Alfredo Arribas - Interior Designs, Buildings and Projects

In the 80s, the post-Franco period, there was enormous activity in all fields of Spanish design, from furniture to fashion. Bars in particular became a symbol of the new freedom, optimism and sometimes also frivolity. They attracted night-lovers from all continents, offering them the possibility of exchanging the dreariness of everyday life for a world of symbols and dreams for a few hours. Designing bars was seen as a challenge by young architects. Soon the unusually imaginative interiors began to attract attention outside Spain as well. More than other architects of his generation, Alfredo Arribas succeedeed in setting new standards for complex and innovative solutions in the field of interior design. And he managed to bring bar design to the forefront of serious architectural discussion. He tries to create new spheres of experience in his bars by dividing space unusually, working with architectural quotations, imitating film settings, as in the "Network Cafe", and by installing calculated lighting effects. Arribas describes the way he works and how his projects come into being in an essay of his own. Two other essays present critical analysis of his work.
All the projects introduced here for the first time are commented upon in detail. Quim Nolla, the designer of the Spanish magazine Quaderns is responsible for the design of the book.