DESIGN NOTES FROM MADRID
A CLOSETPHILE recap of the DLN Summit
Last week I was in Madrid for the DLN Summit, and the entire trip felt like slipping into a living moodboard — a city where old-world grandeur casually coexists with experimental art, sculptural architecture, and the most delicious material moments. Here are the standout places that shaped the week and left me buzzing with ideas.
GREEN PATIO
Where industrial meets garden dreamscape
Our first stop set the tone: Green Patio — a soaring industrial shell softened with giant pockets of greenery. Think steel beams, double-height volumes, and unexpected warmth. A perfect study in how adaptive-reuse can feel both raw and impeccably edited.
METROPOLITANO STADIUM
Architecture at its most theatrical
Walking through the Metropolitano Stadium is like watching architecture flex. The sweeping roofline, the rhythm of concourses, the choreography of movement — it’s all so intentional. A reminder that large-scale design can still have a soul.
ROSEWOOD VILLA MAGNA
A lesson in luxury without shouting
Rosewood does quiet opulence so well. Warm woods, incredible stonework, sculptural lighting, and rooms that feel intimate even in a grand hotel footprint. It’s the kind of space that whispers its luxury, which… let’s be honest… is always the chicest approach.
SOLO (CASA DE VIDRIO)
A hyper-creative collision of art + architecture
SOLO felt like stepping into the future — part private collection, part design laboratory. The Glass House structure diffuses light in a way that turns every artwork into a moment. Digital pieces, sculptural forms, conceptual installations… all curated with such a sharp, modern point of view.
AMAZÓNICO
Lush, layered, and wildly atmospheric
Amazónico is a sensory deep-dive — a tropical-leaning, mood-drenched interior that feels more like stepping into a curated ecosystem than a restaurant. Velvet banquettes, patterned marbles, greenery cascading in every direction, and lighting that feels almost cinematic. It’s maximalism done with incredible restraint, and an example of how strong atmosphere can completely transform the dining experience.
LIRIA PALACE
The most cinematic dinner of the trip
Our evening at Liria Palace was pure visual theatre. Candlelight bouncing off centuries-old art, gilded salons, tapestries, frescoes — everything felt impossibly romantic and steeped in history. A reminder of how powerful design becomes when it’s allowed to age gracefully.
TAKEAWAY
Madrid is a city of contrasts — industrial and organic, modern and aristocratic, bold and beautifully quiet. The DLN Summit stitched those worlds together into a week that felt both creatively grounding and wildly inspiring.
