Barcelona-based Emiliana Design Studio was founded by two graduates of Central Saint Martin's, Ana Mir and Emili Padrós. What's caught our eye from this Spanish duo? Their ZigZag line for Kettal, which consists of tables, poufs, outdoor fires, and flowerpot holders. For pricing and retailer information, contact Kettal or visit Context in Atlanta, a showroom that carries Kettal products.

Above: The Kettal ZigZag Planters come in three sizes.

Above: The ZigZag Puff comes with a cushion available in a choice of colors. The line is made from aluminum coated with a polyester powder and a ceramic top.

Above: A white braided collection featuring the ZigZag Fire, a table with ceramic center and tabletop (remove the ceramic top and the table can be used as an outdoor fire).

Above: A table as outdoor fire surrounded by stools.

See all of the products we've featured in our Outdoor Furniture section.

No traditional Spanish kitchen is complete without a paella pan, said to be one of the keys to creating Spain's beloved dish. The best paella pans are shallow (for efficient evaporation of liquids), have a broad surface (for sauteing and browning), sloped sides (to increase the surface area while still allowing enough volume to add necessary liquids), and are made of quality materials (for even heat distribution). Plus, the signature double handles of paella pans are great for carrying and table serving. 

Our selections feature 13-to-17-inch diameter pans that serve between six and ten people, and which work on most stovetops (including induction), ovens, barbecues, and even over open fires. Not in a Spanish state-of-mind? Paella pans are perfect for jambalayas, stir-frys, and pastas as well. 

For a fun take on Paella and a few good recipes, see the New York Times piece: Paella, by Land and Sea. Grab a glass of sangria and read on.

Above: The classic Spanish Garcima Traditional Steel 17-Inch Paella Pan features a dimpled surface for even heat distribution. Economical and effective, it requires some maintenance: hand-washing and seasoning with oil to prevent rust. Available for $34 at La Tienda (smaller and larger size options are available).

Above: Garcima offers the same traditional pan in a professional version that is made of double gauge steel that resists warping and stands up to heavy use. The 18-inch Garcima Pata Negra Paella Pan is $52 at La Tienda.

Above: The Paderno World Cuisine 15.75-inch Paella Pan is made of black steel and offers upturned handles and sides that are a bit higher than the classic Spanish paella pan; $46.90 at Amazon.

Above: The 15-Inch Lodge Paella Pan is made of heavy gauge carbon steel that heats rapidly and adjusts quickly to changing cooking temperatures. Made in the US, the pan comes factory seasoned with natural soy bean oil; $75.71 at Amazon.

Above: Enameled pans are favored for their rust resistance and ease of care. The Spanish-made Enameled Steel Paella Pan is available in many sizes, including the 17-inch version (the largest that will fit into a standard oven) priced at $34 at the Spanish Table.

Above: The enameled cast iron Staub Paella Pan works equally well indoors or out.  Made in France, it measures 15.5 inches in diameter; $199.95 at Williams Sonoma.

Above: All-Clad offers a slightly smaller paella pan with a lid.  The All-Clad Stainless Steel 13-Inch Paella Pan is $209.95 at Wayfair. 

Above: The most handsome in the stovetop-to-tabletop category, the Mauviel Professional Copper Paella Pan is made of heavy gauge 2.5mm-thick copper lined with stainless steel. This professional-grade pan is made in France and features riveted cast-iron handles; 16 inches in diameter; $530 at Williams Sonoma. A thinner gauge home-grade 1.5mm-thick copper Mauviel Copper 15-Inch Paella Pan is available for $410. 

Above: New from Mauviel is the hammered-steel Mauviel M'elite Paella Pan that is dishwasher safe; $199.95 for the 15.7-inch size at Sur La Table. 

Above: Inspired? Let Alberto Herraiz' Paella Cookbook be your guide; $26.63 at Amazon.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to talk with Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola at Cersaie, Italian's largest tile convention in Bologna. She was launching a new line of tiles for Mutina and suggested using them as a headboard behind a bed. I totally forgot about the concept until I saw the photo below running amok on Pinterest and realized it was not a bad idea after all. It got me looking for other unexpected uses of tile. Here's a roundup.

Above: A tiled wall serves as a headboard in this Italian house via Dezeen.

Above: A loft designed by Paola Navone with her own hexagonal tile design that sits atop the wooden floor like a carpet. Photograph by Wichmann + Bendtsen via Dwell.

Above: A coffee table clad in Delft tiles in a Brazilian apartment by Ar Arquitetos.

Above: The dining room of Portuguese hotel Casa do Conto features modern steel tables inlaid with traditional Portuguese tile.

Above: Inax woven tiles that extend to the ceiling on a mantelpiece in a Melbourne apartment. Photograph by Sharyn Cairns for Home Life.

Above: A built-in stucco bench with a tiled seat from Made a Mano.

Above: A tiled shelving niche via La Maison de Anna G.

Above: A wall of Popham Tiles doubles as a headboard.

Above: A tiled French bathroom floor that seamlessly integrates with the adjoining wood floor marking the transition from the wet bathroom area to dry floor. Photograph via April and May.

Above: A bench and wall tiled in Navajo pattern by UK designer Neisha Crosland for De Ferranti.

Above: A patio seating area made from hexagonal shapes from Kismet Tile.

See our post on Patchwork Tiles for more inspiration.

Barcelona is the seventh most popular destination in Europe, a fact that filled me with trepidation before I flew there for an eight-day stay last month. I don't like crowds (I have three children, live in California, and have never been to Disneyland), and I certainly wasn't going to Barcelona to see the other 7.3 million tourists who descend on the city in a year.

Easy to say, but tricky to pull off. It's an irony of modern life that the more we travel to exotic destinations, the more generic those places become. If you covered my eyes, spun me in a circle five times, and then pulled off the blindfold in the middle of a random tourist-infested street, I'd be hard pressed to say if I'd arrived on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice...or the ferry landing in Sausalito, California.

To avoid confusing Barcelona with Sausalito, I asked travel expert Teresa Parker of Spanish Journeys, who lived in Barcelona for nearly a decade and arranges culinary tours to Catalonia, to reveal her secrets for seeing the city but not the crowds. And—good news. It turns out her common sense advice will work just as well if you travel to a popular destination other than Barcelona. So if you're headed to one of Europe's six even more visited cities, take note:

Photographs by Michelle Slatalla except where noted.

• Visit landmarks and popular tourist destinations before 9 am (or, in the case of museums, at the moment the doors open). "You want to go, see it, and then leave before the tour buses start queuing up," she says. 
• Get out of town. Take a day trip to a town or small city an hour or so away. "Very few tourists venture off the beaten path," says Parker.
• Walk. And walk. And walk. The best way to see a city is on foot. And it's amazing how fast you can get away from the crowds if you start walking in the opposite direction.
• Take a break somewhere cool and quiet. "It's hard to get a break in Barcelona, which is not a very green-park-like city, but there are lots of churches, and inside of the churches is always cool and peaceful," says Parker.
• Head to a neighborhood you've never heard of. In Barcelona, you can walk north from La Rambla, the city's tourist-clogged central artery, and reach the Gracia neighborhood in about 15 minutes. "It's a real neighborhood, a place where you can feel the rhythm of the city, and poke around in little shops, and just be in a place," says Parker.
• Rent an apartment on a side street instead of staying in a hotel on a main street. 
• Avoid the tourist-y waterfront and beachside restaurants. "Never had a great meal in one," says Parker.
• Realize that the best beaches may be out of town. "North of the city is where the beaches are more beautiful and pristine," says Parker. 
• Ask people who've been there recently for recommendations. Or read local newspapers (Google Translate can make this painless) for tips, so you don't have to rely on less up-to-date magazine or guide book articles. "Usually they just tell you to go to the same places, over and over," says Parker. "Once a restaurant gets written about, it gets ruined and the locals don't go."
• Take a cooking class. "Barcelona is all about the food," says Parker.

Parker writes frequently about Barcelona; for more of her travel tips see Spanish Journeys.

Above: Escape the crowds and take a visit to the lushest, greenest, and most imaginative garden in the city: The Best Secret Garden in Barcelona.

Above: One of the most overcrowded spots in Barcelona is Park Güell, where the fanciful work of Antonio Gaudi (the city's most famous architect) lures so many tour buses that at peak times of day more than 1,200 visitors arrive in a 15-minute period. But you can avoid most of them; see our upcoming Park Güell post (tomorrow) to learn how.

Above: Barcelona's beaches are so overrun with crowds that we couldn't even see sand when we walked down there one recent July afternoon. Don't despair: See our upcoming post (Friday) about where to go to find pristine beaches less than an hour away.

Above: Keep from getting cranky by finding a shady outdoor cafe on a side street—walk a block or two west of the main shopping street Passeig de Gràcia into the Eixample neighborhood to find one—and order a coffee. Or glass of wine. 

"The Eixample is a very beautiful 19th century neighborhood, very pretty and with wider streets than the crowded Gothic quarter," says Parker.

Above: La Boqueria is the biggest and most famous—and most crowded—of Barcelona's 40 open air food markets. It's such a fantastic market that you should visit it anyway (along with one or more of the other quieter neighborhood markets), but there's no reason you have to arrive at the same time tour buses are disgorging passengers at the entrance. We tagged along with one of Barcelona's best chefs on her daily marketing trip to La Boqueria; see our upcoming post (on Wednesday) for her tips about how to shop there like a local. Photograph by Pancho Tolchinsky.

Planning a trip? As part of our new Travels with an Editor series, all week long we'll be posting stories about our favorite Gardens, Shops, Lodging, and Restaurants in Barcelona.

The clients came to Dash Marshall with an all-too-familiar problem: "They had too much stuff and wanted to be able to live in serenity, without being reminded of their earthly possessions on a daily basis." Marshall responded by "wrapping the apartment in an insulating layer of built-in storage where there's a place for everything." By removing hallways and replacing them with sliding partitions and extensive built-in cabinetry, Marshall completely overhauled the floor plan, making the rooms in the apartment larger. "The new configuration of the interior spaces allows the views to be multiplied and creates a new sense of depth," he says.

In the bedroom, Marshall created a rotating closet wall that enables the couple to create an instant a walk-in closet and added floor-to-ceiling curtains that hide additional storage. It all adds up to what Marshall calls "space age living." To see more of his work, go to Dash Marshall.

Photos by Elizabeth Wentling.

Above: The rotating closet acts as both a room divider and garment dock.

Above: The partitions can be slid open for a sense of enhanced space.

Above: The bathroom is concealed behind a panel of sliding doors.

Above: A view of the bath when closed off.

Above: A view of the storage opportunities.

Above: A view of the bedroom before the renovation.

Above: Another view of the bedroom pre-renovation.

Portland, OR-based designer Jessica Helgerson overhauls a kitchen in a 1926 Mediterranean-style building, called, appropriately enough, the Alhambra. "The original kitchen was a narrow galley with one window," according to Helgerson. "In order to create the new space, we removed a wall between the old kitchen and an adjacent family room. We also opened up the connection between the kitchen and dining room with a large arched opening; in order to keep the family room function, we installed a built-in sofa at one end of the kitchen and hid the TV behind custom cabinetry).

See more at Jessica Helgerson. Photos by Lincoln Barbour.

Above: Industrial steel casement windows overlook the Portland streetscape.

Above: Helgerson hewed to a black/white/brass palette in her design for the kitchen. The center island is custom, designed "in a style reminiscent of a traditional Spanish table but higher for counter use," she says.

Above: The dark wood beams tie together the black and white palette.

Above: Helgerson created a built-in seating area for lounging and TV watching (it's concealed behind custom cabinetry).

Above: Brass light fixtures add a note of warmth to the otherwise rigorously black and white palette.

Above: Lacanche's Cluny 1400 Kitchen Range (shown above) features an ambient temperature cabinet or a warming oven along with the choice of gas or electric rings, a steam cooker, deep fryer, flat-top or standard grill. Available in a range of sizes and models; for a local stockist visit Lacanache.

Above: Helgerson spec'ed the Karbon Faucet by Kohler (see another use of the faucet in The Architect Is In: Medium Plenty in San Francisco).

Above: The Reclaimed Wood Spindle Table is $1,695 from Hudson Goods.

Above: Brass Shade Pendant Lamp with black cloth-covered cord with white ceiling canopy; $75 from One Forty Three.

Above: Ceramica Bianca Glazed Tiles from Italian tile company Mutina are designed by architect Silvia Giacobazzi, available at Stone Source. Blue Slide Art Tile in Point Reyes, CA, makes characterful glazed brick tile; another good source for glazed brick tile is Clé Tile in Sausalito, CA.

Above: The floors are clad in Badajoz encaustic cement tiles from LA-based Grenada Tile.

Above: Ralph Lauren's industrial-style Ashcroft Sconce is $440 from Circa Lighting.

Above: The Plain Round Cabinet Knob is made of hand-polished, unlacquered brass; $10 each from Rejuvenation. For more see our post, 10 Easy Pieces: Brass Cabinet Knobs.

Above: To avoid the over-shiny look, the key is to source unlacquered brass fixture, such as the hot-forged brass Lewis Double Coverplate from Rejuvenation; $24.

Above: Similar indigo-dyed cushions are available from Brooklyn-based textile artist and former Anthropologie designer Rebecca Atwood's; her handpainted Spots Pillow is $175 and her Grid Shibori Pillow is $200. For more on Atwood, see Pattern Language: Textiles from a Native Cape Codder.

Kitchen crazed? Sift through a gallery of over 2,000 Kitchens and filter by color palette, materials, style and more in our Room Gallery

Before traveling to a new city or any destination, the inner shopper in me does a quick mental scan through the list of purchasable items (call them souvenirs) that are endemic to said location. I know I'm not alone in this, and earlier this week Gardenista editor Michelle, having come back from Barcelona with that enviable post-vacation glow, mentioned she had picked up a few olive oil cruets on her trip. The cruet is definitely at the top of the list of must haves from Barcelona, but if you can't wait until your next visit, we've discovered one of the best, and it's available online.

Designed in 1961 by Catalan architect and designer Rafael Marquina, his olive oil cruet is revolutionary for it's non-drip and sanitary features. And according to Olive Oil Times (my new favorite news source), the European Union has been working to ban the use of tabletop cruets in public restaurants. One reason for this is a very French style, AOC-like approach that prevents serving olive oil that has been cut with cheaper varieties; the other reason is for sanitary purposes—if only every restaurant served authentic oils in Marquina's cruet.

Above: The Marquina Olive Oil Cruet is made from glass with a detachable spout and measures 4.7 inches high; $30 from Ancient Industries.

Looking for more items to serve with? Shop everything from cutting boards to barware in the Tabletop section of our Shop.

Imagine this space: A restaurant entirely covered in 50 wood panels which only took three months to complete. Read on to see the recently remodeled space. 

Flexo Arquitectura are the masterminds behind the renovation of Oval Restaurant, a hamburger diner located inside a 19th century building in the Eixample district of Barcelona. Because of economic constrains, the Barcelona-based architects decided to preserve the building's layers of history, which helped them to save both time (it only took three months to complete) and money. For more information, visit Flexoarquitectura.

Photography by Jose Hevia

Above: The exterior of Oval Bar in Barcelona.

Above: Simple materials such as wooden boards were used to create seating, tables, and wall paneling. A total of fifty large wooden board were used throughout the entire space. 

Above: Bricks and columns were kept in their original forms.

Above: White-painted brick walls give the space an industrial feel. 

Above: Bathroom walls were completely covered in sheets of wood (the countertops and doors are made from the same wood). 

 Above: A brick wall painted in blue in the bathroom. 

Above: Vintage seating was used throughout the space.

Above: This is not your average hamburger joint. 

Headed to Spain any time soon? Check out our City Guide for visit-worthy spots. 

I'd like to think I would have noticed sangria's sudden surge in summer popularity even if I hadn't just spent eight thirsty days in Barcelona in the height of the heat. Do you like yours fizzy? I'm a convert after spotting this easy recipe for Sangria Soda via Luxirare:

Photographs via Luxirare.

Above: What kind of wine should you use to make Sangria Soda? "Anything over $10 a bottle for this and you're just being excessive," says Luxirare.

Above: Ah, the fruit. Oranges, apples, pomegranate, lime, and lemon. For step-by-step instructions, see Luxirare.

Above: Carbonated water gives Sangria Soda its fizz.

Headed to Barcelona (or just throwing a theme cocktail party)? Check out our new Travels with an Editor series; this week we'll be posting stories about our favorite Gardens, Shops, Lodging, and Restaurants in Barcelona.

Summer's not over yet; here are five lounge chairs that will give your outdoor space a bohemian vibe (and when the weather turns, they'll be equally at home indoors).

Above: The Acapulco chair reimagined by Roost; the Ellipse Chair features a tonal dyed cotton cord seat and an iron frame; $375 from Modish Store.

Above: The folding Panamericana Deck Chair from Culver City-based Industries of All Nations is $257 for the small size and $338 for the large size at A+R Store in Los Angeles.

Above: The Estancia Chair from Roost features a rugged linen cover and an iron frame; $675 from Modish Store.

Above: For horizontal lounging, the Studio One Indigo Cot from Lost & Found in LA is $850.

Above: The Brommo Chaise from Ikea is made from acacia with a polypropylene rope seat; $59.99 at Ikea.

For more, see our catalog of Outdoor Furniture in our Shop section.

Medieval meets modern in Alemanys 5, a project in Girona's historical quarter by architect Anna Noguera. Noguera and her husband originally purchased the 16th-century building with the intention of renovating it and living there, but after they had children it became more practical to settle in nearby Barcelona. They've since turned the space into a vacation rental: for more information, visit Alemanys 5.

Above: The building is in Girona's medieval quarter, within the old city walls. The house has been organized so it functions as two separate apartments: The top two floors form one unit ("El Badiu"), and the ground floor ("El Jardi") is another.

Above: A sleek kitchen rail organizes equipment while allowing the back wall to take center stage.

Above: In El Badiu's living room, contemporary furnishings and finishes contrast with the original stone walls.

Above: The covered terrace looks out over the old quarter.

Above: The dining table is on wheels so that it can be easily moved to the terrace.

Above: The master suite features filmy curtains and a simple neutral palette.

Above: The bathroom in El Badiu features original stone walls with a new concrete tub.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on October 14, 2011.

For more sights and lodgings in Spain, see Travels with an Editor: Barcelona publishing on Gardenista this week. 

For a while now we've been swept up in the leather cabinet pull craze; here are 10 favorites from our late-night web searches. (And if you have a good resource, by the way, do let us know.)

Above: Nu Interieur Ontwerp, a Dutch interior design firm, sells their Leather Cabinet Pulls and Handles in black, white, gray, cognac, and a limited edition green; prices range from €9.95 to €19.95 each. Read more in our previous post: Leather Handles from Nu Interieur Ontwerp in Delft.

Above: The Saddler Knob is made from leather, brass, and wood with a 2-inch bolt that can be trimmed to size; $14 each from Anthropologie.

Above: Swedish Superfront's Loop Handle is made from a 2.5mm thick piece of leather and is available in various colors: cocoa, black, nude, green, and red (shown above). The leather is untreated and will darken and age over time; fastened with either a brass or copper rivet; 145 SEK (about $22) each. See our initial post on the company in Superfront: An Instant Upgrate for Ikea Cabinets.

Above: Spinneybeck Leather Pulls from architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson are made from full grain belting leather with a water-resistant finish. Shown here is the Small Sling Pull (5 1/2 by 7/8 inches) for $15 each from Spinneybeck.

Above: Doug Mockett's Mortice Wing Pull is made from leather covered metal; contact for pricing and availability.

Above: Inspired by the above pull from Nu Interieur, I made my own version in white leather; see: DIY Video: How to Make a $20 cabinet pull for $2.

Above: Superfront's Trunk Handle, like the Loop, is made from a piece of untreated leather available in a variety of colors with a 128mm distance between copper- or brass-filled screwholes; 195 SEK (about $30).

Above: Karine Lafrance's black Leather Pulls and Handles; contact the designer directly though Behance for pricing and availability.

Above: Henrybuilt's Leather Pulls in different shapes, stitching, and thread colors are available directly through Henrybuilt.

Above: Another DIY solution from the Brick House: Leather Handle DIY with hexagonal screws.

Above: A DIY from Brooklyn-based architect Jeff Sherman: a leather belt is cut to size and finished with shoe polish. Read more in Vintage Belt as Cabinet Pull.

Looking for more simple leather accessories or DIY projects? See our previous posts: 10 Easy Pieces: South American Style Leather Chairs, DIY: Leather Napkin Ties at Bar Agricole, and DIY: Easy Leather Strap Wall Shelves.

In the renovation of their apartment in Toledo, Spain, Romero Vallejo Arquitectos have come up with an innovative use of tiles that has us wondering if we need carpets at all.

Inspired by their childhood memories of tiled floors in their homes, Spanish duo Sara Romero and Mariano Vallejo collaborated with local artisans to develop new tile patterns and colors, which cover the entire floor of their six-room apartment in Toledo, Spain. Bar the pink kitchen cabinets, whose color was taken from the floor tiles, all other surfaces of this apartment are white, suggesting that in this home, it’s all about the floor.

Photography by Juan Carlos Quindós and seen on Dezeen.

Above: The pink kitchen cabinets were selected to match the floor tiles, whose color was derived from the research of historical tiles. 

Above: A border of green tiles separates each individual floor pattern with the overall effect a background floor overlaid with different carpets.

Above: White reflective walls and surfaces keep the apartment filled with light.

Above: Entering the living room from the hallway. 

Above: A sofa adds a complementary accent of color in the living room.

Above: The different tile pattern indicate different areas of the apartment.

Above: The tile pattern in the hallway is simpler than the pattern in the rooms.

Above: In the bathroom, the green border becomes the primary tile with a decorative accent marking the entry of the shower.  

Above: A translucent wall separates the bathroom from the bedroom. 

Above: The master bedroom has an ensuite dressing room.

Above: The center tiles of the dressing room are in their natural state without a decorative pattern or color.

Above: The floor plan of the tile patterns.

If tiles on the floor are too busy for you, what about on the ceiling like this kitchen in Sweden? 

From factory to home, Spanish product designer Jorge de la Cruz turns the symbols of lathing into a feature for his Between Centers furniture collection, providing a link between the final product and its genesis in the factory. For more information, see Jorge de la Cruz.

Above: The Between Centers collection includes a stool, banquette, and a table.

Above: The collection comes in maple and black-dyed birch. 

Above: The end of the turned wood is exposed at the corner of the table.

Above: The lathing symbol provides a decorative feature and a reminder of the lathing process.

 Above: The video above illustrates the lathing process.

Furnishing a house? For more see our Catalog of Furniture in our Shop section. 

We like this idea for adding a note of exotica to the stairway: stair risers tiled in contrasting and complimentary patterns.

Above: A project in LA by Lascaux Tile Company.

Above: Handpainted tile stairs by Villafranca Studio; photo by Michele Lee Wilson for California Home & Design.

Above: A stairway at Peacock Pavillion in Marrakesh, photo by Patrick Cline of Lonny.

Above: Stair risers stenciled to mimic the look of tiles at Peacock Pavilions.

Above: A curved staircase with tiled risers by Latin Accents Tile Company.

Above: A grand staircase in a St. Simons Island house by architect Thad Truett.

Above: A stairway patterned after one in El Grecco's house in Toledo, Spain, via Coastal Living photographed by Douglas Hill.

Above: Another stairwell painted to resemble tiles from Arathi Jayaram on Pinterest.

Looking for more staircases to inspire? Sift through our Room Gallery for ideas.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on August 8, 2012.

New York-based MNA (Michael Neumann Architecture) was asked to transform an apartment in a 1920s-era building originally used as a hospital. The challenge was to transform the eighties industrial aesthetic into something "warmer and more timeless," according to the firm.

MNA's approach was to bring in a mix of textures, from white oak paneling to limestone flooring, to create a rich, warm, natural palette in the 2,500-square-foot apartment. Polished black lacquer cabinets and a hand wax finish on the oak paneling add another layer of textural quality that all helped to turn the industrial space into an "updated interpretation of a grand 19th century penthouse." To see more of the firm's work, go to MNA.

Above: The spacious open living/dining/kitchen area. The existing windows looking out onto the terrace were replaced with a row of 12-foot-high arched French doors in blackened industrial steel sourced from Clement Windows in the UK and paired with E.R. Butler pulls.

Above: The walls were redone with encaustic plaster and the ceiling is made of vintage hardwood beams from reclaimed French timbers. The living, dining, and kitchen area extend into a single large central space.

Above: Tumbled French limestone, zoned for radiant heat, was used on the floor throughout the living space and extends outdoors onto the 1,000-square-foot terrace.

Above: The vintage 1940s Italian lighting in the kitchen was sourced from Obsolete in LA to compliment the bluestone slab counter and Jaclo faucet with black ceramic levers.

Above: The kitchen is screened from the main space by a floating wall with Viking appliances in gloss black enamel.

Above: The apartment before the renovation.

See all 11 winners of the Remodelista Considered Design Awards.

Three young architects from Spanish firm Leon 11 with an interest in sustainability, the handmade, and native construction techniques take lessons from a Colombian artisan named Rogelio. The trio learned to weld twisted hoops into chair frames and the ins and outs of strapping, the traditional technique of creating seats with hand-woven fabric strips.

Photography courtesy of Mecedorama via Platforma Arquitectura. 

Above: The rocking chair reinvented with bright colors and plastic strapping repurposed from colorful plastic packing materials.

Above: The architects select their lacquer colors for the metal frames from standardized RAL charts.

Above: A detail of the plastic strapping around the metal frame.

Above: A white frame holds a web of red strapping.

For other artistic handmade colorful chairs, see A Lounge Chair Inspired by a Cocktail. 

"I'm very classic and I like traditional food—nothing too fussy or complicated," chef Meritxell Sabate explained the other morning as she wandered the aisles in Barcelona's biggest open air food market, trying to decide what to make for lunch.

Sabate teaches at Cook and Taste cooking school in Barcelona's Gothic quarter and often takes her students on a tour of La Boqueria food market before returning with them to her kitchen a few blocks away. Today, though, her only mission was to find the freshest, most delicious ingredients to make a simple lunch.

She picked up some bright red peppers, weighing them in her hands like the Scales of Justice, and said, "I know. A salad." But not just any salad. Sabate bought ingredients to make the classic Barcelona cold summer salad known as empedrat (which translates literally to "stoned" for some reason). Every Barcelona cook makes a version; our favorite is Sabate's.

For an ingredients list and step-by-step instructions, see below.

Photographs by Pancho Tolchinsky.

Above: "In summer, it smells like peppers in the streets of Barcelona, and like aubergines roasted," says chef Sabate, who studied at a "very French" culinary school in Barcelona before training for two years at two Michelin two-star restaurants in Bordeaux.

Want to tag along at La Boqueria with Sabate? See Insider's Tour of Barcelona's Best Food Market.

Above: Ingredients include cooked white beans, olives, cherry tomatoes, salt cod, and quail eggs (you can substitute a chicken egg).

Above: Sabate slices the salt cod she bought at the market. Note: If you buy dried salt cod, before slicing you must rinse and soak it. For instructions on reconstituting dried salt cod, see Saveur.

Above: She mixes diced peppers and onions into the white beans. She adds black pepper to the salad but relies on the cod to provide the salt.

Above: Using a square ring mold, she packs the bean mixture tightly to make a base for the cod.

Above: A 12-centimeter metal Square Ring Mold is $19.95 from Williams-Sonoma.

Above: She gently lifts off the mold, garnishes the salad and...we dug in immediately. Couldn't resist.

We love this concept, hotel apartments outfitted with stylish, utilitarian furniture and accessories from Muji. Whotells in Barcelona offers four distinct lodging options in different neighborhoods of the city, all furnished with Muji products (in four palettes: blue, green, orange and gray); think simple, functional Japanese design. The apartments are available on both a long and short-term basis and can accommodate anywhere from three to nine people depening on the unit. For detials, go to Whotells.

Above: A view from the Barceloneta Apartments with instant access to the beach.

 Above: The entry to the Raval Apartments.

Above: Open plan living.

 Above: The simple streamlined kitchen.

Above: A green themed bedroom.

 Above: A penny tiled bathroom in a Raval apartment.

Above: Each of the different locations has a separate color theme, the Barceloneta properties being shades of blue.

Above: The Muji furnished, orange themed Eixample Apartments.

Above: An Eixample apartment kitchen.

Above: The latest addition to Whotells: 22@Beach located less than 200 metres from Bogatell Beach in the Sant Marti district of Barcelona.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on February 5, 2010.

For more sights and lodgings in Spain, see Travels with an Editor: Barcelona publishing on Gardenista this week.

Located in a former carpet warehouse built more than a century ago, this light-flooded loft in Barcelona features a library corner with steel shelves, banker's chairs, and a vintage telephone. For sourcing ideas, read on (bonus points for anyone who can clue us in to the exact match for the cone pendant light).

Photography by Jordi Miralles via Shoot 115.

Above: A classic Eames conference table is paired with traditional banker's chairs.

Above: Translucent window shades cut the glare but allow light to filter the room; the Shade Store has a good selection.

Above: A trio of simple Vintage Industrial Bookcases from Restoration Hardware would create a similar shelving unit ($995 each); alternatively, the 108-inch-wide French Library Shelving unit is $2,795.

Above: The Eames Rectangular Table with laminate top and segmented base is $1,349 at Y Living.

Above: For a similar vase, consider the Heath Cearmics' Multi-Stem Vase for $89 at Didrik's.

Above: The 1940s Banker's Chair in antiqued black is $495 at Restoration Hardware. Traditional solid oak Banker's Guest Chairs (without casters) are available for $753 each from 33Office.

Above: It's not a perfect match, but Tom Dixon's Large Cone Pendant Light ($1,285 at Y Lighting) is a good option. Can any of our genius Remodelista readers provide an exact match for the cone pendant light used in the Barcelona library loft?

Above: The Crosley 302 Desk Phone is $45.09 at Target.

This post is an update; the original ran on January 22, 2013.