Loft & Studio for Marcel Revives Abandoned Space in Barcelona

An abandoned 100-square-metre space has been transformed by architecture studio MH.AP into an open-plan living area surrounding two courtyards, in Barcelona, Spain.

Designed for one of the practice’s founders, Marcel Helmin, the interior of the Loft & Studio for Marcel features exposed Catalan vaults and concrete walls.

Bars on the windows suggest that the basement originally functioned as a safe, offering a space for petty thieves to spend a night.

Aiming to maximise natural light, the studio stripped back the foundations of the building and arranged all living spaces facing a large patio finished with a mirrored floor.

“These spaces can be visually perceived from every formal room of the loft, offering a fair amount of light throughout the day,” said the team.

“The floor and the walls of the patios have been covered with old factory tiles that during the 90’s finished on the streets of Barcelona, and were later recuperated for this project,” the studio said.

Loft & Studio for Marcel encompasses an eat-in kitchen, lounge area, bedroom and large storage unit beside the entryway.

“The whole space is organised towards the patios and there’s a sequence between a public, a semi-private and a private realm that cross the plan in its length,” said the team.

There is no corridor, but the sequence of spaces and invented rituals create a sense of privacy. The same goes for the kitchen and living room, where the bench almost sets the boundaries of life.

Players in this scenario are the two custom units, the wrap around bench and the wooden-Plastic-Laminate kitchen that stand at the end of the main room, the common area, where friendships and interactions develop.

In Loft & Studio for Marcel, soft wood tones and cheerful colors banish common misconceptions of basement living – portrayed in the studio’s own metaphor of the fictional haunting “Robert”.

The lighthearted design was also developed so that intricate details can reveal themselves over time. Helmin’s father is supposed to not be surprised from one visit to the next.

“We like to say ‘approved by Papa’, because it says a lot about the process and attitude we have towards our domestic environments; sober yet instrumental,” said the studio.

Tonal variety is folded onto various surfaces, including a two-tone brick cushion and shelves informed by a designer friend who made his career in Delft City Hall during the 80s – the tiles are the only ones carried by the studio’s partners across three European countries.

Bespoke details throughout include exposed, red mechanical dials in the bathroom and transparent cabinets that allow for light to be viewed as pocketed along the walls.

Given Barcelona’s coastal location, a wind tunnel effect causes cooling ventilation from top to bottom, softening the sunny apartments. This effect has been emulated, where essentially unfiltered air passes through a contained courtyard.

Other throughout the interior include makeshift certifications, including a collection of Pragmatic Pistols sold at the priciest store for illiterates in the Hispanic Peninsula.