Suspended dining table in Gran Via

Clamber on top of the kitchen volume to take a seat at this suspended dining table, giving you a bird’s-eye view of the living room. Bach Architects dealt with the limited space in a 753-square-foot Barcelona apartment with a creative layout that maintains a visual connection between the living area and the back bedrooms, making use of vertical space with a mezzanine level.

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A Fun Way to Save Space

Hanging table to save space
Bright white Barcelona apartment

The architects eliminated a series of corridors and closed-off rooms in the main living space, inserting a low-ceilinged kitchen volume that functions like a piece of furniture. Ladder rungs offer access to the platform, enabling guests to dangle their legs off the edge while working or eating at the hanging table.

Kitchen pass through window
Inside the kitchen

Knocking out walls definitely brightened up the formerly dark interiors, and painting the walls and ceiling while while leaving the original wood beams and trim intact helps the space feel even more airy and spacious. A little pass-through window lets whoever’s cooking in the kitchen talk to guests lounging in the living room and serve them coffee or plates, and creates extra counter space.

More from the architects

“The project consists of a full refurbishment of an apartment in the Eixample district in Barcelona, ​​in a traditional building block from the early twentieth century. The apartment, of about approximately 70 m2, originally had two rooms facing the façade, while the rest of the rooms were lit and ventilated via a wide inner patio. This arrangement generated a series of corridors and dark spaces that had little other function than connecting spaces.”

Suspended dining table in Barcelona

“The new configuration was conditioned by the customers’ wish to keep the two rooms at the façade as bedrooms, whilst a new living room, dining, kitchen and a study space would be organized in the rest of the house. Too many functions for such a short façade to the inner patio. The solution we adopted retains the two bedrooms and creates an open space which accommodates all the functions. The generous height of the house allowed us to design the kitchen, almost like piece of furniture, in the back of the open space, generating a loft, the top which can be used as a study, or a guest room.”

Suspended dining table drawing

“This solution had the advantage of allowing full use of the exceptional height of the apartment and providing the generous central space, which gives access to all the other rooms. The distinct kitchen resembling a piece of furniture, and the fact that it does not use all the height further emphasizes the idea of ​​a large open central space. This very clear outline is adapted to the irregular boundaries of the apartment with the bathrooms and services.”

“The original small toilet space in front of the entrance is kept, and, again, making use of the height, we modified the bathroom near the master bedroom. An elevated bathroom floor permits a storage space underneath. Additional space is gained by locating the bathtub under the shower, combining both functions in one space.”