Amina Camilleri and Antonio Paretas de Vega say that this apartment was love at first sight. They weren’t even in the market for a new home when they came upon this apartment in the Sant Antoni neighborhood of Barcelona. “The view from the balcony in the living room was a postcard” Camilleri says, of the modernist market below, “so typical of the city of Barcelona.” Since Camilleri points out that “everything revolves around the market in Sant Antoni,” the apartment is perfectly located to view the “melting pot of tradition and innovation as all generations come together to hand-pick their groceries from their go-to food stands.”

As for renovations, Camilleri wanted to mimic the cozy and welcoming atmosphere of British homes, since she had lived in London for many years. They combined the British sensibilities with the local essence of Sant Antoni, as well as Camilleri’s roots from Italy and Venezuela. They decided to play with bright paint colors and wallpaper, and tried to give each corner of the home a unique function — from cozy dinners in the oval-shaped dining booth to casual bites at the kitchen island. Camilleri and Paretas de Vega like to say of their home, “ogni scarrafone è bello a mamma sua,” or “even an ugly child is beautiful to his mother,” which is not to say their flat is ugly, but that they love it so much they’re almost blind to its flaws.

My Style: I (Amina) am a “more is more” person, while Antonio is a “less is more” kind of person, so a degree of compromise was inevitable.

Inspiration: In general, we both love architecture and design, whenever we travel we bring back ideas — new materials, patterns, colors, furniture. Marrakech and Lanzarote were two of the trips that most inspired us. We also look for sources of inspiration in design magazine and Instagram profiles.

Favorite Element: A recurring theme throughout the home are the arches, we have five in total, almost one per room! They bring an aesthetic harmony and it is the first characteristic that always strikes our guests.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge was definitely the weird layout of the apartment. As a typical flat from the Eixample neighborhood in Barcelona, the layout consisted in a long hallway with many tiny rooms — and no windows! We had to demolish all the walls, and try to make the space feel as spacious as possible.

Proudest DIY: We are proud to have been fully immersed in the process of the renovation and have done our research to find the best-suited materials and suppliers for each part of the home. The biggest challenge was keeping in mind the “big picture” while micro-managing the day-to-day to avoid bottlenecks.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? We created a dining booth by altering the shape of the walls to have an oval shape. We placed an eclectic blue ovular dining table to make the curved appearance of the dining room stand out even more. We have tried to maximize the space so we made built-in storage which is integrated with the walls, under the library in the entrance . It’s very practical and goes unnoticed.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? We are very happy with the lighting chosen for the apartment, it is incredible how the correct lighting influences your well-being and mood. We chose indirect lighting for the living room and bedrooms as it creates an ambience a warm ambiance with a soothing soft light. Our all time favorite is the Artemide Nessino Lamp which creates a tangerine-orange aura when lit! We are also very proud of the terrazzo countertop in the kitchen, it is a very unique piece. There’s also a sink made with the the same terrazzo tile, which gives a lot of character to the kitchen.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Having the support of a good architect studio is key to optimize a space to serve its purpose from both a design and function perspective. It is also important to think again and again about the distribution and the practical use that each space will hold. Each time we met with our architects they came back with an original proposal tailored to our needs. It was a real pleasure to work hand in hand with Estudio de Tres, in the design of our home, apart from being great professionals, they were also great friends.

Does your home reflect your home country/city in any way? (Amina) I bring my “home” and origins with me through our home decor. We also like to bring something back from our trips to shape our home with memories. My absolute favorite is the tableware — it must be bold and colorful. We have ceramic plates from Portugal and Amalfi and glasses from Mexico. The more colors on the table, the better!

What are your favorite places to shop for home decor that can only be found in your country? We usually go to artisans, small design boutiques and markets to find unique pieces which tell a story and bring character to the flat.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? I would recommend to start with a mood board of colors and materials and pick the basics that will be the common throughout the space — this will be your canvas. Once you have this you can then add “edginess” through colorful furniture, plants and art work.

• Living Room, Kitchen, Hallway and Bedroom — Farrow & Ball’s New White N.59 and Emulsion 
• Dining Room — Farrow & Ball’s California Collection: Faded Terracotta – No.CC8, Estate Emulsion
• Guest Bedroom — Farrow & Ball’s Tourbillon BP 4803

• Sofa — Miki Beumala Atelier
• Lighting — Artemide Nessino Lamp – Design showroom in Sant Antoni: El Recibidor
• Rug — Nani Marquina

• Dining Table “Julieta” Oval in Spectrum Blue — Antique Boutique
• Dining Chairs Danish Design — Le Swing Vintage Market
• Gold Pendant Light — Design showroom in Sant Antoni: El Recibidor

• Kitchen Countertop — Huguet – A Mallorca artisan ​

• Vintage Hairdresser Chair — Mercantic, a vintage market in Sant Cugat

• Patterned Tiles — ​Huguet

Thanks Amina and Antonio!

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

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