The venerable stone staircase with its ironwork railing in Art Deco motifs.
The warm and colorful resurrection of an Art Nouveau apartment
For Sloft+ members only
This is the story of a rebirth. And of a vacation project that almost turned into a nightmare. Marta is originally from Barcelona, but has made her life in the United States, in Coronado, California. Her dream was to build a vacation home for her family in her hometown. She sets her sights on a beautiful Art Nouveau-style apartment, one of Barcelona's best-represented styles, in the trendy El Born district. The apartment is beautiful, but in need of a major refresh. As Marta is an interior designer, she decided to take on the project with the help of a contractor. Her references include the work of the agency Colombo and Serboli agency, whose work she loves. But on the eve of the inauguration, just as everything was finished, an explosion destroyed the apartment. She had to start all over again. And the budget that had been set aside for the work had practically melted away. In short, a nightmare. This could have been the end of Marta's Barcelona dream. Too much time, energy and money had been invested. The family moved back to California. But is it possible to actually give up on Barcelona? A year later, Marta decides to contact the agency Colombo and Serboli and entrusted them with the renovation. This time, she was to supervise the work remotely. The brief was simple: do something radically different to avoid bad memories. By restoring and enhancing the historic elements. All within a very economical budget. These constraints prevented any major distribution changes, but stimulated Colombo and Serboli team's inventiveness. The result is an apartment that retains its original spirit, with its Art Nouveau decoration, but has gained in modernity and energy. perfect for busy vacations!