Cristine Bedfor Málaga: Designed by Marta de la Rica

June 2025

Cristine Bedfor Málaga boasts an elegant interior designed by Marta de la Rica

A few months ago, I popped into Colbert, that cafe which takes up much of the corner of Sloane Square. I was there to meet the Spanish interior designer Marta de la Rica. We covered the usual ground one does on a first meeting. I, of course, opened with the weather — Madrid had apparently been having a very wet spell, which gave me a brief opportunity to enjoy that smug British pastime of claiming superiority over continental climates, a pleasure we get to indulge perhaps once every fifteen years.

September 2019, The World Of Interiors

We quickly moved on, lest I bore Marta too thoroughly. The conversation turned to World of Interiors; I was muttering on about something or other when Marta casually mentioned that her family farm had featured on the cover in 2019. What a feather in one’s cap. In fact, it’s almost the kind of career moment that might encourage a person to retire on a high note — though that, of course, would be the attitude of someone lazy like myself, not Marta. She has continued to dominate the Spanish design scene, while also taking on projects across the world. When we met, she was fitting me in between two onsite visits in South West London.

The project that particularly caught my attention was her mention of a hotel in Malaga. I’ve long had a fondness for Malaga. Whether it’s the Mediterranean light that dapples the city or the pull of the Picasso Museum, it strikes me as one of those Spanish cities that has somehow held onto a slightly dubious reputation among Brits — the lingering image of our thuggish behaviour — when in truth it’s something of a gem. Though perhaps we keep that to ourselves.

Cristine Bedfor, renowned for her growing collection of boutique Spanish hotels, brought Marta on board for the Malaga project, drawing on the spirit of her original property in Menorca. Marta’s design strikes a careful balance: blending Andalusian heritage with a hint of British eccentricity, combining memory with sensory richness. The hotel captures Cristine’s playful vision while remaining firmly rooted in the building’s own story, using local materials, textures and craftsmanship that reflect its history and setting.

I find it increasingly difficult to discover hotels that fit one’s own sensibility. So many have succumbed either to the Soho Home school of rounded-edge furniture — curves on every corner — or veered so far into modernism that even a lone hair clip on the bedside table feels like a crime scene. So when I come across hotels that have been decorated with care, bringing a genuine sense of aesthetic joy to the experience, I am entirely on board.

www.martadelarica.es

www.cristinebedforhotel.com/en/malaga

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