Aurora Vázquez and her Multidisciplinary Studio

Aurora Vázquez always dreamed of having her own interior design studio and making a living from her passion. Eleven years after graduating from the Diploma in Interiors, we met with her virtually to learn about her experience as a student and her trajectory until today.

​Looking back...

IADE: How did you get to know IADE, and what encouraged you to study with us?

Aurora Vázquez: I was getting information about the schools where I could study and when I talked to different architects, they agreed to recommend IADE. What made me decide was the long trajectory that you have been teaching interior design studies.

I: After finishing your degree with us, you worked in different studios. What would you say you learned during those years before starting your own studio?

A.V: It seems basic to me to start working in both interior design and architecture studios, since the way of working in both studios is very different.

What I learned the most was how to treat the client and how to really detect their needs in order to develop the projects in a more precise way.

The multidisciplinary studio of Aurora Vázquez

IADE: Tell us, how did the idea of starting your studio based in Spain and Portugal come about?

Aurora Vázquez: Actually, it is something that had been on my mind for a long time. I've always combined working in studios with developing my own projects. I finally made the decision to work on my own.

As for the idea of starting a business in Portugal, it came from a trip I made there, which made me see the different opportunities I could have when it came to introducing my designs or collaborating with other studios.

IADE: There are two of you in the studio, what is a day in your studio like? How do you divide your work?

Aurora Vázquez: In the studio, I am the interior designer and Nuno is the architect. Depending on the type of project, we try to merge architecture with interior design in order to work in a unified and complete way in each project.

I: Going into more detail... Do you have a reliable team to carry out your projects, or do you have new teams for each assignment?

A.V: We have a trusted team that collaborates in our projects.

We do all the design work and then another person does the rendering part. As for the execution of the work, we also have companies that carry out this work and they are also trustworthy.

​The added value

IADE: You produce your own furniture pieces. Are these pieces born from a specific need of a project or were they born independently?

Aurora Vázquez: The designs we have produced so far were conceived to cover specific needs that we detected in projects for different clients.

IADE: Do you have any personal projects in the pipeline?

Aurora Vázquez: I have a personal project with a company in Portugal, in which I am developing a jewelry collection, where the most representative product is cork in its natural state. We have been working on this project for some time now, but we still have to test it and then put it on sale.

I: What advice would you give to our final-year interior design students?

A.V: I think the most important thing in this profession is to soak up and absorb experiences of travel, different cultures, people, art, etc... etc. And always be aware of trends and surround yourself with good professionals in order to learn as much as possible about this sector.