Nina Masó

Nina Masó studied interior design and began her career building stands at the Fira de Barcelona. She founded a studio with colleagues and, in 1982, met designer Gabriel Ordeig Cole (1954–1994). Together, they shared both a personal and professional relationship, collaborating on lighting and interior projects for some of Barcelona’s most iconic nightlife spots, including Boliche, El Café del Sol, Cibeles, the Al Dente restaurant, and the bar Sísísí. In 1983, Masó opened Paspoc in Cardedeu, a small shop where she curated her own selection of interior objects and gifts.

In 1985, alongside Javier Nieto Santa and Gabriel Ordeig Cole, she co-founded the design company Santa & Cole. Their approach was groundbreaking in Spain at the time—translating the traditional role of a book publisher into the world of industrial design. At the heart of their philosophy was a warm, human light that challenged the cold standards of the day.

With Gabriel, she designed La Bella Durmiente (1987), a revolutionary lamp that brought color to fluorescent lighting. Nina became an ambassador for comfort and welcoming light—what she called “friendly light, because good lighting makes you better. It’s about helping people look beautiful in the light.” Her passion led her to travel the world sharing her vision through an itinerant presentation inspired by García Lorca’s La Barraca, which she made her own.

As an interior designer, she also led notable projects such as the Embassy for Local Democracy in Sarajevo, commissioned by the Barcelona City Council in 1996; Telefónica’s Corporate University in La Roca (2007); and the Casa Bonay hotel in Barcelona (2016). Her last major work was the restoration of the historic building that today houses Santa & Cole’s headquarters in Parc de Belloch (Barcelona).