Interviews with Juan David Martínez Jofre
Designer profileDesign Interview
31 October 2025 · Numa Beach Club
Numa Beach was conceived as an architectural mirage — a place where the horizon, light, and material merge into a single continuous gesture. The main principle was disappearance: to design a space that dissolves into its surroundings. The inspiration came from the Mediterranean itself — its silence, reflection, and the weightless rhythm of the sea. Concrete becomes skin, glass becomes air, and water becomes light.
Our focus was to build an atmosphere, not a building. We wanted to achieve serenity through precision — to create a space where material and proportion evoke the same stillness you feel when staring at the sea. The goal was emotional equilibrium: brutalism without brutality.
Future plans include expanding the concept into new contexts, always preserving its essence: architecture that disappears, leaving only the emotion of the sea.
The concept evolved over several months. However, its refinement — calibrating reflections, alignments, and shadow depths — took much longer. In a project defined by silence, precision becomes the ultimate form of expression.
It was a commissioned project, but we approached it as a creative experiment. The client’s vision aligned with ours: to reinterpret beach architecture as an act of restraint rather than exhibition. Numa Beach was born from inspiration — a commission transformed into philosophy.
All design, construction, and material development were carried out by Minimal Studio. From the structural logic to the detailing of the furniture and bar, everything was directed in-house. The unity of concept and execution is non-negotiable.
We were interested in redefining the beach club typology — to move away from cliché luxury toward a pure spatial experience. The project explores how architecture can amplify nature through subtraction, not addition.
Influence came from silence — the atmosphere of Ando, the precision of Pawson, and the sculptural minimalism of art rather than architecture. The project is an intersection of their philosophies translated into a Mediterranean language.
Numa Beach is for those who seek emotion in simplicity. For people who understand that true luxury lies in proportion, reflection, and calm. It’s not a place to be seen — it’s a place to feel.
Its control. Every surface, reflection, and alignment was choreographed. The concrete is raw, yet perfectly balanced against glass and water. There’s no ornament — only geometry, proportion, and shadow. The entire experience feels suspended between earth and sea.
“Numa” is short, elemental, and neutral. It sounds like a breath — fitting for a space that seeks to capture stillness. The name reflects the project’s essence: calm, rhythm, and impermanence.
The process started with hand sketches and light models to study the relationship between geometry and reflection. Then, digital modeling ensured structural precision and visual alignment with the horizon. The final design was refined on site — guided by light and intuition.
Its invisibility. Numa Beach doesn’t impose; it blends. The architecture frames the landscape rather than competing with it. The play between concrete, water, and light transforms minimalism into emotion.
We collaborated with structural engineers and local artisans specializing in concrete finishes and glass integration. Every collaboration was directed toward achieving exactness — a technical ballet behind apparent simplicity.
Technology was essential to control reflection and durability in a saline environment. However, its role remains silent — it supports emotion rather than dictates it. Technology disappears into craftsmanship.
Yes. We studied the behavior of light throughout the day, surface temperatures, and reflection patterns across materials. This data shaped the project’s rhythm — architecture tuned to the frequency of the sea.
Achieving perfect visual alignment between interior, exterior, and horizon. Managing reflections on glass and water under natural light conditions. The biggest challenge was to make complexity look effortless — to make silence feel engineered.
Because Numa Beach encapsulates our studio’s philosophy: minimalism as an emotional discipline. It’s a project that connects technical rigor with sensory calm — and we wanted to share that language on a global stage.
That light is the ultimate architect. That minimalism is not about absence, but precision. And that emotion, when perfectly calibrated, becomes timeless.
Numa Beach is not a building — it’s a state of mind.
It’s the moment when architecture stops speaking and starts listening to the sea.
It’s the moment when architecture stops speaking and starts listening to the sea.
Design Interview
31 October 2025 · Chloe Chair
Chloé is born from duality — strength and delicacy, weight and levity. It embodies the dialogue between brutalism and elegance. The chair translates architectural tension into furniture: a structure where every angle has intention and every void has meaning. Its inspiration lies in purity, in the discipline of reduction — to reach emotional silence through geometry.
The main focus was to express balance through proportion and material honesty. I wanted to achieve a piece that feels almost architectural — something that commands space yet remains human. Chloé was conceived not to decorate, but to define the atmosphere around it.
Chloé will continue to be a collectible piece within Minimal Studio's curated collection. Each edition will be handmade in Mallorca, always preserving its architectural essence and emotional silence.
From the first sketch to the final prototype, the process took several months. But the refinement — the pursuit of the perfect proportion, the tactile emotion of each edge — is continuous. In minimalism, the last millimeter is everything.
It was born from a personal need to explore the threshold between furniture and architecture. There was no client — only intuition. I wanted to create an object that could stand alone, like a small building. A meditation on mass, light, and silence.
All production is carried out under the Minimal Studio ecosystem. Each Chloé is made by local craftsmen in Mallorca, where every process — from joinery to carbonization — is controlled in-house. We don’t delegate precision; we inhabit it.
I’m interested in the intersection of disciplines — where architecture, art, and furniture merge. The chair is the purest form of that union: it must be sculptural yet functional. Chloé is a study in restraint.
Rather than direct references, I’m inspired by architectural attitudes — the silence of Tadao Ando, the rawness of Carlo Scarpa, the clarity of Donald Judd. Their spirit, not their form, guided the process.
Chloé is not for mass consumption. It’s for those who understand space as emotion — collectors, architects, and individuals who appreciate design as a living philosophy rather than an accessory.
Its paradox. It’s simultaneously heavy and graceful, primitive and refined. The joinery disappears, the geometry dominates, and the material speaks. The version in charred wood adds a ritualistic depth — a surface marked by fire yet perfectly controlled, like poetry under tension.
“Chloé” evokes femininity, calm, and proportion. The name softens the object’s brutalist soul, creating an emotional counterpoint. It’s the balance between steel and skin — between architecture and intimacy.
The process began by hand — sketches, models, proportions studied through shadow and scale. Later, digital modeling ensured precision in joints and geometry. The final validation always happens through touch — not on a screen.
The tension between structure and silence. Every line in Chloé has purpose; nothing is ornamental. The burned wood version transforms fragility into permanence — the scars of fire becoming a texture of elegance.
I collaborated with local artisans specialized in high-precision woodwork and traditional carbonization techniques. It’s a dialogue between contemporary design and ancient craft, where perfection is achieved through patience.
Technology ensures precision, but emotion comes from the hand. CNC processes are used only to prepare, never to define. The essence remains human.
The research was material and emotional rather than statistical. We studied wood behavior, heat resistance, surface response — but the real research was about proportion and presence. About how silence can be built.
Achieving perfect balance between strength and lightness. The joints had to be invisible, the edges tactile but precise. The carbonization process was another challenge — to tame fire without losing the poetry of imperfection.
Chloé represents the essence of Minimal Studio — rigorous, emotional, architectural. Submitting it was a way to share that philosophy with a wider audience, beyond trends or geography.
That silence can be designed. That simplicity is the most complex discipline. And that perfection is not about adding control, but about removing noise.
Chloé is not just a chair. It’s a fragment of an architecture that doesn’t yet exist — a study in proportion, material, and restraint.
It’s the distilled essence of everything we believe at Minimal Studio: beauty as consequence, not intention.
It’s the distilled essence of everything we believe at Minimal Studio: beauty as consequence, not intention.
Design Interview
31 October 2025 · Ca'n Rudayla Single Family Dwelling
Can Rudayla is a study in contrast — an exploration of how brutalism can become delicate. The entire house is clad in ice-grey concrete, a material chosen for its precision, silence, and permanence. This monolithic envelope is balanced by soft, pale-pink flooring that introduces an almost human tenderness to the composition.
The inspiration was to create emotional balance: structure as discipline, color as breath.
The inspiration was to create emotional balance: structure as discipline, color as breath.
Our focus was to achieve purity through tension. We wanted to design a house that feels sculpted rather than built — where light glides across concrete planes and meets the warmth of subtle chromatic surfaces. The goal was to show that minimalism is not cold; it’s emotional when material and proportion are in perfect equilibrium.
This design was developed for a private client.
The conceptual stage was rapid, almost instinctive — but the refinement of every junction, tone, and transition took months. In a project like this, the smallest deviation breaks the silence. Time becomes a tool of precision.
It was a commission, but we approached it as an artistic exploration. The client shared our fascination with reduction and neutrality. Together we shaped a home that expresses control and calm — an architectural pause between chaos and serenity.
All execution was directed and produced by Minimal Studio. From the custom concrete compositions to the flooring pigment tests, every process was supervised in-house. Coherence is our most important material.
We are drawn to projects where architecture becomes emotion. Concrete is often perceived as aggressive; we wanted to reveal its sensitivity. Can Rudayla transforms hardness into elegance — a house that feels both strong and gentle.
Influence came from atmosphere rather than form — the serenity of Ando, the rigor of Pawson, and the poetic restraint of Scarpa. But the house is deeply rooted in our Mediterranean context, where light defines everything.
It’s for someone who values silence and authenticity over opulence. A person who understands architecture as a mental state — not as display, but as retreat.
The harmony between opposites. The structure is pure concrete, yet it feels almost soft because of its chromatic balance. The pale-pink floors dissolve the austerity of the brutalist shell, turning the whole composition into an emotional landscape rather than a statement of power.
The old name of the area and property was retained.
The process started with sketches and scale models to capture proportion and light behavior. Later, digital modeling allowed us to control the precision of casting and color calibration. But decisions were ultimately tactile — the final balance was found on site, through the eye.
The dialogue between chromatic softness and material brutality. Few houses are built entirely in concrete and yet manage to feel serene. Can Rudayla proves that emotion can be engineered through proportion and tonality.
We collaborated with concrete specialists, pigment technicians, and local craftsmen to achieve the perfect “ice-grey” tone and the subtle pink flooring finish. Every collaboration was guided by precision and respect for material truth.
Technology was crucial for color consistency and structural precision. But beyond the tools, what defines the project is its emotional calibration — the human sensibility guiding every technical decision.
We conducted research on material behavior — humidity, reflection, chromatic diffusion. But more importantly, we studied perception: how color and light can alter the emotional temperature of concrete.
Maintaining purity in such a restrained palette is a challenge. Every joint, every pigment ratio, every light source affects the whole. The biggest challenge was to preserve emotional coherence — ensuring that the house breathes silence, not coldness.
Because Can Rudayla encapsulates the essence of our philosophy: brutalism with grace, control with emotion. It represents Minimal Studio’s approach to architecture as precision poetry.
That material has memory. That even concrete, when treated with care, can evoke tenderness. And that the purest form of luxury is stillness.
Can Rudayla is not a house to be looked at — it’s a house to be felt.
It is the embodiment of controlled emotion: an architectural ballet performed in ice-grey concrete and pink light.
It is the embodiment of controlled emotion: an architectural ballet performed in ice-grey concrete and pink light.
