Former garage transforms into gorgeous home with Brutalist charm

Built on a roughly 380-square-foot lot in a hilly area of Barcelona, the Shoebox house lives up to its name while packing in style and views.

Architect Barbara Appolloni created the compact living space in a former garage, adding over 200 tons of poured concrete on site to reinforce the structure, and shaping some sophisticated, Brutalist appeal in the process.

Christopher Stark

Christopher Stark

The home is built around its connections to the outdoors. At one end of the house, a large, frameless corner window has panoramic views of the city; at the other end, a small, inner courtyard is filled with plants. Walking up a set of zigzag concrete stairs leads to the second floor and a private terrace.

While there’s plenty of concrete to ogle, the space dazzles with a rich material palette rounded out with stainless steel, glass, wood, and Carrera marble.

Christopher Stark

Christopher Stark

Christopher Stark

Christopher Stark