A place of my own: A room with a view
Situated on Passeig de Colom, with spectacular panoramas from his top floor terraces, Swede Magnus Jern couldn’t have asked for a better location to make his home from home. He moved into the apartment eight years ago, after his friend moved out. “I wasn’t all that sad to see him go,” Magnus joked, and in 2014, his now wife, Ana Rodriguez Tocón, joined him in this haven on high.
For five years prior to relocating, Magnus was commuting between London, Barcelona and New York. “I was based in London,” he said, “but I got tired of the rain.” Once he settled in Barcelona, however, he quickly realised something unsettling about this city as well. “Part of the reason I wanted to spend more time in Barcelona was to be closer to the sea. I love the water. I love to surf. But it kills me to see so much plastic floating in the Med and washed onto Barcelona’s beaches.” Bottled water consumption in Spain increased from about 74 million glass bottles in 1965 to between six and eight billion plastic bottles in 2016, which has caused big issues in terms of plastic pollution, as only about 20 percent gets recycled.
Magnus decided to take action. Along with a friend, he spent three years researching the subject, learning the composition of Barcelona’s tap water and how to make an effective filter. His company, TAPP Water, now sells tap and shower filters that remove at least 70 chemicals and reduce the effects of more than 50 others, such as chlorine, heavy metals and pesticides.
Stepping off the elevator into Magnus and Ana’s one-bedroom apartment, the kitchen, which features a TAPP 1 proudly attached to the kitchen tap, is the first space that comes into view. Where there used to be a wall, closing off the kitchen from the rest of the apartment, now stands an island and two bar stools with white, button-tufted seat cushions and low, silver backrests. Removing the wall is the only major structural change the couple has made to the place. “It was a good decision,” said Magnus, “because we spend a lot of time in there, especially when we have people over in the colder months. The kitchen is where everyone tends to congregate.”
When asked what they most often cook, Magnus replied “gazpacho” without a moment’s hesitation. “My mother is from Andalusia,” Ana elaborated, and under the pseudonym Lady Gazpacho, Ana launched a culinary initiative to share her family recipe with the world.
To the right of the kitchen is the bedroom. Bathed in natural light, there’s a wall of bookshelves and a unicorn nestled amongst the pillows on the bed. It’s hard to pay attention to what’s inside, however, as the French doors leading out to the back terrace beckon. “We use this terrace for reading, when we want to have a more peaceful moment, or to watch the sun set,” Ana said.
On the other side of the kitchen, through an open foyer, lies the dining room table and a cosy living room. Magnus started decorating the apartment before Ana moved in. “That’s why all the furniture is Scandinavian,” she said with a smile. Together they added more personal touches, such as paintings on almost every wall, most of which they created at paint parties hosted by a friend.
Even with their art displayed, and original hydraulic floor tiles gleaming in different patterns across the apartment, the interior pales in comparison to the outdoor spaces. “Since we’re only renting, it’s hard to find the motivation to renovate, design and perfect everything we want,” explained Ana, and they both admit they have given more attention to the design of the front terrace as opposed to the one facing towards the Barcelona Cathedral and the mountains.
A covered lounge area with a comfy sofa and two armchairs, a black and white geometric rug underneath dark brown patio furniture, a sleek barbecue pit and aerial views of the superyachts docked at Port Vell make up this slice of paradise. “We barbecue out here at least three times a week in the summer,” said Magnus, “and used to have just as many parties, but cut back after one too many complaints from the neighbours.” Shielding his eyes from the sun, he said, “No matter how long I live here, I don’t think I will ever get tired of looking out at the sea.”
Magnus and Ana are expecting, which poses the question: is this seafront abode big enough for a family? “For the first year I think we’ll all fit,” said Magnus. “Babies are small.” But as the little one gets bigger, they’ll have to re-evaluate the situation. “I would be extremely sad if we had to leave this place,” he confessed, “but even if we eventually move away from the city, I’ll never really leave.”