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Isabel is a professional dancer. She needed a home that could flow like her: open, flexible, responsive to the body, but also to the space itself. We started with a 1950s apartment. It was most likely originally built for working-class families in the Sants district and was one of many similar houses in the area. After successive renovations, it was divided into small closed rooms, and there was always a lack of real space for gathering.
Isabel is a professional dancer. She needed a home that moved the way she does: open, flexible, responsive to the body and to space itself. We parted from a 1950s flat, likely built for working-class families in the Sants neighborhood, one of many in the area. Past renovations had left it fragmented into small, closed-off rooms with no real space to gather.
▼Open living space © Pol Masip
The design brief had two clear objectives: to respect the existing space and to create as large a living and social area as possible at the lowest possible cost. To do this, we eliminated the bedroom facing the building’s facade and incorporated its area into the living space. The kitchen is located here today and extends through the doorway to the entrance. The boundaries between rooms dissolve, and the entire home becomes a continuous space. At the same time, it also gains natural lighting that was never available before.
The brief was clear on two fronts: carve out the largest possible living and social area, and do it while honoring what was already there, at minimal cost. So we gave up one bedroom, the one facing the façade, and folded its footprint into the living space. The kitchen now sits there, spilling through a doorway all the way to the entryway. Boundaries between rooms dissolve; the home reads as one continuous space. As a bonus, it gains natural light it never had.
▼Kitchen connected to the living space © Pol Masip
▼Kitchen detail, Kitchen detail © Pol Masip
The master bedroom continues the same logic. Instead of wasting precious space, it becomes a “room as furniture”: this complex not only belongs to the overall space, but can also close itself to wrap people in it. This is not a new idea – think of the huts we built as children, or the box beds (lits-clos) that are traditional across Europe, especially in Brittany, France. Here, it responds exactly to Isabel’s wish: a more fluid space.
▼Exploded axonometric view © MH.AP Studio
The main bedroom follows the same logic. Rather than losing valuable cubic meters, it becomes a room-as-furniture: a hybrid piece that belongs to the space, yet can also close in on itself and hold you. The idea isn’t new — think of the little cabins we built as kids, or the lits-clos (box beds) found across European traditions, notably in the Bretagne Française. Here, it gives Isabel exactly what she was after: a more fluid space.
▼Living space and the enclosed bedroom, Living space and the enclosed bedroom © Pol Masip
▼Passage alongside the bedroom © Pol Masip
▼Sleeping space integrated into furniture © Pol Masip
The renovation also re-presented the original appearance hidden by time. After the suspended ceiling was removed, the original Catalan vaults were revealed. This respect for existing elements also shapes the living room: the design extends the geometry of the original arch into a volume that houses shelving for the living area and kitchen.
The renovation also brought back what time had buried. Tearing down a dropped ceiling revealed the original Catalan vault. That same respect for what already existed shaped the living room too: the geometry of an original arch was pulled to build the volume that now holds the shelving for both the living area and the kitchen.
▼The arch framing the enclosed bedroom, The arch framing the enclosed bedroom © Pol Masip
▼Archway and built-in shelving © Pol Masip
▼Connections through the archway © Pol Masip
Microcement is an affordable material that ties the entire project together, creating a continuous surface on the ground. At the central wall, it wraps the arch, giving the space a sense of weight through contrast. In contrast, MDF furniture that retains the texture of the base material and is coated with varnish brings warmth, all without adding a single wall.
Microcement ties the project together as a cost-efficient material, running across the floor as one continuous surface. At the central wall, it wraps around the arch, adding weight in a contrast game. Against it, the raw varnished MDF furniture brings warmth, all without a single new wall.
▼Transition between bedroom and adjacent space, Transition between
the bedroom and adjoining space © Pol Masip
Simple, low-tech strategies to create a home that is more open, adaptable, and responsive to its inhabitants. Here, light, space and body movement become the protagonists.
Straightforward and lo-fi strategies for a more open and adaptable home, attuned to the person living in it. One where light, space, and movement take center stage.
▼Apartment model, Apartment model © MH.AP Studio
▼Plan before renovation © MH.AP Studio
▼Plan after renovation © MH.AP Studio
Project: Isabel
Design: MH.AP Studio
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year: 2026
Category: Apartment Renovation
Area: 65 square meters
Status: Completed
Construction: Triflex & Eusebia
Lighting: Corteza Arquitectura, Torno.eu
Photography: Pol Masip
Project: Isabel
Design: MH.AP Studio
Location: Barcelona, ES
Year: 2026
Category: Apartment Renovation
Area: 65 m²
Status: Complete
Construction: Triflex & Eusebia
Lighting: Corteza Arquitectura, Torno.eu
Photography: Pol Masip
Website: mhap.studio
Email: press@mhap.studio
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