The front lobby area therefore has the light-
est, most playful treatment with oak floor-
ing, an oversized pool table and an elegant
cluster of spherical suspended lights from
Bocci above the reception desk. This scene
dovetails to a more heady, intimate ambiance
at the rear bar and restaurant areas, home
to Mr Porter, which employs a menu of fine
materials. Bevelled marble, black leather and
copper surfaces, and dark walnut furni-
ture combine to create a sophisticated and
hedonistic vibe, whether sipping a cocktail at
the three-pointed bar or enjoying a steak on
a padded banquette underneath giant circular
light fittings.
Wall panels both demark and inte-
grate the different functions with a rich
materiality. For the lobby area, Baranowitz
and Kronenberg approached Dutch industrial
designers Demakersvan to create a cop-
per fabric of conjoined disks that is flexible
enough to take the corners of the mezzanine
level. In the rear area, darker aluminium
screens have been rendered with a pleated
texture (a nod to the stiff, fin de siècle garb of
Victor Català), a device that is repeated at key
points, such as the base of the marble bar that
encloses the open kitchen.
The design language employed on the
ground floor sets the visual tone of the rest of
the hotel, which was carried out by Sir Hotel’s
in-house design team. The new library, which
is situated on the mezzanine level, is an inti-
mate space for thumbing through one of
a curated selection of books by female writ-
ers (an homage to Victor Català, who was a
symbol of gender equality) or a meeting at the
large table by famed Dutch repurposed-wood
craftsman Piet Hein Eek, another nod to the
group’s Amsterdam origins. The 91 rooms
and suites, which were always renowned for
their spaciousness and ample wardrobe space
in the form of freestanding furniture mod-
ules, have transgressed from monochromatic
minimalism to inviting compositions of linen
bedding, abstract paintings by local artists
Bernat Daviu and Alfons Borrell, and Nani
Marquina’s contemporary, handmade rugs.
‘We wanted to create a hotel that was very
new, very timeless and also very connected
to Barcelona,’ says Liran Wizman, founder
and owner of Sir Hotels. ‘As a businessman,
of course I was tempted to leave some of the
original spaces in the hotel as they were. But
in the end we decided to give it a new lease
of life, while still retaining the same level of
sophistication and vitality.’
Barcelona has changed radically
over the past 15 years. It has graduated from
a city with a unique design culture to one
that is more inclusive and international. In
this context, the transformation of one of
its most beloved hotels into an exciting new
design destination feels like a natural step
forward. — SW
sirhotels.com
baranowitzkronenberg.comSir Victor’s lobby uses oak flooring and
spherical Bocci lamps to create a light,
welcoming reception area.‘The concept for
the hotel is duality
and layering, and
a more profound
reading of what
the city stands for’
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