Words by Allegra Salvadori | Photo by Endgrain Films
At this year’s Downtown Design Dubai, Interiors from Spain didn’t simply bring a booth — it brought a mood. Curated by Swiss Bureau Interior Design & Build, Espejos — meaning “mirrors” — shimmered like a living portrait of Spain itself: bold, emotional, and full of rhythm.
From the moment you step in, you feel a pulse — the kind that comes from people who design with heart. The light is soft yet radiant, bouncing off mirrored panels; textures collide gently — ceramic, fabric, metal — like voices in conversation. Colour colour colour. Riyah Gravador, Senior Interior Designer at Swiss Bureau, tells me, “We wanted everyone to take a part of our booth, to feel that they are in Spain, this is not only a representation of Spain design visually, but also emotionally.”
The space unfolds around a mirrored courtyard, the kind of place that invites pause. It reflects not only the architecture but the energy of those within it — designers, visitors, and strangers exchanging smiles. It’s a detail that sums up what the installation is really about: connection, generosity, and beauty made tangible.“When we have Spain in our mind, we asked ourselves how Spain feels like, and this is what we have brought here in this booth. We wanted everyone to feel they belong.” Gravador continues.
And then, there are the brands — ten stories of craft, passion, and play.
APE Grupo lays the foundation with ceramic surfaces that feel less like tiles and more like tactile memories — cool to the touch, glazed with quiet precision. Nearby, Ondarreta’s wooden chairs tell stories of the Basque coast, of family workshops where craft still begins by hand. Punt Mobles, from Valencia, adds poise and calm, its furniture pieces so beautifully balanced they seem to breathe.
Outdoors, the tone shifts — sunlight, laughter, and Mediterranean ease. iSiMAR stands out with the Topos Chair, an icon originally designed by Zaha Hadid and now reinterpreted by the brand in galvanized steel, perfectly expressing its passion for geometry and movement. OISIDE, on the other hand, redefines outdoor living with its elegant outdoor kitchen, where clean lines and clever detailing make functionality look effortless. Both brands embody the essence of Mediterranean design — open, social, and crafted to be lived with joy. OGO Furniture brings levity, its playful shapes almost sculptural — you can feel the island life in them, the breeze, the salt.
Light carries the story further. LZF’s timber-veneer lamps glow like petals — handmade, tender, and warm — while Marset’s lighting pieces bring a quiet sophistication, turning light into emotion. Lladró surprises with its Cascades lamp designed by Lee Broom, a luminous sculpture in porcelain that hovers between art and innovation, showing a more daring, contemporary side to the heritage brand. On the floor, Nanimarquina’s handwoven rugs ripple with colour and texture underfoot, grounding the installation in touch and tactility.
As I move through the space, I ask each designer the same question: What is Spanish design in one word? Their answers come like poetry — colour, soul, warmth, fantasy, passion.
Each word lands differently, but together they form the same feeling that Espejos leaves behind: joy.
It’s the joy of a country that designs not for perfection but for life itself — vibrant, generous, and endlessly expressive. In the mirrored courtyard at the heart of Espejos, you don’t just see the reflection of Spanish design — you see the reflection of everyone it touches.
