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Maara Gastronomic Space
Architect Marta Jarabo
Team Juan José Muñoz del Val,
Fernando Fernandez, Paola Pardo
Photography Aurea Rodriguez
Madrid
2022
Team Juan José Muñoz del Val,
Fernando Fernandez, Paola Pardo
Photography Aurea Rodriguez
Madrid
2022
Maara is a gastronomic multi space which combines a shop, a restaurant with training and tasting space. It is a project that engages local producers and promotes “fast real food. The team created a spatial narrative to marry the spirit of the brand: from the country to table. The concept picks up the baton of the grocery stores of yesteryear in the shop and restaurant area, with a touch of a New York speakeasy for the training and tasting area inspired on the countryside, creating two clearly differentiated atmospheres.
The training space is located in the basement. Com- pletely painted in vibrant yellow as the rainfed crops on a summer sunset, it tries to emulate the fields of cul- tivation in an abstract way. A hanging table folds and splits like the geometric shapes of the crop fields. The table winds through the room and changes height to of- fer areas of high stools or chairs. The artificial lighting comes through three false polycarbonate patios, which act as a trompe l’oeil to mitigate the feeling of being in a basement and give more depth to the room. The access to the training space is via a narrow staircase behind the bar counter, this together with the contrast with the calm atmosphere of the rest of the premises, reinforces the feeling of entering a speakeasy.
For the shop-bar and restaurant program, the team sought to create a completely different, relaxed and informal atmosphere with natural materials and un- polished textures that revisits the traditional grocery stores. The wooden shelves wrap all the spaces and serve the immediate program, either functionally or as decoration. Wooden chairs and log tables cut contrast with the floor and the grated cement frieze, the exposed concrete structure and simple benches made of wooden boards on concrete blocks joined with nylon straps.
On the access floor is the shop and bar. The stainless steel counter counters the wooden shelf that crosses the double height. In the center a high wooden table with an interior garden of dried flowers serves to transfer the concept of the field to the store-bar area. Unlike in other multi-gastronomic venues, it has been chosen not to establish a hierarchy between the bar and the store; buyers and diners share the same space.
As part of the sustainable philosophy of the architectur- al practice, efforts have been made to integrate as much as possible existing elements such as railings, tables, chairs and make the minimum intervention necessary to achieve a clear image for the brand and a pleasant atmosphere for customers.
The training space is located in the basement. Com- pletely painted in vibrant yellow as the rainfed crops on a summer sunset, it tries to emulate the fields of cul- tivation in an abstract way. A hanging table folds and splits like the geometric shapes of the crop fields. The table winds through the room and changes height to of- fer areas of high stools or chairs. The artificial lighting comes through three false polycarbonate patios, which act as a trompe l’oeil to mitigate the feeling of being in a basement and give more depth to the room. The access to the training space is via a narrow staircase behind the bar counter, this together with the contrast with the calm atmosphere of the rest of the premises, reinforces the feeling of entering a speakeasy.
For the shop-bar and restaurant program, the team sought to create a completely different, relaxed and informal atmosphere with natural materials and un- polished textures that revisits the traditional grocery stores. The wooden shelves wrap all the spaces and serve the immediate program, either functionally or as decoration. Wooden chairs and log tables cut contrast with the floor and the grated cement frieze, the exposed concrete structure and simple benches made of wooden boards on concrete blocks joined with nylon straps.
On the access floor is the shop and bar. The stainless steel counter counters the wooden shelf that crosses the double height. In the center a high wooden table with an interior garden of dried flowers serves to transfer the concept of the field to the store-bar area. Unlike in other multi-gastronomic venues, it has been chosen not to establish a hierarchy between the bar and the store; buyers and diners share the same space.
As part of the sustainable philosophy of the architectur- al practice, efforts have been made to integrate as much as possible existing elements such as railings, tables, chairs and make the minimum intervention necessary to achieve a clear image for the brand and a pleasant atmosphere for customers.
