Bathroom Culture at Roca Gallery

Mention the words “pavillion” and “Barcelona” in the same breath and undoubtedly you’ll think of Mies Van Der Rohe’s magical project erected for the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929 (demolished in 1930 and subsequently rebuilt by these wonderful people between 1983 and 1986). Whilst I couldn’t help but draw a parallel, this wasn’t actually the pavilion I had in mind when writing this post. Being heavily into interiors and always on the lookout for interesting and unique products, a recent visit to Barcelona lead us to the much talked about Roca flagship building on the Carrer de Joan Güell. Distinguished Barcelona architects OAB completed the Roca Barcelona Gallery in 2009, creating a luminous showcase “representing the company’s past, present and future” over 3 floors. To interpret and convey a brand’s values by means of a building, can’t be easy; an architectural challenge that Borja and Lucìa Ferrater of OAB managed to achieve with impressive grace and eloquence, however. For those not familiar with Roca, they are world leaders in bathroom spaces and very relevant in design and architecture terms for the likes of us who are “in the trade”.

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David Cabra – Analytical Menswear

The fashion industry, despite being easy enough to get involved with, is one of the hardest to be successful in. Yet, regardless of any bleak economic predictions that would advise most people to do otherwise, some still dare to follow their creative dreams. This is the case for fashion designer David Cabra, who, though being aware of the challenges he will have to face to become a successful fashion designer, is driven, talented, and ambitious enough to shake the Spanish menswear industry from the inside.

David Cabra was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1986. As he became older, he gradually veered towards the world of industrial design, though it wasn’t until 2004 that he decided to explore fashion as a creative art. After watching Helmut Lang’s catwalk on TV, whose collection included the mane of a horse, he truly realised how much creative potential lay in fashion. Two years later he decided to move to Barcelona to study Fashion Design at Felicidad Duce School of Fashion and Design.

He started off, as most designers do, with women’s wear, but soon realised that that was a world that offered perhaps too much freedom. Volumes and shapes are often exaggerated and highlighted, on the other hand menswear focuses on the structure and functionality of the garments. By bending and reinventing established sartorial restrictions, David Cabra is able to bring clothes back to life through a more subtle and analytical eye.

His first collection Monsieur Primitif A/W 2010/11, winner of  MODAFAD Best Men’s Collection, was inspired by perennial, colossal icebergs. Similarly to the ever-changing nature of these icy structures, his garments revisit traditional tailoring, materials and details, to present them under a modern, minimalist vision. David Cabra, by employing an utilitarian and vanguardist approach, reconstructs the most basic forms into innovative and functional menswear clothing.

In Barcelona for a few days and want to know more about the life of an emerging designer in Spain? Get in contact with him through his website.

Structured, and highly functional, White Line Hotels edit Hotel Omm has gotten all the details right, but is anything but dry and utilitarian. More like a perfectly tailored suit in an ideal fabric weight, Hotel Omm is a pleasure, season after season.

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Contributing Writer: Fier Management

Photo credits: Manolo Menendez (topmost photo), otherwise, Raul Tejero

The Future Is Still Now: Barcelona’s Flash Flash

1969. Like at every decade’s end, the events of that year either placed a firm period to define what the 60s would be remembered for — Woodstock, for example — or, if the signs were clearly read, they were already lining up a clear trajectory for decade to come: the cover of Led Zeppelin’s debut album seems to say quite clearly that the sound of the 60s was getting ready to go up in flames, the Mason Family threatened the prevailing notion of a subculture full of peace and love, and the first Concorde flight expressed a desire for fast paced internationalism and instant gratification. Throw in the culmination of the Cold War fueled Space Race with the moon landing, and phew, it was quite a year for defining the shape of things to come! It was also the year that architect Alfonso Mila and photographer Leopoldo Pomes dreamed up a collaborative project, a restaurant like no other where Mila’s walls would support Pomes’ photographs.

When the doors opened to the public in 1970, it wasn’t just the interior of Flash Flash that was forward thinking. The restaurant is soundproofed to make conversation easy and comfortable, and while it may not seem particularly revolutionary now, the restaurant is only closed on Christmas day and features bright and pleasant restrooms — both rare in a restaurant in 1970! Still rare in most any restaurant, the 4th condition of Flash Flash’s concept is its service, which looks back to a time when the job of  waiter was a dignified profession.

Flash Flash is a tortilleria, and yes, tortillas are the center of the menu. Don’t confuse these with the flat bread of the same name found in mexican cuisine; these are thick and fluffy Spanish tortillas with more in common to an omelette than their mexican cousins. They even have desert tortillas. If you just can’t face eggs, however, you can order from a large selection of meat and vegetable based dishes.

40 years later Flash Flash has accomplished the nearly impossible task of both encapsulating its era and remaining fresh — this true Barcelona original still draws crowds from international icons to local teenagers. Join the mix next time you find yourself in town.

You’ll find a place every bit as forward thinking, fresh and modern in White Line Hotel’s edit Hotel Omm.

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Contributing Writer: Melissa Frost

Photos courtesy Flash Flash

Don’t miss it. Go see the bricks.

Intimate, honest and sometimes raw. The images printed in the relatively new bi-annual interiors magazine Apartamento (issue 7 is on sale now) tell stories of real life interiors and to me, are quite reminiscent of Jürgen Teller’s photography (Teller being featured in this very issue is purely coincidental, I’m sure of it!).

No mis-en-scène, no gloss, no lavish or “casually” arranged minimalistic displays but inspiring interiors from all over the world which in their unique and lived-in state show us that style is at its most natural when it isn’t staged but when it occurs almost haphazardly, from our own particular individuality. Whilst this is not as easy to achieve as you may think, it certainly looks that way on the matte pages of this simplistic publication. Famously described by The New York Times as “the first post-materialistic interiors magazine”, Apartamento shows us that interiors are nothing without the people living inside them.  Strong and fascinating characters such as photographers, authors and other creative eccentrics are the perfect companions in these (their) featured spaces.  A clear emphasis on colour and simple composition, makes for some powerful imagery and brilliant reference material for either domestic dwellers or design lovers. Since its launch in 2009 the Barcelona-based magazine has regularly presented cultural and promotional events in line with its international distribution in cities such as Tokyo, New York, Berlin, London and Milan.

The concept for October’s event in Barcelona was conceived by Ana Dominquez and Omar Sosa and features a unique and exclusive collection of photographs shot by Nacho Alegre, photographer and founder of the magazine. The Apartamento Bricks Still Life exhibition brings to life a basic object like the builder’s brick and turns it into a surprisingly delicate and evocative sculpture. Don’t miss it. Go see the bricks. Go meet the people and get yourself a copy of Apartamento.

Exhibition runs from 29^th September to 21^st October 2011 at Otrascosas de Villarosàs, Via Laietana 65, Principal, Barcelona.

While in Barcelona, go see another honest and intimate gem in the city, White Line Hotels edit Hotel Omm. Don’t miss it.

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Contributing writer: Stefanie Soar

Photos courtesy Apartamento

Your Take on Barcelona Fringe Living: THE INSIDER TIPS: Report #1

London…New York…Paris…Vienna…Barcelona…wherever we ask for your tips, you always have a reply. You certainly are a worldly and well-traveled bunch, aren’t you! Here’s the best of Barcelona you may have somehow overlooked, but at least someone else didn’t! Now, just pretend you always knew they were there when guiding friends around town (we won’t tell).

You haven’t heard that you could WIN A WEEKEND IN BARCELONA by giving us your insider tips for the Catalan Capital? Now you have! And now, without further introduction, this week’s TOP (SECRET) PLACES TO GO IN BARCELONA:

CASA ASIA (Avenue Diagonal) is a foundation that promotes the Asian culture in Spain. If the building isn’t amazing enough, the price of admission (FREE) and the view from the rooftop will really WOW you.

CACAO SAMPAKA (C/ CONSELL DE CENT, 292) is THE place in Barcelona for the choco-addicted. The best chocolate in town, in Spain, or just possibly ever.

PIZZA & LOVE (Fonollar, 2) serves up top class pizza in a stylish environment.

BAR MENDIZABAL (C/ Junta de Comerç, 2) is located just behind Mercado De la Boqueria and is the perfect corner bar with savoury coffee, juices and an extensive list of bocadillos (sandwiches).

BALUARD BARCELONETA (C/ Baluard, 38-40) says they have a passion for bread, and it’s definitely where to make a bee-line to if you’re craving fresh organic baked goods…and really, doesn’t everyone? EVERYTHING is delicious!

Don’t forget the biggest insider tip of all when traveling to Barcelona: Hotel Omm, as chosen by the crew at White Line Hotels.