Diego Gronda is an architect, but one who has become specialised in the blending of interior and exterior living spaces. He is Spanish yet feels international, for his work has taken him around the world, in pursuit of an idealised lifestyle. “I am passionate about design, but most of all about how details can make such a huge difference in the ambience, flow and enjoyment that a home or other kind of property can produce – and as a result, how they can make us feel,” says the founder of Studio Gronda.

The Madrid-based architectural firm is in fact a highly diverse company where Diego leads a young, dynamic team that is driven by what they call a holistic notion of design. In layman’s terms it means that they realise only too well how giving style and substance to anything from a home or business premises to its brand identity and strategy shapes our experience of it. “There are so many subtle elements of design that you can very easily miss, but which affect us greatly on a subconscious level. For most of history, such nuances were poorly recognised and understood, but today specialist fields such as neuroarchitecture are highlighting its relevance and importance.”

Given this philosophy that puts the human experience of design at the heart of architecture and the spaces it creates, Diego Gronda and his team approach their projects from a somewhat different perspective, be it the creation of a villa, a hotel, restaurant or office space, industrial design, interior design or indeed experiential design. “Design that is rooted in the human experience is not only more intuitive to our needs, it’s also more practical, more likely to be aesthetically pleasing, and it adapts more rapidly and successfully to the changing ways in which we live, work and consume,” says Diego.

Design That Speaks To The Emotions

New technologies play a part in this philosophy, and Studio Gronda makes full use of the palette of possibilities in this regard, all the while employing new tools in the service of people and communities. “One can become very pseudo-intellectual about it all, and a lot of architects do, but in reality, there is nothing more beautiful than design that speaks to you, stirs your emotions, and makes you feel good. This is exactly the alchemy that we try to achieve within each and every one of our projects.”

It’s this way of looking at things, and approaching their work with an unusual degree of sensibility that has earned Studio Gronda a growing reputation, not just within Spain but also in locations across the world – leading to major projects in places as diverse as Madrid, London, Miami, the Costa del Sol, Mumbai and Bangkok, among others. Not applying standard solutions but grounding their work in harmonising them with the natural and cultural environment of its location ensures that each project is also deeply and accurately rooted in its setting. “The standards we apply are high-tech, modern and international,” says Diego, “but the fabric and feel is always local, or at the very least locally inspired.”

Harmonising Spaces

It has led to impactful designs such as that of the Ginkgo Sky Bar in Madrid, where elegant décor, vegetation and the inspired use of space, light and views create a uniquely integrated feel between the restaurant and the spectacular vistas of Madrid before you. Cleverly placed mirrors enhance this effect further, bringing in the views and eliminating the barriers between indoor and outdoor spaces that is so typical of Gronda’s work. This was achieved, even more so, at the prestigious Restaurante Saddle, also in Madrid, where Diego melded the interior of the restaurant with an engaging garden, bringing its greenery into the dining experience. At the V Villas Resort in Phuket, Thailand, he created a system of tall windows that allow for a continuity between the luxurious inner spaces of the homes and the bounty of their natural surroundings, a process also emphasised by the use of natural materials such as wood that flow out onto terrace areas.

Much of Diego Gronda’s expertise in this field comes from his years as the Creative Director who led the design of hotel groups such as those of Tony Chi and the Rockwell Group, an experience that gave him a profound understanding of the international market and how to use the transformation of spaces in order to create special living environments and ambiences.

This knowledge was also applied at the Hard Rock Hotel in Marbella, where Studio Gronda was commissioned to design the public areas of the hotel. “Here the integration of inside and outdoor spaces was of primary importance, as the pool and entertainment zones are the focal point,” says Diego, who also created the flowing design for the Ikos Andalusia resort in Estepona, the first of its kind in Spain.