In the Ciutat Vella (old city) of Barcelona, a new hotel was added to the Kimpton chain with a strong personality, new colour combination and a definitive “bon vivant” flair… hence its name.

It might take longer then expected to stay at this property with the current health situation in town but mark the name for your next holidays in the capital of Catalonia: Kimpton Vividora Hotel (planned to reopen on August 10th).

Chic, cheerful, and fresh atmosphere, the design strategy was to create a dialogue between the Hotel and Barcelona, and more specifically, a close connection with the neighbourhood of the Ciutat Vella.

The project was completed by El Equipo Creativo for the Kimpton Group. The brand likes to offer luxury without the attitude and has requested this new outlet to integrate itself with the neighbourhood of narrow streets, small shops and traditional crafts from Barcelona.

Inside there is a great mix of art, colourful ceramic patterns, together with reinterpreted references to its historical past, mixed with a contemporary spontaneous design approach that gives Vividora Hotel a unique, energetic personality.

The lobby area is located on a mezzanine level. A double-height space connects it with the bar while bringing a watery effect to space through a cascade of glass lamps. Three stones perform as reception desks, referencing the stone fountains in the Gothic patios.

The lobby space is completed with a lounge area and a co-working table.

The rooms & The Suites

Colour, temperature, and materiality are the main ingredients of the design, playing a game of contrasts, as in the city itself.

To avoid a clash of colours, the architects selected only two: warm terracotta tones and fresh blue.

In the suite rooms, the designers bring a similar colour, temperature, and material strategy based on playing with contrasts and opposites. But in this case with upgraded comfort features, as a stylish living room area or the extraordinary experience of a bathtub facing the private balcony and the views of the city from the highest floor of the building.

Café Got

A double-height space connecting with the lobby area in the first level brings a fresh and watery effect to the project, with a cascade of glass lamps. Below this space, a comfortable lounge sitting-area, close to the façade and visible from the street, invites guests and locals to enter and relax.

Green custom-designed ceramic tiles with geometric patterns, inspired by Barcelona’s broad ceramic craftsmanship tradition, are applied to walls and dividers, which, together with natural plants, bring the green touch to space. Patterns jump to other surfaces, as the golden dividers and ceiling elements.

As a discreet protagonist, the bar element sits at the back, like an elegant bright stone block in contrast with the travertine floors. Terracotta carpets and walls together with reddish wooden finishes give the warm contrast.

Different and carefully selected pieces of furniture, with an emphasis on local brands and designers, give it a casual, inviting atmosphere with a local flair.

Fauna Restaurant

This restaurant is inspired by a traditional Barcelona house with its patterns, textures, galleries, and lattices that generate a very cozy and domestic atmosphere.

The restaurant welcomes customers with a vivid and changing-patterned tile floor, as a reference to one of the most characteristic elements of the traditional Barcelona house: the colourful tiled flooring patterns, different in each room of the house. Hand-painted bluish ceramic tiles representing scenes of the Old Barcelona city welcome guests at the entrance area where the breakfast-buffet bar is located.

As part of the same strategy, the ceilings are hand-painted with graphics inspired by the highly decorative traditional ceilings, bringing a crafted touch to space.

Traditional Barcelona homey kitchens and pantries are also referenced in Fauna Restaurant. Hand-painted bluish ceramic tiles representing scenes of the Old Barcelona city welcome guests at the entrance area where the breakfast-buffet bar is located.