estado puro by paco roncero

It seems a riddle, but it is far from that. “Neo-cañí” is the concept that better suits the decoration style of Estado Puro, one of the two restaurants the Spanish chef Paco Roncero runs at the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, bespoke by the Valencian creative atelier EstudiHac. But what does this neo-cañí style consist of? It means basically using Spanish iconographies such as the cured pork leg, the flounces or the curved comb, but through a contemporary screening. This is what postmodernity is all about: it turns a hindquarter of pork into the omnipresent guitar of the Hard Rock Café by means of neon lights or it replicates a palm tree by juxtaposing plastic ornamental combs. Red colour, which is also a symbol of the cañí spirit (bullfighting capes, carnations and even the flag flaunt it), splashes almost every corner in the room: from the gigantic sculpture of a pissed off chicken to the furniture and patterns on the hydraulic tiles of Andalusian inspiration.

But do not be mystified by all this because the final result is far from being a stall of the Sevillian April fair. There is plenty of design here and a careful selection of materials and textures performed by José Manuel Ferrero, at the head of EstudiHac. As he puts it, “there are two different environments, one a bit wilder for the tapas and one more casual, both playing with materials in their pure state, never a truer word”. Travertine, rattan furniture and special works made of oak and teak infuse the restaurant with a refined air. Outside, four big olive trees dominate the ample patio, as an allusion to Paco Roncero’s research on olive oil, while the terrace, where Fontal armchairs by Oscar Tusquets and sculptural Tina by Benedetta Tagliabue jumble up with other designer pieces, opens to an amazing panoramic view of the Mediterranean sea and Ibiza’s coveted sunsets.