Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Abandoned Dry Cleaning Shop Converted to Modern Home

Posted: 18 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Converted Dry Cleaning Shop House Main

From the dilapidated remains of an old dry cleaning shop wedged between two buildings in Barcelona, Spain has risen a modern split-level family home brimming with historic character. Carles Enrich architects transformed the shop, which was abandoned and littered with debris, organizing it around a central patio and turning a storage room into a satellite studio.

Converted Dry Cleaning Shop House 2

The architects gutted the interior and reclaimed materials from the party walls to create the brick and wood beam ceiling. Stripped of paint, the walls on either side become major architectural focal points in a space that is now bright, open, and modern, with a suspended loft in the center that acts more as a large piece of built-in furniture than a room.

Converted Dry Cleaning Shop House 4

All the partitions that previously enclosed individual rooms were removed, except for the walls around the bathroom, so that inhabitants can maintain visual contact with the green space outside no matter where they are in the home. The loft, primarily consisting of Flanders pine and metal beams, is filled with built-in drawers, shelves and closets.

Converted Dry Cleaning Shop House 6

Glazed walls look out onto the patio, which features a vine-covered pergola providing shade and climate control. The greenery in this treasured space offers a private, tranquil natural environment within the dense urban surroundings of Barcelona.