Women notoriously love shoes. (Men do too, but they often don’t like to admit their shoe obsession.) As the saying goes: the clothes make the man; ultimately trendy shoes are the crowning glory of an outfit. What is new is the fact that fashionable shoes have, in some cases, come to represent an entire philosophy.
The Spanish shoe manufacturer Camper recently opened its first hotel—Casa Camper Barcelona—outfitted in a style that matches its shoes. The building is a small boutique-like abode in the Raval neighborhood, not far from the contemporary art center MACBA and the shopping avenue of the Ramblas. Here Camper’s philosophy becomes a full-body experience, instead of a foot-focused fashion statement.
Casa Camper is healthy, ecologically aware and full of design appeal. The non-smoker hotel offers its guests two private rooms - one for sleeping and one for working or lounging. The two rooms are located across the hall from each other on the same floor with the wall painted RED on one side (bedroom) and WHITE on the other (living room). The RED side opens onto a small, quiet inner courtyard, and from the bedroom and bath one can see an unusual installation: an 18-meter-high shelf is planted with over 100 aspidistra plants—a lush, vertical garden. The WHITE room is equipped with a wireless Internet connection and offers a view of the lively activity of the street.
Unusual for a hotel is the 24-hour self-service snack bar, which provides free and healthy drinks and snacks for guests around the clock. Like the food, the energy supply of the hotel is also ecological. For example, the warm water is largely heated by solar energy and the water from the showers is reused, without any chemical additives, to flush the toilets. GREEN THINKING is encouraged and put into practice: small signs throughout the hotel remind guests to save energy by turning off the lights when leaving the room or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Given its optically pleasing and environmentally aware philosophy, it is a surprise that Camper’s corporate identity color isn’t green instead of red.
