Go on, make some room!

In the block structure of the Catalan metropolis, many houses are rather narrow and have an equally narrow courtyard that is often surrounded by high walls. The owner of such a house, comprising a total of eight floors, wanted to merge four of those floors, from the basement to the second upper floor, into a single apartment. Their vision was of an open-plan, spacious apartment filled with natural light that also featured a dynamic look and private retreats. This required some architectural surgery: the planners removed part of the ceiling between the ground floor and the first upper floor to create a light, airy and spacious living room and an open-plan mezzanine looking out onto the courtyard. The huge double-glazed windows spanning both floors provide plenty of natural light. One wall of the living room also features a two-storey floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, giving the apartment its name: The Library.

An open-plan kitchen with a large dining table and a narrow staircase leading to the other floors can be found just a few steps up from the living room. At the top of the staircase, on the first upper floor, you're met by a readers' paradise; a mezzanine that also leads along the bookshelf via a balcony walkway with a transparent floor – the perfect adrenaline rush. The architects' scalpel also got to work above the reading chairs: in addition to the extended staircase, a large skylight allows you to look up to the second upper floor where you will find dressing rooms, bedrooms and a spacious study. This creates a seamless, vertical transition from social spaces to private spaces, which all feel connected thanks to their focus on natural light and a uniform art concept based on film posters, some of which are oversized.

If you're looking for somewhere quiet where you can concentrate, The Library offers more than just the reading space on the first floor, check out the basement for example. Separated from the rest of the apartment, the basement provides a retreat that is also opened vertically with surgical precision: an inset atrium leading to the courtyard ensures natural light here too. This is a very social space by design, with a long wooden table and a built-in grill, both with attractive lighting. The lighting and all other features designed to increase user comfort are controlled in the background using an intelligent Gira KNX system. The Gira pushbutton sensor 4.55 is used as an intuitive operating device. Matching pure white glossy Gira E2 design line switches and socket outlets, which are suitable for flat installation, are as unobtrusive as they are sophisticated in this well-designed, open-plan world of living and reading.