:. PORCELANOSA .:

THE INTEGRATED REMODELLING of this apartment on a quiet street in the Ensanche area of Barcelona had to be drastic. At least that was the idea that its owners, a young couple working in independent theater — he is a producer and she an actress — passed on to the interior decorating architects that ultimately took on the project. The challenges for redistributing their mere 90 square meters of living space were considerable. The main point was to transform a home divided by a hallway leading to a series of rooms that had no natural light, were positioned awkwardly for comfortable living and were not very practical at all.

The first step was to knock down all the interior walls, leaving the building’s structural elements exposed. What had been the living room, which faced east, became the bedroom with a bathroom incorporated and direct access to a small lighted patio. It was very quiet, so it was turned into a gardened terrace to enjoy on the soft nights of a Barcelona summer. The space that had been the foyer, hallway, two bedrooms and alcove gave way to a living and dining room illuminated by two corner windows facing south and west. The idea of connecting the dining room directly with the kitchen was another success of this new functional, compact design. Differentiating two areas — one social, one private — with a Ston-Ker MultiBlock wall by Porcelanosa, which was open in its upper section and left the weight-bearing beams exposed, was the key to creating the atmosphere of unity and privacy that the owners wanted.

Subtle combinations of colors determined the choice of the rest of the materials. Thus, the entire floor of the apartment was done with porcelain-like silk screened tiles in an elegant, oak-cognac color. Its grain recalls the warmth of a parquet floor, but its high-tech texture is closer to the soft qualities of the Alpina Beige de Venis ceramic stone that covers the large central wall and which, through its vertical set-up as a reticle, or network of fine lines, accentuates the impression of height. Also helping amplify the space were the white of the walls and the white Almería marble mosaic by L’Antic Colonial which was used on the walls of the bathroom. The only thing left to decide was a strong color, one of contrast, and unexpectedly this happened in the kitchen. The lacquered Gamadecor orange that covers all the kitchen furniture, blended with natural wood and silk-screened porcelain from Venis, provided just the surprise effect the owners sought, especially since it is not visible until one enters the dining room area. With this layout and decoration, the living room is thus separated from the unique decorative impact of the kitchen.

Next came the issue of decorating. The owners’ fondness for contemporary art and the California-style decorating of the 1950s — with Richard Neutra´s homes in the forefront — served as the basis for the decorators to flesh out the retro style seen in the most stylish apartments of London or New York. Some of the most visible techniques used in the living and dining room were to blend designer furniture from yesterday and today created by Ray and Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen, Isamu Noguchi, Paul Henningsen or Florence Knoll; introduce modern-day items with a look that made them seem to come from another period; or camouflage printed, retro fabrics with glass accessories from the 60s and arco lamps — a redesign of Italian classics —. A large, neo-minimalist painting presides over this room. It was placed right over a white table of African wenge wood that also holds the stereo system, as the owners also love music. No curtains cover the windows, as the idea of the decorators was to open up perspectives and let the light mingle with the bustling streets of Barcelona as an evocative backdrop.

The intentional unity between the bedroom and the bathroom is underscored by a low wenge wood shelf that runs along the entire wall, from the door of the terrace to the shower. It also serves to keep things in order and visible, and to hold an indoor plant. The shower stall, set off only slightly with a Paraban steel and glass partition from System- Pool, could not be more bright and airy. A small Kult table does not block the way to the toilet, hidden behind the wall, and the high-tech Noken sink with a simple Gamadecor stool. A beam of white light, filtered by a window of acid glass, shines on floors and walls, creating the pleasant atmosphere of a private spa. The terrace is on the other side, brimming with exotic plants on a stark slate floor from L’Antic Colonial with a rustic finish. This is the actress’ favorite place in the apartment. It is a definitive finishing touch for the lifestyle that sums up the radical transformation of an apartment brought to life with infusions of light.