SHOPS
Barcelona
The Barcelona store was modeled as its sales area expanded. The Passeig de Gràcia building where it was located, is listed and is part of the Architectural Heritage of the city of Barcelona. It was designed in 1899 by the architect Antoni Rovira i Rabassa and belonged to the painter Ramón Casas.
Around the fifties, the main floor was occupied by the haute Couture firm Asunción Bastida.
One of the most interesting extensions occurred in 1985 with the annexation of the main floor of the building. Through this space, where the furniture section was installed, it was possible to access the interior terrace of one of the best preserved courtyards of Barcelona’s Eixample.
From there you could admire in detail the rear facade of the Pedrera de Gaudí, located in the same block.
The areas that were once destined for storage, were transformed over the years into spaces for sale with access from different streets.
In 1973, Vinçon adapted an interior space that had been the study of the painter Ramón Casas to open an exhibition space that he called La Sala Vinçon.
The fact that the Barcelona store was located in a building protected by its architecture was not a problem. An adequate and respectful use and conservation allowed that what once was a noble dwelling could be reused to expose the Vinçonproducts.
The store, conceptualized as a large showcase, offered a different experience from other department shops.
Madrid
“We have to admit that Vinçon is a slow company. A little review of its history shows us that what others achieve in a short time, for us is takes longer. Our arrival to Madrid has not been an exception. ”
These words were the prologue to the presentation of the Madrid store, with the irony that characterizes the Amat family, and that together with others, explained the avatars that they had to overcome since back in the eighties they planned to open a store in that city: “We even thought that Madrid did not love us, until one day we decided to classify our client file by cities and we discovered with surprise that many of them were from Madrid.”
With tenacity and enthusiasm they managed to settle in a place that fully satisfied their wishes. It was a protected building in the Salamanca district that, despite its dilapidated state, won over the Amat’s heart. It had been the headquarters of a silverware factory until 1995 and the building was located inside an apple courtyard, on the Castelló street. The dream of Vinçon’s managers to present their offer in Madrid was fulfilled, just like in Barcelona, within the framework of a historic building, in order to show a vision of design through the architectural legacy. The perfect match.
As in London, Paris or New York, the industrial buildings of the historic center of Madrid had become commercial spaces. Vinçon gave a new life to the place, and he did it with the best professionals and a result everyone praised.
Vinçon Madrid was an open, accessible and practical store, where the public could see and buy or simply catch up on new products created for the home. Throughout his career, Vinçon received in 1996 the National Design Award.
The industrial unit, the last one of the original set, was built in 1920 according to the architect Gonzalo Aguado’s project and is only visible from Castelló or Jorge Juan streets.
At the beginning of the century, the factory began to produce its own electrical energy that was even distributed throughout the area, until later this service was transferred to Madrid’s Electrical Union Company. The Madrid City Council declared this building of local interest.
KITCHENÇON
For more than 60 years, Vinçon became a specialized store on kitchen, kitchenware sets, molds, knives, etc. From 1980 it began selling high-end kitchen furniture.
We soon discovered that there was a type of customer that wanted a kitchen not only to show to his neighbors and friends but also to enjoy cooking. This also coincided with our specialty in the exciting art of preparing food.
From that moment, we reconsidered how a Vinçon kitchen should be.
We should start from a rational project without fantasies or useless elements, with an adequate and justifiable price, with a correct manufacturing time and with our guarantee.
The famous brand we were selling did not meet all these requirements, so the next step was to develop KITCHEN ÇON: our own kitchen furniture using and selecting the best components available in the market. A success.
TINCÇON
Always in the same block of Vinçon Barcelona, in 1998 TINC ÇON was opened to the public, a space for everything related to sleeping: beds, mattresses, closets, etc …
Vinçon exhibited his home furniture collection on the top floor of Passeig de Gràcia. One day we discovered that it was very complicated to expose a bed next to a dining table and a closet behind a sofa, so from 1998 we decided to install the elements related to sleeping in another completely different and more neutral space.
A more intimate space where no one can feel uncomfortable if they wanted to try the comfort of a bed. With a dimmer lighting and in spaces similar to those we could have in our house.