A bright and airy cosmopolitan apartment in Barcelona

Cosmopolitan Apartment Design-Nook Architects-01-1 Kindesign

This cosmopolitan apartment is located in a turn of the century building on an iconic chamfered corner of Barcelona, Spain’s Eixample District, a renovation project carried out by Nook Architects. Due to the the peculiarities of the 700 square foot (65 square meters) structure and floor distribution, the designers had some challenges to work with. Its beams were perpendicular to the walls that support them, meeting the chamfered edge.

According to the architects, “the original home had the living room towards the chamfered facade and the main bedroom on the other end. The kitchen was small and dark, and was linked to the living room by means of a narrow hallway. The bathroom, accessed through the kitchen, had the only shower of the dwelling and was situated in front of a third bedroom. This distribution generated spaces that were dark and difficult to locate fixed equipment. As such we decided to eliminate the third bedroom and switch the position of the living room to gain floor area on the day zones.”

The new design has placed the kitchen where the living room once was, while a large, vertical opening was made to a load-bearing wall between them, increasing natural light. The master bedroom is now more spacious and was positioned on the chamfered edge. The main bathroom is positioned where the kitchen once was, enclosed by a polycarbonate panel door. When the light is on in the bathroom, the sliding panel acts as a vertical lamp. This helps to visually create a sensation of increased width in the center core of the apartment. The only rooms that were not re-configured is the second bathroom and water closet, yet were completely renovated.

The new layout helps to illuminate even the darkest areas of the home. A stronger unity bedroom the master bedroom and living room helps to create a feeling of openness. These spaces are kept divided for privacy with a large sliding door, painted the same hue as the wall, which disappears when open. The upper part of the wall was finished with a mirror, creating an illusion that the partition does not meet the ceiling.

The original building envelope was preserved, with its vaulted ceilings and wooden beams. The material selections and tones have a very natural appearance: light hardwood flooring in the living room and bedrooms and a tile mosaic for the kitchen and bathrooms. Some load-bearing walls were left with the brick exposed and then painted. Throughout the apartment is a color palette of whites, ochre and grays.

What We Love: This cosmopolitan apartment renovation project showcases the perfect example of preserving original materials used in the building envelope. The use of traditional and warm materials infuses life into the home and brings it up to todays modern standards. Love the exposed brick and wood beams on the ceilings and beautiful wood flooring, a great use of materials.

What do you think, could you live in this Barcelona pad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!