Restaurant La Maruca de López de Hoyos in Madrid, Spain by Zooco

15 Mar 2023

A maritime club in the heart of Madrid

Restaurant La Maruca de López de Hoyos in Madrid, Spain by Zooco

If in other times the city of Madrid had a beach - on the bank of the Manzanares, 10 minutes by bus from the centre - today, the new restaurant of La Maruca draws a maritime club into the heart of the capital, paying homage to the great rationalist architecture. Also Read | Kareena Kapoor Khan’s new home in Bandra with European styled decor & wooden detailing

Through a process of abstraction, the project plays with the exterior-interior dualism, generating exteriors within interiors, and recreating open and maritime environments in which the sea is perceived, but not seen. Thanks to the use of bands, the interior volumetry is moulded, expressed through multiple curved and friendly facades that invite the visitor to walk and observe along a sort of pilgrimage through a landscape marked by traditional images of the Cantabrian city. Also Read: 7 Simple steps to Declutter your Work Space

Restaurant La Maruca de López de Hoyos in Madrid, Spain by Zooco
Reserved Area
Photo credit: David Zarzoso

The materiality of the project is closely related to the marine character: nautical teak wood with black polymer-based joint, used on the decks of ships, as flooring in the passage areas of the project; micro terrazzo with minerals in earth colours for floors in living rooms; white polished cement as the finish of all volumes that create the interior building; teak wood slats for the vertical elements of the project, including columns and pillars; finally, smooth white ceilings with a very high degree of sound absorption. Also Read | Shiro Kuramata’s Samba-M shines again with Ambientec at the supersalone in Milan

The interior treatment of the ribbons and volumes that make up the building is noteworthy. The extreme slenderness of the ceramic pieces, and their vertical placement, allow for the perfect adaptation of the cladding to the curved profiles of the multiple volumes, providing a texture with character. Thanks to a careful study of the horizontal lines of the project, a clear order is established that enhances the harmonization of the project and the understanding of the space. Also Read | Kareena Kapoor Khan’s new home in Bandra with European styled decor & wooden detailing

Another characteristic of the project is its bathrooms, elevated on a structure that goes beyond the limits of the premises and opens into its outdoor terrace, like a pier, as a very recognizable element that imbues this outdoor space with character. The bathrooms - or cabins - are designed using only two elements: teak wood slats and a plinth of semicircular ceramic pieces of the same width as the slats.

The envelope of the restaurant is 360º. Like a transparent box, the glass perimeter enhances permeability and promotes the observation of the interior volumes from the outdoor environment. An integral system of wooden sliding doors can change the degrees of privacy and solar protection of the interior. Also Read | Arabic Resin art decor launches by Artist Madhavi Adalja

Nothing hidden

The spectacular open and exposed kitchen is ubicated in the centre of the interior building. Like a ship’s engine room, it is offered in its entirety in an exercise of confidence in the team and transparency towards the customer. Stainless steel, reliable and immutable, is the absolute protagonist. Also Read | 4 ways to style your interior spaces with copper

Technical sheet

Year: 2022
Team: Miguel Crespo Picot, Javier Guzmán Benito, Sixto Martín Martínez.  ZOOCO
Photographer: David Zarzoso.
Video: Imagen Subliminal.
Construction: NIMBO PROYECTOS SL.
Lighting design: ZOOCO
Furniture design: ZOOCO