Architect：ZEST architecture

Location：Barcelona, Spain

Project Year：2015

Category：Apartments

The clients came to us with an apartment on the top floor of a nineteenth century heritage-protected building in the heart of the old town in the city of Barcelona.The couple wanted a home where they could escape on their vacations and weekends to the attractive city of Barcelona. Due to the state the attic was in, it made it impossible for them to imagine its full potential.

The 75 m2 apartment was initially very dark and gloomy, with a long and dark passage giving way to multiple, small rooms, each of them with an exterior balcony. At the end of the hall was a small living room with an open kitchen. The result was a very compartmentalized and dark house that needed a total renovation.

José Hevia

The clients, for whom this apartment is their second home, came to us with the request to convert it into a spacious apartment, with plenty space for their art collection. They rather liked some of the original features of the apartment, yet wished to modernize it and make it more comfortable for them and their guests.

José Hevia

The challenge was in opening up the apartment and maximising the light from its seven exterior balconies. We needed to create plenty of storage space, two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and a spacious and open living space with a large kitchen island. As the apartment was long and rectangular but narrow, we maximised space by removing passages and entrance halls. A central open plan living-dining room space was created with an open kitchen in solid oak and an island with Macael white marble countertops and VOLA chrome taps. The kitchen was made to measure by specialised carpenters who were able to continue the grain of wood throughout all the units.

José Hevia

The two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms were then located at the two ends of the house, on either side of this open plan social space. By arranging the spaces in this way, we were able to fully maximise on light and illuminate fully all the interior spaces.