The project team at Faro Barcelona, together with BioscaBotey, is behind the lighting design of the new Axel Hotel Bilbao, a space inspired by the city’s artistic energy and the iconic architecture of the Guggenheim. Located in the heart of the Old Town, the hotel is designed as a place where everyone can feel comfortable and free to be themselves, regardless of identity, orientation, or lifestyle. A space where diversity is embraced and celebrated.
A dialogue with Bilbao’s industrial character
Bilbao’s strong industrial identity is the inspiration behind the design of the new Axel, where metallic materials, copper tones, and industrial architecture define the space. Lighting plays a crucial role in highlighting these traits, building atmospheres, enhancing materials, and adding emotional depth.
A clear example of this emotional approach to interior design is the spectacular copper-coloured metal mesh with organic shapes, a nod to Frank Gehry, installed on the restaurant ceiling. It spans the entire bar and dining area and is placed beneath recessed spotlights to soften the light. With folds in different directions, the mesh creates captivating reflections that highlight its copper tone unevenly.
Lighting also plays a key role in the hotel’s communal areas—like the lobby, corridors, and skybar—supporting the visual storytelling of the design. In the lobby, for instance, hanging luminaires in reddish tones complement the armchairs. Every lighting choice is meant to elevate the design without overpowering it.
Rooms that blend elegance and boldness
To illuminate the 110 rooms at Axel Hotel Bilbao, the Retro collection from Faro Barcelona was chosen, specially customised with an exclusive total black finish for this project. It appears as a three-arm chandelier with adjustable spotlights, and as bedside wall lamps. A choice that reinforces the rooms’ industrial aesthetic.
Green tones also dominate these rooms, referencing the colour of Bilbao’s estuary. Green appears on the fluted headboard, velvet wardrobe curtains, and bed base cover. The headboard’s fluted pattern extends to the glass shower, allowing glimpses of the silhouette and creating an intimate atmosphere.
Indirect lighting is also essential, with a LED strip in the headboard casting light on the wallpaper, while another hidden in the ceiling trough bathes the closed velvet curtain in light. When opened, the same light shifts towards the desk and wardrobe, creating an immersive and functional experience.
A space with character, open to all
Axel Hotel Bilbao doesn’t hide. Every detail—from its design to its location—has been conceived to celebrate diversity and connect with a vibrant, open-minded, character-filled city. Surrounded by the most authentic part of the Old Town and the country’s most avant-garde queer scene, this hotel is more than a place to stay—it’s a starting point to experience Bilbao with pride, your way.
More information here.
