Lagranja Designs Leo Messi's New "Hincha" Restaurant in Andorra

The studio Lagranja Design has designed the new restaurant Hincha by Nandu Jubany to be found on the second floor dedicated to Food & Beverage of the recently inaugurated MIM Andorra hotel. This hotel is the first 5-star complex for the MIM Hotels Group, owned by Argentine soccer star Leo Messi and managed by Majestic Hotel Group.

Located in Andorra La Vella's most central avenue, the MIM hotel is designed to welcome travelers attracted by the country's wide range of mountain sports and skiing, and also by shopping tourism. Within this classic style hotel, chef Nandu Jubany aimed to make the "Hincha" restaurant stand out with a more youthful and informal atmosphere without losing the touch of luxury that characterizes the hotel in order to achieve a more inclusive culinary space. With this in mind, for the interior of the restaurant the Spanish design studio has devised a great mix of urban and mountain styles that combines both elegant and rustic touches at the same time.  

One of the challenges faced by the Lagranja Design team was to achieve harmony between the Hincha restaurant, the cafeteria area, and the lounge in a tight space. This is something has been achieved by using the furniture itself to create three contiguous open areas that enhance a feeling of spaciousness.  A good example of an element that helps to create a micro-environment is the large centerpiece in the form of a mushroom-shaped structure in the lounge, which transforms a pillar and a false ceiling into an emblematic space. An allusion to the nature of the mountains, but with a sophisticated aesthetic more typical of an urban environment. Under the large abstract mushroom, handcrafted by Lagranja in plaster, a semicircular sofa and a large custom-made rug by Nani Marquina stand out. Lagranja has also created a large, upholstered bench that runs along the entire length of the window. And in the cozy relaxation area around the fireplace are comfortable sofas with large NEST cushions, designed by Lagranja for Koo International, which have been upholstered in leather for this establishment.

This urban and at the same time Pyrenean atmosphere has been achieved through the mix of materials: an abundance of rough saw-cut pine, adds a feel of the mountains, contrasting with other textures and finer materials typical of urban hotels. The authenticity even extends to the rest rooms, where the stone washbasins look completely natural, as if the water came from a mountain spring. All this is complemented by the graphics, a key part of the project - here the studio worked closely with Barcelona graphic design studio Zoo.

Founded in 2002, Lagranja is a multidisciplinary design firm whose talents are mainly focused on the creation of interiors and products. For the studio, design has always been a matter of ideas and strategies, never of trends. "We don’t sit down at the table with a predetermined list of what we should or should not do. We believe that each project is unique and needs to be approached in a different way. We try to understand the context, we ask ourselves and our clients a lot of questions, we strategize, we look for the right tools and the right team. And we let things develop." In 2010, Lagranja consolidated its growth by expanding, establishing a new office in Hong Kong, which moved to Singapore in 2018. The company has also been operating in Istanbul since 2013.