Nuel Puig

Valencia, what I like most is its Mediterranean light, as someone who has lived all his life on the coast, as I am originally from Altea (Alicante), there is nothing comparable as the light that the city has, in fact it is one of the things that made me fall in love with the house the most.

I love that it retains its stately charm, as not many modifications have been made in its almost 100 years of construction, its mouldings, its balconies, the doors and although I thought I would never say it; its hydraulic floors.

It all started with my personal Instagram. Photography, art, fashion and design have always been my passions. Since I was a child I remember looking through magazines bought by my mother and my grandfather, who was an architect and had a large collection of design magazines from the 60s and 70s... Let's say that I have always felt attracted by beauty, it's something that I think my parents have instilled in us since we were little, both me and my sister Maria.
Then, let's say that I put it all into my Instagram account and little by little I created my own stamp, I've been doing this for many years but I don't think that success lies in having a greater reach, but rather in finding the right audience that connects with your personality.

When it comes to creating still lifes, I always follow my intuition, and I try to make compositions of two or three elements... But the truth is that I tend to improvise a lot. I am very inspired by old still lifes, for example the still lifes of Francisco de Zurbarán.

They have to be objects that resonate with me and tell a story. I really try to ensure that the elements of a table, whether more formal or more casual, have a story. I mean, I really value what the pieces tell and the beauty of imperfection. Where we acquire these objects or if they are handcrafted, is of great importance to the elements I choose. A piece that I always like to include is fresh flowers, or lately fruits and/or vegetables... I believe that when selecting a colour palette we have to be faithful to it and look for elements that work either by contrast or by similarity to it.

I think you have to train your eye, inspiration will never come from social media. They can help, but what I highly recommend is to go to museums, read books, magazines and of course, watch old films. For example; I love Hitchcock's films and the amount of ideas he has given me. The problem today is that we are bombarded with very empty concepts, or superficially empty concepts, which are quick trends that have no basis... You have to search, you have to work on finding inspiration and not do what everyone else is doing.

The account is ten years old this September and it started as a platform to connect with museums and people passionate about art. In this project, ego is the least important thing, as people put their backs to pieces of art and it is the art that is the protagonist. I was inspired by a series of photographs I took in Milan, at the Museo del Novecento, which motivated me to create the account. Although I don't spend as much time on it as I should, we have achieved many milestones and worked for museums such as the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Grand Palais in Paris and the Palais in Tokyo.

How versatile it can be. On a design level, The Masie is able to bring a very different touch to different interiors with unique pieces that are able to create an impact in a space. I think that in general, although there are also more neutral pieces, the colour and organic shapes of the elements are able to capture attention and create conversation around them.