A SIT DOWN WITH MURIELLE AND ROMAIN BRESSAN
FOUNDERS OF NOBODINOZ
Murielle and Roman Bressan, founders of Nobodinoz, greet us at their office situated in the centre of Gràcia, one of the most charming areas in Barcelona thanks to its relaxed, multicultural and artistic characteristics.
It’s in this large loft that Nobodinoz's young and dynamic team house the creative lab that makes up their operations centre. Today, Nobodinoz is an international authority in the world of children’s décor, with its one in a million style. Mixing retro and contemporary influences with an over-all Scandinavian feel, the brand's collections are made using local savoir-faire and environmentally-friendly techniques, and are characterised by unique colours, geometric prints and its high-quality materials.
tell us about the Nobodinoz team and what is your role in the company?
It’s the story of three friends, guided by our passion for beauty and our desire to learn. We were all following different paths - engineer, lawyer, designer – but we all complement each other. When creating the Nobodinoz brand, we wanted to do something different - to offer children a high-quality living environment, to accompany them as they grow up, to blossom with them through each part of their lives. But we also wanted to work with our skills, in an environmentally-friendly way, and to share our taste in materials, colours and details. We also wanted to go back to our roots, to our love of good work that is produced locally, for affordable prices. We work hand-in-hand with our manufacturers to achieve this. Our fabrics, colours and prints are all controlled in Barcelona, and we make our toys in Jura in France. We are convinced that everyone can change the world at this level, by not taking the easy road, to make a difference. Changing the world begins at childhood!
What are your different roles at Nobodinoz?
Our roles are very different, between product creation and activity development. But we all make strategic decisions together.
What does an average day at work look like?
We’re situated in the Gràcia neighbourhood, in the heart of Barcelona. The Nobodinoz offices are just a quick walk from home. The area is known for its easy-going lifestyle, its courtyards, and its calm. All our work stations are separate, but we can all see, hear and understand what the other is doing. We insist that each member in our small company understands the origins of our products, quality control and the fabrication process. All of our work is focused on design and creation.
It’s first and foremost, our obsession with and our passion for materials, colours and shapes that guides our daily activities. The rest follows. One day at work is never the same as another, each person has their mishaps, each one allows us to grow a little more.
Is it difficult to work together as a couple?
No, it’s not difficult as we have co-created in this way since the start of Nobodinoz. But effectively, it is intense and continuous. You have to know how to switch off, this isn’t always easy during extra busy periods. We have a wonderful management team with young, creative and energetic collaborators, this helps us to take a step back from it all.
When working as a couple, is it easy to switch off in the evening?!
We’re very passionate about our work at Nobodinoz! We love talking about it, but it’s very important to know how to switch off. We have lunch and dinner with our children every day so, if we do get caught talking about work, we’re quickly put back in line! We love making room for family time as it also gives us time for ourselves. Seeing our children grow up is what really makes us happy.
Your brand has evolved a lot. Can you tell us the story of how you got to where you are?
It all really started in the summer of 2012. We launched a range of small accessories and were developing our first larger products, like poufs and tipis. We were mostly researching the best materials, best knowledge and best practices.
The first 100 Nobodinoz tipis were made in our offices. One year later, we took part in our first professional trade show in Paris, the Playtime salon. This was a success and we next launched our collection of printed fabrics, then toys, then Nobodinoz furniture. Every month for three years, we released new pieces. We’ve just launched our new Pure collection, with organic fabrics and oak furniture. The Pure range has been added to our first graphic range, the Horizon collection. We now take part in trade shows and fairs in Europe and the USA, where we launched our first subsidiary earlier this year. Above all, our philosophy at Nobodinoz has always been – no limits! Each day we make, unmake, remake and edit our design processes until we reach perfection. We have a lot of new projects, products and collections. We really want our brand to offer a universe, where each customer can find the perfect product for their personality.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
Like a lot of designers, we believe that ideas are everywhere and appear to you because you know how to see them, how to make the most of them. We try to stay open and sincere in order to capture the ideas that are right for us. We travel a lot and above all stay in permanent contact with a number of artist friends. We’re very sociable, maybe that’s where it comes from!
In your opinion, what is the perfect children’s bedroom?
First of all, it’s a room that is full of life. We love beautiful objects, old and new. The ideal, for us, is to mix vintage, family, treasure and design objects. All while reflecting children’s personalities through the colour scheme. It’s also important that children participate in their décor, that they put up posters, photos and other things that make them happy. We also love to design spaces based around individual children themselves. For example, if your child likes to read, why not create them a quiet corner where they can read comfortably; if they like to draw, why not include a large side table so that they can be creative. But above all, a perfect child’s bedroom is a bedroom that is full of spirit, where little ones can breathe happiness and be care-free.
What do you do together as a family during the weekend?
Barcelona is a town that’s full of things to do, not just for going to the beach, but also for its culture, its concerts and its party areas. We never get bored. We also go on trips to the coast or to visit friends in Paris, London or Rome.
And if Nobodinoz was a film?
Not so much a film, but a cinematic adaptation. Nobodinoz resonates with…
Peter Pan!
What is your favourite children’s book?
Without a doubt,
Alice in Wonderland [by Lewis Carroll]!
For tourists, what boutique would you recommend to visit in Barcelona?
We always advise people to go and visit La Basílica Galería boutique [Address: Carrer de la Palla 35], it’s an ode to perfume designers and a real experience. The roads adjacent are full of little design and antique boutiques, art ateliers and cuisine stores.
A restaurant?
We really love the restaurants near to the Santa Catalina markets in the El Born neighbourhood of Barcelona; food stalls, fresh fish of the day, a wonderful atmosphere!
What do you like most about Smallable?
The professionalism, the quality of the selection. Smallable is a benchmark in the world of children’s fashion and we are proud to be working together. The shop on rue du Cherche Midi in Paris is absolutely magnificent, we were very happy to launch our first Nobodinoz pop-up shop there (in November 2016).
Have you got any current Nobodinoz projects?
Yes! Lots of Nobodinoz products in new materials, unexplored models and countries, and also our launch in the US. We would really love to expand into other continents. Nobodinoz is an opportunity to travel.
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