A bar, a club and a provocative red staircase… colour helps you differentiate them while connecting with the neighbourhood’s maritime essence.
The team behind the striking design is Barcelona-based El Equipo Creativo. The designer bar project began with a pintxos (small tapas) bar in the old part of San Sebastian, which was completely gutted due to a change of ownership.
The hip bar is located on Fermín Calbetón Street, a street known for its ‘pintxos’ in San Sebastian. This street literally connects to the port. Small fishing boats still dock at La Bretxa market, the old fish market which dates back to 1870.
Formerly known as Txalupa, the bar is how small and colourful fishing boats are called in Spanish. The name became an opportunity to talk about the essence of this neighbourhood which is inseparable from the sea.
The San Sebastian bar has been designed with a clear reference to the port and its colour. The water of the port of San Sebastian, with a certain depth and calm, acquires a dark greenish hue, which becomes the main tone of the space. The curved wooden bar references the txalupas, both in its tones and in its materiality.
The handmade ceramic pieces, designed specifically for the project, helped to introduce an aquatic effect through its intense turquoise colour, its imperfections and its brightness.
As a colour counterpoint, ropes were introduced which are typically used in traditional fishing nets. These strings also offer some privacy and personality to the dining area. At the same time, they provide contrast to the depth of the turquoise background thanks to their light and warm tones.
In the basement, an antagonistic space needed to be created; a small private club, with a nocturnal and sophisticated atmosphere. The design finds inspiration in an old boat cellar where warm golden wood-tone envelops you, in contrast to the blue maritime floor.
The connecting stairway between the two spaces becomes one of the main protagonists of the project. Due to its symbolism, a narrow and mysterious tunnel tinted with red light helps the place to attract customers in search of a more nocturnal and forbidden experience.
Photography by Adrià Goula
