Retro Tropicalismo

There’s nothing more engaging than a hospitality interior with a clear design narrative, especially one that manages to make you smile. Often times these fit-outs have a strong colour scheme, use a select suite of decorative motifs and incorporate a well-considered materiality, all of which results in an immersive environment that transports the customer to another world. It makes for a memorable experience and that’s why they keep coming back.

Personifying an interior with the character of a well-known individual has been a popular narrative of late. We’ve seen it with the renovation of Kingsleys in Sydney by Richards Stanisich (re-visit Indesign #74 to see which Hollywood leading man was the inspiration behind this fit-out), and most recently with a newly opened sushi restaurant in Valencia. Kaikaya’s interior design is the work of Spanish creative consultancy Masquespacio, established by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse in 2010, and it perfectly exemplifies their contagiously bright and energetic signature aesthetic.

The restaurant’s fit-out embodies all the spirit of Carmen Miranda and in truth, the designers were inspired by the Brazilian artistic movement of Tropicalismo, a nod to the client’s own Brazilian heritage. A 1970s-flavoured colour palette of green, burgundy, pink and black provides the backdrop for tropical foliage and custom parrot lamps. The use of timber and raffia elements borrows from traditional Japanese interiors to not only temper the scheme’s exuberance, but also to respectfully represent the fusion of two distinct cultures. It’s a playful outcome guaranteed to ensure a fun night will be had by all.