interihotel MAD26, taking place from 17 to 19 November at IFEMA Madrid under the concept Creative Rebellion, will present two new conceptual spaces within its Interiors Living Lab: The Sensory Explorer Concept Room, designed by HBA and inspired by Barceló Hotel Group, and The Social Playful Concept Restaurant, designed by Livit and inspired by Lamucca.
Both projects envision future scenarios for two essential hospitality spaces—the hotel room and the restaurant—and turn them into full-scale prototypes where visitors can explore how interior design can respond to new ways of travelling, connecting and experiencing spaces.
The Concept Rooms are part of Interiors Living Lab, the innovation laboratory developed by AMBIT Living Spaces Cluster as part of interihotel. Through a design thinking process, design studios and hospitality companies work together to develop concepts that subsequently make it possible to analyse the usability of spaces, how people interact with objects and their emotional response to interior design.
The Sensory Explorer Concept Room: a refuge connected to its surroundings
Designed by HBA and inspired by Barceló Hotel Group, The Sensory Explorer Concept Room is based on a traveller profile who seeks more than accommodation from a hotel: an experience capable of connecting them with the destination, stimulating the senses and offering spaces to pause and reconnect..
Under the concept The Dome: Earth, light & memory, the project takes Tunisia as its starting point and interprets it as a territory shaped by multiple cultures, landscapes and layers of history. HBA avoids a literal representation of the destination, instead translating its essence into a contemporary room structured around an enveloping geometry and a large dome..
Natural overhead light becomes one of the space’s defining elements, changing throughout the day and shaping volumes, shadows and the perception of materials. Curved forms and architecturally expressive furniture create different settings for resting, conversing or simply taking in the surroundings.
The material palette reinforces this connection with the territory. Terracotta, sand and burgundy tones, mineral surfaces, woven fibres, textiles, oak, stone and blue accents create a warm, tactile atmosphere that evokes Tunisia’s landscape and Mediterranean identity.
The result is a contemporary refuge where design, materiality and light work together to create a deeply sensory experience rooted in the identity of the place.
The project is led by Marta Palazuelo, Principal Director of HBA Madrid, a studio specialising in hospitality architecture and interior design.
The Social Playful Concept Restaurant: eating, connecting & staying
The second proposal takes experimentation into the world of food and beverage. The Social Playful Concept Restaurant, designed by Livit and inspired by Lamucca, explores how the urban restaurant can evolve for an increasingly social, digital and spontaneous user, accustomed to deciding how they want to interact with the space.
The concept, named Muckita: A tu ritmo, con los tuyos (at your pace, with your people), proposes a restaurant capable of adapting to different rhythms and ways of using the space: having a quick meal, sharing a leisurely lunch, working for a while, meeting spontaneously or extending a meal into a long conversation.
The space is organised through a flexible layout combining an agile ordering and takeaway area, a social hub, areas designed for longer stays and an open kitchen that brings activity and transparency into the experience.
Technology is naturally integrated through mobile ordering, self-service kiosks and clearly identified collection points. Its aim is not to become the protagonist, but to reduce friction and allow each user to interact with the restaurant in the way they prefer.
The material palette combines durable surfaces, ceramic, metal and finishes designed to withstand intensive use with wood, upholstery and warm lighting, bringing a more human dimension to the space. Red acts as a distinctive identity element, connecting architecture, interior design and graphic language..
The project has been developed by Livit’s own Paula López (Account Leader & Interior Designer) and Macarena Santos (Interior Designer). Livit is an international company specialising in strategy, design and innovation for the food and beverage and hospitality sectors.
From concept to experimentation
The interihotel Concept Rooms are not conceived solely as interior design exercises. They are full-scale prototypes that make it possible to test new ideas through users’ experiences and generate knowledge that can be applied across the hospitality sector.
Their development brings together hoteliers, restaurateurs, investors, interior designers and architects with design studios and industry, creating an environment for experimentation where new responses to the changes transforming hotels and restaurants can be explored.
The realisation of both Concept Rooms has been made possible through the collaboration of numerous interihotel MAD26 exhibiting brands, which have contributed materials, furniture, lighting, equipment and construction solutions to turn both concepts into full-scale, visitable spaces. This collaboration reflects interihotel’s open innovation model, where industry, operators and design studios work together to generate knowledge and anticipate new solutions for the sector.
The Sensory Explorer Concept Room and The Social Playful Concept Restaurant will be open to visitors during interihotel MAD26, from 17 to 19 November 2026 at IFEMA Madrid, as part of Creative Rebellion, an edition that champions design as a tool for challenging the established order and imagining new forms of hospitality. Both spaces are part of Interiors Living Lab, which also features experiences focused on innovative materials, contemporary craftsmanship and digital technologies applied to interior design.
Collaborating brands
The realisation of The Sensory Explorer Concept Room and The Social Playful Concept Restaurant has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of the following interihotel MAD26 exhibiting brands:
The Sensory Explorer Concept Room
The Social Playful Concept Restaurant
- calma
- EcoCero
- Estiluz
- Innovus
- Isimar
- Kave
- Marazzi
- Nagami
- Pepe&Alonso
- Roco
- Signes
- Soleco Doors
- Valpaint
- Zennio
Further information: www.interihotel.com
