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Rich in history and culture, Barcelona’s Gràcia neighborhood has a bohemian soul. It is also where you’ll find a 560-square-foot apartment that once had six small and uninspired rooms. It has now undergone a radical transformation, thanks to the vision of architects Isabel Francoy and Anna Enrich and decorators César Carcaboso and Josep Vicens, the founders of Santa Living. The home has become a flowing, open-plan space with a kitchen, dining area, living room, study, bedroom, and bathroom. “I wanted to turn this labyrinthine apartment into a great space for cooking, entertaining friends, relaxing, and working,” says Anna, who also owns the unit. Passionate about the 1990s and early 2000s, the architect wanted to “pay tribute to a golden age of Barcelona design with all the comforts and technologies of today.”
The open-plan dining room features concrete floors and beige lime plaster walls, neutral curtains and mirrors on the credenza. Around a Cristian Herrera Dalmau Havana steel and smoked glass table are X-Line chairs by Niels Jørgen Haugesen (Les Eines). The floor lamp by is by Si Atelier (Il-lacions) abd the Conica pendant lamp is by Crea-re Studio.
The early 1900s building is not lacking in charm, with its brick walls and steel-beamed and tile-vaulted ceilings. As part of the first stage of the renovation, Isabel and Anna removed all the internal partitions and then recreated just one, which curves around the bathroom, subtly linking the apartment’s spaces. The timeless materials such as cement, stainless steel, mirror, and glass—providing cold, reflective, and mineral notes—are complemented by warm fabrics, wood, and ceramic objects. The elegant integration of the kitchen and the meticulous selection of furniture and artworks complete the link between the history of the building and its present.
“This project is strongly inspired by its location in the city and the life of its owner,” explain designers César and Josep. “Anna is truly linked to a peak moment in Barcelona history and the architectural revolution the city experienced after it opened itself to the world with the 1992 Olympic Games. It was a unique opportunity for many local artists to project themselves on a global scale, and that moment of transformation reshaped the city.”
In the office area, on a Cristian Herrera Dalmau matte black table sits a Santa & Cole Duo lamp. In front, a GR05 chair by Oiko Design (Galerie Il-lacions). In the foreground, a Turbina Studio Masa 02 stool. Against the wall, Le Miroir Bleu by Chidy Wayne.
Santa Living’s soft beige walls contrast with furniture in stainless steel or satin-finish metal, while glass tops add a sense of transparency and a purity of line. The 1990s are omnipresent, but they don’t appear here as mere pastiche: The decorators have added coffee tables and sofa ends in recycled materials and raw, stone shapes. In terms of the palette of colors and materials, black rubs shoulders with stainless steel and limestone, plaster and resin with colored glass. A few wicker and wooden objects provide the ensemble with a cool and modern Mediterranean look. “Our selection of works, objects and pieces of furniture, and the way we’ve styled them, reflects the link between artists and brands who are local and communicate the values and emotions that are the essence of this city through their creations. We’re thinking of Chidy Wayne, the art of Pepo Moreno, and the organic elements of Turbina Studio.” The end result achieved by this four-person Barcelona team is a harmonious blend of history and modernity and of architectural elements with contemporary functionality.
On the round Cristian Herrera Dalmau Havana table of smoked glass and steel, a glass vase and bowls from Los Objetos Decorativos, a Turbina Studio salt and pepper bowl, and Hodei Studio plates. X-Line chairs by Niels Jørgen Haugesen (Les Eines).
On the open kitchen’s worktop, Hodei Studio plates, a Service Projects stainless-steel ice cream bowl, and a Santa Living Alai towel. Above, on the shelf, glass pitchers called porró designed by Isabel Francoy and the work Cobi by Pepo Moreno.
The kitchen worktop ends in a little coffee corner. The polished concrete and beige whitewash treatment is complemented by a long credenza mirror and a vintage stool in cognac velvet, creating an ambience that is both raw and precious at once.
At the end of the curved worktop, a Curated By Wrinkled Vase, a Duralex bowl and plate, and a Service Projects stainless-steel plunger coffee maker and mug.
The apartment’s bathroom sits behind the circular, asymmetrical, and double-curved partition that links the main living area to the entrance. The lime plaster covering the apartment’s walls highlights its textured surface. Stopping just below the ceiling, it looks like a monumental sculpture. The Vasija 3 vase is by Sara Regal (Vasto Gallery; Mesura).
In the bedroom, a Curated By Escala bedside table, a Santa & Cole Tatu lamp, and a Studio The Blue Boy incense holder. On the wall, a Näkki mirror by Sanna Volker (Il-lacions Gallery). The Ankaa bed linens are by Santa Living.
In the bathroom, on a bespoke glass shelf by Santa Living is a Desierto candle (Mulier).
The Santa Living translucent glass vanity top accommodates a round stainless-steel wash basin that evokes the 1990s.
In the round waxed concrete shower, a Crude Tabi stool.
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