Creating the interior of the new Nobu hotel, the Rockwell Group team drew inspiration from traditional Japanese crafts and the works of Antonio Gaudi

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Ricardo Labugl

The Nobu Hotel, which opened near Barcelona’s main train station, became the thirtieth project of the famous chain. The Rockwell Group Bureau has been cooperating with the company almost since its foundation. In 1994, architects designed the first Nobu establishment, a Japanese eatery in Manhattan, followed by 25 more restaurants and eight hotels. In Barcelona, the team sought to create a place that combines the features of the chain’s corporate identity and references to the architectural heritage of the city.

Photo

Ricardo Labougle

Photo

Ricardo Labougle

The interiors of the hotel are a kind of collage of materials, textures and spaces. The main sources of inspiration for the Rockwell Group were the colorful mosaics in Guell Park, created by Antonio Gaudi, and the traditional Japanese technique of restoration of kintsugi ceramics, which involves gluing fragments of dishes with gold lacquer. “The fusion of these two arts seems natural and makes the hotel truly unique,” explains Eva Longoria, director of the Rockwell Group.

Photo

Ricardo Labugl

Photo

Ricardo Labugl

The entrance lobby is surrounded by a bright orange wicker screen, reminiscent of the Japanese torii gate. The screen “leads” guests to the lobby, the walls of which are decorated with textured limestone mosaics. Then there is a spectacular spiral staircase connecting all the public areas of the hotel.

Photo

Ricardo Labougle

Photo

Ricardo Labougle

In the lobby bar, a monumental stone counter attracts all the attention. The back wall of the bar area is lined with wooden lattice panels similar to traditional shoji partitions, and a pair of central columns are decorated with stone tiles with gold seams — a reference to the kintsugi technique.

Ancient art is also inspired by the ceiling design in the Nobu restaurant, located on the top floor. It is decorated with walnut panels with uneven edges that emphasize the lines of light.

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Cristina Garcia

Photo

Cristina Garcia

The hotel’s rooms are decorated in a natural color palette and feature wooden furniture with leather and bronze details, and the bathrooms with frameless showers are decorated with travertine.

The suites are decorated in dark colors, which create a more solemn atmosphere. The space of the presidential suite is built around a Japanese tea hearth made of roughly hewn stone. The bathrooms also have a traditional ofuro bathtub, which is separated from the shower by a partition lined with ceramic tiles.

Photo

Ricardo Labugl

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