new interiors for a spanish ice cream parlor
Zooco Estudio designs a new Regma ice cream parlor on Calle Burgos in Santander offers a new spatial expression of the Cantabrian brand’s evolving identity. With this project, the Madrid- and Santander-based design firm presents a composed reinterpretation of the brand’s legacy through geometry, materiality, and color. The brand was founded in 1933 and remains a well-known presence in northern Spain.
Rather than relying on overt iconography, the interior translates Regma’s foundational values — natural ingredients and an approachable color sensibility — into a spatial language that feels embedded in the architecture itself. A single geometric figure, the rotated square, underpins the entire composition, anchoring visual continuity across timber ceilings, floors, and the street-facing facade.
images © David Zarzoso
zooco estudio’s Continuous Geometric Framework
From the street, the Zooco Estudio-designed Regma storefront presents a modest face. The timber-framed windows are set within two fluted columns to create a symmetrical front that respects its urban context. Just inside, a lattice ceiling structure constructed in oak defines the entire volume, casting soft-edged shadows that move with the light throughout the day.
This gridded ceiling becomes the main organizational tool. It stretches uninterrupted across the parlor, introducing a visual rhythm and providing the structure from which pendant lights and signage are suspended. The geometry mirrors itself at floor level, where travertine slabs are laid in a subtle herringbone pattern, adding texture without visual noise.
the new Regma ice cream parlour is located on Calle Burgos in Santander
Material Translations of Flavor and Craft
Zooco Estudio’s material palette leans heavily on travertine marble, which lines Regma’s counters, lower walls, and floors in creamy, softly veined tones. Oak appears throughout in seating, paneling, and the custom ceiling structure. The atmosphere remains consistently warm but never overstates its presence, each surface contributes to a unified and immersive environment.
Clay-based paint adds a muted finish to the upper walls, absorbing light and grounding the space in a natural tonality. Stainless steel stools and fixtures offer a slight contrast, referencing the tools of ice cream production while reinforcing the project’s connection to material honesty and craftsmanship.
Zooco Estudio unifies the project with a rotated square motif
a gridded oak ceiling creates spatial rhythm and visual continuity
travertine marble defines counters walls and herringbone flooring
stainless steel stools hint at traditional ice cream making tools
oak wood is used across furniture, ceiling modules, and custom partitions
circular mirrors and globe pendants are visual references to ice cream scoops
project info:
name: Regma Santander
architect: Zooco Estudio | @zoocoestudio
location: Burgos Street, Santander, Spain
completion: 2024
photography: © David Zarzoso | @david_zarzoso
design team: Miguel Crespo Picot, Javier Guzmán Benito, Sixto Martín Martínez, Estefanía Sánchez
construction: COBOMAN S.L.
lighting, furniture: Zooco Estudio
photography: © David Zarzoso | @david_zarzoso
The post gridded ceiling tops zooco estudio’s oak and travertine regma ice cream parlor appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.