A Small Barcelona Apartment Had “Zero Character and Style” But Is Gorgeous Now

Decorative pillows and blankets stacked in unused living room fireplace. — “I fell in love with this apartment because of how light it was and because I saw a great potential in its original layout,” she begins. “I think I managed to create a space that not only expresses my interior design style and my personality, but one that also fits my lifestyle and meets my needs perfectly.” Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

Gold mirror above fireplace in newly renovated living room. — Eszter says much of the art in the home was made by herself. “I am a freelance graphic designer, interior designer, and also visual artist, so, of course, it was a pleasure to be able to put some of my art in my home. Furthermore, even though I am not a professional photographer, a few of the photographs were also shot by me. In addition, even the art not made by me is related to my personality very much.” Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

Plant on stand in living room with neutral toned living room. — Eszter says she chose “mostly natural, muted colors for all the rooms, with some blacks as highlights, because I love the calmness, peace, and clarity that these colors bring me. I also dress in these colors almost always, but in inverted proportion: wearing almost always black from head to toe, with a few white and beige pieces. I love simplicity in interior design, in fashion, in arts, and in graphic design as well!” Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

Vase in center of dining table. — “I am freelancer, living here alone, and while sometimes I work from home, I also am a member of a coworking space, so I wanted to create an office space that does not look like a home office *per se*, so I opted for a big round black table as a desk in the living room, and I hid all my equipment, documents, notebooks, and stationery in a stylish round box and in the white cabinet behind the table. Once I am done with work, the whole living room looks like just a living room in a minute.” Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

Decorative vases in center of white circular dining table. — “I have always adored black steel doors, so I designed one for my bedroom, and I simply adore it.” Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

Artwork on kitchen wall in minimalist kitchen. — “Make sure you can have big wardrobes, cabinets – preferably built-in, so that they can hide a lot of items in a minimalistic way, and this way you can decide what items you actually want to showcase,” Eszter advises. Credit: Eszter Takacs Credit: Eszter Takacs

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ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Apartment

LOCATION: Barcelona, Spain

STYLE: Parisian

BEDROOMS: 2

SQUARE FEET: 550

Eszter Takacs, an artist, graphic designer, and interior designer, has owned this 550-square-foot apartment for two years, and while it was in an “okay” state on move-in day, it “had zero character and style.”

“I bought the apartment in the summer of 2023, and I renovated it entirely myself! It was quite a challenging project, because I was new in Barcelona, didn’t speak the language at all, but it was also so much fun, and I am very happy with the results!” Eszter explains.

She explains that she designed EVERYTHING herself in this space. “I made professional drawings to the workers of every single step of the renovation, in order to avoid any misunderstanding due to the language barriers.”

“I wanted to combine classical and modern elements, so on one hand I exposed the original ceiling (called ‘volta catalana,’ typical in Barcelona), and added Parisian/Hausmannian elements: I put natural oak chevron parquet, designed a custom-built wall with built-in cabinets and shelves, and a dismantled marble fireplace with big gold mirror,” Eszter describes of her home’s style. “And on the other hand I chose modern/contemporary furniture pieces — such as the sofa, armchair, two round tables, as well I added some design classics, for example, Eames chairs, and Pierre Jeanneret chairs.”