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Santana

Around the kitchen hearth

02.10.12

The idea of offering home made Mediterranean food in a relaxed atmosphere but at the same time youthful and fashionable is the guiding concept behind Pilar Líbano’s interior design for the new Santana restaurant. Accommodated within a restored Gothic building, Can Margenat, located in the heart of the Sarría Barcelona neighbourhood.

Pilar Líbano’s design creates three different zones responding to distinct culinary offerings, tapas, intimate dining and open-kitchen ambience. The lighting, materials and furniture employed recall a typical traditional wine cellar, classic dining room and traditional kitchen. For gourmet clients there is a table reserved in the kitchen where diners can enjoy their meal surrounded by the kitchen stoves.

  • The finishes and overall layout are highly controlled, influenced by the barrel vaults of the ceiling where lighting plays a central role. Large windows supply natural light and globe shaped lamps express a retro-industrial aesthetic contrasting with the overall rustic feel creating a variety of intimate interior spaces.


  • Furniture has been designed specifically for each of the zones; tables, stools, counters as well as the fittings that although contemporary compliment the overall interior which conserves its authentic period charm (stone pavement, brick vaults and stone arches).

  • The acoustics of the restaurant were particularly important given the hard finishes and vaulted ceilings, the walls have been clad with noise absorbing materials adding to the compact nature of the design. These walls contrast with the more casual finishes used elsewhere (plywood panels, marble and ceramics) together with large mirrored surfaces that play with reflections and sense of scale.