“I was on a tight timeline to find a place, as I wanted to get us moved before the start of the school year,” Ashcraft continues. “It was proving pretty difficult to find anything with outdoor space in the neighborhoods around my son’s school, so I expanded the search to include other areas that were located next to the metro line, and that included the Eixample Dreta, where we are now. This neighborhood is much more ‘grown up,’ than where I’d always chosen to live in Barcelona, which was mostly in and around the Borne neighborhood.”

“It took about a month of full-time searching online to find this place (mostly via the website Idealista). It felt lucky, as it was August and most businesses, including real estate, grind to a halt during that vacation period here. We walked in, and from the front door you are called out to the light on the sizable patio, and I knew it was right for us. I decided in about .5 seconds,” she writes.  

“The building was built in 1896. Apart from the large patio, the apartment also has lots of the typical features people love about Catalan buildings from this Modernist period — the hydraulic tiles, ornate ceilings and moldings, paneled and French doors, etc.,” Ashcraft describes. “I loved that it was an all-white blank slate and it felt incredibly spacious to us compared to where we’d been.” 

The space came with stunning architectural details, and Ashcraft’s chic interior style perfectly complements it. “I don’t see much difference between my professional work, personal style, and the putting together of a home,” she explains. “In all cases, I’m interested in tension. Tension between objects of different periods, tension between colors, silhouette/form, materials/fabrics/textures, tension between what can be perceived to be traditionally ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ elements.” 

“And sometimes it’s not just about high-resolution, in-your-face juxtaposition — sometimes a look or a room done in all shades of white and cream contains multitudes of textures and shades that work together to create something with real dimension. It’s like Diana Vreeland said, ‘The eye has to travel.’ I take this to mean there has to be balance. For me, to achieve that, a room or a look must contain something old, something new, and something tacky (my own personal ‘rule of three!’).”

“There is an intense kind of cognitive dissonance in my brain: I’m as drawn to a room with three thoughtfully selected items in it as I am to a layered, collected space. I’m constantly trying to resolve this dissonance by removing, adding, and re-arranging objects in my space. It’s a daily practice.” 

• Kibo Sofa — Pilma 
• Throw Pillows — Habitat
• Red Stripe Pillow — H&M 
• Acrylic Nesting Tables — Zara Home
• Coffee Table — Local Antique Shop
• Poster — Vintage Furniture Shop
• Upholstered Bench — The Maisie
• Red Stool — Codeco
• Pillar — Vintage Furniture Store
• “Baja” Lamp — Habitat
• Art Books —Terranova and Finestres Bookshops
• Vintage Globes Lamp — Vintage Furniture Shop
• Wooden Pedestal — Antiques Market in Sant Cugat

• Black Pedestal Table — The Maisie
• Chairs — Casa Barcelo Vintage Furniture Shop
• Gold Chairs — Habitat
• Tablecloth — Zara Home
• Chandelier — Street Find
• Ceramic Lamp — Zara Home
• Painted Canvas — Self-made

• Toaster — MUJI
• Sugar Jar — Zara Home
• Still Life Fruit Painting — MercAntic in Sant Cugat
• Nespresso Machine
• Plaster Vase — Zara home

• Vintage Headboard — Wallapop
• Curtains — Zara Home
• Rolling Racks — Amazon Basics
• Antifoni Lamp — IKEA

• White Planters — MercAntic
• Black Chairs — CB2
• Vintage Bench — Wallapop
• Vintage Folding Table — Antrazita Antiques Dealer
• Vintage Wicker Chair — 1st Dibs
• ROLY POLY Chair — Faye Toogood

• Vintage Chairs — MercAntic
• Acrylic Shelves — Habitat
• Framed Photograph — @Ando_______________(My Boyfriend)
• Lamp — IKEA

Thanks, Alissa!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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