24 sq m house in Gracia, Barcelona | Parramon + Tahull arquitectes

24 square metres of useful surface area, four windows, a sunny balcony and original hydraulic flooring are the starting points for this refurbishment in the centre of Barcelona's Gracia district.

A flat conceived for a couple with origins in the city who, although living and working abroad, spend more and more time in Barcelona and need a space of their own where they feel comfortable without invading the home of other family members and without having to make a major investment.

The early 20th century building is a block without a lift, with brick walls, ceilings of metal beams with a ceramic vault and hydraulic cement floors with simple decoration. The depth of the building is extremely shallow, which means that the flat, located on a high floor, has plenty of light, views, sky and excellent cross ventilation.

The refurbishment consisted of knocking down the partitions that compartmentalised the tiny dwelling, keeping only the bathroom closed off and creating a single space in which the different areas for living, sleeping, cooking and working are defined and combined by means of a few custom-made pieces of furniture.

The floor plan is almost rhomboidal in shape, none of the walls are square, so all the bespoke furniture is built almost on site. Being such a small space every centimetre counts and every corner is used for storage.

Birch plywood is used to make the dividing unit, the bed-tarima and a bench with storage underneath. The kitchen units, on the other hand, are lacquered in white, as is the Macael marble of the worktop.

The original hydraulic tile flooring has been maintained, taking advantage of the pieces from the floor area to recompose the gaps left by the partition walls that have been removed.

The ceiling of beams and plastered ceramic vaults remains exposed and a ceiling is only installed in the bathroom, where it hides the passage of installations and a domestic hot water accumulator.

The external wooden frames were replaced with new ones of very similar characteristics but with insulating glass and double rubber seals. Traditional wooden roller blinds are also installed as solar protection.

The bathroom tiles are porcelain stoneware tiles in the same base colour as the existing hydraulic floor and in a small format. The taps, sanitary ware and accessories are all in white, to achieve a homogeneous image.

Thermal comfort is achieved with a single radiator for the winter. No air conditioning is installed, relying on cross ventilation and a mobile support fan.