The flat is stil being purchased but will be decorated in a modern, open plan style with an emphasis on natural light. I already have a rough plan in place to remove the old false ceilings and explose the original wooden beams. These will be stripped down and treated to allow their natural beauty to shine through. As the celling has to be removed and all the existing light fittings with it I have the opportunity to carefully place new light fittings so that the flat is illuminated at night and any naturally dark areas can be well lit.
As the apartment used to be two flats there are two entrances. One is currently boarded up and is not used, while the other leads into the rear of the flat. My intention is to change these entrances to that the front door leads into the living area. This means that upon entering the flat the first view will be of the terrace and the outdoor space that it provides. The door currently used as the entrance is to be boarded up and the third bedroom extended to provide optimal space.
The main negative issue with the flat is the fact that the third bedroom doesn't have access to an exterior window. This is actually not that uncommon in Barcelona and many apartments have at least one "interior" room. As I want to take advantage of as much natural light as possible my plan is to place light bricks made of glass high up in all the internal walls of the flat. I may even make a pattern out of the bricks so that they provide some interest.
The main bedroom is next door to a bathroom. I want to make this an en-suite. Space permitting.
The main room is at the back of the flat and leads directly onto the terrace. At the moment there is one glass sliding door leading onto it. Ideally I would like to remove the back wall and make this all glass with door access. An architect told me that technically this is possible but the Ayuntamiento (council) are usually against this sort of thing. So I can do it illegally, or come up with some creative ways to access the terrace. Even if I can't do this I do want to create a smal extension on the back. This is legal as the original outdoor toilet structure is still in place (the washing machine will go here) and I can extend out that far. This will also provide a good winter room from which to enjoy the terrace.
The kitchen is currently separated from the living room with stud walls I am going to remove these and create a large open plan kitchen and dinning area. I some ideas for the kitchen that involve building supporting walls out of glass brick and then placing the work suface on top of the bricks. I will have a central work station / breakfast bar and I want to make a light feature with the bricks so that the glass is lit from behind. I still have to work out if this is possible but I like the idea of walking into the living room and it is lit solely by a wall of light. This will also be cheaper than buying a kitchen as all I need are the bricks and the worktop to purchase (excluding the appliances of course) I wil keep it open plan and not put doors on anything (though I could later if I wanted and I will need shelves) I got the idea from the kitchen where I currently live, it is an old bar / restaurant and the bar area is being used as the kitchen. It is entirely built out of bricks and concreate and it works so well at the moment. Doors just get in the way and you can see what food you have (or don't have) at a glance. For the workspace I'm thinking of concrete slabs painted with clear laquer. I should be able to build the whole thing with my builder quite cheaply. And of course it will be totally unique.
The flat currently has grey ceramic tile throughout for flooring. I want to place wooden heated flooring on top of these.
For the terrace the first thing I need to do is ensure security and privacy. So fences all the way around. Then I'm going to go to town on plants. Definitely some furniture, diefintely a table and chairs, defintely a barbie. Maybe a pool? (depending on structural issues) maybe a deck. This wil evolve organically and the main draw of the apartment for me. In Barcelona you can eat outdoors 9 months of the year.
