LB Apartment – A Barcelona Apartment gets the Minimalist Treatment

Old long and narrow apartments are a common occurrence in Barcelona, where the city’s dense population has forced people to construct and adopt all manner of spaces as homes.

This property can be found in the area of Vila de Gràcia. The old apartment was renovated by Alventosa Morell Arquitectes back in 2016 to make it habitable for its new owners.

The unit is composed of a long, narrow floor plan that amounts to 753-square-feet (70-square-meters). The designers took a series of relatively small steps (and some large ones) to address improve the living conditions, and bring the building up to code in the process.

As is the first step with many of these renovations, the internal partitions were removed to make way for a bright open plan living space. With the entire body of the home left open, light is able to penetrate further into the apartment. New partitions, introduced to create an playroom/studio, take advantage of translucent sheeting.

The kitchen was originally housed in a cramped, closed-off room to the back of the property. Following the renovations, it was shifted to the main living area. The kitchen is often the heart of the home, with people congregating and socializing in it – it makes sense to place it more centrally.

The home’s color scheme consists of wood and white, which seems to be the minimalists palette. Some features of the original building are still visible, like the barreling ceiling.

From the architects: “The LB Flat Renovation is an example of the situation of many dwellings in neighborhoods of these characteristics and how to give a simple and effective solution… The result is spacious and well-lit spaces perfectly adapted to the life and activity of the clients.”

For more apartments, check out Conxita House, which introduces sliding partition walls to create rooms. Or, Sim Plex, a futurisic apartment interior for a family of four. See all apartments.