Marta, Barcelona

Marta from Barcelona

Marta – Entrepreneur, Interior Designer & Restauratuer

We met Entrepreneur, Interior Designer & Restauratuer Marta in Barcelona to discuss her personal journey. At the heart of Barcelona she founded ViraVolta together with her friends Ferri and Quel and is living everything she has ever dreamed of by sharing her passion for vintage furniture and interior design.

Marta, What is your dream?

My dream is to work and spend my time doing what I like and reaching my full potential. I like to work for my own, because then all the time I spend at work feels like a hobby. I would love to spend my lifetime doing things I really love, not only outside of work, but in the workplace as well.

“ViraVolta” is a way to make this happen, it is a hobby that became my job. ViraVolta is a multifunctional space. We help other people to restore old furniture, offering the space and the know-how to do this. Therefore, we offer worshops on furniture restoration, space for exhibition and everything that aims to the pleasure of exploring your creativity.

What do you like about your work at “ViraVolta“?

I like to feel a relationship between me and the things I work with, in this case pieces of old and antique furniture. I am a little bit romantic, I prefer to have a chair from my grandmother, a chair that tells a story, instead of buying a new one at IKEA. I appreciate this special relationship and esteem in my life.

 When did you decide to go after you dream?

At that time I was studying and working part-time to finance my studies. I used to work in shops for other people and I didn’t like it that much. It didn’t feel like ‘mine’ and soon I realised I don’t want to work for somebody else. For many people life starts each day at 7pm, just when they finish work, when they go to meet their friends and go for a beer. This doesn’t work for me. I need to love my job and start my life at 8am in the morning. Otherwise I won’t wake up motivated for work at all.

What are the happiest moments for you at work?

Well, in all my time working at “ViraVolta” I have been very happy, but sure we have bad days, too. There are days when you’re more down. In the beginning I was alone. A glorious moment was when everything came together. You know these moments? Sometimes all the pieces come together, because it just has to happen.

I had a little shop selling refurbished furniture and one day I couldn’t pay the rent anymore. The day after, the man who let all these buildings told me that a shop, where ViraVolta is located today, became empty. I went to see the shop and I straight fell in love. However, I couldn’t afford this shop, unfortunately, because it was just too big for me. The day after I was talking to two friends of mine, Quel and Ferri. Ferri was always talking to me about all this vintage furniture she had seen, she was full of ideas. So we thought, why not start “ViraVolta” together? Quel was my neighbour at that time and we talked about the idea, too. So, I saw the shop, found my fellows and this is how everything started and my dream “ViraVolta“ came alive.

What is the biggest challenge for you?

When you have to say “no” to other jobs, that maybe would let you keep some money at the end of the month and maybe would let you live the life with more luxury, so it would be easier to travel, easier to do…many things.

What keeps you motivated and what do you think of the future?

Well, I think all three of us will keep on unlocking our potential, doing the thinks we like so much. Everyday we getting better at what we love to do. And we do it with love, so we can improve a lot, as this love is an endless source of motivation.

What would you recommend to other people who want to fulfil their dream?

What I recommend is to have one foot in one place and one in another. So start fulfilling your dream part-ime and do one step after another, turning your beloved hobby into something that pays your rent. It can be hard, because especially in the beginning people tend to be very euphoric and want to have it all at once. However, if you start following your dream fulltime from the start, then it can easily become more an obligation than something you love to do.

What is fascinating you?

Fulfilling your dream is hard day by day, but one or two month ago, I was daydreaming and suddenly I realised: “Wow, I’m living everything I’ve ever dreamed of!” I realised, that I am working on all the projects that I ever imagined and I created them all by myself. So, my dream became reality and is alive by the moment I’m telling you this! (Marta smiles)

What do you think about the youth in Europe with regards to unemployment these days?

My impression is, that with the ongoing crisis the situation is very difficult for young people. It is hard to find a job and the future is insecure. 10-15 years ago people were more comfortable than nowadays, so it was much easier to be happy. Nowadays young people have to think more ‘outside the box’ and have to be creative about their future. So, I see chances for creative people.

I think we have to do what we love to do, because then we do it better than anybody else, as we do it with love.