I’m having one of those “I wish I was a Spainish architect” moments again. The current cause of envy is Bach arquitectes, a Barcelona based studio who were handed this original 1910′s apartment and asked to convert it into a current day, family home. With so many winning features lacing the original bones of the apartment, the trickiest part was adapting the space to their client’s needs whilst preserving the beauty of the original structure. The architects likened the process to solving a “jigsaw puzzle.” They altered floor levels and recessed joinery below cornice level in order to keep skirtings, cornices and flooring intact. If you trace your eyes along the cornices, you can spot where walls have been lost…

I fear I may be starting to sound like a broken record by now in telling you how much I adore heritage interiors. They are a huge love of mine – their decaying beauty captivates and inspires me, their peeling layers leave me intoxicated unlike most “new” spaces ever can. This 18th century apartment in medieval part of Barcelona belongs to Benedetta Tagliabue, a Milanese born Barcelona based architect who has done such a wonderful job in creating a very special home for herself and her family (her late architect husband and business partner, Enric Miralles, passed away in 2000).

This home is all about preserving the memories of the building, expressing the detailing and the artistry of the bygone era, creating a natural, comfortable, rich and authentic interior which appears to be a joy to occupy…

01 | Zona Tortona – Moroso, Neoreal Wonder, Foscarini, E15, Dedon, Design Junction, Moooi, Tom Dixon | MILAN 2011. 02 | Salone del Mobile | MILAN 2011. 03 | Baccarat Highlights | MILAN 2011. 04 | Bisazza, InterfaceFLOR, Established & Sons, Cassina, Cappellini, Poltrona Frau | MILAN 2011. 05 | Talking Textiles: An Initiative Curated by Lidewij Edelkoort | MILAN 2011. 06 | ‘This Way’ by Design Academy Eindhoven | MILAN 2011. 07 | Brera Highlights – Moroso, Missoni, Boffi, Nodus, Hermès, Fritz Hansen, Paola Lenti, Agape, Seletti | MILAN 2011. 08 | Spazio Rossana Orlandi | MILAN 2011. 09 | Rotor: Ex Limbo Installation at Fondazione Prada | MILAN 2011…

Well, well, well… I must admit that am both excited and a little bit sad to welcome you to this Travel Tuesday and the fifth and final post in the Barcelona Travel Guide Series. Like they say – all good things must come to an end, but before I get all emotional and shi… I mean stuff, let me just tell you about a few excellent places where you can spend you hard earned cash (or display restraint unknown to myself, and enjoy a good dose of window shopping, although that’s never as much fun, right?!)

One thing to keep in mind when planning your day is that shop hours are approximately 10am – 1:30pm and 4:30pm to 7:30pm Mon – Fri (and Sat mostly am). And when I say approximately, I mean very approximately, as you need to give or take …

 
¡Hola Y’all! Welcome back to Travel Tuesday and this fourth post in the Barcelona Travel Guide Series specially curated for you by yellowtrace. Hooray! Are you ready to hear about some fantastic places to eat and booze up in the fine city of Barcelona? Yes? Perfect – you’ve come to the right place. Let me just start this post by saying that the food in Barcelona (and Spain in general) is extremely awesome. And I mean extremely extreme awesomeness, freshness and deliciousness. You are pretty much guaranteed to have an excellent meal just about anywhere you eat.

Most restaurants offer Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day) which typically includes an entree (soup or salad), main course with a side dish and dessert – all for one price. Menu del Dia is the most economical way to eat in Spain, and a great …