Raúl Sánchez Architects

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    Raúl Sánchez Architects adds colourful details and “kitchen cube” to Spanish home

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    Spanish studio Raúl Sánchez Architects has renovated the PSM21 house outside of Barcelona, adding an interior staircase to turn two separate apartments into one home with colourful details.

    The studio aimed to turn the properties, in the coastal town of Castelldefels, into a single 250-square-metre house that takes advantage of its sea views.
    “The connection with the views, which are striking, are paramount in the project, so the layout tries to connect all the spaces with the exterior, but without simplifying the space, creating, at the same time, a complex indoors living,” Raúl Sánchez Architects founder told Raúl Sánchez told Dezeen.
    The Spanish home was previously two separate apartmentsThe studio initially renovated the upper apartment and will begin working on the lower floor next year. To connect the two floors of the building, which previously had separate entrances, the studio added an internal staircase.
    “The new requirements of the new family did not match the existing layout,” Sánchez said.

    “The two main storeys of the house were split and had no connection, and now the new house will be one only house, with a new connection staircase.”
    A yellow entrance hall welcomes visitorsOn the upper floor, a yellow entrance hall welcomes visitors to the house and leads into an open-plan kitchen and living room.
    Here, a blue-painted volume, which the architect calls the “kitchen cube”, holds the kitchen as well as a small storage room and the internal staircase.
    The kitchen features a blue “cube”On its other side, doors lead to the floor’s three bedrooms, each of which is connected to one of the home’s two bathrooms. The bedrooms are separated from the living spaces by a hallway lined with cabinets.
    To create interest in the space, the architect worked with a number of different textures and bright colours.

    Gold-leaf wall divides renovated Barcelona apartment by Raúl Sánchez Architects

    “Most of the ambience is whitish, but there are different materials giving that whitish, from paint, to white wood, white tiles or white microcement, so the texture is always adding a different character,” Sánchez explained.
    “And then, some colour spots, highlighting, for example, the kitchen cube – which also conceals a wardrobe and the staircase, to be done in the next second stage – that organizes the circulation around it; or in the bedrooms, with a very characteristic tinted wood in unfamiliar colours for the wood, which is something I really enjoy, to use unfamiliar colours with familiar materials.”
    Colourful details decorate the homeDifferent types of metals and stones add more tactile details.
    “There are also metals, as in the doors, mixing brass and stainless steel, or stones, like the red onyx and the granite in the kitchen and island,” Sánchez said.
    “The materiality is rich in textures and colour, so the experience of the house, now from a more tactile approach, is really rich and complex.”
    Architect Raúl Sánchez worked with colourful wood in the bedroomsRaúl Sánchez Architects also aimed for the house to be energy-efficient, using heat pumps to control its tempertaure.
    “All facade walls have been treated to improve their insulation and energy performance, both in solid sections and in the new windows, while a new aerothermal system meets the climatization needs in a highly efficient manner,” Sánchez said.
    “Most of the materials come from local suppliers, reducing the carbon footprint of the construction.”
    A “sauna pavilion” overlooks the gardenWhen complete, the lower floor will contain a study space, additional leisure areas and guest accommodation.
    Outside the home, stone-clad steps lead down to a garden and pool area, while a former warehouse at the bottom of the building was turned into a “sauna pavilion”.
    Each bedroom is connected to a bathroomThe studio was named Emerging interior design studio of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022. Recently completed projects by the studio include the renovation of a Barcelona apartment with a gold-leaf wall and a townhouse with a four-storey spiral staircase.
    The photography is by José Hevia.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: Paolo Burattini, Flavia Thalisa Gütermann, Dimitris LouizosEngineering: Marés ingenierosCarpentry: Vallés carpinteríaMetal works: MetalwareAlluminium and glass works: Jaume Costa

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      Gold-leaf wall divides renovated Barcelona apartment by Raúl Sánchez Architects

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      Architect Raúl Sánchez has renovated a flat in a typical Barcelona apartment building, adding built-in cabinetry and furnishings in hues that echo the original mosaic flooring.

      The 85-square-metre flat was created following the subdivision of a larger apartment with aspects towards the Carrer d’Enric Granados on one side and a large internal courtyard on the other.
      Raúl Sánchez Architects has renovated a Barcelona apartmentSánchez’s studio was tasked with making the most of the available space, which is just six metres wide and needed to incorporate two bedrooms and two bathrooms along with a generous living area.
      Following the partitioning of the original apartment, this smaller flat was left with an entrance set within the building’s interior at one end and a gallery-like room overlooking the courtyard at the other.
      A wall covered in gold leaf separates the living area from the gallerySánchez chose to leave the main living area and gallery open to enhance the sense of space and connection with the view.

      The rest of the interior comprises private functions that are arranged along a hallway leading from the entrance to the living space.
      The gallery houses the dining room and overlooks the courtyard”I wanted to maximise the light throughout the apartment and make something special of the corridor that was necessary given the situation of entering at one end,” the architect told Dezeen.
      “Even though the apartment is small, there are different space situations like differences in height, materials, dimension or colour, which create a very rich experience inside the flat.”
      The kitchen features a pink marble splashbackThe hallway is lined with full-height cabinetry, incorporating doors that lead to the bedrooms on either side. Each bedroom receives natural light and ventilation from a window that opens onto an internal courtyard.
      Small annexes that serve as dressing rooms connect the bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, one of which is also accessible from the hallway. These spaces feature cabinets, shelves and handles made from water-resistant varnished MDF.
      The flat is styled with modern design pieces including a sofa from KragelundThe walls lining the hall feature a rose-gold finish, only interrupted by a pair of dark blue lacquered bookshelves roughly halfway along.
      Sánchez explained that the colour choices derive directly from the intricate mosaic floors, which were preserved and treated to restore them to their original condition.

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      Rooms where the mosaic had previously been removed now feature off-white micro cement floors.
      “Everything inside the apartment has a bit of that brownish-reddish-beige hue of the tiles,” he pointed out. “Even the blue of the shelves, which may seem a big contrast, can also be found in the tiles.”
      Full-height cabinetry lines the hallway of the flatThe hallway’s walls form a datum that extends through into the living space, where the original exposed ceiling beams create a differentiation in height that is emphasised by a subtle change in colour.
      The rose-gold hue used for the cabinets is echoed by a pink Portuguese marble splashback in the kitchen that was assembled from unmatched salvaged slabs.
      Small annexes connect the bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms from the hallwayAn existing structural wall separating the living area from the gallery space was covered with gold leaf in order to lighten its appearance and conceal its load-bearing purpose.
      “This imparts a more symbolic and abstract presence, serving as a connection element with the exterior, reflecting the light that falls upon it from the backyard,” said Sánchez.
      The flat’s furnishings echo the mosaic flooring of the original apartment designThe property is owned by a client based in Dubai, who will use it as a pied-a-terre as well as renting it out some of the time.
      It was styled with modern design pieces including a sofa from Kragelund, a chaise longue by Sancal and a cork stool from Vitra.
      Dark-blue lacquered bookshelves coexist side-by-side with the rose-gold cabinetryLocal gallery Víctor Lope Arte Contemporáneo provided the various artworks.
      Raúl Sánchez has lived and worked in Barcelona since 2005, where his studio takes on global projects across architecture, interiors, urbanism and design.
      The office was named emerging interior design studio of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022 and has previously completed projects including a townhouse with a four-storey spiral staircase and an apartment featuring a shiny brass wardrobe.

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      Raúl Sanchez Architects divides Barcelona apartment with 21-metre-long wooden wall

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      A lengthy walnut-panelled wall runs through the bright white living spaces inside this Barcelona apartment, renovated by local studio Raúl Sanchez Architects.

      The Girona Street apartment is set within a 19th-century building in Barcelona’s affluent Dreta de l’Eixample neighbourhood and belongs to a design-savvy couple with two young children.
      A 21-metre-long walnut-panelled wall runs the length of the Girona Street apartmentPrior to the renovation, the apartment contained a warren of small, dark living spaces bookended by an indoor patio and a sitting room that overlooks the street.
      Raúl Sanchez Architects connected these two rooms with a 21-metre-long wall that stretches from one end of the floor plan to the other. While the majority of surfaces in the apartment were rendered in white micro-cement, the wall is crafted from walnut wood.
      Spaces throughout are rendered in white micro-cement”I thought of a material, which could contrast the whiteness with elegance and warmth while also adding texture and ruggedness,” founder Raúl Sanchez told Dezeen.

      “We made several samples and trials until we got the right wood and the right porosity of walnut.”
      A blue-painted dining room lies next to the loungeA series of rooms run parallel to the wall, beginning with a dining area.
      Here, a section of the rear wall was painted dark blue and fitted with a built-in bench seat, while the floor was inlaid with a square patch of patterned hydraulic tiles.

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      Further along the hallway, a sitting area was created just in front of a pair of stained glass windows. This is followed by two bedrooms that are partially painted blue to match the dining area.
      One of them is fronted by a huge pivoting door that, like the apartment, is split into two sides. One half is clad with stainless steel and the other in brass.
      A sea-green kitchen is hidden behind doors in the walnut-wood wallMore rooms lie concealed behind the long walnut wall, each accessed via a discrete flush door. This includes a U-shaped kitchen, which was almost entirely painted a sea-green hue.
      There’s also a storage area, the family bathroom and the principal bedroom, where a floor-to-ceiling cream curtain helps conceal en-suite facilities.
      Other rooms in the Girona Street apartment are concealed behind flush doorsThe apartment’s indoor patio was freshened up, as was the street-facing sitting area. It now features a mint-green sideboard and bookshelf, as well as a decorative wall panel that mimics the brass-and-steel pivot door.
      More hydraulic tiles were also incorporated into the floor, this time in mismatch prints.
      Hydraulic floor tiles and mint-green furnishings feature in the living roomRaúl Sanchez Architects is behind a number of striking homes in Barcelona, aside from the Girona Street apartment.
      This includes BSP20 House with its towering spiral staircase and the Tamarit Apartment, which is decked out with clashing materials.
      The photography is by José Hevia.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Raúl Sanchez ArchitectsTeam: Valentina Barberio, Paolo Burattini, Flavia Thalisa Gütermann, Dimitris Louizos, Albert MontillaStructure: Diagonal ArquitecturaEnginering: Marés IngenierosTextile design: Catalina Montaña

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      Four-storey spiral staircase forms focal point of BSP20 House in Barcelona

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      A towering spiral staircase and a golden kitchen are some of the features that Raúl Sánchez Architects has introduced in its renovation of this townhouse in Barcelona’s Borne neighbourhood.

      BSP20 House has been in the making since 2013, when Raúl Sánchez Architects was approached by the building’s owners to turn it into a live-work space where they could stay during visits to the city.
      A white spiral staircase rises up from the ground floorHowever, due to regulatory issues, construction works didn’t begin for another seven years. During this period the already dilapidated building fell into further ruin, and at one point was even used as a squat.
      When the renovation finally got underway in August 2020, Raúl Sánchez Architects decided to completely gut the building, only leaving behind the four exterior walls and roof.
      This level of the home also features a brass kitchen suiteAs a result, three new floor levels have been inserted, each installed in such a way so that they don’t touch the building’s front or rear facades.

      Some of the resulting gaps have been filled with panes of glass, allowing residents to steal glimpses of different levels of the home.
      The staircase grants access to each of the home’s four levelsA huge void on the right side of BSP20’s interior now accommodates a white spiral staircase that winds up through the ground, first, second and third floors, all the way to the decked terrace on top of the building.
      Positioned directly above the stairs is a glazed opening that lets natural light filter deep into the plan.
      Rooms have largely been left empty so they can be used for different purposesSeeing the building in such a bare state at the beginning of the renovation process encouraged Raul Sanchez Architects to keep its rough, time-worn brick walls.
      “Those four walls, over 15 metres high, are a museum of the building’s history, where any trace of its construction, and of its use, will be left unaltered, exposed in all its crudeness,” said the studio.
      Raúl Sánchez Architects has preserved the building’s original brick wallsA similarly hands-off approach has been taken with the rest of the interior; most rooms have been largely left without fixtures and fittings so that, if necessary, they can be used for different purposes in the future.
      On the ground floor there is a kitchen, its cabinetry crafted from lustrous brass.
      “In terms of materiality, a certain refinement has been pursued in the new elements to be implemented, in opposition to the crude expressiveness of the existing walls, conscious that the space must house a home,” explained the studio.
      Natural light seeps in from a glazed opening above the staircaseOn the second floor there is only a bathroom lined with cream-coloured lacquered wood, finished with gold-tone hardware.
      The electrics, air-conditioning system and telephone wires have also been concealed within six steel tubes that run upwards through the home.
      Pale lacquered wood lines surfaces in the bathroomWhen it came to restoring BSP20’s facade, the practice had to follow strict heritage guidelines – but it was granted more freedom in the appearance of the front door.
      It’s now clad with three different types of aluminium, and features a graphic rhomboidal design that nods to the patterned hydraulic floor tiles seen inside the house.
      The home was given a new geometric-print front doorRaúl Sánchez Architects has completed several residential projects in its home city of Barcelona.
      Others include The Magic Box Apartment, which features a huge gold wardrobe, and Atic Aribau, which has bright, stripped-back interiors.
      Photography is by José Hevia.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Raúl SánchezArchitecture team: Valentina Barberio, Paolo BurattiniStructure consultant: Diagonal ArquitecturaEngineering: Marés Ingenieros

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      Golden wardrobe forms focal point of The Magic Box Apartment in Spain

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      A shiny brass wardrobe that’s meant to resemble a precious jewellery box features in this apartment near Barcelona designed by Raúl Sánchez Architects. The Magic Box Apartment is set within a two-storey home in the town of Viladecans and is occupied by a married couple and their two young daughters. The husband’s parents live on […] More

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      Raúl Sánchez uses clever cutaways in house at Mas Blanch i Jové winery

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      Corten steel walls, a circular window and a big cross all feature in this house renovated by Raúl Sánchez Architects for a winery in Catalonia. Called Gallery House, the two-storey property functions as both a guesthouse and gallery for the Mas Blanch i Jové winery in La Pobla de Cérvoles. Barcelona-based Sánchez planned his renovation […] More

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      Impress dental clinic in Barcelona features smile-shaped timber partitions

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      Pine-wood partition walls that curve upwards like smiles carve up the interior of this dental clinic in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Raúl Sanchez Architects. Impress is spread across the ground and basement level of a historical building at the heart of Barcelona. The clinic differentiates itself from other dentists by offering online treatments that reduce […] More