I WANTED TO HAVE A MINIMALIST WHITE BOX, TO PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON MY ART COLLECTION. — JAIME BERIESTAIN
THE APARTMENT’S LOCATION
The apartment is set in Barcelona’s Eixample district. I love being in the centre of the city, although the area is vey quiet. I can enjoy all its benefits: walking to Santa Catarina market, living just a stone’s throw from the Passeig Sant Joan and Carrer de Trafalgar. It’s an area that’s constantly buzzing, with the opening of design and fashion shops, charming hotels and restaurants, and there are also art galleries.
“BEING ON THE MAIN FLOOR, WHAT WON ME OVER WAS THE HEADROOM. ALSO, UNUSUALLY, IT HAS A LOT OF INNER COURTYARDS THAT PROVIDE SHAFTS OF NATURAL LIGHT. “
THE APARTMENTS ORIGINS
The apartment used to be an office. To convert it, I had to demolish the original structure. Of the original space, only the façade’s windows remain.
THE APARTMENT TODAY
The apartment’s design clearly differentiates between the area for my social life and that for my private life, with a secluded bedroom. The apartment has been designed as an open, seamless space providing a dual aspect. The living room’s dimensions mean that it can host cosy, intimate gatherings. The dining room is directly connected to kitchen, but can be separated with a large sliding partition wall.
“GENERALLY, I COOK FOR MY GUESTS WITH THE LARGE SLIDING DOOR BETWEEN THE DINING ROOM AND THE KITCHEN OPEN. WHEN I’M DONE, I CLOSE IT (IT’S ALMOST A WALL ON WHEELS!) AND THE DINING ROOM BECOMES SELF-CONTAINED AND PEACEFUL”
The spacious bedroom features a terrace, dressing room and en-suite bathroom. Natural light, transparency and reflecting metal formed the starting point for the apartment’s concept: the Boris Tabacoff chairs, with their chrome-plated bases, reflect the light, as does the table’s structure. The transparency of the Nomos glass table by Norman Foster. There’s an interplay of light, reflections and subtle transparency in the place, which gives it both airiness and substance. The Tom Dixon lamps in the bathroom are the only new elements in the apartment’s design. For a contemporary room, it has a vintage look.
“I WAS INTERESTED IN THE REFLECTIONS, AND I THINK THEY PROVIDE A GREAT FIT WITH MY APARTMENT’S CONCEPT.”
THE CONCEPT
“I WANTED TO HAVE A MINIMALIST WHITE BOX, TO PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON MY ART COLLECTION.”
The works of art give the space bright colours, depth and perspective. The doorframes and shelving in the living room are varnished in black to give an impression of the apartment’s dimensions.
ART
I collect works of art that indirectly deal with places and architecture. There’s something timeless about them, and I’m always discovering a different story and meaning in the works, depending upon where I am in my life, on how the light hits them, and on the way I combine them. They are works that speak of space, matter, architecture and the interaction between man and his environment..
“MY ART COLLECTION REFLECTS MY PERSONAL JOURNEY, SOMETHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN LIFE, A FACET OF MY PERSONALITY.”
Peter Haley’s open prison, the freedom of Prats’ birds, Georges Rousse’s theatrical trompe l’oeil effect, Javier Arce’s self-deprecating humour, Ola Kolheimanen’s sense of observation: all these works are related to something I have experienced in life, a facet of my personality. The guest cloakroom: I asked Yoshi Sisley to create a fresco with different nods to my personal life. There are references to Chile, to friends, to artists I like… a sort of compendium of my life and the things I like.
LIFE
I love to invite people to my apartment. It makes me really happy to prepare and organise dinners for my friends. Afterwards, bathed in the warmth and light of the ethanol fireplace, it’s time for after-dinner drinks. Gin and tonics and lots and lots of laughs.
COLOROS
The colour palette is bold and vibrant without being strident. There is a great amount of harmony and cohesiveness in the choice of colours.
