New Barcelona hotel Sir Victor celebrates the legacy of Caterina Albert i Paradís, aka Victor Català – one of Catalonia’s beloved 19th-century feminist authors.
Located in the Gràcia neighbourhood, the 91-room bolthole is Sir Hotels’ first outpost in the city and takes over the former Hotel OMM, designed by local firm Capella García. The group’s founder Liran Wizman enlisted his long-time collaborators Baranowitz + Kronenberg to overhaul the hotel’s ground floor, playing with colours and textures to make the modernist building ‘softer’ in honour of the writer.
Explains the practice: ‘We came up with the wall in the ground floor: a drapery of steel that’s a soft movement combined with a bold and robust material.’ This multifunctioning level serves as coworking space and creative hub for the local community and features an oversized Carrara marble pool table, oak flooring and suspended, spherical Bocci lighting. Further down, earthy tones create a cosy ambience leading to the MR PORTER restaurant.
Bedrooms – which start from €220 per night – are decked out in neutral tones and wooden furniture by B&B Italia and Cassina, while Nani Marquina’s handmade rugs are featured alongside abstract paintings from local artist Bernat Daviu in each room.
Guests can check into Sir Victor’s wellness centre and expansive library – stocked with Albert i Paradís’s books and other leading female authors. Architecture buffs can also book into a bespoke walking tour of Barcelona’s lesser-known modernist landmarks, while Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà and La Sagrada Familia can be seen from the hotel’s rooftop bar and plunge pool.