Architect's Apartment, Renovated in 9 Weeks

Several years ago, Spanish architect Paula Duarte moved with her family from Madrid to Northern Europe. The days were shorter and there was less sunshine — and after some time, the family realized they missed Spain.

Upon returning to Spain, Paula and her husband bought this apartment. Its 162 square meter size was sufficient for them to settle here with two sons, set up several bedrooms and a common area for family relaxation and gatherings with friends. However, they didn't like the original layout.

Then Paula decided to knock down all the partitions, leaving only load-bearing columns, build new ones and arrange the necessary rooms and functional zones based on her personal vision of the perfect apartment. Of course, with consideration for her family's preferences.

Despite the grand renovation, the work progressed quite briskly. The main principle Paula followed in designing the interior was to make it bright and as spacious as possible, filled with air: over the years of living in northern countries, both the architect and her family greatly longed for sunlight and natural light.

Paula organized the kitchen-living room so that one side of the space was maximally open, while the other side kept each zone slightly separated from the adjacent one. This worked best with the kitchen. Her architect enclosed it in a semi-closed bar counter and effectively hid it behind columns from the living room and dining area.

Working on the bedroom project for herself and her husband, Paula drew inspiration from a solution she spotted in hotels and arranged access to the household bathroom directly from the room by installing a ceiling-to-floor sliding wooden door between the two zones. This made the bedroom resemble a luxury hotel room.

Many pieces of furniture and decor were purchased long before buying the apartment and simply waited for their moment. Although the finished interior predominantly features motifs of sun-soaked beach houses and has plenty of natural light as desired by the owners, elements of northern Scandinavian style are also present here. Perhaps it’s nostalgia.