“Little Spain” is more than just a bit of Spain in the middle of New York City. It’s an innovative space that in a way, is also revolutionary, and without a doubt a celebration of the “Spain Brand”. Cosentino has participated in the initiative from the start, using its surfaces to show the best and most innovative applications and decoration for professional “made in Spain” hospitality.
Photo credit Fernando Sancho
José Andrés, the famous Spanish chef, has achieved his aim of bringing authentic Spanish cuisine to New York and creating a space that reflects the country, including all of its traditions and nuances. It’s a new type of space which is as sophisticated as ever, but one in which you also feel comfortable enough to enjoy its main purpose: savouring the top-quality products that are created there. It’s the result of “three years of constant excitement, hardship, and creative bliss,” led by the architect Juli Capella, from the Capella García Arquitectura studio.
It was truly “a challenge to create not just a sample of Spanish cuisine, but also part of its vibrant culture”. As for the creator of this project, “when you design a space, you sell more than just food; there’s a cultural experience, an atmosphere and an underlying focus on culture and art which permeates everything. In this era of globalisation, what’s essential is a strict adherence to authenticity,” explains Capella himself.
Photo credit Miguel de Guzman
According to the architect this project enjoys three direct sources of inspiration: markets, typical small Spanish towns, and the food itself. “‘Little Spain’ is more than just a food court, market or restaurant. Aesthetically it could also be defined as a series of culturally-representative culinary stands or as a small town with its streets and main square where people get together to talk, celebrate, eat and drink.” Moreover, the very colour of the fruit, fish, paella or sangria has been used to make up the palette of hues and textures that have been applied to the project.
Artists such as Javier Mariscal, Oscar Mariné, Sergio Mora and Mikel Urmeneta have participated in the space, and the Lo Siento team has joined in on the graphic design side of the project, thus bringing an authentic selection of Spanish creativity to New York.
Juli Capella has chosen Cosentino materials “because of their performance and because they’re a Spanish product”. In the opinion of the renowned architect, Cosentino “products are ideal for the following uses: Silestone for the bars in the stands, as well as for the wall cladding. Dekton, because of its resistance to erosion and its ability to withstand heat,” she adds. Its large format of vertical panels has also turned out to be key. “We had a range of colours and textures that were guaranteed to be resistant and reliable which, in a place with so much “traffic” and wear and tear such as this, were fundamental,” he says.
Santiago Alfonso, Vice President of Marketing and Communication for the Cosentino Group, is pleased “to collaborate once more with José Andrés on this impressive complex. It is a concept that combines tradition with a modern interpretation of our cuisine. All this serves as a meeting point for the most talented chefs, suppliers, designers and artists in the country. Our products had to be there and, without a doubt, they help to improve the experience because of the design and the quality they provide”.
To this end, Cosentino has supplied nearly 210 boards (almost 700 m2 of material in total) of Dekton® and Silestone® products, you can also find examples of its excellence and innovation in its decorative materials. When it comes to the ultra-compact Dekton® surface, different shades have been used, including Entzo, Makai, Kelya, Aura 15, Fiord, Tundra, and Kairos, which are most predominant with a larger surface area on show. Meanwhile, Silestone®, the leading global brand of quartz surfaces, exhibits in the market its wide range of colours and finishes with application of covers, including White Platinum, Calacatta Gold, Blanco City, Ariel, Tigris Sand or, for example, a spectacular bar in Pearl Jasmine that is 3 cm thick.
But how were the different tonalities used to get the most out of the space? Juli Capella explains that “to design the 18 food and beverage stalls of Mercado Little Spain, we made a palette of materials, textures and colours which they tried to harmonise with each type of product. For the cured ham stand, reddish tones and rustic textures were used; for the fish stand, bluish tones and smooth shiny surfaces; and for the cake stand, colourful textures and materials were used,” he explains. In addition, the project also provides space for exclusivity: “There is a secret room called A3 (Andrés, Adrià, Albert), with a table for only 10 people that is entirely made of Dekton Kairos, including the wall, floor and the table/kitchen itself. It was an exercise in creating an integral mono-material capsule. The Eros model has a vibrant reddish tone which is very suitable for the tapas bar,” he adds.
Because of all of this, the final result of “Little Spain” is much more than bringing a bit of Spain to the heart of New York. It’s a “living organism” which now, New Yorkers and visitors alike can make their own.
Project Details:Name: Mercado Little Spain
Location: 10 Hudson Yards, West 30th Street, NY
Total surface: 3,200 m2
Opening date: 15 March
Architecture Studio: Capella García Arquitectura
Promoted by: José Andrés, in collaboration with the Adrià brothers
Cosentino Materials:Applications: Covers, decorative materials, bars, countertops
Material: Dekton® and Silestone®.
Colours:
Dekton®: Entzo, Makai, Kelya, Aura 15, Fiord, Tundra, and Kairos.
Silestone®: White Platinum, Calacatta Gold, Blanco City, Ariel, Tigris Sand and Pearl Jasmine.
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