Design destination: Madrid
Only you can make this world seem right.
Only you can make the darkness bright.
Only you and you alone can thrill me like you do.
And fill my heart with love for only you.
So goes the song made popular by The Platters.
In Madrid, this song seems to come alive at the swanky Only You Hotel and Lounge. The four-star boutique hotel is located in the center of Madrid on Calle Barquillo, just a few meters from Paseo de Recoletos and the very trendy and alternative Chueca neighborhood. The carefully designed interiors by Barcelonan interior designer Lazaro Rosa Violan complement the beauty of the building (a former palace dating from the 19th century), giving the hotel an eccentric touch with colonial-style color that is absolutely amazing!
The chic glossy black door gives a clue of what lies beyond, with flanking blue and white, larger-than-life ginger jars on either side of the entrance. The entry hall serves as a palate cleanser, with copious amounts of linen-white walls and white millwork.
The hotel's designer really worked a chiaroscuro scheme, with dark navy-blue walls and white millwork in the hotel lobby. The other furnishings play up the light and dark theme, including white leather wingbacks paired with dark chocolate-brown chesterfields, for an upscale gentlemen's club feeling. Younique, the hotel's restaurant, plays point and counterpoint with an all-white color palette and mirrored walls reminiscent of lattices seen in the treillage of French orangeries.
Y Ole! Madrid celebrates the 50th edition of Casa Decor, which runs from April 23 through May 31. Since its first show in 1992, it has become known as the most important interior design show in Spain.
This show has become the platform from which young designers launch star careers. This year's show house takes place at Calle La Palma, No. 10, a neoclassical building that housed the Royal Candle Factory. Neighbors both commercial and residential on Calle La Palma have been invited to participate in Casa Decor 2015 by decorating their balconies with flowers, fabrics and paint in order to welcome those visiting Casa Decor.
For those looking for a place to tantalize the palate, as well, Madrid has its thousands of restaurants. Dstage, however, is also a one and only, located in the up-and-coming Salesa neighborhood. This restaurant experience begins with a tour of the kitchen, where a sampling of finger foods is offered as a welcome to chef Diego Guerrero's kitchen. Guests are questioned for preferences and any allergies, and the chef then goes to work. The fare is offered in two tasting menus according to the number of courses desired. The food is simple and inventive - deconstructed comfort foods typical of the many Spanish provinces.
Besides good food, Spain is well known for its shoe industry. A new twist on bespoke shoes is to be found at Glent, on Calle de Jorge Juan 14, in the sophisticated Salamanca area. Design, technology and craftsmanship come together in beautifully handmade shoes with the help of computerized foot models to contour to every foot. These shoes are meant for a gentlemanly walk, but are comfortable enough to run in.
• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.
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