Apartment in Born
Barcelona, Spain
2018
CATEGORY
RESIDENTIAL / COMPLETE RENOVATION
TEAM
COLOMBO AND SERBOLI ARCHITECTURE
SURFACE
65m2
STATUS
COMPLETED
PHOTOGRAPHY
This apartment is located in the oldest part of Barcelona, in an ancient building that dates back to the 13th century, in the neighbourhood known as Born.
The brief was to completely transform the old property into a new vibrant flat, home of a young Italian woman, a fashion professional.
The highly compartmented layout originally included three bedrooms, two occupying the street side and a third one in the entrance space and was placing living and kitchen in the dark interior of the plot.
The new arrangement overturns completely the original layout. The scheme is thought to fully bring back and enhance the great proportions of the ancient spaces, with 4m high-vaulted ceilings, huge windows and thick walls.
All of the previous partitions have been demolished, leaving only one thick structural wall, around the new bedroom.
The key piece of the project and the only added partition is a thick, bespoke storage unit that divides the entrance from the living area, converting the hall into a disguised walk-in-wardrobe. This made-to-measure, built-in storage is thought to highlight the monumental proportions of the recovered spaces.
The deep blue, boiserie-like, floor to ceiling cabinetry was designed to meet the client’s request to provide storage for clothing, accessories and sports equipment, as well as other home items.
Its lacquered panels’ rhythm conceals direct access to the bedroom from the main entrance through a double door, like a secret entry that keeps the room private and independent.
“From the beginning the proposals were perfectly in line with the brief I provided, the follow-up of the work was meticulous and very professional. This project was a great adventure and I am totally satisfied with the final result.”
— Francesca Piliego
The airy living and kitchen space benefits from the light of two huge balcony windows, whose original woodwork has been restored, preserving the detailed wooden shutters motifs.
False ceilings were removed to expose the Catalan vaults and wooden beamed ceilings, all painted in white to increase brightness.
The 40cm thick bearing wall that now divides living from bedroom and entrance has been covered with a tactile rough treatment, to enhance its thick presence. As part of this wall, right over the niche, a curl structure detail emerged during constructions and has been incorporated within the boiserie panels.
The open kitchen is dominated by an arc-shaped, coral-coloured volume that hides a powder room/guest bathroom, as per the customer’s request, in order to avoid guests entering the en-suite bedroom.
Between the two big windows, the golden disc of a Fold Lamp is presiding the dining area, designed by CaSA expressly for this project.
