Spanish practice Nook Architects has recently renovated this apartment located in Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya, for a client wishing to use it as a holiday home.
The owner wanted a spacious dwelling for him as the main occupant during his occasional visits to the city and for hosting his guests. The kitchen had to be at the centre of it all, serving as a meeting point- more of a gastro bar than a family kitchen. It also had to be complemented by wine cellar for more than 600 bottles.
Along with the living areas, the project also features an open-plan master bedroom and ensuite, as well as a further guest bedroom and main bathroom.The main bedroom, with an in-suite bath, is close to the entry and opens to the more intimate patio. Adjacent to the guest bedroom and with direct access to the kitchen is the wine cellar, which includes a wooden wine rack and a wine cooler.
The apartment has 10 openings to the exterior, including windows and balcony doors. To increase the presence of these openings and to multiply their presence, the architects used mirrors to highlight the architecture of the beginning of the previous century.
The project have also restored some of the original materials such as the vaulted, ceramic slabs and iron beams in the ceilings. The rest are noble materials (wood, granite, steel and glass), all in neutral tones with the exception of the granite used in the kitchen and bathrooms. The Stromboli granite adopts a strong role within the space with its dark, black setting for its golden streaks, which contrasts heavily to the light tones of the hexagonal tiles, typical of the Eixample.
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