A full renovation of a 19th-century flat in central Barcelona for a foreign family, carefully preserving its historic structure and key architectural elements. The project reorganizes the home around a lush private garden, enhancing light, continuity and spatial connection between interior and exterior.
19th Century Flat Renovation in the historic center of Barcelona, reimagined for a foreign family while preserving the building’s original character. The apartment retains key heritage elements such as stone walls, Catalan vaults, cast iron columns, and iron-framed windows, which define its unique spatial identity.
At the heart of the project lies an exceptional private garden with lush vegetation and a mature palm tree, around which the dwelling is organized to maximize natural light and visual continuity between interior and exterior spaces. A small outbuilding at the rear of the garden was also renovated as part of the intervention.
The design strategy sought to enhance the contrast between the historic fabric and a subtle industrial layer. Upcycled hydraulic tiles at the entrance are combined with microcement and solid wood finishes throughout the apartment, creating a coherent yet textured material palette. Circulation was carefully reconfigured, including the redesign of the staircase leading to the loft in the garden house, which becomes an architectural gesture that integrates structure, furniture, and flooring into a continuous element.
Original wooden doors were restored and complemented with new bespoke pieces, reinforcing the dialogue between old and new. In the open kitchen, an existing opening in the stone wall—formerly a connection to the neighboring property—was preserved as a trace of the building’s history, maintaining its spatial memory within the contemporary layout.
The project resolves the challenge of revitalizing a historic 19th-century flat while preserving its original architectural identity. By reorganizing the layout around the garden, it enhances natural light and creates a continuous relationship between interior spaces and the outdoor landscape.
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