Whether you’re buying or renting, the housing stock in Barcelona is chronically depleted. So when Carlos García and Victor Gómez came across a top-floor apartment in the newly fashionable Sagrada Família district, they jumped at the opportunity—and not only because of its close-up vistas of Gaudí’s famous basilica.

“It was the terrace and large balcony that felt right,” says Victor. “And because the apartment is three floors higher than our immediate neighbors, we wouldn’t be annoyed by noise through shared walls.” Before signing the deed, they called in an architect they knew, Andrea Serboli, to inspect the property for humidity and structural faults. He, his partner, Margherita, and the firm they cofounded, Serboli Bureau, ended up taking charge of its transformation from a run-down, angle-cut dwelling into a delightful home where color and curves set a tone as inviting as the city itself.

“The first thing I thought about was maximizing space, fixing irregular features and opening up every little corner,” says Serboli. The technical challenges were considerable. The apartment had a long, dark, and narrow hallway—typical of Barcelona’s pisos tubos (tube apartments), and a very low ceiling supported by ugly metal beams.

Serboli Bureau’s plan evolved around sacrificing one bedroom and a lavatory to open up the apartment’s central axis, creating a compact and coherent transition from the sleeping to the living areas. The hallway is still there, but a series of curved, suspended ceilings hide the old beams, along with the cables of a new indirect lighting system that creates a warm ambience in the evenings.

Before: Hallway

After: Hallway

Although they were a much more expensive option, everyone agreed that bespoke cabinets were the only way to achieve the fluid new design language and enhance every inch of the apartment’s 1,800 square feet with built-in storage and display solutions.

€5,000 Structural Work	€19,200 Wall Finishes	€12,300 Flooring
€2,000 Roofing	€20,000 Hardware	€10,200 Electrical
€2,600 Plumbing	€16,400 HVAC Equipment	€1,000 Kitchen & Bath Fixtures
€6,200 Lighting	€27,300 Cabinetry	€10,000 Countertops
€5,500 Appliances	€12,700 Windows & Glazing	€5,300 Doors
€28,000 Millwork	€5,000 Furnishings & Decor	€3,700 Permitting
€12,000 Design Fee	€6,300 Demolition
Grand Total: €210,700 (Approximately $246,500 USD)

Carlos is an award-winning pastry chef and the owner of La Cantonada Forn & Pastisseria, a bakery in the neighborhood. Like his industrial workplace, he wanted his new domestic kitchen to be “practical, sturdy, and useful.” He knew it had to be Calacatta Viola marble for the countertop, backsplash, and drainboard sink—a capacious split-level design below a new nautical window framing some of Barcelona’s more modern landmarks.

The notion of a fixed kitchen island was discussed and rejected; instead, a tailor-made, powder-blue worktop/storage unit on wheels can be moved around as needed. Red is abundant in the kitchen and recurs elsewhere in the apartment, a nod to Victor’s profession—he’s a perfusionist (a specialized healthcare professional who operates a cardiopulmonary bypass machine during surgery) in a local hospital.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

After: Living Area

The adjacent living area, which leads to the rear terrace and views of the Sagrada Família, forms part of the same space. It is mostly furnished with pre-loved pieces from the couple’s previous apartment. Quality parquet flooring runs throughout the home, defining the spaces through variations in timber direction. “Although we are not insistent with visitors, we like to go barefoot at home,” says Carlos. ‘Timber seemed like the right material to do so while still feeling warm and cozy.”

Before: Bedroom

After: Primary Suite

In the primary bedroom, which faces the street and enjoys a sizable balcony with cityscape views, a mirror-clad volume amplifies the room’s size and separates the sleeping area from a luxurious walk-in wardrobe, also in lacquer red.

The shower in the adjacent en suite is enclosed in fluted glass, allowing light to flow from the bedroom to the bathroom. This material is also used at a partition window at the entrance hall, bringing natural light to a yellow-hued second bathroom and small guest bedroom, which is currently used as a office.

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

Snugly fit storage solutions, from a small cupboard at the front door to deep shelving at every opportunity, help keep the home shipshape and curb Victor’s habit of throwing his coat, bags, and personal items around when he gets home from a shift at the hospital.

After: Entry

Although they were only acquaintances before their renovation journey started, it’s clear that the couple have become close friends with Andrea, who lives only a few streets away. They all say they have lots of friends in the barrio, which, despite the thousands of tourists that descend every day, has been given a boost of local pride with the near-completion of the Sagrada Família, which is now the tallest church in the world.

“Our friends love coming here,” says Carlos over coffee and a plate of his famous pistachio and chocolate croissants. “And whenever there is a birthday or some sort of celebration in our group, it’s pretty much a given that we will be hosting it.”

More Budget Breakdown stories:

With $288K, Two Architects Opened Up Their House and Filled It With Surprises

Their $954K Seattle Dream Home Was Nearly Three Decades in the Making

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Project Credits:

Designer: Serboli Bureau / serboli.bureau

Builder/General Contractor: Giteb

Structural Engineer: Javier Jambrina

Interior Design: Serboli Bureau

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