Mexican interior design expert Alejandro Escudero is a creative force who likes to get involved in the design of every aspect of his spaces. He’s responsible for the interiors of the newly opened La Plaza, and we sat with him in our gorgeous new reception area to talk about his work.
What does La Plaza bring to Abama?
La Plaza will be the social center of Abama Resort Tenerife. This is an area where we’ll have restaurants, a Wellness center, swimming pools, and a commercial center.
Today we’re in the reception area, where we’ve sought to align the interior design with the architecture - especially the organic part of the architecture - and make a minimal number of changes to its textures and colors. We have natural wood; the floors are made of granite. The grey and black pieces are like part of the stones, like the lava and everything that makes up the island of Tenerife.
What inspired the interior design for this project?
We’ve tried to use the language of the island. The colors and materials we are using represent that. There are very few colors, few materials. We have maintained the organic part of the building in this area where we are. We have a golf course, and the golf course runs down organically toward the ocean, and we have tried to make sure this integration is maintained here by using these types of colors and materials. They are materials whose presence you feel. They help integrate the space into the landscape and give it a sense of timelessness.
How have projects like this evolved architecturally over the past few years?
We’ve sought to integrate ourselves not only through the materials but also by centering this incredible view of the island of La Gomera. The majority of the spaces have a relationship with the exterior. They all lead onto terraces or gardens, and the exterior and interior parts of the architecture also relate in the same way, as do the exterior and interior materials.
I think these days a lot of the work done by modern architects for resorts of this level seeks this communication between the exterior and interior spaces and their integration into the natural landscape that surrounds them.
When we finish all the restaurants and commercial areas, we’ll seek this same balance, the same materials, with the same kind of color palette and this natural feel inside and out for the rest of the spaces. We are trying to eliminate the barriers between the interiors and exteriors.
How would you describe the reception area?
I think this part we’re in right now, as well as the social gathering areas, will be a reference point for where we’ll head in future phases of Abama’s development. The architecture of the social area, which is modern but still very organic, is an architecture of concrete and stones, very characteristic of the island’s current movement. I think the intention is to continue with this image and with this movement as we forge ahead. When you arrive here, the environment you’re in is undeniable. You understand the quality that will attend everything you’re going to experience. You’re going to sit in this reception area and have this view of La Gomera, the golf course, the ocean… All that is a hugely important part of this space.
Any interior design elements you’d particularly like to highlight?
Things like the desks mounted in these massive solid stones refer back, again, to the language of the island. Tenerife’s orography and nature have a tremendous amount to say, and I think that’s what we’re focusing on now. Everything we do here, all the development, communicates in a language rooted in the nature that surrounds us.
I opted for furniture that is lighter, whiter, to let the views and the environment take center stage. The granite floors and the solid Iroco wood hearken back to this same idea of keeping everything as neutral as possible so that what surrounds us is elevated.
What’s important is that these spaces are integrated into the landscape and into Abama. When you walk in the door, you are unmistakably on an island. You have the golf course, you have the ocean. They’re the first things that envelop you and give you a feeling of arrival. They’re already telling you what you’re going to experience, both in the hotels and among Abama's sustainable homes.
