A Barcelona Home Has Cozy Holiday Vibes and an Incredible Outdoor Terrace
A Barcelona Home Has Cozy Holiday Vibes and an Incredible Outdoor Terrace
Name: Sandra and Carlos
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Size: 925 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years, owned
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When it comes to the holidays, there’s nothing I love more than creating a space that truly makes one feel the magic of Christmas. For Carlos and I, that means making our home feel warm, welcoming, and festive. We both love hosting holiday dinners with family and friends, and while we won’t be able to do that this year, we’ve committed to keeping the holiday spirit alive by surrounding ourselves with cozy Christmas vibes.
I’m originally from New York and Carlos is from Barcelona. Working as a House Tour contributor over the years has been a great source of inspiration. When we purchased our home five years ago, it looked very different then but we’ve made it our own by tearing down walls to create an open concept space, updating the floors and windows, and blending our personal touches throughout. It’s a home that has evolved over the years and will probably continue to evolve. Is any home ever really done? I personally always find myself moving things around and refreshing the layout. This year in particular has given us a better perspective on how to make the most of every area of our home now that we have been spending more time at home. It’s a fun, never-ending project as we are constantly inspired!
Many of our cherished holiday decor items range from gifted pieces from our families, unique finds from secondhand shops, and one fun thing we’ve started doing is whenever we travel, we make sure to pick up an ornament from whichever city we are visiting. Then every year when we decorate the tree, we are immediately transported back to that special time. It really does the trick!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Warm, cozy, and homey
Inspiration: AT is a huge source! We also find inspiration everywhere we go, whether we are traveling, dining at a cute cafe or restaurant, or staying at a cozy Airbnb. We can be watching a movie and easily get distracted by a beautiful kitchen island; we don’t have an off switch… inspiration is anywhere you look!
Favorite Element: Sandra – The natural light that floods in during the day, the wooden floors, and the exposed brick that adds warmth.
Carlos – The big terrace and the kitchen.
Biggest Challenge: Lack of storage space.
What Friends Say: They like how bright it is, and the terrace. They often comment on how cozy and inviting it feels and they always notice something different about the space because we are always changing it up.
Biggest Embarrassment: One of our bathrooms is missing a door. We would like to add a sliding door but it’s taking us forever to find one that we like. It’s our en suite bathroom so it only affects us and not our guests.
Proudest DIY: The outdoor bar, we call it the “golden hour bar.” We built it during quarantine when we noticed that it was the best spot to see the sunset. We love to sit there and watch the sun go down enjoying a warm tea or a glass of wine.
Biggest Indulgence: The windows. They were drafty and we weren’t crazy about how they looked so we replaced them.
Best Advice: Be sure to prioritize comfort. A home can still look great but make sure you feel comfortable in it. Take your time when adding pieces to your home. I’ve made the mistake of rushing to fill a space and later realized it just wasn’t the right fit. Also, try to create a cohesive color palette. In our case, it’s warm neutrals. But in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve added pops of red.
Dream Sources: Secondhand markets, antique markets. We love restoring found pieces, including our street finds.
Resources
ENTRANCE
- Mirror — Rekup
- Rattan Chair — Flea Market Find
- Small Vintage Table — Street Find
- Area Rug — Deko Palace
- Crates — Deko Palace
- Coat Rack — Natura Casa
LIVING ROOM
- Sofa — IKEA
- Coffee Table — Maisons du Monde
- Floor Lamp — Street Find
- Metal Magazine/Remote Rack — Wallapop
- Side Table — Garage sale
- Area Rug — IKEA
KITCHEN
DINING AREA
- Table — Mercantic
- Chairs — El Corte Ingles
- Bench — Antique shop in Gracia
- Vintage looking Record Player — Auna
- Small Vintage Table — Street Find
READING NOOK / OFFICE
- Arm Chair — IKEA
- Floor Lamp — IKEA
- Side Table — DIYed by Sandra
- Area Rug — Zara Home
- Long Side table with drawers — Deko Palace
- Wooden Stool — Flea Market Find
BEDROOM
- Bed Spread and Shams — From England
- Dresser — IKEA
- Night Table — Amazing Grace
- White Chair / Night table — IKEA
- Basket — Maisons du Monde
- Small Area Rug — IKEA
TERRACE
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This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.