Renovation of an Apartment in Barcelona
In a 1970´s residential building in Barcelona’s lively Sant Antoni neighbourhood, the four bedroom 100m² flat was subdivided into small, irregular rooms and circulation space.
“Loft, Texture and Wood” were the three key properties requested by the client.
The client -a chef- asked us to create a “loft”-like space where he could cook and entertain whilst enjoying the view across the living-dining space through the balcony doors towards Montjuïc Mountain.
The concrete column and slab structure of the building allowed for the total demolition of existing interior partitions and thus freedom in the reconfiguration of the dwelling.
The project was defined by the following main decisions:
-all perimeter surfaces would be stripped of their finishes and their material textures revealed. All other surfaces (cupboards, doors and floors) would be of recuperated timber,
-the main spaces would be articulated around free-standing cupboards, and
-all electrical services and mechanisms would be surface mounted.
The perimeter walls and ceilings were thus stripped of their spiky, textured plaster. Brick partitions were built to separate the guest bedroom from the entrance hall and the kitchen area, and to define the bathroom that serves the master bedroom. All walls and ceilings were painted with various coats of paint, softening their differences into white textured surfaces.
The remainder of the apartment is articulated by five cupboards. Two define the master bedroom and the living area, one defines the second bedroom and incorporates part of the kitchen, and two define the kitchen and dining areas. Sliding doors close the spaces when privacy is necessary.
The kitchen cupboards are custom-made with doors of the same recuperated oak used in the rest of the apartment. The kitchen work surfaces are of black granite. The dining table, of recycled timber and tubular steel, is designed to match the height of the work surface so that the dining and cooking areas are not separated.
The master bedroom’s en-suite bathroom incorporates a black slate walk-in shower with a glass panel that looks into the bedroom allowing sunlight to enter from the bedroom window as well as offering views over the city from the shower. The free-standing cast iron bath is rotated towards the view.
The bed is designed with rectangular steel tubes with the legs shifted from the corners. The headboard is a detached recycled oak panel mounted within a steel frame on the wall.
