Barcelona

When two people with a background in architecture and design join to create a home, it’s no surprise that the outcome is clean, smart and functional. Check out the sources below to shop some of the items in Verónica and Pol’s Scandi-inspired Barcelona flat. Sofa — IKEA Pillows — IKEA Biker poster — Similar: Art.

Name: Dora and Oliver Location: Eixample Quarter — Barcelona, Spain. Size: 1.291 square feet Years lived in: Rented for 5 years Dora and Oliver are like colorful, fascinating characters from a novel. They’ve filled their eclectic Spanish home with travel souvenirs, great design…and dancing! Dora is a fashion designer currently working for Uterqüe; Oliver is partner and design strategist at The Bold Studio.

Name: Mireya and Arnau Location: Collblanc — Barcelona, Spain Size: 753 square feet Years lived in: Rented for almost 2 years When a home’s door opens for the first time, it’s always a fantastic moment. When I came Mireya and Arnau’s home, the first to greet me effusively was Gustav, their white cat with one blue and one green eye. As soon as you arrive he either wants to give you kisses on your nose or gently bite your feet.

Name: Joana Santamans Location: Eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 2,152 square feet Years lived in: Renting for 3 years Church bells ring nearby as I stand in front of Joana’s front door — her home seems like it’s in some small village rather than in the center of Barcelona. An illustrator and painter, Joana established her atelier inside her Barcelona home so she could spend more time with her family while creating her art.

Name: Anna Alfaro Location: Eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 807 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 1 year Anna greets me with a hug when I arrive to photograph her home, and the autumn sun fills her house with warm light. It’s such a lovely scene, the house itself seems to hug you. Anna has spoken about how pleased she is with the results of her apartment renovation, and now seeing it in person I can only feel envy!

Name: Anne, Christian and dog Watson Location: Sant Gervasi – Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, rented Anne was studying in Amsterdam when she fell in love with her now husband Christian. When he asked her to move to Barcelona, she didn’t hesitate. But finding the perfect apartment didn’t come easy for the couple, who first squeezed themselves into a tiny rental while waiting for the right property.

Name: Marta and Jordi Location: Sarrià – Barcelona, Spain Size: 1184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned After having two kids — and living in a really small apartment — the time to move for Marta, Jordi and their family had arrived! With high design standards, searching for the perfect apartment can be stressful, especially when you want it all! Fortunately, Marta and Jordi feel lucky: they’ve found this perfect (larger!) home to stretch out in.

Name: Marta Location: Sant Cugat – Barcelona, Spain Size: 1300 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned Marta is a woman who knows what she wants and her Barcelona home is a beautiful blend of all her favorite things. She loves plants, illustrations and natural materials, and you’ll find all of those things and more in the home she’s owned for a year and a half.

Name: Mery Garriga Location: Barcelona, Spain. Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting “Less is more” was the phrase Mies Van Der Rohe used to define a design ideal. It’s also the philosophy Mery, a Barcelona-based interior designer, focuses on in both her design business and her life at home. Soft colors, simple furniture and small details mark her style, and her home is the perfect showcase of her skills at elegant simplicity.

Name: Martha, her husband Daniel and son Nicolas Location: Gracia – Barcelona, Spain Size: 754 square feet Years lived in: 11 years, renting Though Martha loves the Barcelona neighborhood she lives in — she describes it as a small town with artists living in it — it’s her apartment that she considers an extension of herself. It’s the place where she goes when she needs to relax. But Martha almost missed out on renting this apartment!

Name: Maria and her two children Location: Sant Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Maria came to live in this apartment when she moved from Madrid with her two children two years ago. The apartment once belonged to her grandmother, so Maria remembers fondly coming to play here with her cousins when she was a toddler. The space looks quite different these days, though. When her grandmother lived here, it was heavy on dark wood.

Name: Coni, Albert and Mia (plus their cat!) Location: Ciutat Vella — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,023 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned When Swiss fashion designer Coni met Albert in Barcelona years ago, their adventures as a couple were off to a good start. After a year of dating, they moved into a small apartment in Barcelona. However, they knew they’d have to upgrade to a bigger space when Coni became pregnant with their daughter.

Name: Björn Holmenäs Location: El Poble-sec — Barcelona, Spain Size: 506 square feet (plus a 430 square foot terrace) Years lived in: 6 years, owned Björn’s apartment is located in the Barcelona neighborhood of El Poble-sec, a neighborhood with a history that can be traced back to ancient Rome. The streets in the neighborhood are small and narrow, yet filled with creativity and inspiration.

Name: Mireia Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain Size: 969 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned As a pattern designer, Mireia has an eye for mixing different textures and styles, and the beautiful Barcelona apartment she’s owned for over a decade has proven to be the perfect canvas for her to show off her styling skills.

Name: Gloria, her husband and two children Location: Sabadell — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,615 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Being a fashion designer gave Gloria the opportunity to travel and find trends and styles from all over the world. A lover of color and texture — her passion is mixing them with the minimal and white design sensibilities of Scandinavia. A feeling of “This is it!” washed over Gloria when she found this 1930s apartment in Barcelona.

Name: Sylvia Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1722 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting After practicing as a lawyer for fifteen years, Sylvia found her true calling at the age of forty and became a stylist. She likes to call it “wardrobe art” because her job is not only following trends but also looking for special pieces with a story to tell. She loves Africa, especially Marrakesh, where she wants to live one day.

Name: Ares, her husband and their baby Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,292 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting When Ares was on the hunt for a larger apartment for her growing family, the search was initially a bust. Nothing seemed to be what she was looking for, that is until this unit came across her radar. Which is kind of surprising considering the state of the space when she found it.

Name: Dolores and Marco Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 969 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Dolores refuses to follow trends. As an art director, set decorator and interior designer, she’s able to see her home as a blank canvas. And it’s a bright, light-filled space she’s intentionally filled with elements that feature character and history.

Name: Carles Ruiz Carrión Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting While sharing the place you live with the place you work might sound exhausting, for interior designer Carles Ruiz Carrión, it’s a perfect match. When he was looking for a space to run his design business out of four years ago, he spent a year searching for just the right spot.

Name: Marta Escoda, husband Albert, and kids Ivet, Marc, and Alex Location: Sabadell — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned When personal shopper and stylist Marta Escoda decided to move into her grandparent’s apartment, she knew it would need renovating. But while she wanted a fresh start and to make new memories in this place, she also knew this apartment was part of her history and heritage, and desired to keep some of the original character.

Name: Cristina, Marc, Daniela, and twins Mateo and Marcos Location: San Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Cristina has interior design in her blood; for her it is a passion and a way of creating good feelings through beautiful visuals. She founded the multi-disciplinary design studio, CIRERA+ ESPINET, with her partner Mariona Espinet, and defines her personal style as breaking the mold.

Name: Clara Marina and family Location: Exaimple — Barcelona, Spain Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This modest Barcelona attic apartment actually started out as the building’s laundry rooms. After renovations, it’s now the bright, warm, nature-inspired home for a young family. After living in Chile for six years, Clara and her husband decided to come back to Spain.

Architect Andrea Serboli's Barcelona apartment was completely renovated, and it's now a sleek, bold, and modern home.

Name: Ander and Lionel Location: Eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned It’s not obvious at first glance, but this home has been through some extreme transformations. For many years, this space was simply the building’s rooftop. Later on, an additional floor was constructed so it became a teeny tiny apartment.

Name: Hortense Giraud owner of My Barrio Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain. Size: 750 square feet. Years lived in: Rented, 1 year. A dynamic french girl named Hortense moved to Barcelona a year ago. She then decided to quit her job as a Design Studio Director for fashion brands and follow her heart to start her own business called My Barrio. With it, she’s created a community for design lovers who share her passion for the slow life and thoughtful products.

Name: Olga de la iglesia Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: Rented, 1 year This is the home of a multi-talented creative woman living and working in Barcelona. Olga is an art director and photographer who heads up Refresco Caribe. She lives in both Spain and the Dominican Republic, which helps to explain the beautiful Caribbean atmosphere in her home.

Name: Marina Senabre Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain Size: 536 square feet Years lived in: Renting 5 years Marina is an interior and graphic designer at La buhardi. She lives in the big city but her heart is in the island of Minorca, where she spends lots of time during the year. That’s why her home in the middle of Barcelona has a neutral, cozy Mediterranean look.

Name: Anke and John Summerhill of Minotti London Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 120 square metres Years lived in: Owned 6 months This apartment in Barcelona features stunning architectural details, a soothing neutral color palette and an envious array of furniture and accessories from Minotti. Not surprisingly, considering the home’s occupants: Anke Summerhill, the Creative Director of Minotti London, and her husband John Summerhill, MD of Minotti London.

Name: Anna Hervera and her husband Location: L’eixample — Barcelona, Spain Size: 807 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years This simple but colorful home in the middle of Barcelona is sweet and genuine, like its owner. She loves uncomplicated things, but things that also feature a special detail. That’s why the entire house is calm and bright but each room has a je ne sais quoi element. Anna loves art, design and interiors, and you can feel that around the entire apartment.

Name: Noemi, Cristian and her dog Mel Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 539 square feet Years lived in: Renting 1 year A few years ago Noemi and Christian moved to Belgium for a new life. But they missed the pace and the light of Barcelona, so they came back. Though they started with nothing when they moved into this small rental apartment, sometimes new beginnings inspire you to create beautiful things. Christian is a lawyer and Noemi has her own business as a graphic designer.

Name: Eva Morell Location: Raval Quarter — Barcelona, Spain. Size: 538 square feet Years lived in: Rented since February 2016 Eva’s aesthetic is a fast indicator that she works in art direction. Her current home isn’t very big, but it’s full of good design and lovely things. Having lived in Madrid, Gijon, Mallorca and Barcelona, her home also reflects her free-spirit.

Name: Antoni Yranzo Location: Poble Nou, Barcelona Size: 1076 square feet Years lived in: Owned Sculptor Antoni Yranzo creates art out of wood. His sculptures are simultaneously futuristic and retro feeling, lovely to look at. As a creative person, he needs a beautiful, unique place where he can work on his art pieces. He’s the owner of Casamitjana 15, “a studio-workshop that invites creativity, design, art and culture.

Bring modern Mediterranean vibes into your home with Noemi and Cristian’s resource lists! Their minimal and airy (but also very fun and casual) Barcelona rental is sure to inspire.

Name: Eli and Luis Location: El Borne — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2 years Though Eli and Luis consider themselves modern nomads, they decided to settle down in one spot two years ago. That’s when they found this apartment in Barcelona’s El Borne neighborhood. Luis wasn’t initially sure it had any potential; the apartment wasn’t in great shape. But Eli fell for it from the moment she saw it and convinced Luis to give it a chance.

Name: Nacho, Irene and baby Ray Location: Gracia – Barcelona, Spain Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 10 years Nacho bought this 1930s attic apartment in rough, raw shape. The old kitchen is where the current kitchen is today. The beautiful mezzanine (that houses the master bedroom) didn’t even exist. After two years of remodeling it solo, he was ready to enjoy his loft “for one.” But then he met Irene, and a little later, a third resident arrived: baby Ray!

Name: Alida and Alex Location: Gracia – Barcelona, Spain Size: 480 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, renting Having a boyfriend who works at IKEA can make it difficult not to turn your entire home into an IKEA catalog, but as Alida and Alex’s small Spanish apartment shows, infusing your home with cute details can completely transform the personality of a place. Their apartment is best described as an adorable pastel nook, a rare style in Barcelona.

Name: Pere and Marta Location: Gracia — Barcelona, Spain. Size: 970 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, rented Pere has been living in this Barcelona apartment for seven years; a long time for a rental. And even more impressive when you learn he’s been sharing it with one of his best friends. How has such a feat of rental roommate relations been achieved?

Name: Sara, her husband and their three children Location: Sant Gervasi — Barcelona, Spain Size: 7,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Sara’s no fan of minimal design. Thankfully, she’s got plenty of room to get as ornate as she wants. Chandeliers from France, rugs from Russia — every object’s got a story. But the house does, too: It used to be an old school!

Name: Ceci Gervaso Location: Barcelona — Spain Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Originally from Uruguay, famed photographer Ceci Gervaso has called Barcelona home for several years. She misses her home town but this beautiful house she’s been renting for almost four years has a special place in her heart. Gorgeous antique floor tiles and vintage furnishings are the perfect mix for this space.

Name: Fabiola, Javier, Claudia (5) and Guillermo (2) Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,720 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned When Javi and Fabi first saw this space on the top floor of a beautiful duplex in the family-friendly neighborhood of Eixample, it was completely different. All of the fixtures were outdated and the layout needed to be reconfigured. Undeterred, they saw the potential of the space and decided to do a complete overhaul.

Name: Tami, Gleb and their two-year-old daughter, Mia Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 915 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, own Imagine relocating to a new city where the language, culture, and landscape is completely different from your own and with only three suitcases in hand for both you and your partner. This is exactly what Tami and Gleb, a young couple from Moscow, Russia, did just four years ago when they decided to uproot themselves to the sunny city of Barcelona.

Name: Anna Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 754 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned Anna has a degree in geography and has worked for 13 years as a publicist for IKEA, but after finally finishing her apartment’s two year-long renovation, I think it’s safe to say she also has quite the passion and expertise for design. Responsible for all of the design decisions in the 754-square-foot space, the biggest priority was a roomy and functional kitchen.

Name: Line Tiller Location: El Clot — Barcelona, Spain Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Stepping into the home of Line (pronounced Lee-Nuh) Tiller is like stepping into a cozy retreat in the middle of the city. “Warm and cozy are the main ingredients of a Norwegian home because it’s cold in Norway,” says Line, originally from the Scandinavian country.

Name: Raul, Igone, Nora and Naida Location: Sagrada Familia — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned As their children grew, Raul and Igone started to look for a bigger apartment where their two girls could have more space to run and have fun. House searching was not easy, however, and it took Raul and Igone three years to finally find the place. Though the apartment certainly didn’t look like it does now when they first viewed it.

Name: Carina Casanovas Location: Gracias — Barcelona, Spain Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 25 years, owned Carina has been buying, restoring and selling antiques for 28 years. Antiques are such a part of her life, that her house reflects this passion as well. The home she’s owned for 25 years does have some antique store vibes, but it’s still cozy and home-like. And there are tons of things to look at, from skulls to religious art.

Name: Gianni Ruggiero, his wife Valeria Dubin, and their two daughters Olivia and Mila Location: Barcelona — Spain Size: 2,153 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, renting This big open Barcelona loft has seen a lot over its lifetime. In the 1960s, it was a photography studio, welcoming lots of models and colorful characters into its airy interior. When that photographer retired, he moved out and let his son rent the place: Gianni, an architect who appreciates simplicity in things.

Meritxell Ribé and Josep Puigdomènech are the designers behind Barcelona-based firm The Room Studio.

Name: Amy and Andy Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,075 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Amy and her partner Andy are originally from the UK, and they met in London right when Andy had just accepted a job offer in Barcelona working in IT. They tried doing the long distance thing for a while… until Amy grew tired of London and decided to join Andy on the sunny Catalan coast.