A place of my own: A colourful update

California-born graphic designers Diana Aspillera and Mike Romano moved to Barcelona for the second time in 2012, in order to live where their business is based. “We had a choice between Berlin and Barcelona, but being from California we were scared of the weather so went with the sunnier option,” laughed Diana.

Arriving in Barcelona, Diana and Mike went in search of what would be the third property they’ve owned together. They had a list of requirements in mind when searching for their new home. “Our main goals were to find somewhere around the Gràcia area, as our kids were in school there, and for the place to have a terrace for our cats,” explained Diana. They were also looking for somewhere that was slightly off the radar in order to stay within budget. When they saw this entresuelo property listed and noticed that it had been on the market for over a year, they thought they should check it out.

Walking in for the first time, they found the apartment decorated in traditional mid-20th century Spanish style, with orange tiled floors and frilly cloth radiator covers—or ‘radiator lingerie’ as Mike calls it. They spotted potential, however, for an open-plan layout, and it ticked many of the boxes. After buying the apartment, they enlisted the expertise of interior designer Graham Collins to make their vision a reality. “We opened up the kitchen and made other architectural changes, but we also replaced the floor tiles and added in elements of our own design,” said Diana.

The main focus of the design is on the living areas, which stretch the length of the apartment, almost uninterrupted; from an office-study to the spacious kitchen, continuing on to the living room which opens up to a mini terrace. Diana and Mike have personalised their home to match their quirky, eclectic taste. The decor is modern, without being futuristic, and Diana described the inspiration as being a utilitarian Danish aesthetic with more colour. “We wanted to use mostly light colours because the apartment doesn’t get that much natural light. But because we’re both graphic designers, we love adding splashes of colour.” In the kitchen, a lime green countertop brightens up the room, along with little features like a red teapot set lined up on the exposed shelving. A set of white cupboards, with slightly indented geometric shapes, takes up the other wall of the room, cleverly hiding all the kitchen appliances behind it.

The living room (Diana’s favourite part of the apartment) contains some eye-catching features, including one wall covered with a collection of unusual art pieces. “Some of the art we made ourselves, some we found on the street, and some was made by our artist friends,” said Diana. A large wooden cabinet they also found on the side of the road—now repurposed as part-drinks cabinet, part-knick knack holder—adds character to the room, with each object telling its own little story. Similarly, other walls in the house are used as a blank canvas, with bikes, skateboards and other interesting objects hanging from them, inventively using the resources they have to create their own style. 

Mike admitted that they’ve had difficulty deciding what should go where in the apartment. Creating a home for themselves, their two sons, Fausto and Xavi, their dog and two cats meant thinking tactically about where everything should be placed. “We might still change the living room into a dining room, as we realised it has the sun coming in from the terrace,” said Diana.

When they first moved into the apartment, Diana found that the apartment had a strange vibe: “When you first move in somewhere you should be totally happy and excited, but I had a bit of an off feeling about it.” It was only after they had been living there for three years and had started to fill it with their own memories that they really felt at home. “We had to try and see the potential, but that’s our favourite thing to do. We always buy what no one else wants and try to do something special with it.”