José de Rivera

José de Rivera studied architecture in the University of Barcelona, his hometown. At that time, he also attended international competitions as a member of the National Ski-jump Team. In the area of design, he became more interest in experimenting with materials, so he left his studies in architecture in 1987 and started studying interior design in the Elisava school of design in Barcelona. De Rivera started his professional career in the architecture studio of his father, Ignacio de Rivera. He worked there until in 1988 he entered Santa & Cole as Gabriel Ordeig s collaborator in the Special Projects Department. Together, they gave shape to many projects, such as the Benjamín light, the interior design of the Fonda Europa restaurant and the Sisisí pub. In 1992, Rivera was chosen by the Elisava school in order to participate in the Design.Informazione.Ricerca project in Milan, where he stayed for more than a year, working as an assistant at first and then as the projects manager at the Sottsass Associati studio. The year after, José de Rivera and Rosario Moreno Torres set up their studio in Granada, a studio that focused on interior design projects for commercial establishments, livings and exhibition areas, and on customized furniture as well. Their work stands out for its eclecticism, for their willingness to mix, invent and work with other people. Moreno and de Rivera s path has strong bonds to that of Santa & Cole, they have worked together on many industrial products, such as the Lucero lamp, and on other projects closest to craftmanship, as when they carefully supervised the "La Memoria de las Cosas" collection. They also collaborate with many publications in the field of design, and are responsible since 1992 of GapCasa Italia in Spain, that is specialized in distributing and producing contemporary furniture.www.mjestudioarquitectura.com