Arago Street Apartment by Miriam Barrio

Colour Saturation

It takes courage to use bold colours at home.  There are myriad pitfalls: half-hearted attempts at "accent walls" often create disjointed design schemes, whilst letting the paint roller loose with too much gay abandon risks creating a vibe that screams "theme park" rather than "character".  This light and airy apartment in Barcelona is a masterclass on how to do bold colours right.

Designed by Barcelona-based interior designer Miriam Barrio, this substantial (140 square metres) apartment benefits from high ceilings, generously proportioned rooms, original mouldings and a beautiful wooden herringbone parquet floor, all bathing in light streaming in through the large windows.  The designer emphasised the classic good looks of the space with sleek contemporary furniture, clever design touches such as the use of mirrors behind the bookshelves and, above all, bold yet judicious use of colour.

The walls and ceiling of the kitchen and dining area are painted in a seductive shade of Cerulean blue, in cool contrast to the light white living space which adjoins it.  The walls and shelves of one bedroom are painted in coral pink, a romantic match for the cream coloured bed, headboard and curtains.  The bathrooms range from Cerulean blue to pistachio green and shiny gold.  The latter is a recurring detail which ties the design scheme together across the whole apartment, from the gold coloured handles in the kitchen, light fittings throughout and, most indulgent of all, splashed across the tiles and fittings in the bathrooms.  The end result is stimulating and sophisticated, with definitely no need for sunglasses.

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Miriam Barrio

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Product Inspiration

    

Simple, sculptural shaped lights in bright colours is another way to inject colours into a room.  Try the Escape suspension light from LZF, the Elma floor light from Incipit and the Chantilly table lamp from Moustache.

For accessories which stand up to bright colours, go for gold.  Check out the Ema & Lou vase, the Butterfly coatrack and the Florida bowl, all from Ghidini 1961.