A place of my own: No shortage of space
Dutch entrepreneur and founder of the NGO Women Win, Astrid Aafjes, first moved to Spain with her family back in 2010, with the intention of staying for one year. Seven years later they are still here, having fallen for the Mediterranean climate and easy-going Spanish lifestyle. When the family first arrived they settled in Sitges, but after finding life there a little too laid-back, they opted for city living instead. It was important to Astrid that their new home be spacious enough for the whole family, preferably with a garden area for the summer months—a tall order in Barcelona. She struck gold when she stumbled across a listing for a large house in the hilly neighbourhood of Vallcarca, complete with a garden, city views, and right next door to Park Gϋell; ideal for regular walks with their dog, Chili.
When Astrid found the property listing, it had already been posted online for months, so she didn’t have high hopes for it, but upon visiting she immediately loved the little road winding up to the house. Away from the city’s neatly organised grids, it stands in a more rugged, irregular area peppered with graffiti and simple architecture. “Although it may not be as chic as other neighbourhoods, we like the grittiness of the area, as well as its distinctly local feel,” Astrid explained.
The house is perched on a slope along a meandering lane, which, although making it a little difficult to reach, provides it with a great vantage point over the city below. With four bedrooms, a large kitchen and multiple living areas across three storeys, there is certainly no shortage of space. A shrub-lined garden with an oval-shaped swimming pool is ideal for lazy afternoons and lengthy lunches in the summer sun. Having found a house that ticked all the boxes, the next challenge was for the family, who arrived in Spain with just four suitcases, to fill the space and make it a home.
Evidence of Astrid’s fondness of the urban aesthetic is visible in the interior design of the home. Upon entering, a high-ceilinged, open-plan living area is accented with colourful works by local graffiti artists. At one end of the room, a chunky pine table paired with a set of white Eames chairs sits beneath a low-hanging wooden pendant light, against a backdrop of brightly coloured book spines lining white wooden bookshelves. Overlooking the table is a vibrant recreation of a famous Pulp Fiction still, in which the gun-wielding figures of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are replaced with Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. It serves as a good representation of the house’s general design, which blends light-hearted, colourful and modern pieces with more traditional elements, natural materials and muted tones.
Whilst not adhering to one style, Astrid lists the Nordic aesthetic as a design influence, although she is wary of letting it become too uniform or clinical: “There must be some sort of soul.” Objects accumulated on the family’s travels add character without over-complicating the space. A weighty metal sculpture of a crouching female figure, which Astrid bought whilst living in Cambodia, sits on a bookshelf, while a photographic portrait of an Ethiopian girl in traditional headdress dominates the main wall of the sitting area. The latter is one of Astrid’s most treasured pieces, having worked to empower women in numerous African countries with Women Win.
Although the terms of renting prevented the family from transforming the house entirely, Astrid painted the walls white, bringing a fresh contrast to the dark wooden panelling. When choosing furniture, she paired fabrics with the natural materials used in the house: “When I saw all the wood and the living room’s large stone fireplace, I knew it needed a leather couch.” A long, dark brown leather sofa sits opposite more contemporary armchairs, including a tan-coloured Butterfly (or BKF) chair, creating an effortless fusion of old and new. Small stool-like tables fashioned from knotted wood add to the room’s alpine feel, while a wild boar’s head is mounted on the wall, comically adorned with a pair of Aviator sunglasses. The result is a warm-hued, cosy seating area perfect for winter evenings spent lounging in front of the crackling log fire—no wonder it’s Astrid’s favourite corner of the house.