Houzz Tour: A Pretty Pink Terrace Makes This Redesigned Apartment
Knocking small rooms into an open space and painting the petite terrace has made this compact home airy and welcoming
Núria Moreras
21 August 2019
Donna Stain lives in a cosy apartment in a two-storey Art Nouveau building, “a little gem surrounded by taller buildings”, as she puts it. Donna, who has served as the floral director of the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain, for more than 14 years, lives on the second floor with her two dogs, Bingo and Cara.
Donna renovated the home with the help of friend and architect Barbara Appolloni, opening up and connecting the spaces inside and making the most of the apartment’s star attraction: a gorgeous – and very pink – terrace filled with plants, flowers and even an open-air bath.
Donna renovated the home with the help of friend and architect Barbara Appolloni, opening up and connecting the spaces inside and making the most of the apartment’s star attraction: a gorgeous – and very pink – terrace filled with plants, flowers and even an open-air bath.
House at a Glance
Who lives here? Donna Stain and her dogs, Bingo and Cara
Property An apartment in an Art Nouveau building
Location Barcelona, Spain
Size 65 sq m
Designer Barbara Appolloni
Photos by Blue Tomato Photos
Who lives here? Donna Stain and her dogs, Bingo and Cara
Property An apartment in an Art Nouveau building
Location Barcelona, Spain
Size 65 sq m
Designer Barbara Appolloni
Photos by Blue Tomato Photos
Donna has lived in this apartment since 2016. The first thing she fell in love with was the building’s beautiful Art Nouveau facade, which records the year of its construction: 1910.
The renovation didn’t go entirely smoothly. Donna says the project was delayed for two years because of a contentious roof repair. The work did eventually start up again, and Donna is pictured in the first photo posing happily on the balcony of her new home.
The renovation didn’t go entirely smoothly. Donna says the project was delayed for two years because of a contentious roof repair. The work did eventually start up again, and Donna is pictured in the first photo posing happily on the balcony of her new home.
The apartment was originally compartmentalised into a number of small rooms. This made it uncomfortable. “The architect and I designed an open and bright loft space,” Donna says. “We were also lucky to discover that the ceiling was as high as six metres in places. This allowed us to build a mezzanine for my bedroom.”
The living room and door to the balcony at the front of the building are pictured here. The patio can be accessed just to the left of this spot. Exposed wooden beams draw attention to the ceiling. The flooring on this level is micro-cement.
Barcelona armchair and footstool by Mies van der Rohe.
The living room and door to the balcony at the front of the building are pictured here. The patio can be accessed just to the left of this spot. Exposed wooden beams draw attention to the ceiling. The flooring on this level is micro-cement.
Barcelona armchair and footstool by Mies van der Rohe.
Donna didn’t bring any furniture with her from her former apartment, just a few décor pieces.
Three pieces stand out in the living area: the vintage leather sofa, a handmade Moroccan rug and an original coffee table made out of an old door.
“I wouldn’t know how to define the style of my house. I really just fill the rooms with pieces and objects I like,” Donna says.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Donna opened her first flower shop at the age of 17. She then moved to Melbourne, where she worked for various shops to gain more experience. Finally, she left for London, where she was hired by Jane Packer Flowers.
Three pieces stand out in the living area: the vintage leather sofa, a handmade Moroccan rug and an original coffee table made out of an old door.
“I wouldn’t know how to define the style of my house. I really just fill the rooms with pieces and objects I like,” Donna says.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Donna opened her first flower shop at the age of 17. She then moved to Melbourne, where she worked for various shops to gain more experience. Finally, she left for London, where she was hired by Jane Packer Flowers.
“Jane has been a great mentor,” Donna says. “Thanks to her, I went to New York and opened a flower shop and school for Jane Packer Flowers. I also got a contract to provide flower arrangements to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Central Park. Victor Clavell was the director at the time, and he then offered me a job at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. I originally accepted for only a year… and it’s been almost 15 now.”
Donna is pictured here with her two dogs, Bingo and Cara, who have unrestricted access to every corner of the house.
Donna is pictured here with her two dogs, Bingo and Cara, who have unrestricted access to every corner of the house.
Donna bought this original three-level side table at an antiques shop in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in southern France.
The living area flows into the dining room and kitchen. Above it is the bedroom mezzanine, which takes advantage of the apartment’s impressive ceiling height.
Looking to renovate your home? Find the right expert for the job in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Looking to renovate your home? Find the right expert for the job in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Large windows open out from the kitchen-diner onto the patio. The table is a design by Blankslate, a company owned by two Australians who live in Barcelona. “I like it because the top is reversible, so I can make it blue when I want to,” Donna says. The chairs are Chair 66, designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek.
Two chrysanthemums, each in a separate vase, make up the table centrepiece. They are one of Donna’s favourite flowers. She says that to make cut flowers last longer, “You have to follow three golden rules: change the water frequently, keep the vessel clean and cut the stems.”
Two chrysanthemums, each in a separate vase, make up the table centrepiece. They are one of Donna’s favourite flowers. She says that to make cut flowers last longer, “You have to follow three golden rules: change the water frequently, keep the vessel clean and cut the stems.”
The kitchen is black and open to the dining room. A local carpenter made the kitchen based on Barbara Appolloni’s design. It fulfils one of Donna’s dreams: to have a kitchen with an island.
“There’s this idea that a dark colour makes a space seem smaller, but here we have exactly the opposite effect: it gives a feeling of depth and spaciousness,” Donna says.
Cat painting by Australian artist James Morrison.
“There’s this idea that a dark colour makes a space seem smaller, but here we have exactly the opposite effect: it gives a feeling of depth and spaciousness,” Donna says.
Cat painting by Australian artist James Morrison.
The bathroom is next to the kitchen, just past a laundry area. The floor, walls and vanity unit are all finished in micro-cement.
Donna enjoys every corner of her home, but she especially loves spending time on her terrace. It’s here that she eats, rests, naps in the hammock, reads, listens to music and takes care of her plants.
“People think that a florist should know how to care for plants, but that’s not necessarily the case, because I work with cut flowers,” she says. “Now, thanks to this terrace, I’m learning.”
“People think that a florist should know how to care for plants, but that’s not necessarily the case, because I work with cut flowers,” she says. “Now, thanks to this terrace, I’m learning.”
A claw-foot bath stands in one of the corners of the terrace. Donna can bathe outdoors here in complete privacy.
Upstairs, the bedroom offers a view of the whole main floor area.
The bedroom floor is made of wood. The wardrobes in here were custom-made in order to take advantage of every inch of space. Donna found the painting at the Les Encants market in Barcelona, which she visits often.
The wall of the staircase serves as a headboard, embellished with a colourful rug Donna bought in Fez, Morocco. The oval mirror with the black lacquered frame is the finishing touch in the dressing area.
The flower vase is filled with alliums. Donna says she got her passion for flowers from her mother. “She always put a camellia or some other seasonal flower in an old vase in the bathroom. She was and still is an avid gardener who showed me the complexities and personalities of flowers and leaves,” she says.
The flower vase is filled with alliums. Donna says she got her passion for flowers from her mother. “She always put a camellia or some other seasonal flower in an old vase in the bathroom. She was and still is an avid gardener who showed me the complexities and personalities of flowers and leaves,” she says.
Bingo and Cara have two favourite resting spots: the living area and the bedroom.
Tell us…
What do you like about this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you like about this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Love everything about this apartment - airy and bright, furnished with things the owners loves rather than stuff that is fashionable.
When I saw the picture introducing this article it just looked like another standard redo of a kitchen, but I was wrong. This appartment has not only been renovated vere effectively, the owner's personality reflects in her furniture and decoration. A personal and beautiful, real home.
This is my dream house 😍