Vereda, a restaurant for sustainable conviviality

Vereda is an attractive bar and restaurant at the intersection of Diputación and Villarroel streets in Barcelona’s Eixample district, designed by A SPACE ABOUT (ASA) with a commitment to social and environmental sustainability. In a modest 60 m2 space, Laura Blanch and Noa Massanet successfully merge the warmth of a neighbourhood bar with contemporary design to bring new life to an abandoned establishment.
Vereda is named after the Latin American "veredas", spaces for aggregation and socialisation on the sides of streets. ASA’s project is inspired by these gathering-places, reinterpreting their traditional elements and perfectly integrating indoor and outdoor spaces. The predominant colour is green, in three different hues, found in the tiles, on the walls, and on the ceilings and windows, giving the restaurant a cheerful, vibrant look.



ASA’s commitment to sustainability is clear in the studio’s meticulous restoration of the old establishment’s original elements. According to the two designers: "In terms of space, we sought to recover the original elements and play with them. The terrazzo floor we found by removing the various layers of pavement that had been added over the years, the existing bar from the original venue with a curved detail that is now difficult to replicate, and that transported us to the classic bar of yesteryear, were some of the premises when designing the place."
Vereda’s layout was completely transformed, improving customers’ comfort and the efficiency of the use of space. The bar counter has been reduced in size and repositioned to make more room for tables, and an additional drink bar has been added. Large windows have been opened to establish a better connection between inside and outside and improve natural lighting and therefore the establishment’s energy efficiency. Passers-by can now see into the attractive interior and are more likely to come in. A preparation area, two bathrooms with communal sinks, a larger area for groups and a storage space have been set up on the upper level.



Laura Blanch and Noa Massanet, who founded their studio in 2020, worked in close contact with chef Julieta and sommelier Alessandro on the project to achieve a result perfectly combining tradition with the influence of global culinary experiences. Presenting itself as the new "neighbourhood bar" of Barcelona’s Eixample Esquerra district, Vereda evokes the authentic, simple aesthetics of trusted bars combining the simple traditional materials used in these places, such as stainless steel, ceramic tiles and wood.



A SPACE ABOUT gives concrete form to Vereda’s gastronomic concept with a focus on the local territory, elevating its brand identity in a way that is honest and respectful of the neighbourhood’s character: reclaiming original architectural elements, blending tradition with contemporary design and working with local artists and artisans. These include, for example, Albert Villegas, who came up with Vereda’s graphic design, and Gabinete Exquisito and Paula Serra, who provided the illustrations and words adorning the venue. These artistic expressions are based on the Catalonian tradition of the „auca“, a sort of cartoon within a fixed grid. The benches in the bar were made by the craftspeople of sustainable local furniture maker Wodom Studio.
“When we design, we imagine scenes, visualise how people would inhabit the space, and today we can say that those scenes and that project, just as we imagined it, have come true... The space functions exactly as we had projected,“ explain the designers. 
What better compliment for a venue? All you need to do now is pay it a visit the next time you’re in Barcelona!

Christiane Bürklein

Design: A SPACE ABOUT
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year: 2023
Corporate Identity: Albert Villegas 
Illustration: Gabinete Exquisito
Photography: Abel Bueno, Nuria Galí