ROCKWELL GROUP MADRID UNVEILS THE DESIGN FOR KELI

Photography by Ed Reeve, Courtesy of Rockwell Group

Each Different Room Offers A New Moment of Discovery

In Madrid’s elegant Salamanca neighbourhood, Rockwell Group has unveiled Keli, a richly atmospheric restaurant that reimagines hospitality through the lens of domestic storytelling, cinematic interiors, and contemporary Spanish culture. Created for Madrid restaurateur Kike Sierra, the 600-square-metre, three-storey destination unfolds less like a traditional restaurant and more like an intimate, art-filled residence layered with memory, personality, and conviviality.

The concept draws from the word “keli,” a colloquial Spanish term for “house,” with the interiors conceived as an invitation into the home of a worldly host. Instead of a singular dining environment, Rockwell Group Madrid designed a sequence of immersive spaces — from the Library and Kitchen to the Dining Room, Wine Cellar, and hidden Game Room — each carrying its own emotional atmosphere while encouraging guests to move, gather, and discover.

Bold colours and geometric compositions inspired by the films of Pedro Almodóvar animate the interiors throughout. Warm yellows, cobalt blues, lacquered reds, and tactile layers of velvet, leather, cork, stone, and wood create an expressive palette that feels both theatrical and deeply personal. On the mezzanine, a restored Versailles parquet floor anchors the Kitchen space, where blue-and-white geometric tiling, communal tables, and an oversized yellow lacquered lamp evoke the intimacy of a lively domestic kitchen.

Presented by Interni Cipta Selaras

Nearby, the Library bar and lounge embrace softer textures and collector-like details through wood shelving, leather finishes, patterned fabrics, and custom chandeliers inspired by Madrid street lamps. Upstairs, the mood shifts dramatically. The second-floor dining room is enveloped in fluted red-painted walls, golden drapery, black-and-white marble flooring, and wraparound banquettes upholstered in vivid red and white. Adjacent to the dining area, a cork-clad wine cellar introduces a darker sensuality through burgundy seating and lacquered black surfaces, creating a cocoon-like retreat within the restaurant.

Descending into the basement, Keli transforms into a nocturnal playground dedicated to music, leisure, and performance. A hidden entrance reveals a velvet-lined game room layered in crimson hues, red marble tables, and tactile upholstery, while the adjoining music room adopts a moodier atmosphere through warm wood panelling, record displays, leather-clad detailing, and reflective stainless-steel lighting.

Art is seamlessly woven into the spatial narrative. Works by Spanish and international artists — including Miguel Caravaca, Luis Úrculo, Coco Dávez, Javier de Juan, and Maggie Cowles — transform the restaurant into a living gallery celebrating Madrid’s nightlife, street culture, mythology, and creative energy. From site-specific cobalt-blue tile murals in the kitchen to expressive portraits and music photography throughout the rooms, the art programme becomes central to the storytelling experience.

Through Keli, Rockwell Group Madrid creates a hospitality destination driven by emotion, sociability, and cultural memory. The result is a cinematic and deeply layered interior where dining becomes immersive, intimate, and unmistakably Madrid.