La Basílica perfumery lands in Madrid
It's ten in the morning and Pyotr Rybaczek , who likes to be called Pedro, offers us a wine.
Perhaps he does not surprise us so much because we are in a true creative space, a bubble in time, a place where luxury is indulging in being extravagant. Pedro is the founder of ** La Basílica ** and the soul of this newly landed universe at number 12 Principe Street, an 80-square-meter cabinet of curiosities that catches everyone who passes by.
The interior design is the work of its owner and boasts a kitsch spirit with its original marble walls and two-tone floor as a board. The showcase? A true artistic installation.
Piotr, Pedro, soul of the Basilica
In the variegated showcases there are a multitude of glasses that contain dreamlike and unexpected perfumes. “We don't use mouillettes –the blotting cartons– because they distort the reality of the perfume”. Here the smells, of the most unusual –from old books , or a kitchen in summer – are trapped in different glass cups.
A new cabinet of curiosities arrives in Madrid
The violets that bloomed in the cemetery when spring arrived: this is the first olfactory memory of Pedro, who was born in 1980 in Poland , in the city of Szczecin , where he lived next to a graveyard.
His family was working class, with an incarcerated alcoholic father and four brothers, so he had to take refuge indoors. He often played alone in the cemetery, where he talked imagined the lives of the dead and was engaged in drawing flowers and tombstones. With the branches of rowans (a typical tree in Poland) necklaces were made.
Contemporary art in the Basilica
During his school years, he did not exactly have a fan club, although this extravagant character gives him a lot of satisfaction today. His niche perfumery has more than a thousand different references, the most in the world. In fact, it is one of the few niche fragrance stores in the world where there are references for children.
The Basilica was born in 2007 in Barcelona as contemporary jewelry, in the Gothic quarter. From his adventures through different countries, Piotr brings pieces by international creators such as Seulgi Kwon (Korea) , Marcin Tyminski (Poland) , Catherine Brenes (Costa Rica) or Azahara Santoro (Spain) .
Author perfumes, in La Basílica
"To select them, the authors must excite us, and we feel very satisfied to be a launching pad for many young creators," says Rybaczek, a self-confessed fan of Gaudi and of Lars von Trier.
In his travels to find new artists, Piotr got into the habit of bringing a perfume from each city he visited. To the extent that if he didn't find a perfume, he felt that the trip had no meaning, because he didn't evoke anything. The symbiosis is natural to him: “A perfume is an invisible jewel”, he underlines.
The Basilica
At least the ones he distributes are. Art Landi, Baruti, Beaufort London, Bogue, Homo Elegans, Mad et Len, Nasomatto, Nishane, Onyrico, Unum, Widian… The best advice from him? The spontaneous honesty of him. "This is tacky," he says, referring to a jar. "But the composition of the fragrance is exquisite, something unique."
Among more than 100 signature perfumery brands, those of the French Beatrice Aguilar (Scent on Canvas), the Italian Alessandro Gautieri (Nasomatto, Orto Parisii), the Gauls Sandra Fuzier and Alexandre Piffaut (Mad et Len) or the British Liz Moores (Papillon Artisan Perfumes).
The Basilica
“Here the materials are prioritized, not the packaging or advertising. And the stories to tell do not always have to do with that fantastic world of commercial perfumery, other paths are explored”.
They have been open for a couple of weeks and already have regular clients, also attracted by their furniture, decoration, antiques, bags and works of art from the Swedish company. Arvida Bystrom, Damien Hirst either Steve Gibson.
• The Barcelona space has changed location and is now located at C/ De la Palla, 35.