The magic of craftsmanship as stonemasons is being able to turn a block of stone into a unique piece. That is what excites us, what moves us.

Throughout the trajectory and history of Barbany Artesans we have had many projects, all of them with their own peculiarities and characteristics, so it is necessary to study it and plan it well so that the results are optimal.

To be able to say that we have taken part in the construction of the Sagrada Familia is a privilege, but it is also a pride that there are people who trust us to create pieces that will form part of their home, of their day to day, of their life.

We produce stone pieces

This is what we have always done. We work the stone in an artisan way, introducing machinery of the times in which we live. And the fact is that the artisan has always used the means that society has given him. A stonemason from the Iron Age would not be understood without iron, just as today a stonemason would not be understood without taking advantage of modern technology.

What defines a craftsman is knowing how to devise tools, machines or machinery in order to achieve a unique piece of the highest quality. This is the great quality of craftsmanship and what differentiates it from handicrafts.

In our workshop we continue to do what we have always done: exclusive works.

Barbany Artesans has received and continues to receive all kinds of projects: from works of everyday use to large monuments, as well as pieces for construction or industrial use.

Day-to-day work

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, participating in the construction of the Sagrada Família gives us great pleasure in our profession. We also feel very fortunate when artists like Manuel Cusachs, Sophie-Elizabeth Thompson, Lau Feliu or Spencer Finch count on us to work on the works they have in mind. However, enjoying the creation of great monuments or being able to collaborate on projects for renowned buildings does not bring us the pleasure and the desire to fill our surroundings with works available to everyone.

On the one hand, we find works of everyday use such as a table, a pica, pestles, kitchens or fountains. On the other hand, we talk about constructive or industrial use when we refer to walls, benches, interior or exterior floors.

In any case, they are elements that are part of our culture and that have evolved in parallel with society, both in their design and in their use or production process.

The particularities of small parts

When we have visits to our workshop, we often start by showing the works that are larger and more voluminous because of their size and spectacularity. However, we always end up showing the works that we can hold in our hands, those that we can touch and that allow us to enjoy the textures and every detail up close. They tend to be very particular in their design and are easy to contemplate because we often see them and live with them at home: a canelobre, a flowerpot, a lamp…

We said that great monuments are impressive and this could lead us to think that they are always projects that require much more work, but the effort is not always proportional to the size of the work.

When we start to work with small pieces, sometimes we get confused thinking about how we can hold it to finish polishing it, for example. It’s a process that requires us to get involved in a way that often becomes obsessive. At the beginning we talked about the difference between crafts and handcrafts. At Barbany Artesans we don’t just work with our hands, we also think about the production method, the process of milling and polishing. And that is what we are most passionate about: creating from scratch, making calculations, looking for the best materials, working with our hands, including technology. Craftsmanship is a everything.

And when all this means being able to make things that others have not been able or have not wanted to make, everything we do makes much more sense.

We wanted to make a collection of some small projects, but there are so many…

We are thinking of the Pascuals’ firelight in Ger, the relief of a Cep for Anna Vila in Santa Eulàlia, the column at the entrance to the house of Jordi’s brother, the relief of a forger covering a furnace mouth in a farmhouse in Sant Vicenç de Montalt, the garden tables made with granite crostons, the money box in Tien or David’s small pestles…

We call them small projects because of their size, but being able to be part of people’s homes with our creations is really, really big.

If you need more information or want to talk to us about a project you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to contact us here. We’ll be happy to talk to you.