A sad-looking, traditional wood cabin (think tree trunks and a pitched roof) has been transformed into a snappy hamburger joint at the Javalambre ski station in Teruel, northern Spain.
The black exterior, ornamented with white animal graphics - care of artist, Pepa Prieto - cuts a striking figure, enveloped, all around, by a landscape of snow. Inside, taking advantage of the scarce light that occurs on cloudy winter days, the approach is white again.
Using the fewest number of elements possible, Stone Designs of Madrid has created a soft, warm environment out of an oddly shaped, chilly space.
Features such as red climbing rope in the pinewood benches create movement, while the corporate green edge of the Nordic-style tables is echoed on the green felt tiles that cover the polycarbonate cylinder lamps overhead. The effect is of a unified ensemble.
The black edge of the bar zone harks back to the exterior and creates contrast and depth, while charming touches such as the menu - written directly onto masking tape so it can be changed at whim - and the deer-horn-trophy coat hooks add to the verve of the place and help make El Portillo an inviting niche, in an imaginative and simple way.
A pinewood table and benches
Details such as red climbing rope in the pinewood benches add charm
The black exterior is decorated with white animal graphics by artist Pepa Prieto
The black edge of the bar zone harks back to the exterior and creates contrast and depth within the warm but sparse interior
The corporate green edge of the Nordic-style tables is echoed on the green felt tiles that cover the lamps overhead
Coats can be hung from the deer-horn-trophy hooks
Close encounter with a deer-horn-trophy coat hook
The polycarbonate cylinder lamps up close
-
Waiting for Ideas have recast the turntable as a minimal aluminium altar for vinyl worshipThe PP-1 turntable is an ultra-minimal, all-aluminium record player designed to enhance the vinyl experience
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with an all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
‘I explored Benidorm with an open mind’: the famous Spanish seaside town is captured in a new photo bookFrom neon lights to pink sunburns, photographer Rob Ball turns his lens on Benidorm to see what remains of a ‘pan-European holiday utopia’
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Brach Madrid: a hotel of love and passionBrach Madrid, part of Evok Collection, is a charming city-centre bolthole designed by Philippe Starck
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from a bijou addition to the London hotel scene to a lush safari adventure in South Africa
-
Mallorca’s ‘chocolate hotel’ celebrates six decades of Mediterranean panacheSixty years after it opened, Hotel de Mar remains a celebrated example of Mediterranean vernacular architecture
-
Easy and breezy: Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor is now openWe found Balearic bliss at Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor, the place to live the Mediterranean dream and connect with nature
-
Inside Hotel Ur Bare: a boutique surf retreat beside the Cantabrian seaHotel Ur Bare lies in Zarautz, a picturesque coastal town in Spain's Basque Country, and presents 13 modern rooms accented with local flair
