The Great Escape

This family home in Spain brings the outdoors in with a harmonious mix of mood-lifting colours and textures

- Michele Koh Morollo

In the Catalonian town of Sant Just Desvern, just a short drive east of Barcelona, is a three-storey property that blends its indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly. This enviable Spanish abode not only boasts a beautifully intimate interior; it also has spacious outdoor areas and looks out to a peaceful garden.

The work of Barcelona-based firm The Room Studio, the 7,911sqft property is home to a family of four; the father, an avid sportsman, desired a cosy, liveable interior that was also conscious of its carbon footprint. The Room Studio’s co-founders, Meritxell Ribé and Josep Puigdomènech, incorporated solar energy as well as eco-conscious lighting and climate controls to make the interiors as comfortable as possible while minimising energy consumption. Their aim was to incorporate technology in a way that would ensure the spaces were harmoniously integrated and a joy to the five senses.

“Our clients wanted a very private house that was elegant but architecturally simple. They wanted a house that opened out to a garden, and that had functional zones which were visually connected but at the same time, very private,” Ribé says. Adds Puigdomènech: “The starting point was the idea of creating a project characterised by the elegance of its forms and the serenity of its materials. Each space is independent, but integrated into the common language of the house.”