23 December 2021
An icon of the industrial Barcelona that broke away from its historical and cultural past through avant-garde artistic movements such as rationalism and surrealism, this building was the last great work by architect Josep Goday (1882-1936), one of the greatest exponents of Catalan novecentismo, which came to prominence with the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona.
Located in the Eixample area near Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and Plaça de Catalunya, this monumental early twentieth-century construction has been converted into a block of tourist apartments (8 Sides) with interior design by Pia Capdevila and PORCELANOSA's natural collections.
A new twist to Art Deco from an eclectic viewpoint
8 Sides still has the original Late Art Deco structure that Goday devised, but it has been updated with an eclectic décor based on neutral tones (brown and grey), round golden lamps, floral motifs, stuccoed walls, marble floors, oriental rugs, and ceramics. This was the challenge faced by Pia Capdevila, who had to preserve the historic value of the building, while adapting it to the present. The task was particularly complex in the basement, which served as an air-raid shelter during the Civil War and which became central to the refurbishment.
To allow natural light to enter this part of the building, the rear was reformed and a visual communication channel was opened by means of terraces and interior courtyards. In each of the 29 co-living apartments, a neutral style has been combined with more daring elements, full of intense blue, grey and white, marble compositions in bathrooms and kitchens, wooden furniture, symmetrical taps (Noken) and PORCELANOSA Manhattan Cognac ceramic parquet flooring, which has been used throughout the common areas, the apartments and the coworking area. "The aim is to adapt to any type of guest by focusing on creating private rooms with maximum visual space, with their own character and a carefully crafted décor," Capdevila explains.
A design for communal living
The project has a Heritage-listed façade and 3,200 square metres of floor space, promoting communal living in meeting rooms and work areas and in the gym, the solarium and swimming pool, the lounges and the Honesty Bar. The best-preserved original elements include the Catalan vaulted ceilings and the main staircase, which has been modernised with a series of cantilevered treads to provide access to the private accommodation and the top floor. On this floor there is a swimming pool, a solarium with sun loungers and a terrace with seating to enjoy the superb views of Barcelona.
See it in Projects Porcelanosa.
Interior design: Pia Capdevila Interiorismo
Photo: Jordi Canosa
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