Houzz Tour: The Sustainable Renovation of a 1910 Spanish Flat
By preserving original features and choosing low-impact materials, this renovation has combined style and sustainability
High ceilings revealing original brickwork, double wooden doors and classic shutters: this beautiful 1910 flat had everything necessary to be transformed into the home full of character this young couple wanted – except a family-friendly layout.
“We needed comfortable walkways and more light,” says homeowner Pablo Vargas, who used Houzz to contact the professional behind the renovation, architect Aina Ardévol of Estudi a l’Àtic. The project, which preserves most of the original elements in the flat while keeping the overall budget relatively low, has been a great success.
“We needed comfortable walkways and more light,” says homeowner Pablo Vargas, who used Houzz to contact the professional behind the renovation, architect Aina Ardévol of Estudi a l’Àtic. The project, which preserves most of the original elements in the flat while keeping the overall budget relatively low, has been a great success.
Aside from preserving the original features, Aina sought to be future-orientated by choosing environmentally friendly materials and sustainable solutions. In that vein, the appliances, integrated to minimise their visual impact on the room, are highly energy-efficient.
“In the kitchen, made with zero-kilometre materials [where the raw materials are sourced locally to reduce transport costs], we’ve opted for a porcelain worktop made from 50% recycled materials that’s also 100% recyclable at the end of its lifetime,” Aina says. “It’s non-toxic and created with the minimum thickness to reduce the environmental and financial impact.”
Find an architect for your project on Houzz today.
“In the kitchen, made with zero-kilometre materials [where the raw materials are sourced locally to reduce transport costs], we’ve opted for a porcelain worktop made from 50% recycled materials that’s also 100% recyclable at the end of its lifetime,” Aina says. “It’s non-toxic and created with the minimum thickness to reduce the environmental and financial impact.”
Find an architect for your project on Houzz today.
The living room, dining room and kitchen now share the same 60 sq m space. A feature wall opposite the kitchen is covered with handmade bricks. “We insulated the wall that’s between [this flat] and the neighbour in order to gain privacy and improve its energy efficiency,” Aina says. “Air-conditioning for the warmer months is provided by very quiet and efficient fans.”
Regarding the decorative style, the owners wanted it to fit in with the style of other Eixample [district] properties, restoring the original beams and adding a modern touch.
“As for the resulting mix of beams, exposed brick and the combination of tiled and parquet flooring, we love the industrial, New York feel that our main living space has taken on,“ Pablo says.
Regarding the decorative style, the owners wanted it to fit in with the style of other Eixample [district] properties, restoring the original beams and adding a modern touch.
“As for the resulting mix of beams, exposed brick and the combination of tiled and parquet flooring, we love the industrial, New York feel that our main living space has taken on,“ Pablo says.
The living room is now the homeowners’ favourite space. By having an integrated kitchen, they’ve gained an additional bedroom. The owners asked Aina to deliver two “decently sized” bedrooms in addition to the main bedroom plus two full bathrooms.
The wooden beams and ceramic tiles were in good condition. The existing exterior fittings were also maintained. Some of the original doors were repositioned within the new layout.
“We restored some of the brick walls, as they give texture to the hallways and help us to control humidity levels for improved energy-efficiency,” Aina says.
“We restored some of the brick walls, as they give texture to the hallways and help us to control humidity levels for improved energy-efficiency,” Aina says.
A large storage area has been installed at the entrance, which integrates the sliding door of the living room and the general fixtures in the home.
The main bedroom has a large, custom-made wardrobe. The wallpaper contrasts with the simple, straight-lined aesthetic of the room.
With the new layout, a bathroom has been added to serve the main bedroom. “We designed a steel and glass sliding door that separates the bathroom into a separate en suite and allows light into the room,” Aina says.
The entire house has been painted with silicate paint, which is non-toxic and compostable.
The entire house has been painted with silicate paint, which is non-toxic and compostable.
This is the family bathroom. The low-pressure taps save water and the durable materials are designed to withstand the hardness of Barcelona’s water.
The combination bath-shower is clad with tiles made from recycled and zero-kilometre materials.
Thanks to the new layout, there are now two equally sized rooms for the little girls. Both contain a trundle bed, a wardrobe and an area to play or study. The furnishings were chosen by the owners.
“The doorway is the distinctive element of each room,” Aina says. “In one case, we restored the original double doors of the room; in the other, we utilised the wardrobe door as a sliding entrance door. This way, we didn’t take any metres out of the equation.”
Before Photo
The original floor plan shows how compartmentalised the flat was before the renovation.
Now, new bedrooms have been created and light circulates freely throughout the house.
For Aina, the family were not the only clients to notice her company’s work on Houzz. “In our case, [Houzz] allows us to promote the studio, to make our services and way of working known, and to give new clients confidence in the studio thanks to our ratings,” she says. “Most of the clients who contact us have seen our profile on the platform and that makes it easier to secure new projects.”
Tell us…
Which features in this revived interior are your favourites? Tell us in the Comments, like this story and save the images for inspiration.
For Aina, the family were not the only clients to notice her company’s work on Houzz. “In our case, [Houzz] allows us to promote the studio, to make our services and way of working known, and to give new clients confidence in the studio thanks to our ratings,” she says. “Most of the clients who contact us have seen our profile on the platform and that makes it easier to secure new projects.”
Tell us…
Which features in this revived interior are your favourites? Tell us in the Comments, like this story and save the images for inspiration.
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Who lives here? Pablo Vargas with his wife and two young daughters
Location Barcelona, Spain
Size Three bedrooms and two bathrooms; 100 sq m
Architect Aina Ardévol of Estudi a l’Àtic
Budget €136,880 (around £118,810)
“To modernise the property, we moved the kitchen into the main living area, opening it up to the dining-living area. In the dining room, we designed a folding bench to create additional seating without taking up space with chairs [pictured],” Aina says.
The restored chandelier, which complements the green tones elsewhere in the room, also catches the eye.