Most Budget-Friendly Renovation: Great Ideas from Spain

This apartment is located in northern Spain and belongs to a young couple. When they bought it, there were no high ceilings or spacious rooms — but there were suspended ceilings and many small, dark spaces.

The couple approached architects from Babel Studio to do something about the unfortunate layout. They also wanted to incorporate vintage items that the owners had collected over a long time.

First, the architects removed unnecessary interior partitions. They stripped off the old finish, took down the ceilings, and exposed original beams — immediately revealing the potential hidden in the apartment. The interior now has more light and improved natural air circulation.

Since the clients love vintage, loft motifs, and mid-century modern furniture, they left some walls exposed to brick and decorated the kitchen with wooden and minimalist elements as favored in the mid-20th century. They also included the signature pink color of that era by painting the entrance door.

They chose convenient and minimalist furniture, naturally not forgetting iconic pieces: for example, lamps designed by Le Corbusier and Jean Louis Domèche in the living room and Arne Jacobsen's ant chairs in the bedroom. These iconic chairs were also reproduced as souvenirs on a dresser in the living room, scaled down several times. By the way, this is an excellent decorative technique.

The bedroom turned out to be the most peaceful room. To add a personal touch, they decorated the dresser with an old helmet (they say it once belonged to a Russian cosmonaut — interesting, is that true or just a beautiful legend?), an anatomical chart, and family photos.

The bathroom is probably the most unconventional space in the apartment. The walls and floor are clad with micro-cement, and the vanity unit is made from an old carpenter’s bench — it looks very stylish. Arguing with the bathroom for its impact, only the way they integrated the owners’ passion for football.

Notice the carpet pattern in the living room: it looks like a design on footballs, right? And if you take a closer look at the pendant above the dining table, it’s easy to guess that it’s an old stadium spotlight and a very elegant and refined way to tell the story of the people who live here without breaking the style.

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