I am Javier Catalá, product designer, photographer and the guy behind "things by their name."

I make things. Things with a story. I like the story of things. Simple and thoughtful things combining some cool tools with good old craftsmanship. 

And I have this one rule: never make two things alike.

I am Mediterranean, and I can’t help it; I care for a laid-back lifestyle.

Taking it easy and living simple, makes you feel more creative. Then it’s all about making the best and not making the most.

I live in a pink house among almond trees. Around here, fields’ boundaries are made with thick dry stone walls. The whole island has thousands of these walls and millions of stones in them.

Each and every one of these stones, at some point, has been handheld by someone. All of them. First they were collected, and then carefully fitted in their final place. From that moment, all stones are quietly bonded to a unique story. A story about the times in which they became part of a wall, and  about the lives of those who brought them to this massive puzzle game. 

My day starts with a walk along the stone walls. I don’t like talking on the phone, however, during these walks, I find relaxing to hold it, and run my fingers on its surface. It helps me think. I would like a cell phone that was better designed with this tactile use in mind.

Uniqueness has to do with singularity of form, and even more with the story behind that form. But something becomes really unique once we start using it in our own way.

With things by their name. I would like to honor the unexpected and creative uses we make of stuff. Usability is a complex, layered, and personal system that only reveals itself with the everyday use of things. 

After the walk: breakfast. Ditte always makes that. The climax of the day right after it has just begun!

The last cup of coffee makes it to the workshop. Originally conceived as a sheep stable and a chicken run, it was build with a local porous stone so soft, that by now there are no sharp corners anymore. 

Working should be fun. That’s why I am also thinking about myself when not making two things alike. Being in the workshop is different each day, since every thing is unique... a unique story...