Journal
Youssef Mahgoub
Youssef Mahgoub
I am an interior designer driven by atmosphere, emotion, and the stories spaces can tell. My interest in design began at a young age, when my father would take me to construction sites and I would imagine the unfinished spaces as entirely different worlds to play in. That curiosity still shapes the way I design today. I begin each project by thinking about how a space should feel, then use light, material, colour, scale, and contrast to build that experience. For me, interior design is about transforming empty spaces into environments that people can connect with, remember, and genuinely feel.
Education:
Bachelor of Interior Design, IED BarcelonaSeptember 2023 to August 2027
Professional experience:
Mood Swings, EgyptFounder. December 20, 2020 to December 12, 2022
Founded a clothing brand with my friends in high school, then left due to issues in the team.
Mahgoub Ceramic, EgyptOperations Assistant. June 30, 2019 to present
Assisted with placing orders, managing daily operations, supervising staff, and supporting the smooth running of the business.
Languages:
English (native)
Arabic (native)
Spanish
Contact
AddressAvinguda Diagonal 538, Barcelona, Spain, 08006
Emailyoussefmahgoubb@gmail.com
Phone+20 106 777 4346
Contents.
Cabaret Soiree
Moodboard collage: hands raising glasses of whisky and spritz, disco balls hanging over a jazz saxophonist on a red and yellow glow, men reading newspapers and the headlight of a vintage car. The title runs across the bottom of the page.
Concept.
- Old prints
- Vintage sports cars
- Raw materials
- LED lights
- House
- Jazz
Cabaret Soiree transforms the CCCB patio into a sophisticated and immersive chic soirée club, blending nostalgia, luxury, and modern ambiance. Rooted in six carefully chosen themes (old prints, vintage sports cars, raw materials, LED lights, house and jazz music), the space is designed to show an elegant yet contemporary atmosphere.
The layout includes a VIP section for an exclusive experience and a standing area for dynamic social interaction. A key highlight is the display of two vintage sports cars elevated on platforms, their LED-lit headlights adding to the club’s sleek aesthetic. To respect the architectural integrity of the building, red LED lights subtly enhance the surrounding windows, creating a striking yet refined effect.
Music plays a central role, with house beats setting the rhythm and live jazz bass artists performing from dedicated platforms behind the DJ booth. This fusion of raw materials, ambient lighting, and curated soundscapes results in an intimate yet lively setting, embodying both classic elegance and contemporary energy.
Location: CCCB, Barcelona
The CCCB patio is a hidden gem in the heart of Barcelona: a spacious, open-air courtyard surrounded by the blend of old and modern architecture that defines the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. While the CCCB is widely recognized for its exhibitions and cultural programming, the patio itself often goes underused despite its incredible potential.
With its large, versatile layout and urban setting, the patio can host creative events that engage the public in new ways. Its open structure lets natural light pour in, while the surrounding historic walls give an atmospheric backdrop for performances, installations, or social gatherings. As a space that bridges indoor and outdoor, it can become more than a passageway: a vibrant cultural hub.
Technical plans.
Move over the drawing to magnify it
Renders.
1 / 3
Chrome Chapel
Moodboard collage: a figure in a sheer white shirt in front of liquid chrome, a vintage microphone, a silver sword, concrete speakers, a rosary, a twisted dry tree and a green tree. The title runs across the top of the page.
Client.
Kanye West is a Grammy-winning American rapper, producer, fashion designer, and cultural icon known for his boundary-pushing creativity, controversial public persona, and profound influence on music and style. Emerging in the early 2000s as a visionary producer for artists like Jay-Z, he soon became a solo powerhouse with his debut album The College Dropout, blending soul samples with introspective, socially conscious lyrics.
Over the years he has reinvented himself through bold, genre-defying albums like 808s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus, and Donda. Beyond music, he has made waves in fashion with Yeezy and his collaborations with Adidas, bringing streetwear into the high-fashion conversation. Equally admired and criticized, he remains one of the most polarizing and influential figures of the 21st century.
Concept.
At the heart of Chrome Chapel lies a deeply personal workspace designed to mirror Kanye West’s multifaceted life: a place where creation, leadership, and solitude can exist under one roof. More than a studio, it is a fully integrated environment where he can write, produce, design, hold meetings, and rest without ever needing to leave. Knowing his tendency to sleep in his office, the space includes a private suite seamlessly connected to the creative zones, so work and rest flow without interruption.
Above it all, a transparent pool stretches across the roof, visible from nearly every point in the space: a bold statement of his love for rawness, clarity, and exposure. The pool casts refracted light into the chapel below, creating a shifting, celestial atmosphere that evolves with the day, a constant reminder that even in isolation he remains connected to something fluid, open, and elevated.
Location.
IED Barcelona, Point 1, 2nd floor, open space
Plans.
Renders.
1 / 6
Lattice
Moodboard collage: overlapping ceramic scales above a waterfall, cupped hands catching the water, a dragon and birds in flight and a bare tree. The title sits across the middle of the collage.
Concept.
Our project proposes a ceramic lattice piece that is simple to manufacture, repeatable, and adaptable to multiple uses in the city. We designed it as a modular element that can work as a screen, a wall, and an environmental feature, while also carrying a strong symbolic meaning.
Inspired by the end of the drought in Barcelona, the lattice transforms into a small waterfall when it rains, letting water flow visibly through the modules. During the drought, public fountains were turned off to save water, making the absence of flowing water part of everyday life. The lattice becomes more than a construction element: a symbol of recovery, renewal, and the return of water to public space.
The system also creates a place where dogs, birds, and other animals can safely drink collected rainwater, answering Barcelona’s pet-friendly urban culture. Beyond water, the modules double as a flower-pot display, turning the wall into a planted surface that adds greenery, shade, and seasonal change to streets and courtyards.
Sketches.
The wall, live.
Drag to turn it
During the drought, Barcelona turned its public fountains off. The wall stands dry.
Render.
Hadaka
Moodboard collage: concrete arches, two faceless figures in black, one in a hat, a woman resting on a black ledge, and bare trees on either side. The title runs across the top.
Client.
Tokujin Yoshioka is a Japanese designer whose artistic vision has been shaped by introspection and the influences of light, nature, and the quiet rhythms beneath traditional Japanese culture. Growing up in the rural town of Saga, he was mentored by Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake, which helped him develop a unique approach that blurs the lines between art, design, and sensory experience.
He has transformed materials such as glass, paper, and crystal into meditative works about impermanence and perception. Living simply and valuing silence, he draws inspiration from everyday occurrences: how light moves through space, the sound of rain falling, how air moves around him. He believes design can help people reconnect with beauty, fragility, and the subtle poetry of time.
Concept.
The house is designed as a calm and powerful space for Tokujin Yoshioka, rooted in brutalist architecture yet shaped with touches that make it feel cozy and deeply livable. Strong concrete forms define the structure and give it a bold, sculptural presence, while warm materials such as wood and leather soften the atmosphere and bring comfort to the interiors.
The layout remains open and uncluttered, letting space, light, and silence become essential parts of daily life. Reflections created through light, smooth surfaces, and subtle finishes temper the weight of the raw materials, giving the house a quieter, more inviting character. With its honest textures and restrained palette, it becomes a place where strength and softness coexist.
Material board.
Floor plans.
Renders.
1 / 4
Buly Pop Up
Moodboard collage: a gilded mirror between two street lamps, mossy stones, carved stone arches, concrete walls, a small tree, curling wood and a woman in a fur coat. The title runs across the top.
Location.
L’illa Diagonal, Barcelona
L’illa Diagonal is a major mixed-use shopping centre on Barcelona’s Avinguda Diagonal. Designed by Rafael Moneo and Manuel de Solà-Morales, it is known for its long “horizontal skyscraper” form and combines shops, restaurants, offices, and hotels. Its location in an affluent business and residential area supports its fashion and service-focused retail mix.
Architecturally, the building tries to solve a difficult urban problem: how to place a very large commercial complex inside the city without it feeling like an isolated suburban mall. While its scale can feel inward-looking next to Barcelona’s street life, it remains an important example of how commerce, architecture, and urban design can be integrated into the city.
New product.
A luxury paint spray designed to look like it belongs within Officine Universelle Buly’s cosmetic world while serving a completely unexpected purpose. Instead of a traditional paint can, the paint is housed in a crystal glass perfume bottle, preserving the brand’s refined apothecary identity and turning an industrial product into an elegant collectible object.
When the pump is squeezed, the bottle releases paint like spray paint, a playful contrast between beauty, decoration, and artistic expression. The crystal body gives it permanence and value, encouraging customers to refill it rather than discard it: luxurious and sustainable at once.
Hold the bottle to spray, or paint straight onto the panel. Tap the dot to change colour.
Concept.
Officine Universelle Buly’s new luxury paint store is designed as a place where heritage is deliberately fractured to make room for reinvention. Inspired by the slogan “Out with the old and in with the new,” the concept reflects the brand’s history of survival, from the impact of the French Revolution and bankruptcy to its recent revival.
Rather than abandoning Buly’s vintage identity, the store lets customers physically experience the tension between past and future. The space appears partially broken down, with cracked surfaces, exposed forms, and a worn architectural atmosphere, while still preserving the elegance of an old luxury boutique. This contrast introduces the paint line as a bold departure from Buly’s cosmetic world, still grounded in the brand’s story.
Technicals.
Move over the drawing to magnify it
Renders.
1 / 4
Contact.
Phone
Address
Avinguda Diagonal 538,
08006 Barcelona, Spain
Youssef Mahgoub, Interior Design, IED Barcelona