La Bionda Hotel in Spain’s Costa Brava: A Romantic Reuse Project by Quintana Partners
We leap to attention whenever Quintana Partners complete a project. Based in Barcelona and Menorca, Spain, interior designers Pol Castells and Benito Escat specialize in what they term “giving waste a second chance.” Translation: they like to begin with historic, often derelict structures and deftly renew them by exposing hidden layers—”the beauty behind all the paint”—and by introducing shored-up antiques. Sustainability guides their “reutilization mission”: see, for instance, The All-Vintage Renovation and A Way With Old Kitchens.
In their latest hotel project, La Bionda Hotel in the Costa Brava beach town of Begur, they transformed a 17th-century townhouse into an eight-room parador that feels like a portal into another era. Working with owner Carla Lloveras, Pol and Benito built their design around the concept of a fictitious character, a 1930’s woman salon host who invited women artists, singers, writers, and actresses from all over to come stay.
Join us for a tour. The hotel is open to guests (and taking extra safety measures); for those of us not not going anywhere soon, every room is filled with design ideas worth trying out at home.
Photography courtesy of Quintana Partners, unless noted.
Above: The tiled entry opens to a signature Quintana Partners’ mix of textures and patinas. The hotel debuted on May 15.
In addition to preserving much of the original structure, Pol and Benito built sustainability into the design: the hotel’s website notes, “we generate most of our electrical energy through photovoltaic panels that use solar energy, and we generate cooling, heating, and hot water through an aerothermal system that uses energy from the outside air.” Photograph courtesy of La Bionda Hotel.
Above: Just add red lacquer: the front desk was created from two vintages pieces renewed with glossy paint. The surfaces here range from newly laid herringbone brick to freshly plastered walls and a ceiling preserved in its excavated state.
Above: The lobby is furnished with a Chesterfield sofa under a dramatic arched brick ceiling original to the building. Note the Fornasetti tray hung as art. The fringed lampshade is the first of many.
Above: The in-house bar and meeting spot.
Above: Breakfast is served on the roof at a communal farmhouse table and outside on the terrace.
Above: Three patterns of brick lead to the guest quarters.
Above: A bedside vanity with the original ceiling and tiled floor in one of the eight rooms. None are alike, and each is named for an influential woman from the early 20th century—this one is Victor.
Above: A wicker pendant light and Spanish encaustic tile in another of the bedrooms. Each has striped curtains in a different colorway.
Above: A wood-paneled bathroom with sliding glass doors and a nautical bulkhead light. The bathroom toiletries (from Grown Alchemist)—and also the cleaning products used throughout—are organic and biodegradable.
Above: Under an atmospheric raw ceiling, a fanciful headboard flanked by fringed lamps.
Above: The Charlotte has rattan closet doors and a rough-hewn ceiling. The Marshall speaker is for listening to your own music and La Bionda’s playlists.
Above: In the Valentina suite, twin sinks flank the door to a private patio.
Above: A copper tub in the Valentina suite.
Above: La Bionda’s illustrated map shows its location in the center of Begur, and proximity to several beaches.
More projects by Quintana Partners: