January 18th, 2010
The Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola is responsible for the interior design of the recently opened Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona.
“The project reflects the open, cosmopolitan character of the great Mediterranean city where the hotel stands, along with the unmistakeable seal of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
The linear simplicity of the building, which was once the head offices of a bank, lends itself perfectly to the clean, balanced interior design by Urquiola.”
June 24th, 2009
The AFP is reporting that Oprah Winfrey celebrated her 55th birthday in Barcelona with 1,700 of her employees and their families.
The celebration was held over the weekend at Poble Espanyol before embarking upon a 10-day Mediterranean cruise.
The Chicago Sun Times said last week that Winfrey is paying for everything from transportation to food to “special activities” at a cost of about 5,400 dollars (3,900 euros) per person.
April 12th, 2009
This year, to celebrate Easter, Spanish artisan chocolatier Enric Rovira has created a limited edition range of luxurious eggs for Harvey Nichols.
The exclusive range features three designs: the Fibrós, Brillant and Quadrat. Only 200 eggs will be made, one of which will contain a special Golden Ticket.
The Golden Ticket will entitle the lucky winner to be flown over to Barcelona to visit the Enric Rovira workshop, followed by a meal at a top restaurant and an overnight stay in the heart of the city.
April 7th, 2009
Barcelona’s new wholesale flower market — Mercabarna-Flor — near the Barcelona International Airport was designed by Willy Muller Architects.
The most striking features of the new market are the multi-faceted angular roof structure and the multi-colored outer shell inspired by an aerial view of flower fields in full bloom. Source
January 27th, 2009
In late 2009, visitors flying into Barcelona will see what looks to be a giant windsail on the coast right next to the entrance to the Port of Barcelona.
Except this windsail is actually the W Hotel Barcelona scheduled to open on October 1, 2009.
The W Hotel Barcelona will be the second W to open in Europe (W Istanbul was the first). But like all Ws it will debut with a bang due to its location right at the foot of the Mediterranean Sea in a building designed by Spain’s most famous architect Ricardo Bofill.
January 26th, 2009
The new H&M Shop that just opened in Barcelona was entirely designed by Estudio Mariscal.
The shop is found in the most commercial street of Barcelona, Portal de l’Àngel, in the building which was, until recently, the head office of the company Catalana de Gas.
