A very tiny place: 2,5 meter wide, 32 long and 7 tall. El hueco, the hole, is what Ernesto Bedmar calls it. Formerly used as a storage and located a few steps from Cordoba’s courthouse, El Papagayo is a cozy functional design restaurant, as well as a unique renovation project, as it used to be a narrow lane. The space transformation is tightly connected to the time the architect spent in Asia, especially in Hong Kong and Japan, where he learnt to optimize any sort of space, no matter how tiny it is. And that’s what happened with El Papagayo.
El hueco didn’t just have a small size, it also had unbalanced proportions as it was tight, long and therefore very dark. To bring some natural light in, the architect replaced the former concrete with glass, giving a new sense of height to the whole location. The 1870 walls, on the contrary, remained the same: warm, genuine, authentic.

The real challenge was to insert kitchen, toilet, dining room and a office in such a narrow space. Bedmar solved the problem by opting for a two storey space arrangement, enhanced by the employment of wood which perfectly matches the old preserved walls. This brought a pleasant contrast between old and new to El Papagayo, which features both design and other kind of items. On top of this unique decoration, Lucía Roland from Capo Estudio took in to further enrich the interior design. Bedmar chose artworks by Bandada de Santiago Lena and photographs by Gonzalo Viramonte; design pieces and furniture are neat and essential, yet the space also features eye-catching lamps. Tables and chairs are made out of natural wood and share geometric lines; big design chandeliers overlook the space, which also includes minimal cutting-edge lamps. Last but not least, an actual installation, featuring sort of clouds/feathers, hangs from the ceiling, creating a light effect that makes completely forget the former heavy darkness of the original lane.

Credits photo: El Papagayo
INFO: bedmarandshi.com