A piece of Spain in the center of Germany
Forget old fashioned supermarket, all gray and chaos. I’ll show you one where you would go even without having to buy anything.
Supermarkets as we know them are the emblem of sadness. When I think I have to go shopping, I do everything to make it in less time possible, because I’m just anxious to imagine myself in the supermarket lanes.
But this is because they are designed without personality, devoid of originality and creativity. Merely consumerist places, with very little philosophy. Yet one has just been designed in Germany that is absolutely out of the chorus.
Colorful and bold, it is a rare piece in the landscape of large distribution design. Designers are Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse of the award-winning creative and design agency Masquespacio (I already talked about them in these two posts).
A SPANISH SUPERMARKET IN GERMANY
Everything really begins a lot back in the years when Sevilla’s entrepreneur Pepa Bascon moves to Germany in search of new adventures. After many experiences in the field of hospitality, ten years ago she decided to open a small Spanish grocery store in the heart of Cologne.
Spanish products are wonderfully accepted on German soil, so that Pepa decides to open a larger store to support Italian and Spanish restaurateurs in search of its products.
Spanish products sold by Pepa become so demanded that in 2016 she decide to open a cash & carry supermarket with the aim of offering service to non-professional customers in Cologne.
And here is that Masquespacio agency come into play: they are called to design the 500 sqm space and realize a unique project of its kind.
A Mediterranean touch, indispensable, that blends perfectly with the necessary technical requirements that such a place requires.
The main color is black, which gives seriousness to the environment. But this seriousness is contradicted by the saturated colors that resemble Spain. The remembrance of Spain is also present in other elements, but it does not fall into clichés. Tiles and curtains are an example, which recalls so much La Boqueria. Everything was designed by Masquespacio, including graphics and signage; every detail has been designed to convey the warmth of the beautiful Spanish land.
Last but not least the kitchen: a place where make tastings and seminars, to witness the cozy nature of this newly conceived supermarket.
