Puni Petals & Rama
Sobremesa.Curated is a series of online and offline experiences where we collaborate with some of our favorite creatives to bring beautiful ideas into the world.
Curated by Lydia Iracheta.
Sobremesa.Institute is not just any Spanish language school. What makes us unconventional is our endless curiosity and our desire to bring creativity and connection to every one of our offerings. Aside from our regular Spanish courses for creatives, we have been working hard to develop Sobremesa.Curated, a series of online and offline experiences where we collaborate with some of our favorite creatives to bring beautiful ideas into the world.
As we gear up to celebrate our second anniversary next week, we have been looking back at our archives so we can share some of our most cherished projects with you. And our Summer Evening with Rama Collective last August was definitely a very special one!
As most of our projects do, this one sparked from an authentic connection with a wonderful creative: floral designer Puni Akkasintawangkul of Puni Petals. Puni came into our orbit when she signed up to our first Summer Course back in 2023, and after spending some time together talking all things Spanish, creativity, flowers, and design, we were thrilled when we found out Puni would be visiting Europe the following year and we could be the ones to organize her first floral workshop in Barcelona.
As a cultural curator at heart, our founder Lydia got to work and found the perfect match for Puni’s beautiful creations: a summer event in a dreamy location in the heart of Catalonia’s countryside. Curated by Rama Collective and hosted in Masia Verbany, Summer Evening was a daylong affair featuring Puni’s floral arrangement masterclass, followed by a sunset yoga class and a curated vegan menu that, of course, couldn’t be complete without a sobremesa.
This event —and Puni herself— represent everything Sobremesa.Institute stands for: creativity, beauty, innovation, and human connection. And this is what we aim to bring to our first ever language immersion this summer. We’ve hand-picked some of the most beautiful and inspiring spaces, individuals, and collectives in the city to make Sobremesa.Immersions an unforgettable experience. From August 3rd-9th, we will be hosting a selected group of culture lovers and creative learners to share our vision of language as a tool for creation, connection, and transformation. Featuring 1:1 personalized lessons and group conversations, as well as workshops with local artists, visits to studios and galleries, private curated dining at exclusive locations, and a highly-curated selection of venues, we want to bring the art of gathering to the next level and create memories that will last a lifetime. Will you join us?
Lydia’s Journal
Hola! Lydia here. I’m so excited to start sharing some snippets of what life at Sobremesa.Institute looks like behind the scenes. And what better way to start than by looking back at the wonderful day I got to spend last summer with Puni Akkasintawangkul, founder of Puni Petals and one of our inspiring students.
Puni lives and works in LA, and when she came to us she was looking to improve her Spanish skills in order to connect more deeply with some of her customers, as well as create closer relationships with her vendors at the LA flower market. Needless to say, being a multifaceted creative who works with flowers, she was the perfect match for our school.
After working together for a few months and getting to know each other on a more personal level, I was thrilled when the time came to help her bring to life her first floral workshop in Europe. After I’d found the perfect people for her to collaborate with, Summer Evening with Rama Collective was in motion and all we had to do was wait to meet in person and make it all happen.
On the morning of the event, I drove to pick up Puni from a charming house she’d found through the Kindred platform, which I adore because it offers a more sustainable way of traveling, connecting with people, and truly experiencing a place. It’s the kind of travel that aligns perfectly with our values here at the school.
From there, we headed straight to MercaBarna, Barcelona’s flower market. I had never been before, and what an experience! The colors, the scents, the endless varieties of flowers—I was in heaven. Flowers are such a big part of my life, and of course, they’re a huge inspiration for our school. It felt like a dream come true to be picking flowers with Puni, who is an expert in floristry. We spent hours selecting the most beautiful blooms, and experiencing the bustling energy of the market.
Next, we picked up our friend Carolina Iriarte, a talented designer and the heart behind leather goods brand IriarteIriarte, who has been a constant supporter of our project from the very beginning. We even held our launch party at her beautiful headquarters! Once we were all together, we decided to get some sustenance for the day with a lovely brunch at The Egg Lab—a perfect moment of sharing and connection.
After that, we hit the road for a little adventure. There’s nothing I love more than a good road trip, especially during the summer when the fields of sunflowers are in full bloom. With Puni and Caro by my side, the music flowing, and the open road ahead, it was pure bliss.
Upon arrival at the magical Masia Verbany, we got to work preparing for our flower arranging workshop. Puni gathered some more flowers and plants from the field, and we were greeted by Sara, Mireia, and Ana from Rama Collective, who introduced us to the rest of the wonderful team at the masía and the yoga crew. Slowly, the participants began to arrive and we got to know each other while enjoying a delicious vegan snack and some Bicho kombucha.
The workshop itself was a magical experience. Puni, a true master of her craft, led us through the process, dividing us into three groups to create our own floral arrangements. It was incredible to see how each of us brought our own personality to the task, as we learned about flowers, volumes, shapes, and the art of bringing them together to create something new.
After a nourishing yoga practice led by Daisy, the sun began to set and we gathered for dinner under a canopy of wisteria, with only candlelight to guide us. The chef Jia Pallarès
explained each course to us before we dug in, and I have to say, the food was absolutely divine—every bite a masterpiece. The warm summer air, the sounds of the countryside, and the quiet conversations during the sobremesa made it an evening I’ll never forget.
We wrapped up the day with a drive back to Barcelona, exhausted but incredibly happy. It was one of those days that remind me of the beauty in simple moments, in being surrounded by wonderful people, and in embracing a way of life that honors sustainability, creativity, and connection.
I can’t wait to do it all again!
With love,
Lydia
