NOT A STUDIO remodels century-old apartment in Barcelona
Located in of Barcelona Sarria neighborhoodMonterols IS NOT A STUDIO renovation of a Apartment of 36 square meters with a mezzanine of 15 square meters in a residential building dating back to 1919. Designed as an update of a family property that has been passed down through the generations, the project removes decades of partitions to reclaim the house’s original volume and foreground its almost five meter ceiling height. By exposing the structure of the apartment and introducing a vibrant palette of blue, green and yellow, the intervention transforms a compact historic interior into an open loft organized around light, height and flexibility.
Originally arranged as four rooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom located on the terrace, the apartment underwent a previous renovation two decades ago that added a mezzanine. Despite this intervention, the house remained fragmented and lacked natural light. The redesign strips the space down to its essential elements, creating a single continuous volume where the vertical dimension of the building becomes the defining spatial feature.
all images courtesy of NOT A STUDIO
exposed beams and columns organize the apartment
Rather than concealing the age of the building, the Practice based in Barcelona NOT A STUDIO highlights original structural elements and integrates them into the architectural language of the interior. Beams and columns appear in shades of blue, green and yellow, turning functional elements into visual markers that help organize the open-plan layout.
The color palette extends throughout the apartment, from a blue arched lighting feature hanging above the kitchen to green structural supports and open cabinetry. Exposed masonry, plywood frames, stainless steel surfaces and tiled walls create a contrast of materials while preserving traces of the building’s history. The intervention avoids the reconstruction of a historical interior and instead creates a contemporary layer that coexists with the original fabric of the apartment.
In a neighborhood characterized by traditional residential architecture, the project offers a more playful domestic environment. Color is used as a way to emphasize the structural framework of the apartment and define different zones within the compact footprint.
The project shows how small urban apartments can be reconfigured through abstraction. By removing layers of apartments and revealing the building’s original structure, the renovation reinterprets a long-standing family home for modern living while maintaining a visible connection to its past.
project information:
name: Fundamentals
architect: NOT A STUDIO | @itsnotastudio
location: Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain
date of manufacture: 1919
