What is Spanish design?
While many of us have an idea of what is the Scandinavian look, or what elements go into French country design, few are able to describe exactly what is Spanish design.
There are many design blogs devoted to Scandinavian or French design, and countless ones focused on travel, food and lifestyle in Spain, but I have found very few English-language blogs focused on interior design in Spain.
Spain for Design covers interior design, artisan traditions and lifestyle in Spain with the aim of making them accessible to a wider audience and begin a dialogue about a part of the world often overlooked in design circles.
Cuarto Interior designs the new Hard Rock Hotel Marbella with a Ye-Yé 60s vibe
The interior design studio Cuarto Interior drew inspiration from the Ye-Yé movement of the 60s for the design of the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella. Thriving amongst the youth of Spain in the 60s, it was a movement that broke with imposed norms, seeking to unleash imagination and live life in full color. The innovative, fully…
Read MoreJungle-inspired decor for Maison Jaguar restaurant in Madrid
Maison Jaguar is a Mexican restaurant located on Goya street in the upscale Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid. The spectacular design is lush and jungle-inspired. Madrid-based Mil Studios was the lead design studio and collaborated with Dichoso Studio. 4Retail was in charge of the construction of the 450 m2 space. The decoration is maximalist, exuberant, and ornate with a profusion of details…
Read MoreEnrique Rovira-Beleta: Advocate for Accessible Design in Spain and Abroad
Enrique Rovira-Beleta is an architect and university professor. He has been a wheelchair user for more than 40 years. He formed his architecture studio in 1994 after completing his architecture studies in 1993. In 2009, he founded Rovira-Beleta Accessibility Consulting. Throughout his career, he has established and improved accessibility laws, regulations, and policies for public…
Read MoreÁlvaro M. Leiro wins Spain’s 2023 Artisan of the Year Award
On December 15, 2023, Galician artisan Álvaro M. Leiro received one of the highest honours in crafts in Spain, the prestigious Premio Nacional de Artesanía (National Award), at the sixteenth edition of the National Craft Awards. Convened annually by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism through the School of Industrial Organization (EOI) and its craft promotion arm, Fundesarte,…
Read MoreMasquespacio’s Latest Project Harbours Mediterranean Living. Valencian Style.
Masquespacio is an award-winning studio based in Valencia that knows how color, texture, and space work together to create emotion. Their latest project for Danzas Studios, a chain of holiday apartments in Valencia, takes its name from the street in the old town where the apartment is located. The brief for the project was to create…
Read MoreSpain for Accessible Design: Summary 2023
Since I published Moving Forward in 2022, my mission has been to feature beautiful interiors and products from Spain that allow those with reduced mobility to enjoy the built environment. It has been challenging to find projects to feature. Sadly, there is not yet widespread recognition of the need for this area of design and its incorporation…
Read MoreSuggested Reading
Casa Decor 2021: 7 Designs to Inspire Your Workspace at Home
The pandemic has pushed millions to work from home, which will likely continue well after it ends. For me, this has been one of the few positive aspects of it. There is no longer the need to rise and travel during dark morning hours of cold winter months, no transport costs, and the absence of…
Read MoreProfile: Mayice Studio: Illuminating Artisanal Traditions with Technology
I recently saw an interview with renowned French decorator Jacques García who, speaking about his maximalist design tendencies, surmised that minimalism is easy if one has nothing in one’s head, but difficult to achieve if it is full. Far from being the former, the minimalist designs of Madrid-based studio Mayice Studio is a complex interplay…
Read MoreProfile: Masquespacio: Singular Designs
In 2010, Ana Milena Hernández Palacios, originally from Columbia, and Belgian Christophe Penasse, who had backgrounds in interior design and marketing respectively, founded Masquespacio, a creative consultancy in interior and industrial design based in Valencia. They work exclusively in hospitality and commercial design and have completed projects in Spain, Norway, France, the USA, Portugal, and…
Read MoreEssential Books about Artisan Traditions, Design and Lifestyle in Spain
The links below may have affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy. Please note this website is a participant in the Indigo Affiliate Program which allows it to earn commissions from Indigo if you make a purchase on indigo.ca after linking through this website. Artisans The books listed here provide an excellent overview of workshops…
Read MoreCafé in Asturias, Spain Channels a Victorian Parlour
Coffees, cocktails, and cakes are specialties of Per Se Café located in the old town of Oviedo. The decor, with its earthy colour palette, patterned upholstery, and highly textural fixed elements, harks back to an old-world parlour. A curated selection of vintage and Victorian furniture pieces, posters, mirrors, and fairy lighting, mix with interior architectural elements, including…
Read MoreAsturias: Memories of a Natural Paradise
“Asturias, paraíso natural” (“Asturias, Natural Paradise”) is the official slogan of Turismo Asturias, the tourism office of the Principality of Asturias. Parts of this northern region of Spain are on the Northern Route of the Way of Saint James, popularly known as the Camino de Santiago. It has a breathtaking landscape, where the mountain and sea…
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