A Ham Lounge

Pata Negra is “a ham lounge” in Shanghai that sells, among other tasty dishes and wines, Joselito brand ibérico jamón – the world’s finest ham!

For the restaurant, ​we designed and installed an interior graphic treatment paying tribute to the bits and pieces of Spanish culture that owner Miguel Jonsson is most passionate about: art, music, wine, sport, and of course, ham! The ​interior ​treatment was done in an urban style utilizing a variety of street-art techniques: stenciling, wheat-paste posters, spray can graffiti, and hand painting. Each wall-graphic tells a little story; collectively they convey the overall attitude and personality of the restaurant.​ We also created Pata Negra’s dining set (tableware / napkin / cup).​

The photos don’t do the work justice, so if you have a chance, be sure to stop by Pata Negra (Shanghai, 913 Julu Lu, close to the Changshu Rd. intersection) and experience the space for yourself…over a glass of wine and some ham, of course.

Lola Flores, a legendary Spanish Flamenco dancer, singer, and actress known for her incredibly artful and passionate live performances.

“No canta ni baila, pero no se la pierdan!” (English: “She can’t dance or sing, but don’t miss her!) – an infamous quote from a 1953 New York Times review of a Lola Flores show that resonated through the global Spanish / Latin community. Lola was not considered a great dancer or singer, but her legendary performances were unlike any other – bursting with passion and raw art.

Inspiration for bar patrons from the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

This is a fun play on words with a well-known Spanish saying. In English “Abajo las drogas!” means “down with drugs!”, but it can also be understood as “the drugs are down below / in the basement,” hence the following line: “Beware of the people in the basement.”

Subtle smoking area / welcome signage next to the main entrance; the graffiti tag on the woman reads “Buen Appetite.”

The back wall of the bar area was dedicated to teasing the varietal / grape names of some of Spain’s best wines: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mencia, Graciano, Mazuelo, Listan Negro, Bobal, Monastrell, Albariño, Moscatel, Moristel, Negramoll.

A black Iberian pig (the type of pig authentic “jamón ibérico” comes made from) nibbling on acorns. Acorns gives the meat it’s perfect marbled fat content.

A lyric from Vicente Amigo Girol (a Spanish flamenco composer and virtuoso guitarist) song meaning: “You are pure as the wind that runs through Santiago, and your hands are her gypsy heritage.”

“Las Meninas” (Spanish for “The Maids of Honour”) – a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. The work’s complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and the figures depicted.

Montse Cortés (aka: Montserrat Fernandez Cortés), a renowned Spanish Flamenco singer

Graffiti tag: “Shanghai”

Pata Negra’s “Gran Reserva,” where the jamón ibérico and wine is stored in optimal environment / temperature conditions.

Rafael Amador Fernández, a legendary Spanish flamenco guitarist (& singer) of Pata Negra (the band)

Duende – “having duende” loosely means having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression, and authenticity. The word is often connected with flamenco music. “Deunde” literally is a fairy or goblin-like creature in Spanish and Latin American mythology.

Traditional Spanish wall tile patterns recreated with intricate stenciling; used throughout the restaurant space.

Lyrics from an Estopa song titled “Tu Calorro.” The song is about an encounter the band members (José and David Muñoz) had with a woman that made them go crazy. The lyrics roughly translate into English as: “Your perfume is a poison that contaminates the air that your hair chokes; it chokes me so that I can’t speak nor understand because its a drug that makes my head crazy.”

Ricardo Zamora (aka: El Divino), a legendary goalkeeper for the Spanish national soccer team in the 20s/30s known for his eccentric behavior and iconic fashion sense. On and off the field, he was a rebel and a showman often in trouble with the law and at times a politically controversial and polarizing figure.

Lyrics from a Raimundo Amador / Pata Negra song titled “Ay Que Gustito Pa’Mis Orejas” that roughly translate into English as: “How comfortable for my ears, wrapped in-between your legs. You say ay! And what can I answer, since I still haven’t heard you.” We put this on the wall between the pizza oven and the hallway to the restrooms because, well, that’s where it seemed most appropriate.

“Que Aproveche” – enjoy your meal / bon appetit tagged on the pizza oven.

Womens / Mens bathroom signage

Entrance signage

Together with the Pata Negra’s interior graphic treatment, we designed a dining set (tableware / napkin / cup) to match the street art “look-and-feel” of the restaurant’s atmosphere. Taking inspiration from Lovegrove & Repucci’s original New York and London tableware sets, we created a Shanghai version that fuses together traditional Jingdezhen blue / white porcelain, graffiti type design of Chinese characters, local-Shanghainese dialect slang, and other fun Spanish / Shanghainese culturally relevant elements.

We wanted to feature Chinese characters on the plates because we don’t see enough of them in the local street art scene in China – they are also just so much fun to play with in a graffiti type design style. The characters we chose represent an interesting linguist quirk that we’ve always been intrigued by: the transliteration of English phrasings into local Shanghainese dialect pronunciations. These phrases are not part of standard Mandarin, and some Shanghainese don’t even know that they originated from English pronunciations. Phrases like: 哇色 (wa se – worse), 烂糊面 (lan hu mian – love me), 着台型 (zhao tai xing – dashing), 混枪势 ( hun qiang shi – win a chance), etc. Other tags on the plates reference core Spanish elements of the restaurant, like: tapas, vino, jamón, etc.

The bus is a retro style electric bus used in Shanghai in the 70s / 80s – we tagged it up with the Pata Negra logo,烂糊面, and a customized 南京路－巨鹿路 (Nanjing Rd. – Julu Rd.) travel line sign as the restaurant is located on Julu Rd.. The sidecar motorcycle used to be popular mode of transportation in Shanghai, and can still be spotted on the road her every once in a while. We tagged it up with 烂糊面 and the Pata Negra logo.