Alfredo Arribas

ALFREDO ARRIBAS (Barcelona, 1954).
Side table, for the Torres de Ávila Restaurant, Barcelona, ca.1987.
Iron structure, curved steel crosspieces, white marble top with irregular edge, bronze medallion.
It shows signs of wear and tear according to use and age.
Measurements: 64 cm. height; 55 x 46,5 cm (top).

This singular side table, conceived by the designer Alfredo Arribas for the emblematic bar/restaurant Torres de Ávila in Barcelona around 1987, is a very personal amalgam of structural robustness and formal delicacy. Its slender iron legs, with cylindrical feet, are joined by curved steel crosspieces that confer a visual dynamic and a counterpoint of fluidity to the whole. The choice of white marble for its circular top introduces a luminous and tactile contrast, enhancing the nobility of the raw materials. The irregularity of its edge gives the piece an organic character and a distinctive craftsmanship that eschews geometric perfection. A bronze medallion inlaid in the center of the envelope adds a detail of refinement and a nod to the goldsmith tradition. This is a unique testimony to Arribas' aesthetic vision and his ability to integrate industrial materiality with sculptural elegance.

Alfred Arribas is an architect and designer. He studied at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona. He taught at the same school and at the Elisava School of Design from 1979 to 1990. In 1986, together with Miguel Morte, he founded the firm Alfredo Arribas Asociados, dedicated to architecture and interior design. In his projects he has collaborated with designers such as Javier Mariscal and Eduard Samsó, among others. He was president of ARQ-INFAD (1982-1983) and vice-president of Fomento de las Artes y el Diseño (1986-1989), whose medal he was awarded in 1990. His work has been published in numerous architecture and design magazines and has been awarded several FAD prizes. His works include the Velvet Bar in Barcelona and the Nagasaki Aquarium (Japan). Among his most representative designs are the Greystoke (1990) and Pila (1995) armchairs.