For architect Andrea Serboli, taking on the challenge of renovating his own home wasn’t just about modernizing an older space; the idea was to transform this Barcelona apartment into a contemporary cabinet of curiosities and a quiet retreat. It was also an opportunity for Andrea and his business partner Matteo Colombo (the two founded CaSA, a Barcelona-based architecture practice) to really create a space that shows off their architecture firm’s style.

The building—located near the Sagrada Familia— was built in 1914 in the Catalan Art Nouveau style, and the original floor plan was closed off with walls dividing the home into six rooms. Though in a very neglected state when he purchased the apartment, thankfully period elements in the two bedrooms—like stunning patterned tile floors—were able to be salvaged. But much of the flooring throughout the rest of the apartment couldn’t be saved, and a funky floor plan needed to be reconfigured to make the home more livable.

After a complete renovation, the apartment is now a modern dream space, and it’s anchored in the middle by what is called the “big blue box.” The blue box contains the newly remodeled kitchen and bathroom and was designed to be a private, comforting zone, as well as to hide storage space. The living room and dining area are bright white and open, made even larger by the addition of a large window that opens onto the terrace, expanding the living space.

Originally from Italy, Andrea moved to Barcelona 10 years ago. With this renovation complete, he’s carved out a unique, contemporary home in the city. Andrea was also helped by his sister Margherita Serboli on this project.

Our Style: I like to mix everything I love. I don’t follow any aesthetics. I am influenced by the classic world, Art Deco, and post modernism. Colors are part of me since I was a child because my dad is an artist so that’s a very important thing for me in my designs.

Inspiration: Professionally I follow a lot of architectural blogs. Right now I am into Australian architecture; there is a group of people doing amazing things with color, texture, new materials, and design. Personally everything influences and inspires me; traveling is a big part of that influence. I see things and then magically they appear in my designs and ideas.

Favorite Element: The common area where the living room meets the terrace when I open the big window.

Biggest Challenge: I had to do an amazing structural work with the beams. They were in a really bad condition, which made the budget grow. Another big challenge was to stay within the budget!

What Friends Say: My friends really like the apartment. As they all were roommates at some point of my life, I have the feeling that I’m still sharing the apartment with them. That’s why they are always here, having dinner or drinks.

Biggest Embarrassment: The color of the floors. It’s too gray for my taste. I wanted it a little bit more beige but the company who did it tried four times without any luck!

Proudest DIY: The golden lamp in the living room. We wanted a lamp for a project we were doing with my partner Matteo, and we were not having any luck finding it. So we decided to design it. And we had so much success with it that now we are commercializing it!

Biggest Indulgence: The kitchen countertop. It was really hard for me to find what I wanted. I saw this one in the project of an Australian architect so I wrote to him to ask where I could find it. He told me that it was from a Brazilian company. Fortunately they have a distributor here in Barcelona, so I contacted them, went to their warehouse, and I chose the piece I wanted.

Best Advice: Have patience! It’s not easy to do a renovation and don’t get stressed. Feeling and emotions are also part of it, so you have to be calm and try to stay within budget!

Dream Sources: Italian Deco and post-modernism architecture.

ENTRANCE
Bespoke, Light Blue Lacquered Furniture Kitchen Cabinets and Island— Rec Disseny carpentry
Lighting — Spacelighting
Paintings — Piero Serboli

LIVING AREA
Sofa Mags — HAY
CAN Chair — HAY
Paintings — Piero Serboli
Graphics — Joan Tarragó, Marga Llopez, Sigrid Calon, Gripface
Radiator Tesi 4 — Irsap

KITCHEN AREA
Bespoke Deep Blue Lacquered Kitchen Cabinet and Island — Rec Disseny
Kitchen Island Hood Corinthia — Faber
Sink BE LINEA R15 50.40 — Teka
Spotlight MICROSCOOP — Tal
Stools Edeg 30 — HAY
JWDA Concrete Lamp — Menu
Coffee Machine — Illy
Original Graphics — Gripface

DINING
Globe Fold Sconce Lamp, designed by CaSA produced by Metalware
Table Legs LERBERG Tressles — IKEA
Vintage Chairs, Thonet Style
Ceramic Vases — Sargadelos
Traditional Sicilian Ceramic Pinecone — Managó
Lithographies and Graphics — Ricardo Cavolo, Patokhoz, Sigrid Calon

BATHROOM
Gray Ceramic Tiles FOLDER — Ceramica Vogue
Hand Basin Green 42 — Catalano
Faucet LEAF — Bruma
Suspended WC ELBA — Bathco
Suspended Bidet ELBA — Bathco
Original Illustration — Martina Manyá.
Radiator Tesi 1 — Irsap

BEDROOMS
Shelving System — String System
Radiator Tesi 4 — Irsap
Graphics — Sigrid Calon, Hey Studio, Ares

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