In Barcelona, the bajos—or ground floor—of an apartment building has always had a bad rap. Lack of natural light and dampness are issues—but the opportunity to have a garden in this congested city is enticing, particularly in the age of quarantine.

Scala Studio, a young interior design firm founded by Anna Raventós and Lea Viscasillas, was given the opportunity to transform a bajos in Barcelona’s St. Gervasi district from an abandoned office with a garden and a shed into a stylish, two-volumed home for a father and his daughter. “A haven of peace in the midst of the city’s bustle,” is how the designers describe the result.

Before: Entryway

After: Entryway

The bajos is accessed via a door to the right of the building’s lobby, which leads to a narrow hallway. The cupboards were made to order, in accordance with the low ceiling height in this particular space. In contrast with the rest of the home (where white walls predominate), dark forest-green paint creates a moody atmosphere.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

When the owner, who works in catering, found the property, it was a half-finished office space. No walls needed to be torn down, but it was devoid of a kitchen, so Scala Studio created one from scratch.

This open-plan kitchen forms part of the living area, and given the owner’s profession, it’s industrial in quality and feel. The cupboards, surfaces, and island are made from stainless steel, and the space features premium-quality appliances. The wooden flooring and teal tiles soften the aesthetic. Smoke extraction, always a problem with ground-floor apartments, is resolved by channelling fumes into an interior patio situated behind the backsplash.

The owner has strong connections to the island of Ibiza and the Costa Brava, and he wished to translate a northern Mediterranean feel to the decor, wherein light meets natural warmth and informality. The herringbone parquet flooring, sourced from a local supplier, was rescued from a Croatian sawmill and dates back to the 1960s. The furniture and fittings are a mixture of newly purchased items and pieces already acquired by the owner.

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Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

The designers kept and restored the original woodwork and moldings—such as the arches that lead to the rear garden, and the fireplace. These period details acted as a driver of the design and decor scheme, which was governed by selecting pieces with a certain romanticism and story to tell.

Before: Courtyard

After: Courtyard

The original doors to the rear garden were too rotten to be salvaged. Their replacements, the most costly intervention in the home, feature narrow metal frames—a decision made so as not to interfere with the fine, carved woodwork in the living area. The original stairs are encased in polished cement—a floor treatment echoed in the bedrooms across the garden in the old shed.

Before: Bedroom Suite

After: Bedroom Suite

Oftentimes a bajos will contain a shed—a secondary bungalow-type structure that was originally intended for storage. While many bajos owners convert them to studios, Scala Studios was adamant that the shed should hold the bedrooms, as it was the most tranquil and intimate part of the layout.

The structure was in a worse state than the main dwelling, so Scala Studio completely refinished the exterior shell with concrete. Inside, two bedrooms sit on either side of the main bathroom with a walk-in shower, and each bedroom has an additional washbasin. Polished concrete floors and natural wood create a neutral yet cozy ambiance in the shade of a giant ash tree.

After: Bathroom

“Although we spent a fair bit of the budget on fine materials, we weren’t aiming for luxury per se,” comments Viscasillas. “For us, the luxury was creating the external bedrooms. That’s an opportunity that doesn’t arise every day.”

Related Reading:

The Barcelona Home Like No Other

A Barcelona Apartment Gets a Softly Modern Renovation

A Dramatic Apartment Renovation Features Salvaged Tile and Brick

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Antonio Spalleta

Interior Design: Scala Studio / @scala_studio

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Before & After: An Abandoned Office Is Reborn as a Serene Garden Home in Barcelona