There's just something about Barcelona. In recent months, the city has been home to a swell of stunning residential renovations, homes where old architectural elements—like existing barrel-vaulted ceilings and floor tiles—are woven with newfangled home improvements like custom shelving. Below, here's a look at five Barcelona flats that have been revamped to wondrous effect, with renovations that spare charming original details while bringing living spaces into the modern age.
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A loft-like circa-1930s dairy in the city was renovated to make way for an eclectic mix of furnishings, giving the apartment the timber-beamed look of a converted barn.
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Photo by Eugeni Pons via Designboom.
Renovated by local firm Built Architecture, this flat manages to incorporate new custom shelving and wood-paneled cabinetry with the original mosaic tile flooring that gives this unit some character.
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For the minimalists among us, this unit will likely have a certain appeal. The flat's rehabbers, designers at Cavaa Arquitectes, removed sad plasterboard walls to uncover a vaulted ceiling hidden beneath. Now, broad glass windows let light into the space and simple wood partitions keep things feeling airy.
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This Art Nouveau apartment was born anew with a revamp that preserved its original barrel-vaulted brick ceilings and added mod touches like tumbling block floor tiles and a neon-pink paint job in the kitchen.
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Lest you think the culture of smart, sensitive renovations is a brand-new phenomenon in the Spanish city, we're happy to remind you of this renovated flat (a vacation home for two brothers from Hong Kong) that won the 2013 World Interior of the Year award from Singapore's Inside Festival. We dig its mix of trippy triangular floor tiles and a newly built, sleek mezzanine level with ample book storage and, apparently, the prize jury did, too.
∙ A Charming Barcelona Pad Built From the Bones of a '30s Dairy [Curbed]
∙ An Art Nouveau-Era Flat in Barcelona Gets a Groovy Update [Curbed]
∙ Tour a Pleasantly Eclectic Renovated Penthouse in Barcelona [Curbed]
∙ Renovation Reveals Barcelona Apartment's Classic Charms [Curbed]
∙ Ornate Meets Modern in These Four Rehabbed Barcelona Flats [Curbed]