In Madrid, Patisserie Pan & Pasteles, is breaking the mould on standard bakery fare. Its third location in the city (each shop has a very different look) is designed by architect Virginia del Barco of Ideo Arquitectura. The interior takes the company’s signature colour, Magenta, to new heights – right to the ceiling. The dramatic surface treatment consists of 12,000 wooden sticks painted in the company’s favoured hue reaching down to varying heights. They’ve been likened to octopus tentacles, but perhaps it’s more appetizing to see them as confectioneries, the icing on the cupcakes.

The rest of the space is left raw, with the building’s original brick instilling a sense of history and softening the modern edges of the installation. The push and pull between the two aesthetics creates a dynamic interior in the relatively small space. To balance the theatrics of the ceiling, Del Barco conceived of elegant and minimal furniture, and lightboxes that emit a warm glow into the space. On the exterior, the yin and yang of old and new is at its most resolved with a bold full-height glass display case sandwiched between the 150-year-old brick walls.