VENERABLE HISTORICAL INSPIRATION FOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN GRANADA

Hotels under the Hidden Away moniker are noted for having an authentic link to their surrounding history. In the case of Seda Club Hotel, the historical inspiration was Granada’s centuries of Muslim rule, specifically the silk trade that prevailed before control was surrendered to the Spanish Catholic Monarchs in 1492.

The hotel is located in the heart of Granada’s historical centre, in Plaza de la Trinidad, a garden square dating from 1893 that extends around an elegant baroque fountain made from stone and marble and is just a short walk from the cathedral.

A major refurbishment of Seda Club Hotel’s interiors has recently been completed by New York-based interdisciplinary architecture and design firm Rockwell Group. The starting brief for Rockwell’s Madrid studio was to create the “ultimate destination to gather, providing a cultural melting pot for global and European explorers”.

The hotel now has a luxurious social club feel, achieved through the use of materials such as rich woods, bronze metal, velvet and marble and resulting in an opulent yet familiar aesthetic.

The hotel has been set up to provide guests with a series of interconnected spaces that feel “exclusive, timeless, warm and irreverent”.

The central lobby and lounge areas facilitate a private members atmosphere, and the only way to enter the hotel is through a “secret members only” library that widens out into a wood-panelled lobby lounge. The lounge features columns throughout and walls clad in a textured emerald plaster and velvet drapery.

At the adjacent lobby bar, a light installation made of glass and bronze in the shape of archery bows decorates the top of the drinks display and curves up onto the ceiling. The bar has a marble top and leather die with a polished bronze back bar and antique mirrors on the walls. www.rockwellgroup.com www.sedaclubhotel.com

The La Pájara sky lounge references the region’s numerous bird species, creating a colourful and playful rooftop space with views of the nearby cathedral. A mosaic tile floor in a traditional local pattern provides the backdrop to lush greenery in a myriad of ceramic pots. A pergola includes an ornate bird and floral-patterned canopy, while a water fountain continues the bird-inspired theme in mosaic.

The hotel comprises just 21 boutique-style guest rooms, highlighted by opulent materials. The beds have a custom leather headboard with a framework composed of brushed brass rods – from which lamps, mirrors and accessories are suspended. This hard structural effect is balanced using patterns and luxurious soft furnishings and, similarly, the chevron wood floors are softened with rugs and velvet drapery. The closet walls are covered in a warm tweed-like fabric with red piping and further leather detailing to tie in with the bespoke headboards.

Tiling in the bathrooms pays homage to the glazed tile mosaics of Granada’s Alhambra Islamic palace and fortress, and guests also have the option of utilising the hotel spa, which takes its inspiration from Roman Baths, complete with sculptured stone and classical forms.

Photos by Manolo Yilera