Alumni Stories – Rocío Gambín

Where were you born?

I was born in Alicante.

Where do you live?

I currently live in Valencia.

What did you study during your time at Elisava?

I studied the Master’s in Furniture Design.

Where do you work?

I work in the product development department at Viccarbe, while also working on independent projects for brands like Hannun.

What has your professional journey been like?

I studied Industrial Design Engineering in Valencia, and for my final year, I studied at Politecnico di Milano. After finishing my degree, I stayed in Milan for another year, working at a product design studio focused on habitat design. Then, I decided to pursue the Master’s in Furniture Design at Elisava. As soon as I started, I got an internship at the technical office of BD Barcelona, where I ended up working for a few years. From there, I moved into outdoor furniture, developing products for the brand Diabla (Gandia Blasco) while also starting to work on some personal projects. Currently, I’m still focused on the more technical side of furniture development at Viccarbe, while gradually making my way into the more aesthetic and formal aspects of furniture design.

What does design mean to you?

For me, design is creation; it is the means by which we innovate and improve any aspect of our lives and everything around us.

Who inspires you professionally?

It would be difficult for me to name just one person who inspires me professionally. But if I had to pick someone historically, I love the functional minimalism of Alvar Aalto—his soft, curved lines convey harmony and connect you with nature.

Today, I closely follow the work of Italian designer Federica Biasi. I find it fascinating how she achieves elegant and contemporary results through simple shapes while maintaining the warmth of tradition.

How would you define your time at Elisava?

My time at Elisava confirmed that the professional path I was beginning to take was exactly where I wanted to be. Each subject, all related to furniture but with different approaches, helped guide me toward where I wanted to go—at least for now.

What has left the biggest mark on you from what you learned at Elisava?

How much it brought me closer to the reality of the professional world.

One piece of advice:

Work hard, stay humble, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. You never know where they might lead you. And if, at some point, you feel like you’re not on the right path, you can always find a new one.

A future challenge:

To keep developing my own projects, merging technique and aesthetics—while always enjoying the process!