Born in Barcelona in 1946, Pepe Cortés León was a precocious creator. At the age of 16, while working in an architecture studio, he attended classes at the Massana school in Barcelona. He then jumped to Elisava, to finally study Design at Eina, in his first class, where he would later serve as a teacher. In 1970 he participated in the creation of the Open Design Group, very much in the interdisciplinary style of the time, of short duration, and was a partner of the interior designer Libby Cowell.
Pepe was a very fine guy, a skilled draftsman, rigorous and decisive, an expert in construction details, which together with his peculiar affable character led him to collaborate with other prominent professionals, such as Oscar Tusquets, Eduard Samsó, Alfredo Arribas, Silvia Farriol, or make a peculiar tandem with Javier Mariscal. From 1981 to 1987 they collaborated creating various furniture for the Basque company Akaba and the furniture collection Very formal for BD Design Editions. He alone designed the Olvidada linen lamp or the masterful Jamaica stool, both pieces still in production by BD.
As a refined and minimalist interior designer, the Tragaluz restaurant stands out, the genesis of the hospitality group of the same name, but also the renovation of the façade of the La Caixa de Pensions branches, and various shops, restaurants and wineries. He also did private interiors, such as Josep Carreras’ house. And various exhibitions for the Generalitat. For all this he was awarded the National Design Award in 2006. He was one of the most discreet protagonists of the boom of Spanish design from the eighties of the last century.
He was always an affectionate and discreet character, without protagonist desire. As a result of certain health problems, he delegated his work to his collaborators and settled in a farmhouse in Empordà in 2010, together with his wife Lola Arpa, where he continued to be active with interior design work in the area, near his friend Mariscal, and creating an ecological farm and garden. In 2011 the FAD network honored him as a teacher. A couple of months ago, as a result of an infection, his delicate heart was affected again, and he stopped beating on June 22 at the age of 78. He has been a happy, graceful and professionally recognized character, from whom many of us learned to make construction plans, professional management of an office and appreciate good wines. We will miss the mischievous smile of him smoking a cigar, his bonhomie, and his creative aim without fuss.
