A Frank Chat With Dauré Design
Founded in 2019 by French duo Caroline Daubet and Adrien D’Hau Decuypère, Dauré Design has become a well-known agency in Barcelona’s creative landscape. The studio blends Parisian elegance with Mediterranean style, creating interiors that feel intentional and timeless.
What began as a shared passion for architecture, design, and the energy of Barcelona has grown into an established practice that combines interior architecture and real estate. Dauré Design’s projects are known for their quiet sophistication. These are interiors that radiate calm, celebrate light, and balance beauty with functionality.
We recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Caroline and Adrien to market one of their thoughtfully renovated apartments in Poblenou. The project reflects the signature design philosophy of their studio: calm, characterful, and deeply intentional. In this conversation, they talk about their philosophy, their French roots, and the creative process behind shaping a space that feels as natural as it looks.
What inspired you to start Dauré Design?
We created Dauré Design out of a shared passion for architecture, design, and the energy of the Barcelona market. It’s a city full of opportunities, with incredible properties just waiting to be revealed. We work at the intersection of interior architecture and real estate. Our goal is to help both investors and private clients unlock the potential of their properties by designing, transforming, and creating spaces that feel authentic and timeless. Our approach is driven by both creativity and business sense: we love beautiful things, but they also have to make sense.
You're originally from France, but have been living in Barcelona for over a decade. How did your French heritage influence your design choices in the apartment?
We’re both from Paris, so there’s naturally a French influence in the way we design. We grew up surrounded by Haussmannian interiors: elegant, balanced, and full of light. But we’ve also always been drawn to contemporary Parisian lofts and ateliers, with their raw and functional aesthetic. In Paris, space and budgets are often tight, so you learn to make every detail count.
That mindset shaped how we approach projects in Barcelona. We were immediately drawn to the city’s architecture, from modernist facades to Catalan vaults and remarkable craftsmanship. There’s a soul in those spaces that really speaks to us. So even when we work on a more neutral structure, like this 1960s apartment, we try to channel that same authenticity in a different way. In this project, light became our guiding element. We created a calm, minimal, and Mediterranean space that feels both timeless and quietly lived in.
What specifically attracted you to Poblenou, not just as a renovation project, but also as a place to call home?
Poblenou has this rare mix of contrasts: the remnants of its industrial past sit right next to cutting-edge creative studios and tech hubs. It feels alive, in constant evolution, yet grounded. The proximity to the beach, the wide streets, and the slightly raw, unfinished character of the neighborhood drew us in. With the beachfront redevelopment underway, there's an energy and potential here that’s hard to ignore. It feels like the right place to invest emotionally and creatively.
What inspired the overall design direction of the apartment? And how did you translate that vision into material and spatial choices?
The idea was to create a peaceful retreat in the middle of the city, a kind of urban sanctuary. We were inspired by Mediterranean simplicity and the work of mid-century European designers. The mood we had in mind was calm, grounded, and tactile. A space that breathes and changes with the light.
To bring that feeling to life, we kept the palette soft and natural: microcement floors, warm wood, textured ceramics, woven fibers. Shades of white, cream, sand, with subtle touches of olive green and brass. The black-framed windows add contrast, giving the space its quiet structure. It’s minimal, but not cold. Everything feels intentional, warm, and connected to the Mediterranean spirit.
Were there any unexpected discoveries or pleasant surprises you ran into during the renovation process?
There were no big surprises during the renovation, but a few really special moments when everything started to come together. When the microcement floors were poured, when the walls were finally painted in the perfect shades of beige, white and cream, and when the new minimalist black-framed windows were installed, those were the turning points. That’s when the apartment truly came to life, exactly as we had imagined it: calm, balanced, and filled with light.
Could you highlight one or two subtle design elements that visitors might overlook, yet greatly contribute to the overall ambiance?
One of our favourite details is the built-in unit we designed under the living room windows. It’s an open, microcement piece with niches for books and objects. Simple and sculptural, it carries that raw Mediterranean character we love. It balances the height of the windows and gives structure to the room while keeping a calm, minimal atmosphere.
Maybe it’s the Parisian in us, but storage tends to be an obsession in all our projects. We love spaces that feel beautiful but also effortless to live in. And in this apartment, we wanted every built-in to feel completely integrated, part of the architecture rather than something added on.
Even though you don’t live here, was there a space or moment in the apartment that made you pause and think: this is it?
Definitely in the late afternoon, when the sun comes through the windows and the whole living room turns golden. The light becomes soft, everything slows down, and there’s this quiet feeling that the space is exactly as it should be.
Could you share your favourite local spot, a café, hidden garden, or boutique that newcomers shouldn’t miss?
We’re French, so it’s no surprise that many of our favourite places revolve around food, coffee and atmosphere. Poblenou is full of places with real character. They feel authentic, full of life, and quietly beautiful in their own way. These are three of our favourites:
Sensorial Café
We love Sensorial Café, on the corner of Maria Aguiló, one of the most charming pedestrian streets in Poblenou. It still has its original wooden façade and Catalan vaulted ceiling. The atmosphere is warm and cosy, and it’s always lively in the morning. It’s the kind of place where people meet over one of the best café con leche in the neighbourhood.
Restaurant Entrepreneur
We really appreciate the atmosphere at Entrepreneur. It’s a small Mediterranean restaurant, elegant yet relaxed, with limewashed walls, raw wood and a simple, natural design. The food is all about refined, shareable tapas, rooted in local flavours but subtly inventive.
La Pubilla del Taulat
And we love La Pubilla del Taulat, one of Poblenou’s old bars, also on Maria Aguiló. It’s connected to a small bodega that still sells wine and vermouth from the barrel. It reopened this year and was kept exactly as it was. Simple, warm, and full of soul.
How did you experience the selling process?
For us, every project is like bringing a space to life. We put a lot of soul and energy into each one, always with the aim to reveal its full potential and create something that truly feels alive. So finding the right partner to represent it was essential. Your team at Fantastic Frank Barcelona immediately understood the spirit of the project and managed to showcase not just the design, but the care and emotion behind it. You also knew exactly how to connect it with the right audience: people who value authenticity, design, and attention to detail. It felt like a perfect match, both in how you presented the space and in the buyer you ultimately brought to it.
Now that this renovation is complete, what’s next for you?
We’re already working on a few new residential projects. Some are here in Poblenou, others in Gotico and Eixample, neighborhoods we really love for their atmosphere and energy. Every new space is a chance for us to start fresh and create something that truly belongs to its place.
To see more of the space and its design moments, explore the full apartment here, a collaboration between Dauré Design and Fantastic Frank Barcelona.
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