This project represents the renovation of a compact apartment in a popular neighborhood in Barcelona. The owners, a young and dynamic couple, asked architect Eva Cotman for a quick and low-cost renovation. In order to adapt it to a young and modern lifestyle, the apartment was stripped down to its basic structure. All non-load bearing wall were removed, at the same time exposing the brick structure of the walls and the beams of the ceiling. Tearing down the false ceiling gained the necessary extra height to fit in a platform with a guest bed. The space under the ceiling was also used to create some storage, accessible from this platform. The apartment was redivided into an open space consisting of kitchen, dining and living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom. The space created under the platform guest bedroom is used as a walk-through closet that links the bedroom to the bathroom. The platform is accessed through a smart all-in-one staircase-bookcase-storage structure. From a color and material perspective, we have warm wood on the floor and white paint on the walls, a neutral background leaving room for ideas.
The all-in-one staircase structure represents the central piece of the apartment, both from a design and from a function point of view. It separates the open day space from the more private part of the apartment.
The kitchen benefits from the light coming in through the window at the other end of the open space. The white of the walls and of the kitchen cupboards reflect this light enhancing its power. The ceiling beams are used to hang pendant bare light bulbs with red contrasting electric cord.
The bedroom is very minimalistic, with its exposed white brick walls and the very simple bed structure. The headboard of the bed was created by simply re-plastering the brick wall and painting it white, thus obtaining a distinct texture.
