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Mediterranean-style will be the ultimate muse in 2023
The Mediterranean has also been a key trade site, with its ports and cities serving as hubs of commerce and exchange for millennia. While in previous centuries travelling through the ancient ruins scattered along its coasts was considered a rite of passage for the northern European intelligentsia, during the 20th century, the Mediterranean came to be seen as one of the central destinations of mass leisure and tourism, with its beaches and resorts attracting visitors from across Europe and beyond.
In terms of architecture and interior design, Mediterranean culture continues to be anchored in a sense of tradition and authenticity. It summons images of warm, earthy colours, natural materials, artisanal handicrafts, outdoor furniture, and architectural elements such as arched doorways, courtyards, patios and terraces. The Mediterranean style is known for its relaxed, casual feel, and is often associated with a laid-back, coastal lifestyle.
However, this anchoring does not imply that this region has remained moored to the past, or that its aesthetics are limited to the strictly ‘vernacular’ or regional. Quite the opposite. As the Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert wrote in his essay Mediterranean roots of modern architecture back in 1935, the history of modern architecture has largely neglected the great influence of Mediterranean building techniques and aesthetics; an influence that has been explored in plenty of academic books and articles in recent years. Beyond academia, this careful revalorisation of the Mediterranean style has also gathered quite a bit of attention in the world of interior design, to the point that it has been identified as one of the main trends for the upcoming year.
As you probably know, one of our central missions in AJAR is to introduce some of the best contemporary Spanish furniture to the Australian public. Many of the brands and designers present in our catalogue are firmly rooted in the Mediterranean, drawing from this long-lasting tradition to create design pieces which exhibit a careful modern distillation of this style while at the same time implementing cutting-edge techniques, processes, and materials. Let’s take a look at some of their best furniture and home lighting.
Valencia
All of Spain’s eastern coast faces the Mediterranean, and each region has developed a special relationship with it throughout the centuries. Let’s start with the region of Valencia, home to a thriving port, which continues to be a hub of commerce and trade in the Mediterranean today. Overall, the relationship between Valencia and the Mediterranean is one of deep historical and cultural connections, as you can certainly appreciate it if you take a look at the catalogue of world-renowned brands such as Viccarbe, Vondom, and Kendo.
Viccarbe was founded by Victor Carrasco Berlanga, who was fascinated by furniture design since he was a young boy in Valencia. Today, he is at the helm of a company which is present in more than 70 countries and which collaborates with a plethora of highly talented architects and designers from around the world to create some of the best furniture out there. Despite its worldwide success, Viccarbe’s pieces always reflect the values and aesthetics of the Mediterranean lifestyle. This is evident, for example, in the Savina sofa, a designer sofa whose soft outline and earthy colours exude a Mediterranean easygoingness, while its modular structure allows for a great polyvalence. The Ace armchair collection also puts comfort at the forefront, allowing you to sit back and relax as if you were sitting on a terrace overlooking the sea. It is available in a sleek metal version, but pick the wooden one for a more traditional feel. More on the functional side of things, the Maarten chair is another one of their classics which follows these same aesthetic ideals. Designed by Carrasco himself, this soft-silhouetted chair comes in plenty of configurations, each one as classy as the next.
Kendo is another Valencian brand that creates Spanish furniture pieces that follow a philosophy of sustainable design. Their sustainable practice is based on the use of ethically sourced materials, artisanal techniques, recycling, and waste reduction. They have a couple of Mediterranean-inspired unique coffee tables that we like. The Van coffee and side table, on the one hand, is a charming table that uses a beech and walnut structure paired with a silky porcelain top. The Porciones, on the other hand, is a nifty multifunctional table made from four triangular modules which can be arranged in various configurations.
Vondom’s close relationship with the Mediterranean Sea has led to a deep sense of responsibility towards it. Several years ago, they incorporated ecological concerns into their design philosophy, and they committed themselves to making a positive impact through the continuous implementation of eco-intelligent materials. In this way, they have created some of the best furniture out there using recycled material picked up from the Mediterranean. Such is the case of the Ibiza sun lounger, a wavy stackable lounger designed by Eugeni Quitlett, and fabricated with polypropylene from recycled bottles and fishing nets picked up around the Balearic Islands. Quitllet has also designed La Pedrera chair, a tasteful and functional piece of outdoor furniture whose forms are inspired by the gentle waves of the Mediterranean. As you might have noticed, its name comes from a very famous Gaudí building, which now takes us to a different region, a bit farther up North along the coast.
Barcelona
The Mediterranean Sea has played a major role in the development of Catalan culture, providing a source of food, trade, and transportation for the region. The sea and coast have also been a source of artistic inspiration for many Catalans, and it has played a central role in the region’s rich and vibrant arts & design. When it comes to Spanish furniture, however, it is safe to say that Barcelona is the region’s crown jewel. Few other cities (both in Spain and abroad) can match the vibrant and dynamic arts & design scene that inhabits this city. Thus, it is no surprise that our catalogue of Spanish furniture is full of brands which were either founded or based in this city.
There are a couple of brands that specialise in home lighting and designer lamps inspired by the traditional lamps and lanterns of the region. Undoubtedly, one of the most important is Santa & Cole, a company which has been in the business of designing exceptional objects since the 1980s, when they began creating lamps for some of Barcelona’s most famous bars and nightclubs. One of these exceptional objects is the Cesta lamp, an all-time favourite and bestseller conceived by Miguel Milá. The original version made from a cherry wood structure and an opal shade wears its traditional inspirations on its sleeve. However, the aluminium version manages to translate these aesthetic ideals into more modern materials which are weatherproof and outdoors-ready. Milá has also designed the TMM, a floor lamp which is one of the most celebrated pieces in his long career as a veteran designer. Like the Cesta, the TMM combines warm materials with minimalist forms to result in nothing short of a contemporary classic. Designed by Antoni Morangas, the Moragas is another table lamp which fuses tradition and contemporaneity in a masterful way. It is endearingly simple: a single solid wooden column paired with a delicate shade made from bookbinding tape.
ALMA Light is another Barcelona-based company that focuses on designer lamps and home lighting with a Mediterranean feel. They describe their pieces as “possessing a luxuriously mediterranean spirit”, and this shows in their careful choice of forms, noble materials, and artisanal processes. Designed by Jordi Llopis, the Tribeca is one of our favourite pieces from this Catalan company. The Tribeca designer lamp consists of a galvanised metal cylindric base with a delicate spherical screen made from alabaster, a stone which has been traditionally used in the region. This alabaster sphere is smooth and translucent, with veins that make every piece unique when backlighted. Named by Llopis after the famous Japanese volcano, the Fuji pendant is another piece of home lighting that makes the most out of this traditional Mediterranean stone. In this case, rather than a sphere, the alabaster is handcrafted into a delicate cone shape. Once again, the haptic and visual qualities of this stone shine forth astoundingly when the light is turned on.
Founded in 1973, Mobles 114 presents us with a catalogue focused on chairs, office tables and shelving systems. Most of their work is minimalist and modern, but we believe that their traditional heritage shines forth in several pieces. The Torres Clavé armchair is one of the clearest examples. Designed in 1935 by the Architect with the same name, this timeless oak armchair furnished the Spanish Republic Pavilion, standing next to legendary works by Picasso, Calder, and Miró. A bit more on the streamlined side of things, the Nuta is a sleek piece inspired by traditional bar stools.
An important part of the laidback Mediterranean lifestyle is its playful or leisurely element. RS Barcelona has channelled these aspects to create two pieces which are high-end and tasteful reinventions of the classic ping pong and foosball tables. Their popular RS3 Wooden foosball table is a sturdy piece which is ready for the most heated matches, with many customisable aspects that make it adaptable to any interior design colour scheme. The RS Stationary ping pong table, on the other hand, is a standard size outdoors-ready table with solid iroko legs and a glossy high-pressure laminate top. You would be hard-pressed to find a classier ping pong table than this one.
Girona and Basque Country
Lastly, we move a bit further up north from Barcelona to find Girona, another Catalan city famous for its mediaeval old town, the Gothic cathedral of Santa Maria, the Arab baths, and the colourful houses along the Onyar river. Closeby (in the town of Tortellá) is the home of Verges, a family-owned business that has specialised in the craft of wooden chairs since it was founded fifty years ago. Their chairs exhibit many of the traits that the Mediterranean style is famous for. Craftsmanship and tradition are visible in the Bogart, a chair which they describe as “the archetype of the traditional Mediterranean chair.” While the original version suits perfectly around a wooden dining table, the version with arms is ideal for a terrace or balcony. The Naoshima stool is more adventurous in its reinterpretation of tradition. The bottom half is a traditional four-legged wooden stool structure, while the seamlessly integrated upper half explores the expressiveness and structural capacities of bent plywood to create a shape with curves, twists, and turns.
To finish, let’s move westbound to San Sebastián, located in the Basque Country. Those of you acquainted with Spanish geography might be thinking: Wait a minute, isn’t San Sebastián facing the Vizcaya Gulf and the Atlantic? Yes, that is right. However, despite being in another region, the brand we want to talk about offers Scandinavian-style furniture with a Mediterranean-inspired twist. Stua was founded by Jesús Gasca and his son Jon Gasca, and they are based in Astigarraga (6 km south from San Sebastián). They specialise in sustainable design and timeless products, for both domestic as well as commercial furniture. They have plenty of pieces that follow these aesthetic guidelines but, for time’s sake, we would just like to mention one. The Costura Armchair is a piece designed by Jon Gasca himself. The bent plywood frame is thin and elegant, and the soft cushions are available in a plethora of upholstery options.
In conclusion, the Mediterranean-style Spanish furniture we have just shown you will add a touch of old-world charm and natural beauty to any space while remaining firmly anchored in contemporary trends and cutting-edge manufacturing processes. However, this is just a small sample of what is available in our catalogue. If you would like to take a look at more furniture of this style or request personalised advice, you can book a consultation with us. We look forward to hearing from you!