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The “Real Casino Murcia”, located in the center of Murcia, is one of the most emblematic buildings in town, starting its construction in 1847. The eclectic style building with modernist and historicistic influences was designed by the architect Pedro Cerdán and declared national monument in 1983.

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After undergoing the building profound refurbishing works from 2006 to 2009 Clavel Architects, assigned by the Association of the “Real Casino Murcia”, realized in 2010 the project and construction of implementing a luxury restaurant.

The restaurant occupies the big dining hall, a smaller dining room with a chimney, a hall between the before mentioned spaces and the patio between dining hall and Billiard hall, in total an area of about 470m2. In the rear space, former storage rooms, a modern, industrial kitchen of about 120m2 has been installed. First of all spaces has to be mentioned the big dining hall of neo-baroque style with its big mirrors on all walls and decorative stucco works on walls and ceilings which has been accommodated for about 180 diners.

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The principal aim of the project has been to seek the symbiosis between the new and the old and to enhance the character and beauty of the place. For this design strategies already used in the original project have been employed and additionally some modern elements have been introduced which are seamlessly integrated in the historical environment.

The restaurant is equipped with tables with a surface of smoked mirror in order to reflect from all angles the beautiful and lush environment. The tables are accompanied by a modern interpretation of Baroque furniture, transparent chairs, "Louis Ghost”, designed by Philippe Starck.

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The bar is a single exempt object in the middle hall, floating between the upper horizontal plane, a ceiling of carved wooden panels, and the lower horizontal plane, a marble pavement. The oval cylinder of the bar keeps the necessary distances to the walls to discreetly direct the flow of people between dining halls, kitchen and patio. Also creates the space for a waiters’ service counter and a large counter for customers with views to the patio.

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The skin of the bar is formed by vertical slats in zig-zag form of mirror sheets in copper tone color that fractionates the reflections of walls and doors and is thus dressed literally with the image of the historical environment giving it its contemporary interpretation.

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As if it were a few accentuated brushstrokes in a historical painting, the challenge of a functional adaptation in an emblematic building has been solved in this way forming a harmonic whole without denying the origin of each of its parts.

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Design Credits:

Architecture and interior design by CLAVEL ARQUITECTOS

Partners in Charge: Manuel Clavel Rojo / Luis Clavel Sainz

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Team: Robin Harloff, David Hernández Conesa

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Photography: David Frutos (BISimages)

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