Header: @loveladrillo
An interior design project by Alejandro Cateto, Cateto Club, represents a reinterpretation of Costa del Sol culture dominant in the 1960s. The historical references are translated with contemporary architectural language. In his new project, Cateto addressed the topics of memory, leisure, and transformation by employing form, light, and materials.
Historic references, contemporary design
The leisure and club culture of the area was taken as the starting point. A golden period of Spanish architecture, also called Estilo del Relax, has brought some of the iconic characters from the 1960s to Marbella, including global celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Brigitte Bardot. However, instead of relying on nostalgia, the project starts a dialogue between the present and the past, carefully balancing between the aesthetics of mid-century coastal venues and modern nightlife spaces.
Cylindrical base of the design
The project is organised around a single formal gesture, the cylinder. The cylinder, the focal point of the design, is incorporated into the seating area spaces, in stools and bar, and even the ceramic flooring is embellished with cylindrical patterns. Other architectural elements, including thresholds and doors, also feature a cylinder as their main element, alongside the custom-made sculpture made by Ewan Lamm from the Ultramar Studio. The sculpture, inspired by mythical desert guardians, sandworms, is entitled Sentry Sculpture Light. The designer’s approach creates a consistent spatial experience where decorations are deliberately scarce to favour architectural expression. The artwork by Lamm isn’t the only art piece custom-made for the club.
Lighting and installations
The lighting is entrusted to a selection of lamps by renowned manufacturers, including the Panthella lamp by Louis Poulsen, the Nesso by Artemide, and the Gambosa by Marset. The circular door at the entrance embodies the concept of “I am a monument,” invented by Robert Venturi. Measuring three meters in diameter, the door evokes the expressive facades alongside the N-340 road, central to Montemar.
A custom-made installation by interior landscaper Charo Benitez and Alejandro Cateto addresses once famous but now abandoned leisure structures nearby. The artist uses vegetation such as gerberas and sunflowers to reflect the process of preservation, decay, and reuse. Aqua-Tec diving club in Fuengirola, the brutalist towers of Torremolinos, and the Ciudad Sindical de Vacaciones Tiempo Libre in Marbella are iconic places that are referenced in the Cateto Club design.
Cateto Club ultimately bridges past and present, transforming a legendary era into an interior design narrative that feels both reflective and forward-looking. By reinterpreting the aesthetic language of historic leisure culture, the project offers a commentary on how design can preserve memory while adapting to contemporary needs. The interior design project is presented in conjunction with Marbella Design and Art 2026.
Technical sheet
Stools manufactured by: Isabella Bo
Official Project Name: Cateto Club
Location: Marbella, Málaga, Spain
Client: Marbella Design and Art 2026
Lead Designer: Alejandro Cateto
Studio: Cateto Cateto
Collaborating Architects: Daniel Espada / Gabriel Bascones de la Cruz
Renders specialist: Benjamín Arnela
Project completion date: 20/03/2026
Area: 45 m2
Photographer: @loveladrillo
Builder: Race Construcciones
Lighting specialist: Tailoring Deco
Lighting designer: Sentry Sculpture Light by Ultramar Studio
Upholsterers: DSur Tapicerías
Source: v2com-newswire
