The Interior Design of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel

The fabulous Mandarin Oriental Hotel is in Barcelona. The interior design is the work of architect and designer Patricia Urquiola. In this comprehensive interior design project, Urquiola displays a unique point of view and pieces that represent the international design of the 21st century.

This project brings together repetitive concepts in the work of Patricia Urquiola, such as high-quality taste, sensitivity, refinement, and delicacy. Furthermore, the design of this hotel joins femininity with all these concepts.

In addition, the successful design of this hotel has taken the work of this Spanish architect to the highest level of interior design worldwide. In addition, thanks to her creative designs, Urquiola has created a place for herself in the history of interior design.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Location

This hotel is located in the city of Barcelona, nestled in the central Paseo de Gracia and just a few feet from Las Ramblas. This building actually used to house the former Banco Hispano-Americano in the 1950s.

However, during the first decade of the 21st century, the Mandarin Oriental hotel group acquired the building. Obviously, one of the main attractions of the property is its magnificent location on one of the main avenues of the city.

In fact, this building also shares the avenue with the work of some of the most renowned Catalan architects, such as Antonio Guadí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafach, and Enric Sagnier.

On this road, you can also find examples of historical and modern houses. These houses were built during the flourishing Catalan bourgeoisie of the past.

The renovation project

As we mentioned, the building was previously home to the Hispano-Americano Bank, which was built in 1955 on Paseo de Gracia. The original architect was Manual Ignacio Galíndez. He created very austere buildings that fit in well during his time.

However, the adaptation and renovation of the building was a huge project. The hotel group awarded the project to Carlos Ferrater’s group OAB in 2004. Then, OAB worked with Juan Trias de Bes and TBD Arquitecture on this project as well.

Finally, Patricia Urquiola worked on the project’s interior design. The hotel’s landscaping is by Bet Figueras, a Catalan landscape architect. Figueras and Urquiola worked together on the designs for the Mimosa Garden at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

“I always think that the project I’m working on will by my best.”

-Patricia Urquiola-

Interior design

Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo in 1961. However, she lived for many years in Milan. Then, she returned to work in Spain on this project with Ferrater and Trias de Bes.

Through the unique design features, the Mandarin Oriental has become one of the most important hotels in this hotel chain. The fabulous hotel opened in November 2009. The design exceeded the expectations of the owners and customers.

Due to the great success of the hotel, the chain decided to add an extension. They also entrusted this project to Studio Urquiola. In 2012, the group annexed the adjoining building, which was the former headquarters of Banco Sabadell. This became an expansion of the hotel.

One of Patricia’s greatest contributions to Barcelona’s Mandarin Oriental is the timelessness of the aesthetics. This is a characteristic of much of Urquiola’s work. However, it is such a difficult aesthetic to achieve in this type of project.

With this project, Urquiola created spaces that truly transcend time. You can travel to a glorious past, visualize a bright future, or simply settle into a comfortable present.

A timeless interior

At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, time disappears. This makes you forget everything outside and guarantees a restful experience. Thanks to Urquiola’s work, hotel visitors have the luxury of fleeing from the hustle and bustle of their chaotic routines.

Urquiola’s design gives the hotel a feeling of warmth and comfort, combined with beauty and functionality. These are two concepts that are recurring in her work. Together with her artistic attitude, she always creates high-quality projects.

In short, the work of this architect also combines tradition and innovation. She manages to create significant cultural and intellectual work.

Patricia Urquiola tries to rescue the old concept of grand hotels to reflect the spirit of the Mandarin Oriental Group. The grand hotel is characterized as a luxurious establishment. These hotels began to become more common in Europe in the late 19th century.

Urquiola combines this old style with international contemporary design in the Mandarin hotel with a wide catalog of pieces. Each piece has a purpose and is also combined with the latest technology.