Spanish multidisciplinary artist Coco Capitán took an unusual risk when securing her current home in east London. While she was in Japan, she relied on her assistant to view a red-brick Victorian conversion. After hurried phone calls and video tours, she made an immediate offer — without ever seeing the property herself. “Renting in this city can be so crazy,” she recalls. “You have to move fast.” Two years on, the decision has paid off.
A Space That Reflects Her Work
Capitán, known for blending photography, painting, text, and fashion, has built an international reputation. Her work has appeared in galleries from Seoul and Paris to Tokyo, and she has collaborated with major fashion houses including Gucci, Dior, and APC. She has also photographed prominent cultural figures such as Cate Blanchett, Emma Corrin, and Kyle MacLachlan.
Her rented London home mirrors her creative approach — carefully designed yet relaxed. Originally a workshop, the three-storey property has expansive rooms, polished concrete floors, and an open-plan kitchen leading to a secluded courtyard. Thanks to unusually flexible landlords, she has been able to personalise the space with bespoke shelving and painted interiors. “Most people wouldn’t go to this length to make a rented place so nice,” she admits.
A Home as a Retreat
Although based in the lively East End, Capitán describes her house as a refuge. The top floor is reserved for sleeping, the middle for work — divided between photo editing and painting — and the ground floor for hosting. Music, books, and eclectic objects add warmth: vintage Japanese photobooks, nautical memorabilia, coronation mugs, and homoerotic magazines sit alongside contemporary art pieces exchanged with fellow artists.
Her approach to interiors parallels her broader artistic style: modernist structure softened by playful, personal touches. An antique angular chess set anchors the living room, while Noguchi lamps and second-hand furniture lend character. “I like cosy spaces where you can truly feel at home,” she says, pointing out rustic Spanish chairs and wax-dripped stools around the kitchen stove.
Creativity and Space
Capitán emphasises the importance of “space to do nothing” for her creativity. Whether sitting in the garden or listening to jazz in the kitchen, she finds moments of pause as crucial as time spent in the studio. While she occasionally rents a separate workspace, most of her practice — from writing to painting — unfolds at home, where she has established clear zones for work and rest.
Beyond the Home
Her recent collaboration with August, a luxury co-ownership property company, reflects her interest in spaces of retreat. Capitán created site-specific artworks for homes in Paris, London, Rome, Cannes, and Barcelona, including a sea photograph in Cannes and an oil painting of children singing for the London property.
Though she once briefly owned a house in Mallorca during the pandemic, she returned to London, drawn to its multicultural character. “Here there are lots of religions and cultures, people live alongside each other in a way that feels respectful. That feels especially important right now,” she says.
Capitán’s most recent exhibition, Studio Debris, at Maximillian William in Fitzrovia, captured her eclectic spirit with an assemblage of Polaroids, notes, and unframed works. The subtitle — A bit of everything, a lot of nothing — could equally describe her artistic philosophy and the home she has made her own.
