
Casa Fiero: Cristina Carulla Studio Layers Memory and Style in a Barcelona Restaurant
Words by Eric David
Location
89 Carrer de Londres, Barcelona, Spain
Casa Fiero: Cristina Carulla Studio Layers Memory and Style in a Barcelona Restaurant
Words by Eric David
89 Carrer de Londres, Barcelona, Spain
89 Carrer de Londres, Barcelona, Spain
Location
Located in Barcelona’s Eixample district, Casa Fiero is an imaginative take on the casa de comidas, a type of traditional Spanish restaurant serving home-style dishes at affordable prices. Designed by Cristina Carulla Studio for a quartet of long-time friends, the restaurant takes the familiar template of a neighbourhood eatery and reimagines it as an eclectic, irreverently styled interior where gastronomy, music, and design converge. Its identity lies in layering: childhood photographs and Tintin comics sit beside counterculture posters, bespoke furniture is mixed with vintage finds, and Art Déco flourishes are intertwined with sleek contemporary details. The result is a space that feels at once intimate and cosmopolitan, timeless and playful, its eclecticism grounded in the personal memories of its founders, shaped by Carulla’s intuitive touch.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.
Spatially, Casa Fiero is designed to adapt to different rhythms of the evening. A lively bar offers its own character and vantage point, while the main dining room invites both convivial gatherings and quieter meals. Soon to open, a private room tucked discreetly behind a passageway will add another layer of intimacy.
Rather than commit to a single style, the interiors thrive on layering with hints of Art Déco in the curves of chrome shelving and gleaming metallic surfaces, retro notes in patterned banquettes and textured wall sconces, and more modern vibes in the bar’s urban detailing. Cork-lined walls temper the sheen of steel, while wood panelling and timber furniture ground the rooms in familiarity, alongside recurring pops of butter yellow that serve to animate details throughout the space.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo

Photography by Javi Dardo

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.
Against this backdrop, a mix of bespoke and vintage pieces creates a dynamic tension evident in the custom-designed tables, shelves, and wall lights paired with second-hand lamps and chairs. Even the smallest components play their part; from the bathroom mirrors to the ceramic handle on the front door, each designed specifically for Casa Fiero, underscore the studio’s meticulous approach.
One wall in particular anchors the restaurant’s spirit: an eclectic salon-style arrangement of posters, photographs, and ephemera drawing on Barcelona’s counterculture which emerged during Spain’s democratic transition in the late 1970s and 1980s. In Casa Fiero, references to this era include the seminal magazine Ajoblanco, Tintin comics, and key figures such as artists Javier Mariscal and José Pérez Ocaña infusing the interiors with the epoch’s spirit of rebellion and play.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.
The cosmopolitan layering also extends well beyond the city. Inspirations drawn from New York and London’s nightlife lend the restaurant a nocturnal energy, reflected not only in the design but also in the soundtrack where music creates more than a mere background but its own unique atmosphere. With an eclectic mix ranging from Rosalía and Bad Bunny to Gilberto Gil, Arctic Monkeys, and Willie Colón, the playlist blurs genres just as the interiors fuse eras and styles, reinforcing the sense of an ever-shifting mood.
The restaurant’s culinary approach follows the same ethos of unpretentious sophistication, with chef and co-founder Víctor Ródenas reinventing traditional recipes through memory and imagination. Rooted in simplicity and guided by seasonal ingredients, his menu balances familiar comforts with bold touches showcasing dishes such as Bluefin tuna belly crudo with roasted tomato ponzu and ñora peppers, Cal Rovira grilled pig’s ear with roasted jus, mustard and piparras, and casserole noodles with sausage and cod.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.

Photography by Javi Dardo.
Balancing the ease of a neighbourhood eatery with the eclecticism of a cosmopolitan lounge, Casa Fiero adds a distinctive note to Barcelona’s dining scene. Cristina Carulla Studio’s approach has resulted in an eatery that is layered but never contrived, where personal histories, cultural references, and simple pleasures joyously fuse together.

Photography by Javi Dardo.