Yök Casa + Cultura — Barcelona, Spain
When the Luxembourg-born product designer Petz Scholtus met hotel manager Mari Rodríguez, she was finally able to leave her drafting board for a longed-for career in eco-tourism. The two purchased a trio of century-old townhouses in the Catalan Modernist tradition and knocked them through, installing a sustainable interior heavy on recycled woods and lighting, which work quietly against the original mosaics, frescoes and cornicing. They named the new inn for the Catalan ‘lloc’, meaning place, with a nod to the English ‘yolk’, a metaphor for the centre of things. The umlaut harkens back to Scholtus’s previous design brand, Pöko, just to reaffirm the team’s design credentials. On the rooftop terrace, the ‘cultura’ part of the experience comes into play, offering guests and locals alike a place to mingle far above the traditional tourist fray.
ADDRESS
Carrer Trafalgar 39,
Barcelona,
Spain
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
-
Five of the finest compact cameras available todayPocketable cameras are having a moment. We’ve assembled a set of cutting-edge compacts that’ll free you from the ubiquity of smartphone photography and help focus your image making
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
A striking new cinema glows inside Madrid’s Reina Sofia MuseumBarcelona-based studio Bach reimagines a historic auditorium as a crimson-and-blue dreamscape
-
This boutique hotel in Seville is an unmissable cabinet of curiositiesLocated in the city’s Jewish quarter, Hotel Casa del Limonero is a modern and contemporary art and design enthusiast’s dream
-
Peek inside Madrid’s best-kept art secretSolo’s labyrinthine new art space in Madrid presents a surreal opportunity for exploring contemporary art and architecture
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
Jaç Hi-Fi Café brings Japanese listening-bar culture to BarcelonaIsern Serra Studio unveils a sound-sculpted interior that brings Japanese listening traditions into Catalonia’s contemporary design landscape
-
This chic new restaurant in Ibiza looks like a gallery and feels like a partyMira by Gathering marries contemporary art, Mediterranean fare, and laid-back glamour in a space designed for both contemplation and celebration
-
Do luxury hotels need a farmer-in-residence?From Ibiza to Indonesia, hospitality brands are cultivating a new travel experience, where wellness begins in the soil and ends at the table
-
The most stylish hotel takeovers to pop up at this summerFrom Capri to Ibiza, luxury fashion brands are taking over seaside resorts with exclusive boutique pop-ups and bespoke poolside accessories