For Nacho Carbonell creating is like therapy!

We met the artist on his trip to India to chat about where his practice started and where it is headed

16 Apr 2026

ELLE DECOR

Nacho Carbonell is often described as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary design. Rejecting boundaries between sculpture, furniture, and architecture, the Spanish designer approaches objects as living presences that mutate and communicate with the people around them. His work integrates rough, tactile materials with hand-built experimentation, resulting in pieces that feel distinctly human. When we met him at Soho House Mumbai, Nacho’s candour and ease were immediately apparent. He spoke about a practice driven by curiosity, intuition and narrative. From the greatest asset of a designer to why collectible design may be a myth, here is what he had to say.

What does the act of creating feel like?

Nacho Carbonell: Creating is almost like therapy for me. It’s like meditation. You enter a state of mind that is difficult to explain. People talk about inspiration like a muse, like something that comes to you. It almost feels like you are possessed by something. It’s you, but at the same time, it’s not you. It’s a very interesting state of mind.

Can you tell me about your early years and how you came to design?

Nacho Carbonell: I studied industrial design in Spain. Before that, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. My father was a lawyer, and my mother was a doctor. They wanted me to study something, but I didn’t know what to choose. I was a terrible student. Then I spent six months in the United States in high school. There I started doing ceramics, photography and woodworking. When I came back to Spain, someone told me that there was a university where you could study design. I went there, and I thought, if this is “university”, this is my kind of university. That’s when everything changed. I went from being a very bad student to being highly motivated. After three years in Spain, I felt like I needed something else. That’s when I found Design Academy Eindhoven.
At first, I didn’t even understand why they called it design, because what I had learned before was completely different. But curiosity moves us forward. When I arrived there, I realised design could be anything. You could define what design is yourself. So I started blending my ideas, my beliefs, my energy into objects and furniture.

Framing Stone 1 by Nacho Carbonell; Photograph courtesy Carpenters Workshop Gallery

And you worked in a church during those years?

Nacho Carbonell: Yes, an abandoned church in Eindhoven. There were about ten of us, and we made it our studio and our home. It was huge, thousands of square metres, and we were not paying any rent. It became our incubator. Because we didn’t have the pressure of paying bills or worrying about survival, we could really focus on our ideas and explore them.
At that time, I also won some competitions that gave me a little money to start my journey.I stayed there for five years just doing crazy, passionate projects. Sometimes working twenty hours a day. That period really formed the foundation of who I am today.

Were there mentors who shaped the way you think?

Nacho Carbonell: At the Design Academy, one of my mentors was Jurgen Bey. It was amazing to hear him talk and analyse the world around him. Later, the director at the time, Lidewij Edelkoort, opened doors for me to the outside world. And then Rossana Orlandi discovered my work and really helped launch my career.

How did you start working with Carpenters Workshop Gallery?

Nacho Carbonell: The first time they approached me was when I was showing work with Rosanna at Art Basel. They said they wanted to work with me, but I had just started working with Rosanna, and I felt loyal to that relationship. So I said no.

They came back the next year and asked again. And again I said no. This went on for about five years. Later, when my partner Paloma was pregnant and we were expecting our child, I felt it was time to expand the horizons of what we were doing. So we decided to work with Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
At that time, I was experimenting with metal mesh and trying to bring more transparency and lightness into my work. The team in the studio didn’t even understand what I was doing. But when the people from Carpenters saw it, they asked if I could develop a collection with it. After a few months, I created five or six objects. We called it the Light Mesh collection and exhibited it in London. It was a big success.

Table Cocoon 17 by Nacho Carbonell; Photograph courtesy Carpenters Workshop Gallery

Small Blue Twin Chandeliers by Nacho Carbonell; Photograph courtesy Carpenters Workshop Gallery

What do you think about the term “collectible design”?

Nacho Carbonell: To be honest, I don’t really like the word. People say it means limited edition pieces, but it also feels like a marketing strategy, a way to create an exclusive club. Creativity should be completely separate from that. Designers and artists don’t create work just to sell it or to belong to a special category. For me, it’s about the narrative and the message.

Do you think creative processes should have friction?

Nacho Carbonell: It should not always be a smooth process. Sometimes you stop and come back to it again. This is the way I like it. But what you should not do is overcomplicate it. Sometimes it’s good to start easy because the process itself will take you somewhere. Sometimes we are scared that if something feels smooth, it will be too easy. But it should still be a journey.

How does repetition help you grow?

Nacho Carbonell: Repetition is essential. If you want to master something, you’re not going to master it the first time you do it. It’s something I insist on with my students as well. Repetition is like practice. People are afraid to repeat themselves, but sometimes you need to do something a million times. That’s how you really understand what you do.

Even today, I’m still using my welding machine, my steel pipes, my metal nets. I’m still using the same materials that I was using in the first pieces. They keep transforming and becoming something else.

Combi Cocoon 2 by Nacho Carbonell; Photograph courtesy Carpenters Workshop Gallery

The Roots Mural by Nacho Carbonell; Photograph courtesy Carpenters Workshop Gallery

How did you arrive at that material palette?

Nacho Carbonell: I feel that you get attracted to certain principles of a material. It can be the texture or the colours. There are a few qualities that I feel connected to. I try to find those same qualities in other materials. They might not naturally have them, so I try to transform those materials to form those qualities.

How do you teach someone to design?

Nacho Carbonell: I always tell them that they need to look into themselves. All of us need to find our own way to approach creativity. What do you like to do? How do you like to do things? What do you believe in? There are people who love working with craftsmen. Other people challenge technical companies. Others prefer working in their own studio.

You need to understand how you like to create. That’s the best tool you can give someone who wants to generate their own career, to understand themselves and how they can create their own narrative. Many students love music, painting, cooking or working with digital tools. But they say, “No, that’s my hobby. That’s external to my career.” Maybe they are not seeing the full potential of what they can create. I think we need to stay in touch with what gives us happiness and passion. That’s how you transmit something through the things you create, and people resonate with that energy.