Malasaña

Madrid is renowned for her museums and despite the city’s classical overtones, street art—which oftentimes acts as visual commentary of the civic, political, and cultural overtones of a society—is alive and well with Boa Mistura—a multidisciplinary art collective. Made up of five creatives—friends since their teens when they would graffiti their neighborhood—their art, so decidedly in the public realm is intended to make a statement, to be community building, and to disrupt the notion that graffiti is vandalism. A guide can steward you through many of their large-scale murals that dot the city. More of their work is to be found in places as disparate as the favelas of Brazil and the Venice Biennale.

It’s impossible to talk about indie furniture/décor/gallery hybrid Casa Quiroga, without mentioning its big sister, Rughara, as the two are actually an extension of each other, both physically and conceptually. Rughara’s particular brand of quirky, mix-and-match merchandising, which incorporates racks of clothing, themed displays of home accessories, and a curated assortment of vintage furniture proved to be so popular with the local artsy types that an expansion into the neighboring storefront was inevitable. The resulting space serves as a showroom for more vintage wares, local designer goods, and the occasional performance and meeting space for the aforementioned artsy types.