’70s Redux: A Barcelona Apartment Finds Its Groove
by Fan Winston
The ’70s look has re-infiltrated the design world, and we’re not always onboard with it. This project, though, by Barcelona-based Conti Cert successfully (and subtly) channels the era by giving it a minimalist twist.
It helped that Andrea Conti and Isa Cert, the principal architects, essentially had a blank canvas to work with. The apartment, on the fifth floor of a building from the 1970s, had been remodeled, again and again, to within an inch of its life, so they opted to remove everything and start from scratch. “All the original layers were in a really bad state under the renovation layers,” they explain. The client, a young hospitality entrepreneur with whom they’d collaborated before, also gave them “complete creative freedom; his only wish was to have three sizable bedrooms and a big open space for day use.”
Left blissfully alone to do their thing, the designers went to work, creating a new layout and thoughtfully adding in the high points of ’70s interior style: earthy tones, sink-in seating, metallic surfaces, and paneled wood. Let’s take a tour.
Photography by Claudia Mauriño, courtesy of Conti Cert.
Above: “The freedom that the client gave us was translated into a beautiful new layout. It consists of 200 square meters distributed in a large common living-dining-kitchen area, and then those three large bedrooms that the owner requested.” The custom iroko wood table is by Max Enrich, chairs by Rexite, shelves by BD Barcelona, and floor lamp by Ingo Maurer.
Above: An eat-in kitchen is enclosed by a steel and glass wall, a solution that allows for both separation and open flow.
Above: A wood-paneled wall and ceiling are warm counterpoints to the metal surfaces. The glass lamp on the counter is by designer Jaume Ramírez.
Above: Open to the dining area is the living room, awash in neutral colors except for the arresting artwork by the Ritsch Sisters. Both the safari chairs and the corduroy Togo chair are vintage. (See: Trend Alert: The 1970s Togo Lounge is Today’s Flop-Down Chair of Choice.) The daybed is custom.
Above: Floor-to-ceiling drapery separates the living room from the TV room.
Above: The extra-large sofa and blue wool rug are both custom. The aluminum coffee table is by Frama.
Above: In the bedroom, simplicity reigns. A ledge-cum-headboard also serves as storage space. The step nightstand is by Max Enrich. The striped bedding is by Tekla.
Above: “We used fabric curtains in the bedrooms, which combined with the wall-to-wall carpet floors helped us create these little cocoon-style rooms that we were looking for.”
For more projects by Conti Cert, see:
Mini Is Big: Welcome to the Dawn of Downsizing, 10 Favorites
by Margot Guralnick
Look closely or you might miss them: of late mini facsimiles of familiar household things keep surfacing. Small enough to be heartwarmingly cute, they’re also just big enough to be useful: a winning combination. Here are 10 favorites, each sized to fit in the palm of your hand.
Above: Japanese brand Hightide’s Penco Tiny Metal Container is a 4.2-inch-long version of a retro metal toolbox. Also available in red and green, it’s $12 USD from Neighbour in Toronto.
Above: The beechwood-handled Mini Garden Tool Set, $13.75, from Kikkerland is designed for indoor and small plant gardening.
Above: Preserve stems as you go: The Floral Society’s Mini Flower Press, $25, is sized to slip in a pocket.
Above: The Cotman Watercolour Sketcher’s Pocket Set, $38.49, is from Winsor & Newton, which has been making art supplies since 1832. Travel brush included.
Above: The size of a small notepad, this Penco Mini Clipboard, $8, from Boston General Store is ideal for grocery lists, receipts, and other details of life.
Above: Count the seconds with Hightide’s Mini Hourglass, $12, which runs for approximately 1 minute. Handmade by glass artisans, it’s also available in several larger sizes at the Hightide Store DTLA.
Above: “There was a little fur family, warm as toast, smaller than most, and they lived in a warm wooden tree.” Margaret Wise Brown’s Little Fur Family, with Garth Williams illustrations, comes in three faux fur-covered sizes, but the Mini Fur Family is the ideal—at least according to my daughter and me. It’s $9.99 from Flora and Henri.
Above: Among the appeals of Kikkerland’s Mini Doodle Kit, $17, is its tin case fitted with a sharpener and eraser. The companion booklet is a coloring book.
Above: Avid Remodelista readers know of our fondness for the Vipp pedal trash bin—it tops the Remodelista 100, our list of favorite everyday objects (see Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home). The Danish steel classic has been in production since 1939, more recently as the fully operational Vipp 3 Pedal Bin Miniature, $140, for tabletop crumbs and castoffs.
Above: Made of stitched cotton canvas, Muji’s Mini Canvas Tote Bag, $4.90, is just right for your pebble collection or favorite lipsticks. N.B.: Fans of Trader Joe’s totes can find its sold-out Mini Canvas Totes on the resale market.
For small-space living inspiration, take a look at:
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