The Western Saloon is a true institution in Benidorm and on the Costa Blanca. As expected, it is a bar with a western american atmosphere, with live rock being one of its greatest attractions. It is a pilgrimage destination for many tourists and locals in search of an authentic atmosphere and live music. Within Benidorm the place is located in the heart of the “Guiri” area, a part of the city dominated by British tourism and with countless bars.
The reform of the Hotel in which the bar is located forced it to be reformed, giving rise to the challenge of this project: Maintaining the spirit of an icon and updating and improving it for a new era. There was a lot of expectation so the work was carried out taking care of even the smallest detail.
The place is totally new, with a new floor plan and new distribution, but by expanding the interior and exterior surface, one of the successes is to maintain the illusion that the space is the same even though it is different, for this a central layout of the bar was preserved. Many decorative elements are those of the old Western Saloon and even the top of the bar was recovered and expanding it. One of the virtues of the place is that most of the decorative elements are authentic pieces from the USA.
Being that unique pieces were recovered, a new approach was also wanted that would
deviate a bit from the typical references to the Far West of Indians and cowboys that would appeal more to a contemporary rural America with great importance in music, rodeo, hunting and the moonshiners. The entire environment was given a level up with an immersive presence of wood, natural stone details and exposed brick. One of the main pieces of the interior is the fireplace with a distillation still. In the furniture, apart from the traditional Thonet, stools and sofas upholstered with natural cow skins were made.
To enhance the façade, a windlass and a water tank were installed.
