PROGRAM: Hospitality
AREA: 250 m²
LOCATION: Gràcia, Barcelona, Spain
STATUS: Completed
TIMEFRAME: 2015–2016
Vilalta Studio designed the first Tia Santa restaurant in Barcelona within an existing three-level space. The intervention reorganizes circulation to connect reception, dining and service areas, using new steel-and-glass staircases to bring natural light into the basement.
Bamboo, pine timber and planting introduce a warm, natural material palette, while LED lighting becomes part of the identity of the interior. The project turns the constraints of the existing section into a sequence of connected, luminous and recognizable spaces.
The project embraces sustainability with natural materials, carefully selected for their environmental integrity: bamboo floors and tables, and pine wood ceilings and shelves. Nature seamlessly blends into the interior through a modular vertical garden system placed at the entrance and behind the salad bar in the dining area. Additionally, the basement features a large natural garden bed, bringing the outdoors inside.
The entire lighting system, both direct and indirect, was designed and constructed using LED technology. A striking feature of the design is the sculptural installation, consisting of 200 illuminated resin spheres above the entrance, and a translucent glass wall casting the shadows of plants in the basement.
DIRECTOR: Xavier Vilalta
PROJECT LEADER: Maite Boren
PROJECT TEAM: Gabriela Galea, Mia Santic, Candela Juan
MEP ENGINEERING: Borja Santomà
CONTRACTOR: InOut