Header: Ed Reeve
Rockwell Group, the New York-based architecture and interior design studio with satellite offices in Madrid and Los Angeles, has just finished the interiors of Keli restaurant in Madrid. Located in a three-storey building in the elegant Salamanca neighbourhood, Keli is a 224-seat, 600 sqm Spanish restaurant and art programme from Kike Sierra. Rockwell Group’s Madrid office previously collaborated with Sierra on Victoria, a music bar in Madrid that transforms into a nightclub.
Welcome to my keli
The design of the restaurant was inspired by a Spanish heartfelt invitation into someone’s home. Keli is a colloquial term for “house” in Spanish, and “vente a mi keli” is a friendly way of saying “come to my house”. Rockwell Group envisioned the restaurant as a home-away-from-home gathering, where each floor and room represents a different chapter of a worldly, well-travelled host’s life. Here, each space is an intimate, art-filled vignette, inviting guests to explore and connect as if moving through someone’s treasured home.
A myriad of everything
The bold colours and geometric designs throughout the restaurant are inspired by the vibrant colour palette of Pedro Almodóvar’s kitch films. Luxurious materials are layered with custom artwork, creating moments of discovery and reflection through texture, mirror and intimacy throughout the space.
“For this project, we drew inspiration from our city’s domestic charm, art traditions and vibrant street culture. Combining these elements into a layered collage of colour, geometry and texture has created a restaurant that feels both cosmopolitan and deeply personal, a tribute to hospitality as a form of storytelling.”
Eva Longoria, Partner, Madrid Office at Rockwell Group
The first looks
The mezzanine space features an existing Versailles parquet floor, which has been restored and revitalised. The kitchen has an intimate and casual atmosphere, with geometric blue and white tiling and communal counter-height tables. A blue satin-finish ceiling contrasts with an oversized yellow lacquered metal lamp that resembles a kitchen hood. The library bar and lounge offer guests a cosy retreat.
Wood shelving, art and tactile fabrics form the collector’s environment, with a palette of wood, leather and striking patterns. The bar features a leather tambour die and a stone top, anchored by original columns, with custom chandeliers inspired by Madrid streetlamps. Stairs from the library lead to the main dining room and bar on the second floor. The outdoor terrace dining area boasts umbrellas and colourful furniture, forming a natural extension of the indoor restaurant.
The sensual and bold upper floor
While the ground floor is the social hub of Keli, the second floor provides a more intimate space, encompassing the bar and dining area. Fluted red-painted wooden walls and a bar die create an immersive atmosphere, with rich golden-yellow drapes lining the opposite wall. The tambour walls and drapes extend into the dining room, which features a black and white marble floor, informal tables and relaxed seating, alongside a wraparound red and white upholstered banquette with portraits of famous Spanish figures. Also located on the second floor is a wine cellar, entirely clad in cork, featuring burgundy upholstered furniture and black lacquered tabletops, forming a sensual, immersive cocoon.
For entertainment, go down to the basement
The basement design celebrates leisure, music and play, having been transformed into a nocturnal stage for intimacy and performance, dressed in vibrant reds and rich, tactile materials. An interesting detail is the playful hidden door that leads to a secret games and music room. In the former, the walls are clad in channel-tufted red velvet, with red carpet, red marble tabletops and red velvet-upholstered furniture completing the look. The music room is a darker, moodier space, finished in warm wood with shelving and a wooden pegboard displaying records and artefacts. A rich blue and black checkered carpet complements the fluted leather bar die, while stainless steel light fixtures reflect light and movement in an energetic way.
Art is everywhere you look
The art programme in the restaurant is one of the main elements of its storytelling, as it effectively transforms Keli into an evolving living gallery. Artist Miguel Caravaca is featured in the library with a painting of the Pachá Madrid, a well-known nightclub, commissioned for Keli. Also in the library are limited edition prints of expressive portraits of Madrid by various artists, including Javier Mariscal, Manuel Marsol, Jacobo Pérez-Enciso, Inma Serrano, Javier Zabala, David Yerga, Maru Godas, Violeta Lópiz and others. The Mezzanine showcases a mural by Javier de Juan of “the gods of Olympus in Madrid”, a witty reinterpretation of myth through urban life, created specifically for the restaurant.
In the kitchen, Luis Úrculo has created a series of site-specific cobalt-blue tile murals depicting kitchen utensils. Maggie Cowles, a New York-based illustrator, has created a table illustration at Keli for the menus. The bar and dining area embrace prints by Madrid artist Coco Dávez, known for her portraits of international icons and Spanish figures that blend pop and documentary styles. The game room and music room feature photography by Sonic Editions, which celebrates music, play and performance.
Through its domestic narrative, cinematic palette and deeply integrated art programme, Rockwell Group Madrid has crafted an immersive environment where hospitality becomes a form of storytelling, and each room offers a new moment of discovery. The result is a warm, characterful destination that feels both intimate and exuberant: a house of many stories, open to all who enter.
