isern serra curates industrial minimalism in barcelona with these workspaces for TheKeenFolk

industrial warehouses see contemporary workspaces

barcelona-based designer isern serra unveils his latest workspace interiors, a studio renovation for the online marketing company TheKeenFolks. the project celebrates the industrial heritage of its site, a complex of warehouses built in the early 19th century in the spanish city’s neighborhood of calle de bolivia. spanning two levels, the offices are spread across an area of 300 square-meters at street level with a 250 square-meter basement level space.

the workspaces are open and lofty, with high ceilings reaching over sixteen feet, and an open floor plan. these ceilings are left to express the original structure of the historic warehouse, with rows of barrel vaulting and large iron beams — all transformed with a subtle, minimalistic expression with a whitewashed finish.

images by jose hevia

isern serra for thekeenfolks

isern serra (see more here) ensures that the studio renovation for TheKeenFolks (see more here) is flooded with natural sunlight, further lending to its bright, airy atmosphere. two side walls open outward with large windows that overlook the street and the interior of the industrial site.

the interiors are defined by the structural identity of the industrial architecture, which give character and identity to the project. the team curates an harmonious dialogue between the existing warehouse and the renovated workspace, which modifies the original volume of the space while respecting it by maintaining an open plan. isern serra notes: ‘one understands perfectly the initial volume of the space even if there are different mezzanines. a new architecture has been created that is respectful and at the same time allows for a better enjoyment of the space.’

the luminous renovation

with his interiors for TheKeenfolks, isern serra pays particular attention to the lighting. the use of the colored LED strips recalls the team’s logo, a subtle reference to the brand identity while maintaining a minimalist environment. functionally, the space integrates a work area for thirty people, along with a large meeting rooms, satellite meeting rooms, and a kitchen and dining space.

isern serra continues: ‘the first decision was to locate the kitchen and dining area in the basement adjacent to the windows, leaving the rest of the space for fast calls and two meeting rooms. the work area and the main meeting room as well as some smaller meeting rooms would be on the main floor.

‘to provide a solution to such a dense program, we created two large mezzanines where one is used as a work area and the other as a main meeting room. in turn, the below one of the mezzanines are a series of small meeting rooms. and bathrooms and access to the basement under the other. the mezzanines are placed at both ends of the floor. leaving the central space with double height and with a view of all the spaces that make up the building except for the bathroom.‘