Our Story
Two lives shaped by international education, cultural exchange, and a deep sensitivity toward spaces that bring people together.
Nuestra historia
Atelier House was founded by Almara Enriquez Dabdoub, whose life has been shaped by international education, cultural exchange, and a deep appreciation for spaces that bring people together. The project was developed in close collaboration with her sister, Alexia Enriquez Dabdoub, who plays a key role in shaping the educational and operational vision of Atelier House.
Born in Mexico and Canada respectively, the sisters grew up between North America and Europe in a family deeply connected to international education. For more than three decades, their family has developed an educational program in Canada focused on English language learning and cultural immersion for international students.
Growing up in this environment meant being surrounded by different languages, cultures, and people from around the world. From an early age, they learned to value diversity, embrace new perspectives, and build meaningful connections across cultures. Over time, these experiences became the foundation of Atelier House.
Almara Enriquez Dabdoub
As founder and CEO, Almara has built an international career spanning diplomacy, global communications, and international relations, reflecting her multicultural upbringing.
She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian, and has lived and studied across North America and Europe, including academic exchanges in Italy and France.
Her academic background includes studies in Marketing at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), International Studies and Modern Languages at the University of Ottawa, and a Master's degree in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Throughout her career, she has worked at Global Affairs Canada, the Embassy of Canada to Spain, and the international communications agency Cohn & Wolfe in New York, leading projects and events across sectors including trade, investment, and healthcare. These experiences gave her a deep understanding of how cultures and communities connect across borders, while also providing valuable insight through her work with expatriate families. Today, that experience continues to shape the way Atelier House welcomes and supports its international community.
A Life Between Cultures
The vision for Atelier House also stems from Almara's personal experience of building a life between cultures. Living in Madrid with her Spanish husband and young daughter, she experienced first-hand both the richness and the challenges of raising a child in a different cultural environment.
This experience strengthened her desire to create a place where people from different backgrounds could come together naturally and feel at home. Atelier House reflects this way of life – international in outlook, contemporary in spirit, and deeply connected to community.
Alexia Enriquez Dabdoub
As Head of Operations and Childcare Program Lead, Alexia plays a central role in the development of Atelier Kids.
Raised and educated in Canada, she holds a Master's degree in Education, where her research focused on the phenomenological study of student adaptation and enculturation in international contexts. She also studied law in the United Kingdom and completed academic programs in Switzerland and Germany.
Before joining Atelier House, Alexia worked as a refugee and immigration lawyer in Toronto, supporting international families as they navigated the challenges of adapting to life in a new country.
Inspired by Coffee Culture
The idea for Atelier House was also shaped by Almara's appreciation for coffee culture around the world. While living in Rome, she discovered the important role coffee plays in everyday life and social connection. Later, in Los Angeles and New York, she developed an appreciation for specialty coffee and thoughtfully designed cafés that had become vibrant gathering places within their communities.
These experiences inspired the creation of a place where coffee, creativity, and everyday life come together – a space where enjoying a cup of coffee becomes an opportunity to pause, connect, and feel at home.
With the support of Almara's husband, an architect with extensive experience designing agritourism projects in the Balearic Islands, Atelier House gradually took shape as a place that feels both elegant and welcoming.
Every element of Atelier House reflects a shared belief: that thoughtfully designed spaces have the power to bring people together and create a genuine sense of belonging.
Atelier House is the result of all these experiences – a project born from international journeys, a lifelong connection to education, and a shared belief in the power of design to bring people together.