This project, Simon and Marianela's own apartment in Barcelona, was designed to preserve the open plan of a former artist's studio overlooking one of Barcelona's most attractive plazas.

The original rough tile floor, and the high vaulted roof unify the long rectangular space.

This is articulated into two ends by an island along one side of the centre section which contains the open 'american' style kitchen, a shelving area with acid treated glass doors, the bathroom and the main bedroom closets, all finished in light maple wood.

The living, dining and kitchen area is a single space, the kitchen only separated by a bar unit.

At the rear end of the apartment, overlooking a garden- patio, the bedroom suite is open to the remainder of the space but can be closed off by full height sliding doors suspended from the ceiling beams.

Similarly the bedroom subdivides into 2 spaces with a double leaf full height sliding partition. The flexibility allows an open studio, a single separate bedroom or 2 separate bedrooms.

The existence of 2 steel reinforcing beams to the roof angled from the centre of each façade to the off centre stair and lift shaft create a play of angles which the centre sliding partitions continue to create a visual movement which at once increases the perspective and adds an eccentric interest to the plan.

The finishes, the kitchen and the bathroom have been selected to create harmony with a minimal but high quality palette of materials. Furnishings are likewise kept to a minimum to emphasize the sense of space and order.