An Architect’s 1950s Barcelona Flat Pops With Geometric Color

The founder of Raúl Sánchez Architects restyles his dated corner unit behind a chamfered facade in Barcelona’s Poblenou area.

Text by

Stephen Zacks

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Inside Residence 0110, a brass-clad structural wall adds a pop of color to the open living area, which is lined on one side with black-stained oak and stainless-steel cabinets, walls, and doors. Throughout the 1,023-square-foot apartment, colorful and geometric details are echoed in accent walls and custom shelves.

Stainless-steel doors and a pink triangle threshold create a unique entryway to the bedrooms.

Architect Raúl Sánchez purchased the apartment for himself, his wife, and their infant twins just two weeks before Spain’s Covid-19 lockdown began in 2020. He wanted a place that was characteristic of his own design sensibility, using simple shapes, materials, light, and color, to enhance the complexity of the living experience.

The brass-clad central pillar serves as a remnant of the existing structural system.

A light-pink accent wall behind the bookshelf ties in with the triangular corridor to the bedrooms.

The architect tore down and reinforced the structural walls to open up two narrow rooms in the apartment. The central space became an open-plan living room, kitchen, library, and play area.

A tan-leather sofa and circular area rug soften the stark contrasts of color.

Steps away, a light-pink motif calls out a triangular corridor that gives way to the two bedrooms, one with an en suite bathroom. "It’s a big space where we can live," Raúl says.