INTERIOR DESIGN IN BARCELONA

The city of Barcelona has a personality of its own thanks to its citizens and its stunning architecture, wide streets and impressive monuments. Due to its strategic position in the Mediterranean and with one of the most important ports in Europe, Barcelona has always been influenced by other cultures. Barcelona is a melting pot of different cultures and eras that create a unique ecosystem where we can find from Gothic architecture to the most modern buildings and facilities. The careful attention paid to design in this city is clearly understood and reflected in the way that spaces and infrastructures are created.

INTERIORISM IN BARCELONA: AN EXPONENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

We can say that interior design in Barcelona arises from the influence of Art Nouveau, being Antoni Gaudí the main representative of the movement. His work was a turning point in the personality of the city – he created a personal and unique style known as Catalan Modernism that you can find anywhere you go in Barcelona.

Gaudí was a remarkable architect that created an immense cultural heritage, but he also created new ways of understanding architecture and interior design. Gothic, oriental and natural influences were mixed in his creations. Gaudí covered all the fields of design and architecture in all the different buildings and homes he designed, from the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló or Park Güell to La Pedrera, Colònia Güell and Casa Vicens.

Gaudí considered the entire building as part of his creation, from the structures and the decoration of its facades to the design of the interior of the houses, stairs, elevators or doors. The approach of the building was holistic, a complete work of art where different techniques such as ceramics, glassware, iron forging and carpentry were integrated with engineering and architecture in a perfect blend. He combined tradition and innovation in a perfect balance, and there’s no doubt that Gaudí was the forefather of Catalan interior design.

AVANT-GARDE INTERIORISM

The most important element of interior design is the idea of design and space as a single entity that simultaneously flows in harmony to highlight everything it contains.

You just have to take a walk around the city to see the importance of interior design in Barcelona. Just by looking at the shop windows, you see how far the window dressing (with its visual merchandising variant) has become relevant for interior design.

You want your shop window to display the qualities of a product and increase desire to buy in the mind of your clients. Its design is a very careful creation that has to showcase the product in a certain way to call the attention of potential customers who are then attracted to enter the store and that once they are inside they find an atmosphere that makes them want to stay, buy and come back.

The space is modeled with colours, volumes, materials, fabrics, levels… Everything is worked and mixed to create a balance of sensations that highlight the product and offer the best shopping experience. Old premises are turned into the trendiest stores in a perfect blend of old and new where modernist exuberance coexists with minimalism as in the new COS Store or the Massimo Dutti new flagship store both in Passeig de Gràcia. Loewe, Hermés and Nino Álvarez, Santa Eulalia and Gratacós have the best designed stores and their window displays are among the most awarded ones in Europe.

AVANT-GARDE INTERIORISM IN HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND OFFICES

You can also find interior design in the hospitality sector. Contemporary restaurants offer you a complete experience and that is achieved through a very studied interior design where not only the taste but the sight, the ear, the smell and the touch are delighted – upholstery, furniture, decoration of the walls, every detail is designed in a way that eating in a restaurant is no longer only eating food but a unique experience of all the senses.

Some remarkable examples of Interiorism in Barcelona within the hospitality sector are the beautiful Ikibana Restaurant, built to resemble a forest of entwined branches where wood, lush leaves and curves create a feeling of movement as the light flows projecting different shades on walls and furniture. Another great example is the Tunateca Belfegó, where red tuna is the star ingredient. It was designed to resemble the bottom of the sea based on the colours of the skin and flesh of the tuna fish, blue, silver and red.

Aürt, the Hilton Diagonal Mar Hotel’s restaurant, which recently won the Award as the Best Designed European Restaurant according to the International Hotel and Property Awards is located in the hotel’s lobby, where light and space, blue, orange and wooden colours that represent the energy of Barcelona create a unique ambience to enjoy the culinary show that takes place in front of the clients.
You can’t miss El Nacional, a complete Gourmet experience, where you can find up to 8 different culinary areas. It is huge and industrial, modern and retro but at the same time cosy and detail-oriented.

The same goes for hotels – OD Barcelona, where design plays the leading role or The Edition Hotel, where walnut wood, marble, designer’s furniture and pieces of art combine to create a sense of peace and calm.
The office facilities have completely changed their appearance from being uniform boxes with rows of tables and poor lighting of the early 20th century to be spaces that allow the development of the professional skills of their employees, avoiding stress as much as possible. Environments where the colours, the distribution of the tables, the lights and even the ventilation are studied to maximise the capacity and comfort of everyone, looking for a better productivity and efficiency, notwithstanding the creation of a pleasant and relaxing environment that provides good communication both horizontally and vertically.

EXPERIENCING DESIGN LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Interior design in Barcelona radiates in its streets and neighborhoods from the Gothic Quarter with its shops and boutiques, as well as the Olympic Port, with its towers, restaurants and leisure areas, walking through the tech district 22@ and contemplating the peculiar shape of Torre Glòries, formerly known as Torre Agbar.

A showcase of the evolution of a personal and original style in a unique and different city where any activity ceases to be an activity to become a vital experience.
Barcelona equals interior design. Come and enjoy the experience.