Diagonal by De la Villa Studio
Diagonal by De la Villa Studio rethinks a fragmented Barcelona apartment into a clear, contemporary home that feels expansive, calm, and deliberately connected to its setting on Avinguda Diagonal.
Positioned on one of the city’s defining thoroughfares, the flat sits within a fast-moving, cosmopolitan patchwork of commerce, design, and corporate life. The refurbishment treats that context as more than backdrop, giving the project a composed, representative presence while keeping day-to-day living effortless.
The original plan was crowded with nooks and an overreliance on corridors, leaving valuable floor area underused. De la Villa Studio’s response was architectural and direct: a single central corridor becomes the organising spine of the apartment, operating as both entrance hall and distributor. With circulation clarified, the layout can hold a stronger separation between shared spaces and private rooms, without resorting to heavy partitions or visual noise.
A continuous floor of natural, aged Mencía oak strengthens this sense of unity. Marked by visible knots and laid with invisible joints, the timber runs through the home as a warm, grounding plane. It sets a Mediterranean tone that reads as contemporary rather than nostalgic, and it helps the apartment feel like one continuous environment rather than a sequence of separate rooms.
In the social area, an existing central structure is retained and reinterpreted as a technical core that mediates between kitchen and living room. By concentrating installations within this volume, the surrounding space is released from unnecessary divisions, improving sightlines and day-to-day flow. The kitchen is treated as a sculptural object in its own right: fully stainless steel, with a generous island that encourages movement around it. Tall units and storage are aligned cleanly to either side, keeping the composition precise and integrated. Steel’s durability is matched by its optical effect, amplifying available daylight through soft reflection.
Against the coolness of metal, Travertine is introduced as a tactile counterpoint. Used for shelving and the cooking-area surround, the stone brings texture and a measured softness to the kitchen’s crisp surfaces. This dialogue continues into the living-dining area, where the existing structure is used to anchor bespoke joinery, including a tall kitchen unit on one side and a light oak television unit on the other. A tall skirting board extends across both rooms, quietly stitching kitchen and living space into one continuous domestic landscape.
Small moments of surprise are embedded within this disciplined framework. In the dining room, an aged-mirror hidden door opens to a functional bar unit, shifting the atmosphere without disrupting the overall calm. Elsewhere, the guest toilet becomes a deliberate departure: mustard-toned wallpaper and a bespoke Travertine Silver basin create a more expressive pocket within the home, giving the apartment a stronger sense of character and contrast.
In the private zones, the main bathroom and dressing room are merged into a single, generous suite. Suspended wardrobes and basins in Emperador Buñol stone guide movement toward the shower area, with the same stone framing the entrance to the main bedroom as a threshold element. Throughout, the project is built on the studio’s commitment to noble, natural materials, handled with architectural restraint and close attention to detail.
Walls finished with brush-applied, water-based paint add a subtle, crafted texture that sits comfortably alongside stone and wood. Furniture is curated to feel lived-in and specific, combining contemporary pieces with bespoke elements and selections from antique dealers. Earth tones, browns, and mustard form a cohesive palette that supports the material story without becoming decorative for its own sake. Emerging artworks complete the interiors, bringing a sense of singularity to each room and reinforcing the home’s identity through carefully placed moments of visual tension and warmth.
