He is passionate about interior architecture. He never goes out without a paper and pencil in his pocket, his head is abuzz with ideas and he needs to be ready when inspiration strikes. He considers himself lucky. Since he started making photocopies at the age of 7 in his father’s interior design studio, he has not stopped doing what he likes the most: transforming spaces to make them beautiful and functional.

Aixut Interiorisme has been dedicated to interior architecture for more than 30 years. How would you define the studio’s professional career?

Aixut Interiorisme is a family business that was founded by my father and a partner under the name Aixut Alvarado. Since they both retired, it has continued under my creative direction and that of my wife, who is in charge of all the administrative part.

Would you say you have a recognizable style?

I suppose so, many of my clients can recognize the projects we work on. Despite the fact that our work philosophy implies adapting to the tastes and needs of our clients without ever repeating ourselves, in the end it is almost inevitable that we leave our personal mark. We carry out numerous works on the island of Ibiza and, as it is such a limited territory, we consider it essential never to develop two identical projects.

How would you define that personal stamp?

Personally I’m always in search of functionality and dynamism. Starting from there, I develop the first ideas in sketches of plans that lay out directions, how people move about and spaces adapted to the needs of the clients.

Do you follow a methodology when facing an interior design project?

I like to develop projects as if they were for me. First, I listen to the client’s needs, I try to internalize them and from there I design using my own criteria, although obviously, always including their personal preferences. My way of designing is very peculiar. After taking measurements I always carry them about hand-drawn on a piece of paper in my pocket, so that when an idea occurs to me, wherever it is, I can automatically incorporate it. Some projects flow straight away, but others can stay in my pocket for days until I get the perfect solution that shapes them.

Aixut Interiorisme is especially strong in the hotel industry and holiday homes in the Balearic Islands. What are the specific demands of this service?

We have several types of clients, depending on whether they are dedicated to seasonal or all-year-round tourism. We try to design a flexible interior design for the hotels that open all year round that provide warmth during winter and coolness in summer. Another condition is linked to the type of visitors they receive, the Italian, German or English visitors are totally different. But something common to all our clients is that we always establish an extremely close relationship of trust before, during and after the project. With the work already completed, it is quite common that each year we carry out different adjustments and fine-tuning. We are proud to say that, as a service company, we have clients in the hotel and the dwelling sectors with whom we have been working continuously for thirty years.

The hotel industry is one of the industries that consumes most energy in Spain. Is the equation that factors comfort, efficiency and return on investment basic requirements when you design lighting?

We always try to achieve maximum energy savings in our projects. Without a doubt, the appearance of led technology and control systems has been of great help because we can create scenarios and adjust consumption to ideal levels, increasing quality, comfort and service. It’s important to point out that Aixut Interiorisme doesn’t just handle interior design but develops global projects that take into account the consumption of electricity, gas and water and focusses intently technical installations, climate control and kitchens.

Home interior design is another area in which you are especially active. In this area, linear LEDs provide a wide variety of lighting solutions. Do you like to use light lines? What are your favourite uses?

I confess that I am a great admirer of led strips and I always fit them into our projects. We put a lot of thought into lighting, as it is the component that provides the greatest degree of comfort. Personally, I find indirect lighting attractive. Human beings receive sunlight from above, therefore it seems important to me to apply this principle in artificial lighting. When you install spotlights, you see a very intense point of light that generates a pool of light on the floor, not on the ceiling. That is why I consider that linear LEDs integrated into recesses, false ceilings, or with specific profiles that hide them, do let you light the ceiling. Then you can always add a fitting to provide focussed light at a certain point, but when designing general lighting, the linear led system provides greater uniformity, comfort and visual quality in all spaces.

Could you mention a project in which the linear LEDs have solved a specific challenge?

In the renovation of the Sal Rossa tourist apartments in Platja d’en Bossa in Ibiza we had to renovate the pool area, located on a floating floor due to the problems associated with being in a flood zone. We had to adapt the lighting to the existing kidney shape and the best solution was offered by Lluria’s Wolf strip, as it had an IP68 rating and met the requirements of being flexible, submersible, shock and weather- resistant. Moreover, the resin capsule does not turn yellow in time, as it usually does. The client is very satisfied with the result, the lighting creates the right atmosphere for outdoor dining on summer nights.