The creative studio Viruta Lab designs Al Taulell, a restaurant where the user is immersed in the hustle and bustle of the local street markets.
The beauty of nudity transferred to architecture
Al Taulell is conceived in a space of more than 145 sqm; a restaurant that rescues in its interior design the architectural imprint of Arrancapins, a charismatic and historic neighborhood of Valencia. The architecture and interior design studio Viruta Lab have materialized this project through an exercise of reinterpretation and adaptation of the traditional local design and the uniqueness of its context.
Al Taulell evokes the bustle of the markets that fill the streets of this popular neighborhood, full of ephemeral stalls of canvas and metal, where to enjoy the typical and fresh product of the local gastronomy. A space that highlights the essence of Valencia and its most traditional architecture.
The imperfect and raw character of its interior design, with exposed bricks, patinas of paint or the original ironwork of its windows, appeals for the respect and architectural consolidation of the most emblematic neighborhoods of Valencia, which weekly host these street markets. Its walls, modified by previous interventions, have been sifted by Viruta Lab with elements of Valencian traditions such as the Alicante shutter of solid wood slats, so representative of this city.
Irregular geometry
The geometric irregularity of the space enables the restaurant to be zoned: a lobby that is presented as a showcase for fresh products leads to a dining room with continuous tables that enhance social relations.
The foyer, designed with a double-height bar that embraces the semi-open kitchen, invites users to sit down and enjoy this new gastronomic experience. The division between the two areas is materialized with arched shelves on storage modules, which appear as a backdrop to the room and are dressed in decorative elements that bring a warm, cozy and comfortable aesthetic to the space. In the dining room, several tall longitudinal tables are projected as common bars that evoke the family and social character of the neighborhood. The heads of the tables have been designed in a semicircle with a double metal ring that allows the user’s experience to be independent and creates a new table for those who prefer a quicker and more informal tapas experience.
María Daroz and David Puerta, the creative team of Viruta Lab, have designed all the elements that make up the furniture of this restaurant, based on a very refined Art Nouveau aesthetic and a minimal color range: gold, two blue hues and off-white. The bars and tables are designed with a metal profile of circular section on porcelain and are modularly crowned by suspended acoustic domes that also provide light to the space. To enhance the feeling of being in the street, the ceiling generates an irregular veil with untreated iron gratings, which will age with the time as they will be integrated into the historical patina of the space.
Through its architecture, the most traditional, social and human side of Valencia culture is rescued at Al Taulell. A space born of tradition and avant- garde. A tribute to the authentic street markets. An ode to the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Location: Valencia
Design: Viruta Lab
Area: 145 sqm
Photos courtesy: David Zarzoso
