With so much online consumption it’s not surprising that actual physical shops are changing the way that consumer goods are being presented. The following collection of recently opened retail experiences in Barcelona reward visiting in person. Innovation, art and beauty coincide through interior design. Many of the products are inspired by sustainable consumption or slow shopping practices. All provide a real-world interaction that remains unique to the analogue world.
Curated by, C/ Enric Granados 95, 08008
Test Barcelona + Guillermo Santomá
The shop located at the intersection of Enric Granados and Rosselló, takes full advantage of its corner setting. There is no shop window per se, the interior space is the display showcasing all the carefully selected objects and clothing articles. A series of terraces or tiers that are arranged in a gentle arc set into the space showcase designer goods. An adaptable system of metal pedestals and rails can be fitted to the leftover floor space. The colour scheme is a neutral ochre plaster and floor resin while everything else except for the metal is off-white. Two structural cast-iron columns are exposed and the Catalan vault ceiling that fans outwards are the only architectural detailing. Curated by is a Barcelona brand that specialises in a slow consumption model, offering an assortment of designer articles that are manufactured locally. The criteria is based on sustainability and lifestyle.
LaManso, Enric Granados 18
External Reference
This micro gallery for local jewellery brand La Manso is a perfect fit for its intriguing collection of eye-catching costume pieces featuring plastic and other materials. The brand was founded by Adriano Manso in 2019, originally selling only online, its Flagship shop on Enric Granados occupies the corner of a modernisme style building sitting directly under its cantilevered gallery window turret. The intricate stone carving above the threshold is the perfect setting for showcasing the brand. A tiny diamond shaped interior space acts as a cabinet for the display of its pieces. The walls are covered with a series of 3D printed shelves and textured surfaces that showcase the jewellery. The look resembles an organic growth attaching itself to the walls made with layers of printed material. Mirrors and lightings are used to create a sense of fluid movement within and extend the space. The La Manso logo itself is 3D printed and set against a mirror backing to exaggerate the effect. The jewellery combines craftsmanship, design and technology in a way that evokes a retro style but in a hyper contemporary way.
Neutrale, C/ Rec, 41,08003 Barcelona
Located in the Born neighbourhood with an impacting interior design that compliments the brand’s sustainability philosophy. The space overlooks the street through two enormous plate-glass windows. The clothes are hung on curved metal rails that follow a stack bond brick wall measuring two metres in height skirting the perimeter of the space. This creates a separate structure within the actual concrete structure that is itself left raw and exposed. The changing rooms and office are accessed through openings in brick the wall. A central tiered volume, also featuring brick in the middle contains the cash desk and other storage drawers. The void above these interventions contains a series of linear light tubes that follow the arc of the perimeter wall. The Spanish brand was founded in 2018 by childhood friends, Jaime Gil, Nacho Aragón and Rodrigo Fernández. The clothing is unisex, everything in manufactured on the Iberian Peninsula using only according to ethical and responsible consumption principles.
Casa Gralla Hall, C/ de la Portaferrissa, 25, 08002
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter still contains some breathtaking interiors hidden within its network of labyrinthine streets. None is more spectacular than Gralla Hall, originally a medieval era palace that was partially demolished because of road widening works during the 1800s. Nevertheless, what remains is a veritable feast of beautiful architecture and decoration. Today the first floor, or principal of the building accommodates a vintage clothing shop. A bifurcated stone stair with antique glass rooflight leads to a series of spaces that retain their Baroque splendour. From gilded profiles to sumptuous parquet flooring, egg-and-dart cornices and marble clad courtyard (now unfortunately covered over), the interior is packed with architectural detail. Casa Gralla owner Daniel Martínez, director of Flamingos Vintage is a passionate collector and has interspersed elements of antique furniture through the shop, together with costumes salvaged from the nearby Liceu opera house from various productions over the years.
HOFF, Rambla Catalunya, 111, 08008 Barcelona
CULDESAC
HOFF is a Spanish brand of sneakers, clothing, bags and accessories that combines unusual materials in colourful and exuberant designs. The shop on Rambla Catalunya invites customers inside through a series of curved lines, carved out niches and exhibition stands that create distinctive moments and product displays placed throughout the space. A changing pop-up exhibition in the front window together with the vibrant yellow flooring and ceiling grid grab the attention, always directing the gaze of passers-by. The designers have reflected the eclectic products with a range of materials that includes rough plastered walls, stainless steel displays, brightly coloured vinyl flooring and cabinetry made from fibreglass that borrows from the car manufacturing industry. Clients can try on the footwear seated on upholstered benches and sofas, while mirrored surfaces extend the space and intensify the brightly lit interior.
MiiN Korean Cosmetics, C/ Balmes 5, 08007
PPT Interiorismo
The flagship store for ‘Made in South Korea’ cosmetics that was originally founded in 2014 by Lilin Yang includes 400 sq.m. selling a selection of brands. The building on C/ Balmes, between Ronda Universidad and Pelayo is an architectural icon, recognisable for its Bella Aurora neon sign in cursive script straddling the parapet. Fittingly the building returns to its beauty origins, the Bella Aurora cosmetics brand first arrived in Spain in 1914 but had long since moved from this location. The two-storey structure is entirely dedicated to the sale of cosmetics and offers associated beauty treatments including a nail bar and pedicure service on the first floor. The décor is conditioned by the coral pink tones, all surfaces both rough and smooth are tinted with this colour palette, including the micro cement floors, the fireproofing of the ceiling treatment and building services, the metal balustrade as well as the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Large countertops in steel and micro-cement together with wall units display the cosmetics with simple recessed lighting details. The minimalist interventions on the façade feature Corean script and the company logo combined.
Recent Comments