Most Budget-Friendly Renovation: Great Ideas from Spain

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

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

First, the architects removed unnecessary internal partitions. They stripped off the old finish, dismantled the ceilings, and exposed original beams — and it immediately became clear what potential was hidden in this apartment. The interior gained a lot of light, and natural air circulation improved.

Customers love vintage, loft motifs, and mid-century modern furniture, so some walls were left exposed to brick, and the kitchen was decorated with wooden and minimalist design, just like what was preferred in the middle of the 20th century. The signature pink color of that era was also used to paint the front door.

They selected convenient and minimalist furniture, and of course didn’t forget about iconic items: for example, lamps designed by Le Corbusier and Jean Louis Domke in the living room, and Arne Jacobsen’s ant chairs in the bedroom. The iconic chairs were also duplicated on a... dresser in the living room, but as souvenirs — scaled-down copies. By the way, this is a great decorative trick.

The bedroom turned out to be the most peaceful, and to add a special touch to the setting, the dresser was decorated with an old helmet (the owners say it once belonged to a Russian cosmonaut — interesting, is it true or just a beautiful story?), as well as an anatomical chart and family photos.

The bathroom is probably the most unconventional room in the apartment. The walls and floor were clad with microcement, and the vanity unit was made from an old carpenter's bench — it looks very stylish. It’s hard to argue with the bathroom for its impact, except for the way the homeowners’ football passion was incorporated into the space.

Pay attention to the carpet pattern in the living room: it looks like a design on footballs, isn’t that right? And if you look closely at the chandelier 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 living here without breaking the style.