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Case Study

Vibrant Catalan Apartment |

by Ana Engelhorn

This 300 square meters apartment, located in the Turo Park area in Barcelona, has been designed by the London-based interior designer Ana Engelhorn. The flat was bought four years ago by the aspiring interior designer and it was redone to let in more light and make the rooms larger.

The apartment had been previously owned by a family which had let it run into deterioration and the face lift it received concentrated mainly on bathrooms, flooring and stripping down the dark wooden doors and frames.

The apartment needed 3 bedrooms so she enlarged the master bedroom larger, with one entrance to it; including a bedroom, changing area, sofa area, yoga-room and bathroom. The two other ensuite bedrooms were designed as a children’s bedroom and a visitors’ bedroom. Ana’s biggest change in the apartment’s structure was probably in the kitchen where she connected 3 tiny rooms and made one larger area with a big opening to the dining room. She gave the kitchen a central island and a bar area, which enables to look after guests whilst doing last-minute additions to the meals in the kitchen.

Being a lover of Drummonds, Ana Engelhorn bought and shipped the utilities directly from the UK and gave them an English look by painting the bathrooms in stripes.  Each bathroom’s walls had a distinct colour with the bath itself matching it. The apartment has three ensuite bathrooms and one guest bathroom, which have an English flair thanks to Drummonds’ utilities.  All bathrooms have wooden flooring and lighting from Catellani & Smith, the lighting given being not only functional but also decorative.

The apartment in general is decorated mainly with antiques ranging from the 19th Century to art found in Spanish fairs like ARCO and Art Madrid.  The interior designer has selected pieces from the UK’s Augustus Brandt and Petworth as well as a local store near the Apartment called Luzio Conceptstore.  There are some Swiss antiques influenced by her time in Switzerland.

The main bathroom, which is blue, and the children’s bathroom, which is purple, has a bath with a shower curtain around it to be able to use it as a ahower.  The bath/shower combination helped with the issue of limited space.

In the first bathroom, characterized by blue and white stripes, stands the beautiful blue-painted Serpentine bath with feet. This low roll top bath features curved, contoured sides and back for the greatest comfort and its structure is based on the figure of 8 which prevents water from spilling over the side. It comes here with the very functional Coll Lever Bath & Shower Mixer, fixed on a H stand, in an elegant and classic chrome finish, hand polished to the highest quality.

This purple-theme bathroom displays the Naver China Vanity Basin, which celebrates time-honoured British bathroom design. The integrated splash back and plunger removes the need for a waste plug and chain, whilst its generous dimensions makes it ideal for larger bathrooms.

Let’s not forget the Spey Cast Iron Bath Tub With Ball & Claw Feet, named after a famous Scottish river. One of its key attributes is its length: it is our largest and longest bath, ideal if you like to lie flat, but it is low enough that you can also sit up and rest your arms comfortably on the deep roll top. Its large outer rim facilitates the access.  Perfect for a relaxing soak for one or two.

Last, but not least, the last bathroom boasts a cast iron shower tray, based on the intricate design of the ball and claw bath feet. Painted here in green, it can also come in a primed or polished finish.

Interior Designer: Ana Engelhorn

Photographer: Héctor Jensen Pie