Gallery

Description

This renovation project of a 130m2 apartment with a terrace is located in the heart of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, in a catalogued building located behind the City Hall. The original space was composed of a sequence of bright and spacious rooms connected by large arched openings, with balconies along the façade and an inner courtyard. Original features were maintained such as traditional Catalan ceilings with wooden beams and vaulted arches and the exterior carpentry with wooden shutters. The project is based on a reinterpretation of the existing spatial structure of different rooms with differentiated uses and atmospheres, redefining the assigned uses and functions and creating new spatial and visual connections without allowing the traditional elements to predominate. The aim is to create a peaceful environment which allows its young owner privacy and a work place, while creating a social meeting place for meals and parties.

One can find two areas, one open and social and the other one private: the first is comprised of the sequence of entrance hall, kitchen and living room, while the second consists of the bedroom suite. The kitchen-dining room, a spacious and clean space, recalls the old clubs and cafes. The ceiling and longitudinal wall, are panelled with tinted pine wood slats. The panelling integrates much of the furniture and auxiliary spaces, simplifying the geometry of the kitchen space. The furniture is finished, along with the dining table, in bronze metal panel, with a large lid that allows the countertop to be covered. The hanging lamp with its metallic reflection, in gold leaf and Swarovski crystals, contrasts with the warm wood finish. At the back, a division of dark grey glass separates a small guest bedroom from the rest of the space.

The living room is located in the centre of the apartment and serves also as a distribution area. Because of its size and position, it is conceived as a perfect white frame where the furniture, modular and free-standing, can be configured according to the occasion. To achieve this, the existing walls were rectified, the arched openings recovered, matching the original symmetry, and all the wood carpentry replaced without losing its original essence. The master bedroom is simple and introverted, linked with the bathroom through a corridor. Since this is the only bathroom, the doors were re-defined so that the axis corridor-bath could be part of both the bedroom and the living room. The bedroom and corridor furniture have white lacquer finishing, integrating the wardrobe and extra storage.

Biography

YLAB arquitectos is a Spanish-German architectural design firm formed by Tobias Laarmann and Yolanda Yuste. From their studio in Barcelona, YLAB works on the design, management and construction of architecture and interior design projects. YLAB is specialized in residential, commercial and corporate design.