Isern Serra Studio has crafted a place where sound and silence meet — Jaç Hi-Fi Café, a listening bar in the heart of Barcelona.
Inspired by Japan’s jazz kissa, Jaç becomes a Mediterranean interpretation of a culture that treats music as ritual. The name itself, meaning to recline, rest, and let go in Catalan, sets the tone for the experience: a café designed for slowing down.
Inside, 95 square meters unfold as a sequence of tactile environments. A concrete sofa softened with cushions greets visitors, accompanied by Noguchi’s Akari lamp and custom walnut tables. Neutrality dominates, punctuated by small gestures of colour and contrast — stools by Noo.ma, a work by Chidy Wayne.
At the centre stands a bar that is both counter and instrument. Hewn from a single slab of walnut, it doubles as speaker cabinet and vinyl archive. Custom Bloom Island speakers are carved from the same wood, their continuous grain connecting furniture, architecture, and sound.
A stainless steel communal table introduces a sharper note, its reflective surface echoing light from Antoni Arola’s sculptural pendant above. At the rear, the atmosphere deepens: walnut curves along wall and ceiling to form a semi-enclosed listening alcove, with shelves of vinyl and precision-tuned speakers shaping the soundscape.
Every element invites lingering — low tables, cushions, a quiet window niche, subtle light by Jordi Miralbell and Mariona Reventós. Even the iroko façade echoes the walnut tones within. Coffee is roasted on site, matcha sourced directly from Japanese growers. Food is simple, familiar: tomato toast, pastries from family recipes, ingredients from local stores. In Jaç, nourishment and sound align, offering a place where time slows, and listening becomes an act of care.
