Small Apartment Interior Design

This small apartment interior design project is located in the heart of El Raval, Barcelona — a neighborhood known for its narrow streets, historic buildings, and compact apartments with challenging layouts.

The client, a young woman looking to transform her first apartment into a space adapted to her lifestyle and personality, gave INSAYN a very intuitive and emotional briefing from the beginning.

She loved Thailand, preferred passion fruit ice cream over chocolate, believed that less is more, and imagined her future home as a calm, bright, and relaxing space filled with simple lines and soft energy.

The original apartment was a typical old Barcelona flat divided into three small bedrooms, a closed kitchen, and fragmented circulation areas that prevented natural light from flowing through the space. One of the main challenges of the project was therefore to rethink the distribution of the apartment while preserving its original identity.

The client immediately fell in love with the traditional Spanish ceramic floor tiles and wanted to preserve them as part of the apartment’s character. At the same time, creating openness, fluidity, and natural light became essential elements of the interior design concept.

Michelle Lopez, co-founder, architect and interior designer at INSAYN, explains:

“Our goal was to create amplitude and perspective throughout the apartment. We wanted open and connected spaces where the entire home could visually breathe from every angle.”

The new apartment layout was designed to maximize space perception and functionality while maintaining a warm and youthful atmosphere. Open areas, visual continuity, and carefully selected materials help the apartment feel larger and brighter despite its limited dimensions.

Geometry and color also became central elements of the project. As Célia Antunez, co-founder and interior designer, describes:

“Playing with geometry, contrasts, and color compositions allowed us to give each space its own personality while maintaining harmony across the apartment.”

Every corner of the project reflects the vibrant and creative identity of its owner while staying minimal, functional, and deeply connected to everyday living in Barcelona.

This project embodies INSAYN’s vision of small apartment interior design: transforming compact urban spaces into expressive, practical, and emotionally engaging homes.