Kimpton Vividora Hotel,  a new hotel in the Old City of Barcelona offers a big food & beverage variety. Designed by El Equipo Creativo, the unique and different atmosphere invites the public to come in, relax, and enjoy the various areas of the hotel, such as Fauna Restaurant.

This restaurant is inspired by a traditional Barcelona house with its patterns, textures, galleries, and lattices that generate a very cozy and domestic atmosphere.

All projects have specific challenges. In this particular Hotel, the ground level in contact with the street was especially small because the building had other commercial activities. So the restaurant, open to a local clientele, needed to be located on the second level of the Hotel, which is a very uncommon situation in Barcelona where upper floors are traditionally used for private activities only.

The designers decided to convert this challenge into an opportunity: going to this restaurant should be like going to a friend’s house for dinner. And this became the leitmotiv of the project. 

To analyze the different areas and material qualities of the typical Barcelona house where one might be invited by a local friend and it got introduced into the design. 

The restaurant welcomes customers with a vivid and changing-patterned tile floor, as a reference to one of the most characteristic elements of the traditional Barcelona house: the colorful tiled flooring patterns, different in each room of the house.

As part of the same strategy, the ceilings are hand-painted with graphics inspired by the highly decorative traditional ceilings, bringing a crafted touch to space. 

Traditional Barcelona homey kitchens and pantries are also referenced in Fauna Restaurant. Hand-painted bluish ceramic tiles representing scenes of the Old Barcelona city welcome guests at the entrance area where the breakfast-buffet bar is located. 

Acting as a counterpoint, the other activity pole of the restaurant is the open kitchen at the back, with a warm wooden atmosphere reminiscent of the traditional cuisines.  

One of the most appreciated areas of the Barcelona houses is their typical galleries: cozy spaces full of plants between the interior and the exterior. El Equipo Creativo designed a gallery-like space, introducing some glazed dividing elements, which helped them create more private areas next to the facade, eventually used for events or meetings. 

These cozy spaces full of natural light have a fresh exterior atmosphere, also represented through the furniture and natural greenery.

Project Data

Location: Carrer del Duc, 15, 08002 Barcelona
Website: https://www.kimptonvividorahotel.com/us/en/
Client: IHG Hotels, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Casacuberta Property Development
Floor Area: 6340 m2 

Interior Design by EL EQUIPO CREATIVO

Completed: 2020

Photographer: Adrià Goula, One Represent Agency

1. Concept and interior design:
EL EQUIPO CREATIVO _ Oliver Franz Schmidt + Natali Canas del Pozo + Lucas Echeveste Lacy 

2. Design collaborators:
Kimpton Hotels Design Team: Ave Bradley + Henry Reeve
Architecture & Construction Supervision: GCA Architects
Lighting Design: Artec 3
Graphic Design: Mucho

About EL EQUIPO CREATIVO

The architects Oliver Franz Schmidt, Natali Canas del Pozo, and Lucas Echeveste Lacy form EL EQUIPO CREATIVO, a studio based in Barcelona and specialized in the interior design of gastronomic, commercial, brand and hospitality spaces. Since 2010, they have worked for some of the most prestigious chefs in the world, like Ferran and Albert Adrià, and their designs include four Michelin star restaurants. Their projects have been recognized in more than 40 international design awards.