BAT Architecture has completed the comprehensive renovation of RA Apartment, a 305 m² residence from the early 20th century, located within a heritage-listed building. The project reinterprets the classical language of the period with precision, transforming it into a home for the present day. The challenge behind the intervention encapsulates its essence: a harmonious dialogue between what is inherited and what is new, between the monumental and the habitable, resulting in a home that stands as an example of classical modernity.
A Historic Home Reinterpreted
The intervention preserves and enhances the property’s most valuable original features, decorative mouldings, handcrafted joinery and solid wood flooring, while introducing contemporary solutions such as open layouts, energy efficiency, and meticulous lighting and finishing details. The result is a home that retains its historic character while responding fully to the demands of modern life.
As a backdrop, the building itself represents the residential architecture of Bilbao’s early 20th-century expansion, characterised by eclecticism and the influence of modernism. Its ornate façades, wrought-iron balconies and carved stone details, together with high ceilings and generous windows, recall the elegance of the period and underscore the importance of preserving and reinterpreting this heritage today.
From Memory to the Present
The building’s heritage protection status required that the original floor plan be maintained, a restriction that became an opportunity. BAT reinterpreted the existing traces through a system of arches that, replicated across the ceilings, evoke the historic layout while freeing the spatial perception at eye level. The result is an unexpected sense of openness, where structural elements barely interrupt the flow and movement feels natural.
The intervention preserves and highlights the original architectural language while introducing contemporary solutions such as open-plan layouts, energy-efficient systems, home automation and finely detailed lighting and finishes. Suspended ceilings conceal technical installations and acoustic insulation, ensuring comfort without compromising the building’s aesthetic integrity.
The restoration of cornices, rosettes and ornamental details was carried out in collaboration with local craftspeople specialised in traditional techniques, whose mastery allowed the architectural memory of the home to be adapted to contemporary standards of comfort.
Light as the Protagonist
The home opens with an entrance hall conceived as an introduction to the project. A sculptural Bocci 28.13 pendant, composed of hand-blown glass spheres in shades of red, bottle green and Bilbao blue, welcomes visitors and sets the chromatic tone that unfolds throughout the home. The arches, elevated to an architectural language, guide circulation and connect the spaces, while restored mouldings coexist with timeless design pieces such as Bonaldo’s Dune sideboard and Levante mirror.
The social heart of the home unfolds in a living room bathed in natural light, where large windows frame urban views and the reflections of mirrors and glass panelling multiply the perception of space. A neutral palette is punctuated by a red Ditre sofa, a sculptural gesture that anchors the composition. The fluid continuity leads to the dining room, where a Cattelan table becomes the focal point beneath Bocci’s abstract and poetic 57.13 light installation.
The dining area connects to the kitchen through curved wooden and glass partitions that reinterpret traditional separations. Centred around a minimalist island and complemented by green-upholstered Bonaldo chairs, the space invites cooking, conversation and gathering. The scene is completed by Marset’s Ambrosia pendant, adding a warm, linear glow.
In the private area, the main bedroom is conceived as a retreat. Soft textiles in sandy tones, an upholstered headboard and a freestanding bathtub in front of the windows turn daily routines into rituals of well-being. The en-suite bathroom continues this atmosphere with a dark marble block veined with gold and Steinberg fittings.
One Home, Two Ways of Living
The apartment is conceived as two homes in one. The first, designed for daily life, integrates the living room, dining area, kitchen and master suite. The second, designed for family life, includes bedrooms with independent bathrooms, ensuring privacy and autonomy.
The journey culminates in a private cinema room equipped with a large-format screen, audiovisual system, auxiliary kitchen and backlit bar. Wallpaper by Cole & Son, depicting classical façades inhabited by whimsical animals, adds a playful and surreal note to the space.
Technology, Interior Design and Landscape
Beyond its heritage dimension, RA Apartment is also a smart home. All lighting, climate control (including underfloor heating and cooling) and audiovisual systems are managed through advanced home automation. Integrated sound and video systems ensure acoustic comfort and personalised ambiance throughout the residence.
The interior design is built around a neutral shell dominated by white and wood tones, where each space gains its own identity through a single accent colour — red in the living room, green in the kitchen, and sand in the master bedroom. A careful selection of furniture and lighting from international brands such as Bocci, Bonaldo, Potocco, Marset and Cattelan brings character to each environment. Vegetation, curated in collaboration with a landscape designer, introduces freshness and visual continuity across the interior.
Team:
Architects: BAT Architecture
Photography: Erlantz Biderbost
Materials Used:
Hall, dining room and main bedroom lighting: BOCCI
Hall mirror and sideboard, desk table and armchair, living room side tables: BONALDO SPA
Desk table lamp: VIBIA
Dining and kitchen chairs, living room coffee table: POTOCCO ITALY
Dining table: CATTELAN
Kitchen lighting, floor lamp in living room and bedside reading lamps: MARSET BCN
Kitchen island: XTONE SURFACE (PORCELANOSA)
Kitchen tapware: NEWFORM
Living room sofa and cinema armchair: DITRE
Ceiling lamps in living room: LUCEPLAN
Bedside table and bathroom fittings in master suite: STEINBERG
Master bedroom bench: BONALDO SPA
Master bedroom wall lights: TOOY
Main bathroom wall lights: VENICEM
Hallway cabinet: PORADA FURNITURE
Adjustable coffee table in cinema room: OZZIO ITALIA
Cinema room wallpaper: COLE & SON
