Elle Decor Usa Abril 2011

8/7/2019 Elle Decor Usa Abril 2011

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BarcelonaSpains most sensual city has it allgreat food, distinctive

architecture, and compelling contemporary designplus its set at theedge of a stunning beach. By Andrew Ferren

omethings cooking in barcelona. The cit that has long een ains

stockot of stle is oiling over ith creative fervorhether its on a

restaurant stove or in artists studios, design ateliers, or just out on the

streets. Ferran Adri, the high riest ofnueva cocina, adores his home-

ton: The est thing aout barcelona is that it has asolutel everthing

ou could ask for in a ig cosmoolitan modern cit, the chef sas, ut

it can still e navigated as easil as a charming medieval one. ike the

erfect mise en lace of a rofess ional kitchen, barcelona has ever

ingredient reared exactl as it should e and its all ithin eas reach.

There are fe cities in the orld in hich a 20-minute stroll mighttake ou from a 13th-centur Gothic cathedral, ast a museum full

of picassos, to a orld-famous oera house, and then onto a sand

each and into the azure aters of the Mediterranean. National Geo-

graphic recentl named barcelona the est each cit in the orld,

hichgiven that cities like io de Janeiro ere in the runningis

not ad for a lace that rett much forgot it even had a each for

several hundred ears.

t as not until hosting the 1992 lmics that barcelona rediscov-

ered its coastlinethen virtuall inaccessile ehind old railroad

tracks, dockards, and arehousesand since then its een invest-

ing heavil to oen it all ack u. but ith tourism ooming in the ears

since the ummer Games, some of the cits coolest neighorhoods

ere on the verge of ecoming theme arks.

can reall feel that the cit is in the rocess of reinventing itself, sasanti Moix, a ainter ho divides his time eteen barcelona and Ne

york. There is a return to authentici t and qualit not just in arts, ut in

everthing. No that eve shon the orld hat e can do ith food

there is this incredile energ to do the same in other arenas.

The rooftop of AntoniGauds Casa Mil.

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An arena in hich the cit alread excels is hos italit, ith some-

thing like 20 five-star hotelsincluding the sank w and Mandarin

riental. And no hotel seems comlete ithout a Michelin-starred res-

taurant. Moixs favorite is Drolma, inside the otel Majestic, here chef

Ferm puig serves his udated Catalan classics in grand stle.ne imagines the accommodations ere more rustic hen the

Carthaginians first set u sho here in the third centurb.C.Todasbarcelona of just over 1.6 million eole is the caital of ains north-

eastern Cataluna region, ut it as alread a thriving cosmoolitan

ort ack hen landlocked Madrid as just a dust fortress ith some

houses clustered around it.

Through eriods of tremendous roserit or during invasions,

ars, and devastating lagues, Catalans enduring merchant men-

talit has alas meant getting ack to usiness ithout missing a

eat. b the mid-19th centur, the alled citthe area toda

knon as the Gothic Quarteras among the most densel ou-

lated in the orld. when the alls came don in the 1850s, barce-

lona sread out, in surrisingl orderl fashion, to the ixamle, a

vast grid of streets and avenues that remains a model of intelligent

uran lanning.

The ixamles streets are home to some of the most eloved

uildings in the orld: Modernista (as Art Nouveau is knon in an-

ish) marvels such as Casa Mil and Casa batll Antoni Gaud and

other striking examles his contemoraries, such as lusDomnech i Montaner and Jose puig i Cadafalch, ho have left an

indelile imrint on the look of the cit. barcelona has long een an

architects cit, sas scar Tusquets blanca, ho designed the sen-

sitive exansion and modernization of

The FundaciJoan Mir.

Drolma, chefFerm Puigsrestaurantin the HotelMajestic.

Parc Gell,designed by Gaud.

Vila Viniteca wineshop and charcuterie.

barcelona

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A view of thePasseig de

Grcia at dusk.

Domnech i Montaners ornate music hall,

the palau de la Msica Catalana. tles,

movements, and revivals last as long as the

last, Tusquets blanca exlains. Tremen-

dous creativit as unleashed the ussian

evolution, for instance, ut that lasted aout

ve ears. For some reason, barcelonas cre-

ative run has een consideral longer.

Certainl the cits architectural run egan

long efore Art Nouveau. The est a to un-

derstand its histor is to trace develoment

from neighorhood to neighorhood, starting

in the Gothic Quarter, hich faces the ort and

is the heart of the old cit. ere, in a jumle

of narro streets lined ith 400-, 500- , and600-ear-old houses that aear to e holding

one another u, oull nd the Cathedral, Cit

all, and countless Gothic and enaissance

alaces ith their rooding ortals oening

onto charming interior courtards.

At the old tons eastern edge are the born

and iera neighorhoods, no a vortex of

trendsetting shos. As laundr utters on the

alconies aove, a different kind of rag trade

unfolds in outiques like a Comercial, hich

has five outosts in the sace of to locks.

Among artist anti Moixs mandator stos in

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Bar Mut, a popularspot for tapas.

the born is Vila Viniteca, a ine and secialt

food sho run Joaquim Vila, ho Moix sas

can tell ou everthing ou need to kno

aout anish and Catalan ines.

To the est of the old cit is the arrio knon

as l aval, hich, though raidl gentrif-

ing, still mixes in enough uran grit to give it

an authentic edge (translation: kee a tight

gri on our allet or urse). The main ou-

levard of the old cit, the ustling amla,

runs from the plaa de Cataluna don to

the old ort. There is a lot to love aout the

amla, desite its exotic-ird sellers and

unrul huu. Theres the famous boqueria

market, an 18th-centur roduce market thatis the heart and soul of the cits culinar cir-

cuit. (t sas everthing that to of barcelonas

iggest tourist attractions are roduce mar-

ketsthe other, the anta Caterina market in

a iera, has a ildl undulating mosaic-

clad roof and as featured in an architecture

exhiition at the Museum of Modern Art in

Ne york.) ther addresses orth noting

are the Gran Teatre del iceu, one of uroes

most storied oera houses, and MACbA,

the museum of contemorar art uilt

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Casa Amatllerand Casa Batll.

The entrance tothe Mandarin

Oriental hotel.

beond its amoant architecture, the other

notale dra of the ixamle is its shoing.

The famous passeig de Grcia is lined ith

luxur outiques such as bagus-Masriera in

puig i Cadafalchs neo-Gothic Casa Amatller.

besides their on contemorar designs,

bagus continues to roduce (from the orig-

inal molds) the stunning gold and enamel

jeelr designs of lus Masriera, one of the

masters of Art Nouveau.

Just stes aa from such high-end emo-

ria, on the side streets of the ixamle, a

handful of indeendent local fashion design-

ers are at ork. barcelona has this incred-

ile heritage of design and craft, and ou can

still find talented eole roducing amazing

clothes and leather goods right here in the cit,

sas isa ichardson, a former fashion de-signer in Milan. To ears ago she and fello

fashionista Niki oinson started Antiques &

boutiques, offering clients esoke shoing

tours throughout the cit.

barcelona

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The beachsideW Barcelona resort.

Bel y Ciahaberdashery.

An entirel different retail atmoshere

exists north of the road Avinguda Diagonalin the multiethnic and art neighorhood of

Grcia. nce a searate village that gave the

passeig de Grcia (essentiall the road to

Grcia) its name, the area still maintains its

on distinct flavor and village atmoshere.

with narroer streets, smaller uildings, and

loer rents than the surrounding ixamle,

Grcia is a haven for retail ustarts, ith lots

of trend shos selling sneakers, ikes, and

vintage clothing; it also offers ine ars and

a fantastic selection of Moroccan, portuguese,

Greek, and eanese restaurants.

where Grcia converges ith the ixamle,

tin Carrer neca is dense ith cool shos

featuring everthing from designer a clothes

to vintage ursesas ell as restaurants

that mix high stle ith easgoing charm. you

can even sta in the neighorhood at Casa

Fuster, one of Domnech i Montaners mostsumtuous residential structures and no

barcelona

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a five-star hotel ith a famous jazz ar, Caf

Viens, here wood Allen jammed hile

shooting Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

A fe 21st-centur architectural marvels

have alread risen in the citor at least at its

edges. Too to, ichard ogers, and Jean

Nouvel have all uilt shimmering toers.

And of course the sires of Gaud s agra-

da Famliarecentl consecrated the

poecontinue their ascent on the horizon.

t is no slated for comletion in 2026, and

desite the fact that its eing constructed

ithout Gaud (or an of his draings, hich

ere lost decades ago), it ill still e consid-ered the most imortant religious structure of

the 20th centur.

Gastronomicall the cit is thriving, as man

alums from l bull i, Ferran Adris orld-

famous restaurant an hour north of barce-

lona (hich is scheduled to close at least

temoraril next ear), have set u their on

estalishmen ts. l bullis former executive

chef, Alert aurich, has oened the Asian-

insired Dos palillos in the funk Casa Camer

otel in the aval. And Carles Aelln is no

in charge of five kitchens, including the lo-

ke Taas 24 as ell as the sank grill bravo

at the w hotel. ven as he contemlates his

next move, Adri and his rother have just

launched a taas ar called Tickets, in the

heart of the theater district, hich ill no dout

e the next hot ticket in ton.

but then revivals and eginnings are nothingne in a cit here locals still dance the ar-

dana in front of the Cathedral on undas and

vintage jeelr is snaed u uran hi-

sters at the eekend antiques market near

the ort. n barcelona, gorgeous authenticit

lurks around ever corner.

MACBA, Barcelonascontemporary art museum.

Vinon, the cityslargest design store.

barcelona

Documents

Elle Decor Usa Abril 2011