AMUSING ANECDOTES

Teresa Simon is the author of this piece. Photographs courtesy of Diego Opazo and the Architect. “the sale of wine as well as the promotion of a brand’s or product’s recognition might benefit from a tasting room.” The architect fran silvestre develops vegamar, a wine store, on the basis of this fundamental idea, where sales and tasting are partnered on an equal footing. vegamar is located in a city in Spain. The project, which is 12,300 square meters in size and is situated in the main shopping center of Valencia, Spain, seeks to express the quality of the items that are being presented while working in a straightforward and efficient manner to magnify the space in conjunction with the experience. The alignment and straight lines of the furniture, the lighting, and the spatial arrangement all come together to create a straightforward grid-like pattern in the room as a whole. The vertical surfaces of the building use glossy, black panels because their tones and reflections blur the boundaries of the space, giving the impression that the building is far bigger than it really is. The color of the material mirrors, to some extent, the color of the wines that are being shown. The in-built storage space is accommodated by the vertical surfaces, which also allow for the regularization of the geometry that is accessible. The wine bar and the tasting ritual are located at the rear of the shop, which is clearly separated from the front display units of the boutique store by a visible partition. Given that these are the only two functions that the architect was tasked with completing, ar. fran plays with lines and light. For example, horizontal lines define the wine display, and long recesses of fluorescent linear light on the ceiling are appropriately complemented by a mirror that is hung above, which optically doubles the perception of space. Dark flooring, black lacquer interspersed with white translucent panelling, a suspended ceiling, and a series of glossy vs. matt surface finishes following a monochromatic vocabulary realize a warm, non-intimidating ambience that could make a novice as comfortable as a wine connoisseur. This is achieved by adding a touch of melancholy, similar to the variety of wine. A standout feature is the understated air of refinement that is created by some backlit furniture with clean lines. Please visit globalhop.indiaartndesign.com in order to see the photographs.