Hotel Ercilla, Bilbao

Red Deer has completely redesigned iconic central Bilbao institution, Hotel Ercilla – restoring the building to its original glory as a landmark venue in the vibrant Spanish city.

The concept was almost self-evident in the history of the hotel and the excitement of the owners (family) of all the times had in the space. The hotel exuded both pride in its heritage and determination to have fun – so we just
connected the dots.

Dating back to the 1970s and the first purpose built hotel in Bilbao, Hotel Ercilla was the go-to destination for every celebrity visiting the Basque region. Honouring the grandeur of the 1970s and 80s in all its brashness and observing the hotel’s own unique heritage, Red Deer has interlinked history and design through the concept ‘Vintage Glamour the Bilbao Way’. For this ambitious brief, Red Deer created a colour and texture palette straight out of the era. Incorporating ochre, crème, chrome, pink, burgundy and dark blue, vibrant splashes of tweeds, houndstooth, and dogtooth were added to construct a bold geometric effect and reference Bilbao’s own strong trade history with Britain as an industrial port city, alongside a softer feel created through velvets and sumptuous faux furs in true 1970s style.