle Travel Guide Series. Read it by clicking on the thumbnails (in English).

mercedes hernáez and alejandro sticotti

Possibly one of the most beautiful and inviting homes I have ever visited, home to an architect and designer couple from Argentina.

“Mercedes lovingly calls her home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires a “garden with a roof”. Indeed, the open and transparent space seems to blur its limits, paying tribute to the rich greenery that surrounds it. Designed by her partner, the architect Alejandro Sticotti, the house is full of objects that tell a story. Crafts bought on various trips to North Argentina, photographs signed by artist friends and books that evoke memories of past times – Mercedes refers to them as ‘treasures of everyday life’.”

This profile appeared on Freunde von Freunden. Read the full story here (in English and Spanish).

julieta benito sanz

Julieta Benito is a Spanish architect, mother-of-two and former entrepreneur living in Berlin. She tells us about founding and failing, new beginnings, her two very different motherhood experiences and why it’s sometimes better when things don’t go as planned.

“Während sich um sie herum das ganz normale Alltagschaos entfaltet, sitzt Julieta wie ein Fels in der Brandung und lässt sich nicht aus der Ruhe bringen. Diese grundlegende Gelassenheit und ihre Art, Herausforderungen als Chance zu sehen, um über sich hinauszuwachsen, prägt ihre Lebensgeschichte und ist wahrscheinlich ihr größtes Erfolgsgeheimnis — ob als Mutter, Partnerin, oder Unternehmerin.”

This interview was commissioned by German online retailer Mirapodo as part of a series portraying working mothers. Read the full story here (in German).

aldo paparella, Buenos aires

A tour through the stunning home of Aldo Paparella, filmmaker, photographer and director of one of Argentina’s oldest film schools. For five years he co-edited a film magazine, the remnants of which are piled high in his cellar in the form of thousands of back issues, sharing the space with giant paper-mâché gargoyles from the set of his last movie.

“Aldo’s stories about his career choices mingle with snippets of personal and political history, which make sense of the plethora of colorful memorabilia scattered around the house. Roman amphoras brought back from Italy by his father and an array of family heirlooms speak of his Italian roots, while the multitude of works of art spread throughout the apartment are testimony to his upbringing surrounded by the great Argentinean artists of the 60s.”

This profile appeared on Freunde von Freunden. Read the full story here (in English and Spanish).

melodie michelberger, hamburg

Visiting Melodie in her Hamburg home means entering a colourful universe of female empowerment, self-love, and thriving plants — all set against the backdrop of single parenting, juggling multiple jobs and trying to promote body diversity in a industry fixated on thin, white bodies.

“Wir treffen Melanie-Jasmin Jeske — öffentlich bekannt als Melodie Michelberger — an einem heißen Sommertag in ihrer Hamburger Wohnung, wo sie uns erzählt, welches einschneidende Erlebnis sie dazu gebracht hat, ihr Leben komplett umzustellen (und ihre Wohnung bunt zu streichen), wie sie gelernt hat, ihren Körper zu lieben und warum die Phase, als sie nur noch Schwarz getragen hat, ein Unfall war.”

This interview was commissioned by German online retailer Mirapodo as part of a series portraying working mothers. Read the full story here (in German).

constanze osei-becker, berlin

As Public Policy Manager at Facebook in Berlin and mother of a small child, Constanze knows a thing or two about juggling a career and family life.

“Wenn Constanze etwas wichtig ist, setzt sie sich leidenschaftlich dafür ein, doch dabei kommt die Strategie nicht zu kurz. Denn wenn man Dinge bewegen will, muss man Menschen bewegen — insbesondere diejenigen, die auf der entgegengesetzten Seite der Debatte stehen.”

This interview was commissioned by German online retailer Mirapodo as part of a series portraying working mothers. Read the full story here (in German).