Thirsty for new experiences after a full year of pandemic restrictions, I was so happy when I stumbled across the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, a jewel of a museum that I had never visited before. Madrid really is the city that just keeps giving!

It is full of beautiful design items from the 15th century to the 20th. At the moment they have a temporary exhibit with ceramics and furnishings inspired by the Bauhaus, created by students of the design school in Madrid, and in honour of Bauhaus’s Centenary  – there are some really interesting variations on a theme.

I love ceramics and tiles, and I enjoyed the many fine examples on display – just a little taste of the rich history of Spanish design. The recreation of rooms from the 17th century were also fascinating and immersive.

The building this huge collection is housed in (amazingly only around 10% of it is on display at any one time) is also wonderful – the coffered ceilings are particularly lovely. It is in the beautiful area between Cibeles and the Retiro park, so after perusing the museum you can enjoy a stroll in the gardens of Madrid’s most emblematic park.