Spanish studio Masquespacio has revealed its latest design, the tile studded restaurant, La Sastrería in Valencia’s El Canyamelar – El Cabanyal maritime neighbourhood. Square ceramic tiles arranged in varying patterns are stuck to almost every inch of La Sastrería, from the bar backsplash to the restaurant floor, its maximalist interiors seeking to offer a new culinary and sensorial experience in Valencia.

Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse, Founders and Creative Directors of Masquespacio, share that the design outlines the wishes of chef Sergio Giraldo and bartender Cristóbal Bouchet, who wanted to open their own restaurant - La Sastrería - with the help of Gastroadictos Group.

The 200 sqm restaurant design is divided into three sections – the bar, the restaurant and the kitchen and storage spaces, with a special reference to Giraldo's food.

The first part is taken up by the bar design that is influenced by the neighbourhood and the locals’ daily way of life. Printed custom made tiles in shades of seaweed green, white and black, designed by Masquespacio, are pasted on the surfaces in checkerboard patterns, reinterpreting the atypical, lively facades of the locality. On balmy, early summer evenings, the residents bring their plastic folding chairs out on the street, gathering for fresh air and entertainment in the form of quick gossip. The stools and seats used inside the bar reference these particular chairs and the spirit of gathering, while the table lamps resemble typical streetlight poles that line sea docks. 

“We tried to recreate the habit from the neighbours in the interior, amongst others through the reinterpretation of the plastic chairs they are used to take from their homes to the streets. A special attention has been given to the bar that looks like a façade on its own with its ornaments and singular figures. In the middle we can see how the attention is centered on the selection of spirits that will be used for the cocktails, being the specialty from Cristóbal and La Sastrería,” says Hernández.

Even the menu curation echoes elements of the Mediterranean Sea, and reinvents traditional and natural features of the locality in a contemporary light, much like La Sastrería’s interior design. Employing local produce, Giraldo's authentic sea food takes centrestage in the second part of La Sastrería, the restaurant design, while the storage area behind the kitchen is designed as a fish market.

Emulating the Mediterranean Sea and the sea food cuisine, a huge sculptural wave made of ceramic pieces hangs inside over the restaurant floor fixed with navy blue and white clay and ceramic tiles. These are arranged in a wave to symbolise the division of the sea water and sand, while the chairs mimic the aesthetic of fishing boats. “Here we wanted to create a scene focused on the kitchen, submerging the whole restaurant like if you are in the middle of the sea, directed towards the most important part of the space. It’s pure fantasy like Giraldo's dishes,” shares Hernández.