Through our Women Who Inspire Us series we aim to highlight women who live their lives in a way that we find empowering. We introduce you to someone who has crossed our path - virtually or IRL - and left a lasting impression.
Marina Senabre is an architect and designer whose work is deeply connected to the Mediterranean landscape she calls home. Splitting her time between Mallorca and Menorca, Marina creates spaces that reflect simplicity, honesty, and a deep respect for nature. Her approach to architecture is about more than aesthetics—it’s about shaping environments that harmonize with their inhabitants and surroundings.
Today, we are excited to share our #WomenWhoInspireUs interview with Marina Senabre. Her words offer insight into her creative process, her love for slow living, and the everyday moments that bring her joy.
Introducing - Marina Senabre
How do you describe what you do?
I am an architect and designer from Valencia based in the Balearic Islands. I live and work mostly between the islands of Mallorca and Menorca, always close to the Mediterranean Sea and the Serra de Tramuntana. I like to think that what I do is sincere architecture. I am not interested in ornament or ostentation, I am not even interested in success. I want my architecture to be able to reflect the way of life of its inhabitants. I understand each project as an exercise to investigate new ways of inhabiting, finding beauty and relating spaces through geometry and composition.
Name three words that describe you.
Honest, creative, curious.
Share some moments that calm your mind and make you happy. What do you do to unwind and reconnect with yourself?
Swimming in the sea. The healing feeling of getting the head in the sea, that’s what I do when I want to reconnect not only with myself but also with the present time and give perspective to things around me, that might not be as important as that swim in the sea at that precise moment.
What does slow living mean to you?
To me, slow living means prioritizing quality time over extreme productivity. I prefer to have time to sit and just enjoy the views from my terrace, take a walk in the nature or a dip in the sea rather than be constantly productive to earn money.
Tell us about your morning routine!
I love to be very slow in the mornings. The perfect morning routine for me would be sleeping until late, having breakfast in the terrace and then practicing yoga.
Where do you find your inspiration?
It seems like a cliché, but inspiration can be everywhere, even in an environment other than architecture. I like to understand creative disciplines as very similar processes, in which the only thing that differentiates them is the scale of the piece. In this sense, inspiration can be found in a painting, a sculpture or a book, but also in contemporary dance, which takes place in a dynamically shaped space. Architecture, after all, is the art that is inhabited. And of course, inspiration can be found in nature.
Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?
Life will be hard sometimes, but you will love it, even getting older.
Can you highlight a specific piece of clothing you've owned for a long time that holds a special place in your heart, and share the story behind it?
I have a vintage black tuxedo blazer from my mom that can elevate any outfit.
Your current or all time favorite song?
I don't know if I have a single favourite song of all time. What I listen to the most is jazz and classical music, especially while I'm working. For a long time, I've been listening to The Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter a lot. But I could also name The National, Portishead or Bob Dylan as my favourites, among many others.
Complete the following sentences:
I feel most happy when… I have a glass of wine after a day of sun and sea with the
people I love.
We all should… laugh a lot every day.
I never leave the house without… sunglasses.
When I look at my wardrobe, I see a collection of… traditional Balearic “capazos”
(or baskets), I have all sizes, made of straw and also leather.
In my wardrobe, I always make space for… perfect basics in earth tones or black. In summer, I always have space for one more silk dress. In winter, I transform into an elderly Japanese man, so I always reach for oversized clothes and masculine suits.
A woman who inspires me is… my mother.
