An Attic In Barcelona - Interior designer Marta Esteve, proves you can create a beautiful home in just 80 square metres

The current trend is about creating smaller homes by clever use of space. With an ever growing worldwide population and land becoming scarcer, the future sees us living in smaller, more eco friendly spaces. When I was living in Brunei, we had a massive, 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom house provided by the company. We rattled around in this house for at least a year before I gave in and started to fill it with rugs, furniture and collections from our travels. I needed somehow to prevent the echo which bounced around the house and made my mother question if we were living in a cave when she phoned from New Zealand. At meal times, I couldn't simply shout out to the boys in their upstairs bedrooms, I had to trudge along the hall, up the stairs, along the upstairs hall and pound on the door before they could actually hear my voice. 

Living mainly on the ground floor of this two level structure we scarcely ventured into some of the rooms. In fact, the house was so large,(over 4,500 square foot), I held my first painting exhibition in an 'unused' living space on the upper level. The only previous visitors had been the local 'chit chats' (gecko's, named for the sound they made), who were notorious for invading Brunei houses. Since returning to New Zealand and currently living in a small 115 square metre home, I realise how much wasted space there is in large dwellings. As long as a small home has well defined living areas and plenty of storage, one can live happily, and proving this point is interior designer, Marta Esteve who has created a stylish haven for herself in just 80 square metres of space in her Barcelona, Attic apartment.

As a worldwide traveller, Marta's has collected treasures from her travels, her antiques and collectibles, and even the odd piece of IKEA live happily together in her apartment. To me, this space appears to have a maturity that one does not normally see in such a small space. Utilising clever, space saving ideas, such as sliding doors, a pantry island in the kitchen and furniture that is multifunctional such as the dining room table that doubles as a desk for her daughter's homework. Marta has made this home work for her, not only is it aesthetically beautiful, it proves we do not need vast space to live and function comfortably.

Images via

As illustrated by Marta, a small space can become a beautiful home with all one needs, if it is carefully thought out. Marta has found the perfect balance of furniture and finishing touches that make this space a comfortable, stylish home.

Lee oxo