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[title]Eme Carranza is the mind behind some of Buenos Aires’ most memorable bars and restaurants. Her signature: color, prints, and an identity unafraid of risk. From Lisbon, where she now lives, she blends European calm with Buenos Aires’ intensity to create spaces that tell their own stories. In this conversation, she opens up her world: the family heritage that shaped her aesthetic eye, the intuition that guides each project, the motherhood that’s just around the corner, and the creative challenges that still excite her.
Your grandmother worked at Vogue and was a big influence on you. What did she pass down to you from that connection with aesthetics, fashion, and editorial work? Do you feel that heritage is still present in your work today?
My grandmother was pure glamour and character. I grew up surrounded by her obsession with detail and a very refined yet free aesthetic. She was always with friends, traveling the world, seeking new experiences. From her I learned that beauty can be a way of life, not just a pose, and that to stand out you need to be true to yourself no matter what others say. That heritage remains in me, though today I translate it into a more playful and daring language: less classic editorial, more mixing and play.
"From my grandmother I learned that beauty can be a way of life, not just a pose"
Your spaces are instantly recognizable by their use of color, prints, and an identity that embraces risk. How did you find your style, and what role does intuition play in that process?
My style is more intuition than formula. I like to take risks and go against the grain, to try combinations that “shouldn’t work” and find a way to make them work. I enjoy doing what isn’t supposed to be done, using what nobody likes. I like to disrupt things and for that chaos to spark magic. Color and prints give me freedom: they’re like my own language.
"My style is more intuition than formula"
You live in Portugal but work on projects in Argentina and beyond. How does that more international perspective impact the way you design gastronomic spaces? What inspires you there today?
Living abroad gives you perspective. In Lisbon I learned to value simplicity, to connect with calm and with craftsmanship. But being Argentine inevitably brings out my more vibrant, chaotic, and overflowing side, where improvisation and problem-solving skills are gold. At the same time, traveling and observing how different cultures consume opened my mind: I came to understand other markets, other ways of inhabiting, and relating to food. That mix always inspires me: the serenity here, the learning from travel, and the intensity there.
"Being Argentine brings out my most vibrant, chaotic, and overflowing side, where improvisation and problem-solving are gold"
At Rebel you work alongside Tiago, your partner in life and business. What is it like to share both life and creative processes at the same time? Do they overlap, or do they balance out naturally?
Tiago and I met working together, and we fell in love that way—sharing the same passion. We both live for what we do, and for me it would be inconceivable to be with someone who didn’t understand or take part in what I love, because my life is deeply intertwined with my work. I travel a lot, and with him I found a partner to share, enjoy, and explore the world with. Of course, sometimes personal and professional life overlap, but in our case it fuels us—we’re two creators of worlds who, together, are shaping a world of our own.
You’re about to become a mother. How are you experiencing this deeply transformative moment while being such an active, creative professional? Do you feel motherhood is beginning to influence the way you see design?
For a long time I wanted nothing to do with motherhood. I think in some way, creative people are always gestating projects and materializing ideas—and of course, that’s not the same thing, but I didn’t have that curiosity. I also felt that my lifestyle couldn’t coexist with that of a mother, with responsibilities and routines that were impossible for me to imagine. Today I see it differently: the concept of home, family, and motherhood has become much freer. I feel very fulfilled professionally, and although I love what I do and want to keep growing, I felt it was time to challenge myself personally. Now I want to start building not only spaces but also a new life that will transform me in every way.
You’ve designed iconic spaces like Niño Gordo, El Preferido, and many more. Do you have a dream project, or is there a kind of place you’d still love to design?
More than a specific type of space, what excites me is exploring new markets. I’m drawn to the idea of designing in contexts that represent a true creative and cultural challenge—Japan, for instance, where aesthetics, tradition, and consumption habits are completely different. That clash between my language and such a different culture feels like both a dream and a huge challenge.
We know something is brewing at Palacio Palanti, in Barrio Parque. Can you share anything about that project? What does it mean to you to intervene in a place with so much history and symbolism?
It’s a very special project because that place has unique energy and a lot of history. To intervene in such a building is like having a dialogue with the past and bringing it into the present without losing its strength. I can’t reveal much yet, but I can say we’re very excited to be working there.
PING PONG
A color that never misses in your projects: a bone tone, never white :)
A print you love: All of them. I love patterns—they’re choreographies of elements.
A place in Buenos Aires that inspires you: San Telmo
A restaurant you love, for its design or food: El Dabbang
A current creative reference: Olafur Eliasson
Buenos Aires or Lisbon? Both: Lisbon calms me, Buenos Aires fires me up.
Design or intuition? Intuition