Retail

The store is on Madrid’s Golden Mile

Pared back

Gandia Blasco Group has opted for a no-frills approach for its new flagship store in Madrid

If ever there was a store designed to let the furniture and rugs speak for themselves, rather than distract the viewer with the surroundings, Gandia Blasco Group’s new flagship store in Madrid has to be a strong contender.

Its brick walls have been painted white, with a handful of brand images and logos; the wooden ceiling is black and the floor grey cement, evoking an omnipresent colour in the group’s Valencia headquarters. But when you are situated on the city’s Golden Mile in the Salamanca district, a little less dressing up helps you stand out from the top-end stores and Michelin-starred restaurants.

The 3,230sqft space is an open-plan semi-basement at 28 Ortega y Gasset, created by the group’s design department in collaboration with MUT Design, which has previously designed rugs and furniture for the group. Its three brands – Gandiablasco, GAN and Diabla – sit alongside each other.

The opening coincides with the group’s 80th anniversary. Today, Gandia Blasco Group continues to put design at the service of innovation, led by the second and third generation of the family: José A Gandía-Blasco Canales, president and creative director of the group, and his children: Alejandra, the company’s deputy creative and communications director and creative director of Diabla, and Álvaro, vicepresident and commercial director.

Gandiablasco’s outdoor spaces and furniture are reinterpreted with the latest designs including Luca Nichetto’s Onde, Søren Rose’s Capa, Mayice Studio’s Buit and Made Studios’ Bosc, alongside classics such as the Picnic and Clack! chairs and hammocks by Gandía-Blasco Canales, which showcase some of the new colours and fabrics from its wide range of finishes.

Texture, colour and eclectic shapes in rugs and accessories fill the GAN space. Representative elements from series such as Bandas, Garden Layers, Nuances and Mirage by Patricia Urquiola; Ply, by MUT Design; Backstitch by Raw Edges, and Canevas by Charlotte Lancelot, are displayed on the floor and walls,

showing the infinite possibilities of the different materials and artisanal production techniques. Under creative director Mapi Millet, GAN, founded in 2008, is heir to the original textile business of the group, which began as a blanket manufacturer.

Established in 2018, Diabla is its most casual brand and specialises in the design of light and accessible outdoor furniture and accessories. Its trademark style proposes other ways of enjoying life outdoors in any environment at any time of year, especially in small spaces. Grill by MUT Design, ARP by Made Studio, Lilly by Democràcia Estudio and Plisy Up by Alejandra Gandía-Blasco are among the new designs on show. Visit: www.gandiablasco.com