Aribau Apartment
The project is located in a house in Barcelona's Eixample, with characteristic elements such as a narrow and elongated plan from façade to façade, hydraulic tile pavements or ceiling and wall moldings.
A foreign family bought the house as a holiday residence in Spain. They wanted to keep the original elements in good condition, while changing the layout and introducing a contemporary and elegant style to the new elements. The house had to be comfortable like a hotel and contain three en-suite bedrooms to accommodate three families at the same time. In addition, the client needed the living room to be expanded and joined with the kitchen, for which constructive walls had to be eliminated and several spaces joined into one.
The house was presented to the public during Barcelona Design Week 2016.
Functionally, two different areas were proposed, day and night, which required a differentiated treatment. The day area had to be well connected, uniting the entrance hall, the hall, the kitchen and the living room. The night area had to eliminate rooms to locate the bathrooms of the suites and thus create three independent spaces.
The design concept for the different rooms is based on custom-made pieces in a contemporary style, placed superimposed on the original structure of the house. In this way, it is possible to leave a respectful distance to the abundant original decorative elements, such as the moldings on the ceilings and the interior carpentry of the house.
In the kitchen, two wall units with a small central island made of tobacco-colored natural wood are projected, with interiors by Egger and a Neolith Calacatta countertop with a sink in the same material. As the kitchen is directly connected to the living room, the aim was for it to be harmonious and elegant, with all the integrated electrical appliances and a powerful Gutmann Claro hood distributed by Dake, discreetly embedded in the false ceiling.
The suspended lamps, the black stools by Gubi, together with the art pieces by Jorge Hernández and Fernando Suárez distributed by Galería Víctor Lope, contribute to giving a sophisticated touch to the kitchen.
In the flooring of the rooms, the central part of the original hydraulic tile has been maintained, arranged as a rug, completing the rest of the floor with solid herringbone slats of natural bleached oak, to achieve an absolute intonation with the abundant tonalities of hydraulic original.
The room has been furnished with commercial furniture, creating two complementary areas. The dining area is made up of a dark table by Rimadesio distributed by Gunni Trentino and Beetle chairs by Gubi, both with black accents, and brass lamps by Delightfull.
On the other side is the sofa set with two armchairs, a central table with golden details, a floor lamp and a low sideboard, made to measure in white lacquer, with a painting by Jorge Hernández and the table lamp by Foscarini distributed by Gunni Trentino. The linen curtains in front of the restored original carpentry and the golden mirror finish dressing the space.
The two guest suite bedrooms are two very similar spaces that include a small bathroom. Both the custom furniture for the bed, as well as the wardrobe and the interior divider, are made of wood covered in graphite-coloured melamine by Egger.
The bathroom is a small bathroom with a shower that has been given character and depth by the dark Colorado mosaic covering by Dune, and the mirror-lined wall with the graphite-coloured wall-hung sink by Unibaño.
At the other end of the house is the master bedroom suite, with the gallery to the inner courtyard of the block. The bedroom contains a custom bed with an upholstered headboard finished in graphite, and black bedside lamps on either side of the bed. The crystal lamp that hangs over the bed and the paintings in gilt frames are antique pieces.
In the adjoining suite bathroom, the contemporary elements are superimposed on the existing ones by means of a double wall, which allows the installations to be hidden, and perimeter LED lighting, which gently illuminates the ceiling and the floor.
The front panel is covered by a floor-to-ceiling mirror with linestra-type lamps and a longitudinal washbasin unit with drawers completely covered in Neolith Calacatta. The back and side walls, which form a central shower that gives privacy to the toilet area, are finished in natural Colorado marble mosaic from Dune.
The Dornbracht bathroom taps, distributed by Gunni Trentino, are finished in a platinum color to combine with the warmth of the Calacatta finish and the ocher tones of the hydraulic tile flooring.
