Cosmopolitan allure
inspired by the regal lines of haussmannstyle french architecture, this apartment Combines the simplicity of Clean, symmetrical lines with an elegant mix of furnishings and artworks
Merging contemporary elements with Art Deco and Haussmann-inspired Parisian details, this stylish third-floor apartment in Sant Gervasi, Barcelona presents an interesting medley of shapes and textures. The home of a young family of three—a couple who works in the fashion industry and their daughter—was designed by Chileanborn, Barcelona-based interior designer Jaime Beriestain. It has three facades, in a configuration that’s quite uncommon as far as Barcelona apartments go. This creates a very open interior that incorporates massive outward-facing windows.
French Flair
The starting point for Beriestain’s concept was inspired by the architectural style of Georges-eugène Haussmann, who helmed the renovations of Paris from 1853 to 1870. The Haussmann aesthetic favours draconian specifications, a symmetrical axis and a distinctly noble aesthetic with clearly differentiated zones.
To lay down the foundations for this style, Beriestain added 20-centimetre-high sockets and mouldings on the walls and ceilings, as well as capitals on the door frames and double doors. He reconfigured the distribution of space, creating axes and eliminating rooms. “[The result is] a bright, warm, and sophisticated apartment that one can imagine in Paris or London,” he explains. Sculptural