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Obstacles

  • Barcelona, Spain
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A Love Letter to Catalan Craftmanship

The Bio

Sheila Llovet is a Barcelona-born designer and founder of Obstacles, a furniture design studio that redefines the dialogue between space, material, and form. Her work is deeply influenced by her Mediterranean heritage and shaped by years living in Cape Town, Paris, and Belgium. Drawing from both Eastern and Western design philosophies, she creates pieces that embody quiet luxury, essential geometry, and timeless craftsmanship.

With a background in interior design, Sheila’s journey into furniture emerged from a desire to enhance architectural spaces with pieces that respect their surroundings. Her work emphasizes simplicity, stillness, and the enduring beauty of natural materials—rooted in a belief that true elegance lies in restraint.

Through Obstacles, Sheila presents a vision where furniture becomes a meaningful presence—crafted with intention, made to last, and always in harmony with its environment.

Get in touch with us if any inquiries into Obstacles’s work

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The Products
  • Murakami Table Murakami Table
    • Murakami Table
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Twin Oak Twin Oak
    • Twin Oak
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Cosmos Table Cosmos Table
    • Cosmos Table
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Marina Sofa Marina Sofa
    • Marina Sofa
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Tabi Stand Tabi Stand
    • Tabi Stand
    • 1.000 EUR
    • Obstacles
    • ex. VAT
  • Sister Table Sister Table
    • Sister Table
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Paris Table Paris Table
    • Paris Table
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Ernest Desk Ernest Desk
    • Ernest Desk
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Tanizaki Coffee Table Tanizaki Coffee Table
    • Tanizaki Coffee Table
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
  • Sobre Mesa Sobre Mesa
    • Sobre Mesa
    • Price on request
    • Obstacles
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The Conversation

Looking back, is there an early memory — an object, a place, or a person — that first awakened your sensitivity to form and beauty?

Yes. The mother of a friend of mine, Leonor, known as Norita to friends and family, was the one who inspired me and made me dream of creating spaces and objects. She had a piece of land where she grew blueberries and made her own marmalade, I became a little addicted to it. During her travels, she would buy furniture from Africa and combine it with contemporary metallic pieces. Her home was incredibly elegant and deeply authentic. The way she lived, how she prepared tea, the ingredients she used to cook, was so different from what I was used to at home, and it was beautiful to observe. She had a strong Asian influence in her taste and way of life. I often visited her house to play with her daughter, and over time, I became very close to her as well. This year, I designed a low stool as an ode to her, inspired by the Senufo African stool she always used to sit on. I developed a lot of love and admiration for her over the years.

You often collaborate closely with artisans. Beyond the work itself, what have these relationships taught you about patience, humility, or even friendship?

It has had two sides throughout my professional journey, it’s both difficult and beautiful, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet and I had to accept that it is parto f the journey. When you find the right artisan, you need to hold on to them and build a relationship based on trust and respect. For many years, before officially launching Obstacles, I often felt frustrated with the results. This entire journey has taught me that you need to be patient and never give up. What I’ve learned the most is to stay close to the people who share the same passion and pursuit of excellence as I do.

Choose one material you return to again and again. What memory does it carry for you? Tell us about a time the material resisted your idea and how that resistance shaped the final form.

I’ve been working with oak since the beginning of my career because it embodies strength, endurance, and quiet beauty. This year, I started introducing walnut, it has a different expression, yet I’m learning that it can also convey humility and calm depending of how you work with it. Working with oak has brought many challenges, especially because the pieces at Obstacles are large, thick, and minimal, three qualities that are not easy to balance. The wood moves, expands with temperature changes, and sometimes it cracks. In the beginning, I tried to control that, but I quickly realized it’s part of the material’s nature, part of the object’s own personality. I see it as a dialogue between the material and time itself.

What keeps you restless, returning again and again to the studio? Is it curiosity, discipline, a need to prove something, or something else entirely?

For me, it’s a form of artistic expression. When I was a child, I lived far from town, so I spent a lot of time in the garage making things with my hands. I once told my mother I wanted to be an artist, but she suggested studying something with more possibilities. I explored interior design, enjoyed it, and made it my profession. Over time, I reconnected with that same childhood feeling through the creation of furniture pieces. When I finally materialized my own ideas, I realized this was the closest I could get to feeling truly fulfilled by what I do. Design, for me, is a way of feeling identified.

When life feels overwhelming, where do you find peace? Is there a ritual, a place, or a practice that helps you return to yourself and to inspiration?

I basically go to sleep.

Obstacles

I never design with the intention of creating a specific feeling for someone. I began designing these kinds of pieces to let architecture breathe, as a bridge between interior design and architecture. It makes me happy to see that I’m not the only one who can sense the soul of these objects. I like when an object exists quietly within a space, unnoticed until it’s truly seen. And once it’s noticed, it invites observation and reflection. That moment of recognition is deeply beautiful to witness. It is a moment of silence. When people choose to acquire one of Obstacles’ pieces, I understand that they share the same vision, a sensitivity to silence, proportion, and the quiet life that resides within materials.