Who are Astet?
Barcelona-based studio Astet was set up in 2018 by two architects turned interior designers: Spanish-born Oscar Engroba and Ala Zreigat, who originates from Amman, Jordan. Describing themselves as a “multidisciplinary atelier”, they create everything from hotels and bars to private residences; their real passion, however, is for restaurant design.
Though their studio is still new, the pair made their mark almost immediately with their début hotel project, Aethos, a conversion of an old rural property in Ericeira, a Portuguese surfing destination. Its translation of the local landscape into an atmospheric interior – featuring intense blues borrowed from the Atlantic Ocean and earthy colours echoing the local cliffs – set the template for Astet’s sophisticated interpretation of context, which they bring to every project. Engroba and Zreigat have already won a clutch of awards for their work, and are featured on our AD100 list for 2024.
The greatest design stories from AD Middle East, delivered to your inbox
.jpg)
What’s their creative philosophy?
To begin with, it helps to understand their name: “Astet” is derived from the Spanish word “estética” (aesthetics) and the English word “aesthete”. This moniker reflects their keen focus on linking the visual identity of an interior to its concept. “We specialise in combining a concept with interior design, and other aspects that contribute to the overall experience,” says Engroba. “For us, a holistic vision is crucial.” If they are designing a restaurant – which, as “foodie architects”, they often are – the look and the gastronomy must be closely aligned, otherwise “too much distance between the two negatively affects the experience”. In pursuit of their detailed vision, the pair design custom furniture, finishes and lighting schemes for their spaces, ensuring a unique result where everything works in harmony.
Why are they so passionate about restaurants?
In what other context can you achieve such an immediate impact with such a big audience? “These are spaces where the experience is, by definition, short,” reasons Engroba. “Designing restaurants allows us to take an idea almost to the extreme; in a way, to take us to a new world in a short period of time.” The duo’s mission is to create new ways of experiencing hospitality venues, adds Zreigat. “Every detail, from the lights to the furniture and stemware, is an opportunity to create a lasting memory.”
.jpg)
What’s the story on their latest project, Leña?
Having already designed the first two outposts of this steakhouse in Marbella and Madrid (the former received the prestigious Best Overall Design Restaurant gong at the 2021 Restaurant and Bar Design Awards), Astet has now recreated the concept at the St Regis Garden in Dubai. In a city crammed with “wow” design moments, it still manages to astonish, with its moody, glamorous interior featuring smoky black tones and rich woods. Its look was born of the restaurant’s culinary concept, which spotlights meat dishes that are smoked and grilled over embers; the Japanese-influenced signature dish, Wagyu beef, gave rise to the space’s distinctive charred textures, achieved using the ancient Japanese technique yakisugi, which preserves wood by burning, polishing and oiling it.
“Every aspect of the space, from the material choices to textures and colours, has been carefully crafted to create a multisensory environment that connects to the culinary experience,” says Engroba. “The client gave us the name ‘Leña’ – meaning ‘wood’ in Spanish – and from there, the entire project concept emerged,” adds Zreigat.
Designed for the Dani Garcia Group, Leña’s eminently Instagrammable interior opens with an organic carved entrance wall in rosewood and smoked glass, from which diners are ushered into a central space whose ceiling is adorned with 40,000 hand-applied ash-wood scales. Inspired by the rings of a cut tree trunk, this undulating finish is illuminated by subdued lighting, which gives the impression that the rings are on fire.
The velvet upholstery is inspired by the colours of flames – think ochre, rust, dark brown and jet black – and a stone “carpet” decorates the floor, combining black Zimbabwe granite with wooden inlay. The curvaceous chairs and tables, which follow the lines of the dining room, were designed by Astet, and have a theatrical air that complements the open show kitchen. The latter serves as a pointed reminder that fire is the vital element in every dish being served.
Leña also boasts an outdoor bar and dining terrace conceived as an extension of the interior, but in paler beige tones, with lush greenery. And for special occasions, you can book SmokedRoom, a private dining space that seats 14 and is separated from the main restaurant by a dark passage lined with twinkling lights. Its interior brings together black brick, mirrors and metallic finishes – a suitably opulent setting for the Fire Omakase 15-dish tasting menu, where smoke is the defining theme.
What else has Astet done?
The studio has a burgeoning global portfolio and has designed several other restaurants for the Dani Garcia Group, among them Babette Marbella, a midcentury-inspired French restaurant, and Lobito de Mar in Madrid, where the seafood menu shaped the palette of green-blue and beachy sand tones. A Doha branch of Lobito de Mar has since followed, as well as Jamoteca in Shanghai, which intriguingly combines a Spanish tapas bar with oriental décor.
Unsurprisingly, the studio is garnering a worldwide reputation for bold restaurant design, with projects on the go in Miami, the Dominican Republic, St Moritz, Budapest and Oslo. In 2022, it opened its second hotel project, the Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno in Priorat, one of Spain’s most important wine regions.
What’s next for Astet?
Coming up are three more hotels – the Aethos Monterosa in Champoluc (a ski resort in northern Italy) and two others in Madrid and Lisbon. As for future ambitions, Engroba and Zreigat say they would love to design a yacht, a train or a nightclub in their inimitable style. “We like disruption, both in furniture and interiors,” they say. “We like projects that take us out of our comfort zone.
