Very like the Lolita Chair, Nord, by Spanish interior and industrial designer Francesc Rifé, makes scintillating use of negative space. Assembled with puzzle-piece precision, the chair features a slim structural profile defined more by the absence of materials than the presence of same. If you’ve yet to hear of Rifé—or of Valencian manufacturer Ziru—chalk it up to linguistic difference rather than design performance, since over on the eastward side of the Atlantic, the designer is all but a household name.

Nord Collection. Designed by

The Nord collection, which also features a low chair and stool, was one of the finalists of this year’s FAD prize in Barcelona. Awarded by a consortium of designers, architects, and exporters, the prize is much-prized in the industry. And lest you scoff at the regional bent of the award, I’ll kindly remind you that Barcelona is home to not only Picasso, Dalí, and Gaudí, but also everyone’s favorite master of surrealist whimsy, designer Javier Mariscal.

Nord is a contract assemblage with a distinct Scandinavian influence. Made of expertly joined and highly polished carbonized oak, both the chairs and the stool speak a modern idiom of clean lines and spare design, which must be the look they’re after at the five star restaurant by Michelin Prize winner Ricard Camarena soon to open at Spain’s latest luxury hotel (the Hotel Palacio Marqués de Caro, opening in October). Rifé not only agreed to outfit the exclusive digs—space for 20 diners only—with his Nord collection, he also consented to do the interior design, which will include a Moorish mural he’s already shown at the Valencia Furniture Fair. Wall-covering notwithstanding, I’d wager that the real show-stopper at Camarena’s new place (besides the paella) will be the slim and stylish Nord chairs and stools.