The OPERA GARDEN hotel, located in the gothic quarter of Barcelona, consists of two 19th-century buildings separated by a garden in which some rare species from the Far East are located. The hotel's proximity to the Lyceum theatre and the fact of having this interior garden are the reasons that give the hotel its name and that has served to inspire the design of its rooms.
We wanted to respect as much as possible the exterior and interior architecture of these buildings dating from 1862 and intervene more forcefully in the worst preserved spaces to give them greater personality.
Initially we found the difficulty that the most appropriate area to place the reception was located 20 meters from the entrance door, at the bottom of the old carriage hall. We decided to transform this inconvenience into advantage by placing a black marble “carpet” on the gray marble, from the entrance to the reception, to drive the customer and create a majestic entrance.
The bar and restaurant are very close, and they are characterized by the black color of the walls and furniture. We have used orange details on tablecloths and lamps as a contrast.
We have designed the corridors to be mysterious, to seduce and direct the guests. They are completely black, except for the white doors of the rooms that serve as screens to illuminate the rest of the corridor. In this way, when entering the room we have great warmth and luminosity feeling.
The rooms are cozy and bright. White is the protagonist, always combined with a color which changes depending on the floor we are in. This color can be ocher, green, orange or lilac.
Inside the room the light enhances its warmth. We use indirect lights, hanging from the ceilings or table lamps, which illuminate where it is necessary, avoiding excess light and creating a cozy environment.
On the headboard of the bed there are opera scores which have been most often represented in the Lyceum, showing 19th century editions, due to their beauty. In front of them, photographs of the artist David Viñuales with plant leitmotif remind us of the garden we can see in the hotel.
