Homes We Adore: Each individual day we element a exceptional room submitted by our local community of architects, designers, builders, and home owners. Have one to share? Publish it in this article.
Challenge Specifics:
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Architect: Colombo and Serboli Architecture / @colomboserboli
Photographer: Roberto Ruiz / @roberto_ruiz_photography
From the Architect: “The condominium is located on the third floor of an ancient creating in close proximity to the well-known Palau de la Música in the heart of Barcelona. The client is a younger Italian manner designer who wanted to reside in the Catalan capital.
“Browsing the home, the architects had been right away struck by the space’s open proportions and 5-meter-superior ceilings. The venture highlights and embodies a number of charming existing components these as the substantial wood beams and picket flooring, the mezzanine overlooking the dwelling spot, and the two-ground steel windows. A remedy was necessary to rationalize a really compact rest room and substitute stairs to the next degree owing to structural challenges.
“The home is extremely silent, overlooking silent courtyards of the previous part of Barcelona. The consumer wanted an similarly serene, neutral palette of materials and shades and preserve and improve the property’s ambiance and to ‘keep it uncomplicated and warm.’
“The styles alternatives are educated by the client’s motivation to preserve the attractiveness of first factors and weathered elements. The architects decided to deal with the job through a ‘wabi-sabi’ method that could quickly include primary characteristics and imperfections, while retaining the allure of the condominium. Designs are easy and bold with recurring simple varieties: squares, circles, spheres—while strong solid surfaces ended up applied to mix the monumental language of present elements.
“Colombo and Serboli straight away identified a resemblance amongst the apartment’s areas and the architecture of Luis Barragán, normally a reference for the organization. The work of Carlo Scarpa is also prompt in the sculptural stairs and furnishings piece, central to the room, that defines the full challenge.
“The principle is built around the notion of a multifunction block, a layered central aspect, about which the area and pursuits create. The structure has been stored totally open, loft-like.
“The dining area grows out of the central stair ingredient. On the kitchen side the block has niches, openings and shelves to include tableware pantry. A massive, arch-shaped slab of travertine marble protrudes out of the block to make a just one-legged eating desk and bench. A little sq. market hides a highlight, a disguised sconce.
“The stairs are conceived as levels of components, connecting the two degrees, receiving lighter as they go up. The at first good plinth is surmounted by actions as a wooden block. Then stairs bend into a suspended micro-cement landing with a 50 percent circle condition slice-out to make it possible for a taller plant to increase via it. The last several techniques, in light-weight colour wooden are floating atop, doubling as light resource above the eating desk, thanks to a trim of led lights.
“On the second degree, the bedroom location is open onto the living. A wicker panel capabilities as the two headboard and balustrade. About it operates a ledge suspended in the double-peak space—a quotation from Halston Dwelling, the 1960s Paul Rudolph job. This sorts two bedside tables at the extremes, as nicely as a display screen shelf for the residing space overlooking the double-height house. Below, the closet dominates as a heat monolith, clad in woven wicker screens. 1 of these screens hides the door to a small bathroom, though a different conceals a hand washbasin in a mirrored box, positioned inside of the bedroom. A 3rd embodies the stair’s handrail, by means of a diagonal lower.
“The bathroom is coated in vertical ceramic tiles with an elegant nacre finish, incorporating a new texture to the matte-to-shiny palette of neutral shades of the condominium.
“The architects performed with unique finishes from shiny to rough with the in any other case neutral palette. Products have been picked with a tactile- and texture-centered requirements: white microcement for the stairs and seat’s block, mild purely natural wood, woven wicker panels, etc. Enameled painted partitions reflecting the light-weight contrast with matte microcement, tough travertine slab and porcelain kitchen tops. A textured bouclé fabric was picked for the seat cushions. Brushed metal information finish the palette, like in the bespoke cooker hood.”