Texturized minimalism, rough materiality, organic forms, stainless steel and the color palette inspired by the fields of the Madrid mountains create a high-tech nature space. The new boutique optics store designed by El Departamento for the brand PJ. Lobster stands tall in the heart of Madrid, specifically at one of its major urban arteries: 2 Fernando VI Street. A meeting point between the sophistication of the Salamanca neighborhood and the vibrancy of Malasaña. The place where the most authentic and avant-garde side of the capital converges. The imprint of this enclave, transformed into a hub of contemporary and cultural activity for the urban fabric, has inspired the creative team at El Departamento, led by Alberto Eltini and Marina Arnal, to create the architecture and interior design of PJ. Lobster’s new space.
At the center of innovation
With the opening of the brand’s latest store in the El Born neighborhood in Barcelona, the comprehensive redesign of PJ. Lobster’s commercial proposal and conceptual stores was materialized. This new space in Madrid reflects the maturity of the brand and its new strategy and positioning within the visual health sector. Thus, this innovative optical boutique introduces itself as the ideal setting for the needs and technical requirements of the brand.
The establishment is located on the ground floor of an imposing turn-of-the-century building. Thanks to the merger of two spaces, the area is equipped with 42m2 and a basement for operational functions. The rectangular layout of the floor, with its façade extended outward, faces the street. Thus, the concept of a store showcase is dissolved to create a massive indiscreet window.
The contemporary ethos
Inside, the ornamental structure of the space consists of wooden beams and cast-iron columns, maintaining a free height that exceeds 4 meters. The original cast iron pillars on the façade have been preserved by El Departamento, covering them with a stainless-steel skin that redefines their shape into two flawless cylinders. A striking glass façade, equidistant between the two pillars, establishes the boundaries between the outside and inside of the space.
PJ. Lobster’s new optical boutique continues the research undertaken by the studio in the previous project located in El Born. Spaces where color, organic forms and different textures are the common thread of each design. In this new generation of stores, the decision has been made to create spaces that enhance the different scales of matter. Clinical and sophisticated establishments that convey to the user the technique and care implicit in the brand.
Homage to heritage
Through this unique spatial investigation, El Departamento revisits design and its strategies, elevating the fusion of textured minimalism with the raw precision of materials to a higher level of sophistication. Every detail is meticulously contained, where the color block of the sales area contrasts with a neutral floor while harmonizing with the stainless-steel furniture that enhances the high-tech nature of the space.
The rough materiality with a prominent irregular plaster finish becomes the protagonist of this optical boutique and an icon of interior design. On this occasion, a color palette dominated by dark garnet and an aubergine hue has been employed, paying homage to the traditional color of Madrid’s exposed brick. This tone, more intense than in other regions of Spain, originates from the various clays present in the central plateau and used in the manufacture of this architectural material characteristic of Madrid’s aesthetics in the late XIX century. A trend that was influenced by international movements such as modernism and eclecticism. Thus, this tribute to reddish tones, transformed into garnet, evokes the hues that tint the fields of the Madrid’s mountain range in autumnal twilights.
Since its inception in 2018, the digital-native brand Project Lobster has revolutionized the world of optics. Over these years, it has achieved consolidation in both its online sales channel and physical stores, with the constant collaboration of El Departamento for the conceptualization, design and execution of its new spaces.
Fact file:
Name of the project: PJ.Lobster RestylingÂ
Location: Fernando VI Street, 2 28004 I Madrid
Area: 42 m2
Type: Commercial Interior Design
Design firm: El Departamento               Â
Lead designer: Alberto Eltini & Marina MartÃn
Photography: Miguel Fernández-Galiano
