White Walls and Modest Budget: Apartment in Barcelona

Problems with insufficient lighting in apartments are not only known to residents of northern countries: such cases also occur in sunny Spain. In this 80 square meter apartment in the center of Barcelona, natural light was generally sufficient, but the kitchen located along the corridor was poorly lit.

Then, the designer Marta Prats, who was invited to help with the renovation and interior design of the apartment, suggested installing several windows along the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. The kitchen instantly became brighter and more convenient: now it was possible to cook something or have breakfast while keeping an eye on the family in the living room and not leaving guests unattended.

To organize comfortable storage, built-in wardrobes and shelves were used, with a focus on built-in appliances in the kitchen. The only exception was the carved wooden top of the wardrobe in the living room, but this solution here is more for aesthetics.

Marta has her own approach to decoration. The designer says that her projects, especially compact spaces, resemble boat houses. This principle is also reflected here: abundant aged wood, wicker furniture, baskets and boxes, rough jute rugs, and light fabrics.

To give the project a unique and summery touch, Marta incorporated many cool blue-green tones, used plant motifs in paintings, and finished the setting with live flowers. The result was colorful yet refreshingly summery.