This 430-square-foot minimalist apartment with its picture-perfect garden is on the ground floor of an award-winning building on Llacuna Street, in the heart of Barcelona’s popular Poblenou neighborhood. “Our task was to reimagine the space, which was completely empty, with the aim of creating a versatile and comfortable place to both work and live. The owners wanted to sell or rent it quickly. So we had to design it so that this imaginary customer would instantly fall in love with the final result,” recall Helena Llorente and Cristina Batlles, the founders of Batte Interioristas.
With that goal in mind, the Batte team created a design centered on quality materials that are both durable and timeless, all while controlling costs to keep the project on budget. They set to work on a mezzanine, bathroom, kitchen, and three distinct spaces that flow easily into one another. Despite being a ground-floor unit, the large windows let in an abundance of natural light that fills the entire space, creating a little retreat that feels miles away from the bustle of Spain’s second-largest city.
The owners needed the property to instantly stand out from the rest of the market while feeling and appearing more airy and spacious than its mere 430 square feet. It was also important that the design not clash with the rest of the building, which won the prestigious Premio Fad award in 2022. “We made sure to respect the building’s character, particularly the monochromatic tones and the understated elegance of the Arquitectura-G structural design,” the designers added.
The empty space offered the team a totally blank canvas. They turned the entrance into an open space that can serve as either a living room or potentially even a small gallery. The heart of the apartment is a low alcove with a bathroom, kitchen, and storage. At the rear of the apartment there’s a garden and another room that can serve as either an office or a bedroom. Above, there is a mezzanine with a bookshelf, storage cabinets, and a reading nook.
“We were looking to evoke feelings of relaxation, calm, and peace. We paid particular attention to the height of the ceilings and natural light sources to appeal to potential buyers with a relaxing, healing space. We wanted it to function either as a cozy home or a space that could potentially host an art exhibition or even serve as the office for a business—and to do so with an air of solid confidence,” the team adds.
The off-white color palette of the floors, walls, ceilings, and curtains, contributed to this effect while also matching the colors of the building’s exterior—and, in turn, the muted tones of the Poblenou neighborhood generally. This neutral hue, a little darker than that of the building, contrasts perfectly with the rich natural pine of the furniture, the white lacquered iron staircase and railings, and the vibrant green of the hanging ferns.
The designers were so taken with this subdued tone that they extended it into the kitchen for the countertop and furniture. The custom kitchen hides the exhaust hood behind a mirrored wall that both makes the space appear taller and conveys a sense of spaciousness and calm. This is just one example of how the design team uses decorative elements—including the color palette—to make this compact space feel bigger. It’s like adding a second story to create a duplex: if you can’t push the walls outwards, you can always go up!
In the minimalist apartment’s living room, Batte Interioristas also designed a tailor-made sofa and shelf to fit the space perfectly. The latter handsomely displays a striking painting by the Barcelona-based Spanish-Guinean artist Chidy Wayne. “We have loved his work since the first moment we saw it at an exhibition recommended by our friends at Slow Kind.”
The finishing touches reveal a concern for sustainability: the air conditioning, appliances, and insulation are all the most energy efficient models available. “From designing the project to executing its construction, it’s been a pretty straightforward process—and not having a lot of square footage certainly helped. The sale of the home closed a few months after we finished our work, so... I guess it’s mission accomplished!” Helena and Cristina say, laughing as they bid farewell to this oasis of peace in the middle of the Catalan capital.
This story was first published by AD Spain. It was translated by Marko Ayling.
