Pa de Kilo is one of Barcelona’s most renowned bakeries. It supplies some of the city’s best-known restaurants, including El Tiberi Bar, Xemei and Bar Brutal. With the opening of its new space at 56 Carrer Verdi, it brings the essence of its original Raval shop to the Gràcia neighbourhood.
The project is based on a restrained intervention in which the product organises the space. A long timber unit runs along one side of the shop, bringing together retail, display and preparation functions. Pastries and baked goods are arranged in the lower section, while two continuous shelves display the bread in full view. Light-coloured walls, continuous surfaces and a limited number of elements allow the products, timber and ceramic flooring to take centre stage.
The material palette reinforces this direct, functional character. Dark, warm-stained timber contrasts with the white walls; ceramic tiles add texture and a domestic quality, while the steel work surfaces refer back to the world of production.
Opposite the shopfront, a large mirror doubles the shelves, loaves and light, while visually extending the interior towards the street and making the products visible from outside. At the centre, a movable element allows the space to adapt to different uses without fixing its programme.
The intervention also incorporates traces of the existing interior. Mouldings, the ceiling rose and the perimeter details of the ceiling are highlighted with a red line, while spherical light fixtures introduce a more domestic scale.
At the back, the bakery. At the front, the shop. Between the two, a sequence of spaces follows the journey of the bread, from where it is made to where it is displayed, shared and finally placed into people’s hands.
Photography: Simone Marcolin