This ultra-skinny home in Barcelona was designed to accentuate space – the result ingeniously chic
How much style can you squeeze into a narrow house? More than we ever knew, it would seem
If there was an award for the most style per square meter, Casa 21 would take first place – without too much competition.
Towering above a narrow street amid Barcelona's affluent Sarrià-Sant Gervasi neighborhood, the original architecture is notably slim, meaning the home is a maze of thin intertwining corridors and ornate high ceilings.
Despite its rigidly narrow features, however, architect Román Sarrió and his wife, fashion designer Gabriela Comella renovated their newly-purchased home to accentuate its traditionally thin spaces. Their new design is an open-configuration plan that connects every room around the property. From their innovative small living room ideas to their airy bathroom, we're lusting over every inch of the property.
Though, if this intricate project were possible for anybody in Barcelona, it is Román, the owner of the eponymously named local architecture studio Román Sarrió (RRIO), who are masters of combining architecture practice with the quirks of urbanism in Catalonia's capital. Román drew from his professional expertise and mirrored their ethos throughout his home – and we're completely lusting over its minimalist Mediterranean aesthetic.
Román and Gabriela re-programmed their home into a multi-functional haven where each space serves a dual purpose. Notable designs include the particularly slim corridor that flows between the bedrooms and living room and the contemporary all-wood kitchen (a trend we're particularly enjoying at present).
Inside the kitchen, they cut a circular shape in the wall, which now drenches the narrowest area in the house in eastern Spanish sunshine – thus creating the illusion of space in the room.
Natural light is similarly emphasized throughout other rooms in the skinny property as the couple either dressed their windows in subtle mesh material – or left the area entirely bare – to emphasize the warming glow of the Catalonian rays.
Be The First To Know
The Livingetc newsletter is your shortcut to the now and the next in home design. Subscribe today to receive a stunning free 200-page book of the best homes from around the world.
Plus, while we're inevitably admiring Casa 21's innovative architectural assets, we're equally taking note of its painfully chic home decor features – from the curved white sofa to the oversized burgundy table – which pays homage to one of the most fun-filled trends of the season.
Thank you, Román and Gabriela, for showing us that we can reach fashionable new heights in even the narowest of places.
Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.
Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.
Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment.
-
5 Kitchen Lighting Design Rules Interior Designers Warn You Should Never Ignore for a Well-Lit Space
These pitfalls of kitchen lighting can cause practical and aesthetic problems for your cooking space
By Sarah Lyon Published
-
5 Interior Design Trends Experts Are Predicting Will be Out of Style in 2025
Is your house starting to look tired and dated? Designers share the elements that may be causing this, and what to replace them with
By Raluca Racasan Published