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Blog / Inspiration / Talking to Margarita Cantalapiedra of Studio Banana
Talking to Margarita Cantalapiedra of Studio Banana

Talking to Margarita Cantalapiedra of Studio Banana

NOVEMBER 2025
·
6 minutes

Margarita Cantalapiedra is an interior designer and project manager at Studio Banana, an international strategic design studio with offices in Madrid, Lausanne and London. From this multidisciplinary platform, she promotes projects that connect architecture, interior design, communication and consultancy, with a vision that understands design as a tool for cultural and social transformation.

Convinced that to design is to listen, dialogue and experiment, Cantalapiedra defends a practice based on co-creation, sustainability and empathy. In this conversation, she reflects on how design can generate impact beyond the aesthetic, balancing innovation and purpose, and on the role of collaboration and limits as drivers of creativity and change.

1. What led you to join Studio Banana and what traits define its way of understanding design?

I knew Studio Banana from its beginnings, when it was a pioneer in uniting different disciplines under the same roof. What attracted me was its conviction in design as an agent of transformation capable of improving realities.

We work from a philosophy that integrates three pillars: a one studio approach - where talent is mixed beyond borders or disciplines -, co-creation with clients and users as the basis of the process, and a profoundly human approach that seeks to balance innovation, functionality and emotion.

2. How do you see the role of design beyond aesthetics or form?

For us, design is a tool for change. It is what connects people, generates discovery and fosters innovation.

More than a formal outcome, we see it as a language that translates the needs of an organisation or community into tangible experiences. In that sense, design has the capacity to transform behaviours and open up new forms of collaboration.

Studio Banana combines architecture, design, communication and strategy. What does this transversal vision bring to the projects?

This transversality is our greatest strength. Each discipline brings a different perspective and, by integrating them, we achieve more complete and coherent solutions.

The joint work between designers, architects, strategists and producers allows us to go beyond the functional, connect ideas that would not normally dialogue and offer experiences that inspire, excite and leave a mark.

"Design is a transformative tool that connects people, generates discovery and fosters innovation".

4. In Studio Banana you insist a lot on the commitment to the client, the user and the environment. How does this commitment translate into practice and how do you balance these three dimensions in a project?

Our commitment is built on empathy. When we talk about client, user and environment, we are talking about three layers that feed each other. Each project starts with a deep understanding of its purpose: what the client is looking for, what the user needs and how the environment influences and conditions both.

We don't design in the abstract; we design from observation and active listening. We sit down with the client, we hold workshops, interviews, meetings... we try to go hand in hand. We also maintain this dialogue with the end user, because in the end they are the ones who validate whether or not we have fulfilled their expectations.

"We don't design in the abstract: we observe, listen and build from empathy to respond to real needs".

5. In your work, the human experience occupies a central place. How does this vision translate into the creative process and the spaces you design?

Every project is an opportunity to generate value and well-being for both organisations and users.

To do this, we apply a discovery phase in which we listen, observe and analyse the context, the culture and the real needs. We co-create with the client and adapt the process to their identity, ensuring that each project has a clear purpose and its own narrative. The aim is for the resulting experience to be meaningful, not just aesthetic.

New campus of QoQa, a Swiss start-up specialising in last-minute online deals.

6. How do you think design and industry should work together to generate a real and sustainable impact?

The environment and industry are intimately linked: one conditions the other. When we talk about commitment to the environment, we also talk about responsibility for industrial processes and available resources.

Design can and should be a bridge between the two: a language that translates human needs into tangible solutions, but without forgetting the traceability of how things are made. It is not just about aesthetics or functionality, but about responsible, collaborative and sustainable processes.

"We do not design in the abstract: we observe, listen and build from empathy to respond to real needs.

7. Is there any recent Studio Banana project that you consider particularly representative of your philosophy and that marks a before and after in your way of designing?

Probably the most representative project so far is Telefónica's Espacio Movistar, in its historic building on Madrid's Gran Vía. We wanted to recover the essence of this emblematic flagship and, at the same time, project it into the future, highlighting the brand's innovative legacy and its role in communication and technology in Spain.

We designed a versatile proposal that redefines the relationship with the visitor and blurs the boundaries between retail, leisure and culture. The space promotes the connection with the city and democratises technology through interactive experiences: an immersive cube visible from the street, gaming areas, a cinema and capsules for content creation, all articulated around a large atrium that acts as an open and dynamic stage.

Telefónica's Movistar Space, in its historic building on the Gran Vía in Madrid

8. Studio Banana has also worked for international institutions such as the International Olympic Committee. How was the challenge of designing the multimedia experience for the Olympic House in Lausanne?

It was a very special project, both because of the context and the message we wanted to convey. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wanted the central lobby of its new headquarters, the Olympic House, to provide a welcoming experience that reflected its mission and the values of the Olympic movement. Our challenge was to design an immersive narrative that would coexist with the architectural strength of the building and, at the same time, connect emotionally with visitors, delegations and staff.

We created a multimedia experience inspired by different sporting disciplines that symbolises the unity, diversity and energy of the Olympic spirit. Through pieces such as the Unity Ribbon, we wanted to translate the ideals of collaboration and universality that represent the IOC into images and movement. The result is a living space that changes and adapts, turning each visit into an opportunity to celebrate the values of Olympism through emotion and technology.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Central Foyer

9. You often say that limits help to refine ideas. Why can restrictions be creative allies rather than obstacles?

Absolutely. When a client tells you "everything is possible", you tend to lose focus. Limits, on the other hand, force you to prioritise, to take care of the essentials.

There are things you can give up, but not others: those are the ones that define the identity of the project. Working with restrictions stimulates creativity, because it pushes you to find more intelligent and meaningful solutions within a specific framework.

We try to listen to different people, contrast points of view and open up the process. At Studio Banana, a meeting can start out technical and turn into a four-hour conversation where the whole team gets involved. It is in this collectivity that the best ideas emerge.

10. What general trends are you observing in strategic design and creative innovation that will shape the coming years?

We see several key trends in strategic design. Sustainability and social responsibility have become essential: projects must reduce their ecological footprint and generate positive value for the community. Co-creation with diverse users and teams is consolidating as a driver of innovation, while artificial intelligence is starting to act as a true creative partner, always based on ethics and transparency. In addition, hybridisation between disciplines (design, strategy, technology or art) and systemic thinking are essential to tackle complex problems and develop more flexible and adaptive models in the face of constant change.

11. How do you think the figure of the designer is evolving in the 21st century and what new skills are key to facing today's challenges?

By their nature, architects and designers are witnesses and analysts of society. We have the responsibility to observe the changing needs of human beings and their multiple configurations and the commitment to know how to face these challenges and problems by offering holistic solutions. Our role goes beyond designing spaces: it involves a profound capacity to observe, listen and understand in order to improve what exists. Architecture must be a catalyst for change, a starting point from which the architect is not only seen as a designer, but as a strategist capable of integrating human, cultural and technological aspects through co-creation, generating solutions that not only respond to current needs, but also anticipate and adapt to future changes.