Parador La Palma
Design with a volcanic accent
Halfway between the ocean and the mountains, between the airport and Santa Cruz de La Palma, the Parador rises with a silhouette inspired by traditional Canarian architecture: wooden balconies, whitewashed walls, and a botanical garden that leads visitors to the entrance. But what happens inside is a different story — one that this project rewrites through landscape, memory, and art.
Designing with a sense of place
La Palma is not just a context — it is narrative material. The project begins with a clear premise: to reinterpret its landscapes, colours, and symbols in order to give the interior of the Parador a distinctive identity. Just as the exterior architecture draws on elements of the island’s traditional building style, the interior, too, was intended to speak of its geography, its nature, and its insular character.
In contrast to neutral, impersonal spaces, the proposal offers an intervention that breathes La Palma into every corner. An experience in which visitors can feel the island’s presence without ever leaving their rooms, the courtyards, or the communal areas.
Terracotta, graphite, deep blue, and green
The colour palette is drawn directly from the Palmarian landscape. Terracotta and graphite evoke the volcanic earth; the blues merge with the ocean, ever-present on the horizon; and the greens recall the laurel forest, the botanical gardens, and the island’s endemic vegetation that has flourished here since its origins.
To this chromatic foundation is added the use of wood in wall finishes, furniture, and detailing, reinforcing the connection with the built environment while bringing warmth and texture. Both colour and material are integrated as part of a biophilic strategy that goes beyond aesthetics, creating a natural, serene atmosphere that fosters an emotional connection with the place.
Artworks that narrate the space
One of the Parador de La Palma’s greatest singularities is its art collection. Works displayed throughout the building—many by Canarian artists—act as silent presences that engage in a dialogue with the surroundings.
The intervention not only preserves these pieces but also integrates and highlights them. Each space has been designed with the artwork it houses in mind, creating pathways where art is not an addition but a fundamental part of the experience.
Reusing to belong
The interior redesign did not start from scratch but from a respect for what was already part of the place. Many existing pieces of furniture were restored and revalued, integrating them into the new spaces with a refreshed approach that remains faithful to their essence.
This decision not only provides continuity and memory but also strengthens the Parador’s identity as a space with history. At the same time, local suppliers were commissioned to produce bespoke elements, fostering the island’s economy and ensuring a material and cultural harmony with the surroundings.
Identity rooted in the vernacular
Although the Paradores network includes unique locations, the one in La Palma stands out with distinctive features: a botanical garden boasting over 70 species, architecture that evokes the past without merely replicating it, an island designated as a World Biosphere Reserve, and a creative community with its own identity.
Therefore, the intervention does not aim to homogenise but to stand out. In contrast to the decorative anonymity of other hotel interiors, here the choice is for the local, the artistic, and the landscape as tools to create a distinctive experience. A Parador that recognises itself in its landscape.