La Maruca: A New Restaurant in Madrid Inspired by the Sea

In times past, the city of Madrid had a beach on the banks of the Manzanares River, a ten-minute bus ride from the city center. Today, the new restaurant La Maruca brings the sea to the heart of the capital city, paying tribute to grand rationalist architecture.

Through a process of abstraction, the project plays with the duality of exterior and interior, generating the exterior within the interior and reimagining open and maritime environments where one can feel but not see the sea. Through the use of strips, the internal volumetrics take shape, expressed through multiple curved facades that invite visitors to stroll and explore the space, as a kind of pilgrimage through landscapes shaped by traditional images of the Cantabrian town.

The materiality of the project is closely tied to the maritime character: nautical teak with black polymer-based flexible joints, as used on ship decks, forms the flooring in the transitional areas of the project, while micro-terrazzo with earth-toned minerals serves as the flooring in the comfortable rooms, and white polished cement is used as the finishing of all the volumes that make up the interior.

The interior detailing of the volumes and elements comprising this restaurant is significant. Slim pieces of ceramics and their vertical arrangement allow for a perfect adaptation to the fluid profiles of numerous volumes, creating a texture with character. Careful consideration of the horizontal lines of the project establishes a clear order that enhances the harmony of the project and understanding of the space.

Another feature of the project is its bathrooms, raised on a structure that transcends the boundaries of the premises and opens onto the outdoor terrace. The bathrooms—or cabins—are designed using only two elements: teak and semicircular ceramic pieces as the base.

The spectacular open and exposed kitchen is located at the center of the restaurant's interior. Like the engine room of a ship, it is presented in all its grandeur to all guests, giving them the opportunity to develop a trust-based relationship with the masters who prepare exquisite dishes to their liking. Stainless steel, reliable and unchanging, is the absolute protagonist of this space.