Hydraulic-inspired patterned flooring to connect with the past

Designer: El Ático de Daniela
Product: Finfloor Roble Chic 19 and Belle Époque Otoño
Application: floors.
Location: Barcelona
Year: 2018

We could say that one of the strongest points of the interior design studio El Ático de Daniela is to turn old apartments into jewels for rent. Today we present one of them: a 50m2 apartment located in a listed building in an emblematic area of Barcelona, near the Sagrada Familia, which was rented the same day the company delivered it to the owner!
"The first thing we decided to do was to clear spaces, and to do that we knocked down some partition walls”, explains Eva Sánchez, from El Ático de Daniela, going from a sub-division of small rooms to larger and brighter ones. The whole property now revolves around the new living room, which was given more prominence by making it larger, joining the two central rooms, and placing it in the area of the house with windows facing outside, thus gaining natural light and views.
Other changes to the original structure included the enlargement of the master bedroom and kitchen, which was moved to what was previously a bedroom with an office. The bathroom remained in its original location and with the same dimensions, but gained in amplitude and comfort with the removal of the washing machine, thanks to the creation of a laundry area. Space was also gained by replacing all the built-in cabinets with free-standing cabinets, which are also easy to remove if other functionalities are required for the rooms.
When considering a reform of this style, the first thing they do at El Ático de Daniela is hold a complete briefing with the customers, because “it is very important to know who they are targeting and the budget”. They were committed to creating “a trendy but fairly neutral environment, something that fits very well and helps to attract a larger and more diverse audience”. Eva Sanchez tries to get away from the “Ikea” standard that other studios apply in rental-oriented renovations, surrounding herself with suppliers that offer products with which the combinations will be fresher.
 
Careful finishes to personalise a home: Finfloor and Etude22
El Ático de Daniela uses finishes, furniture and decorative objects to personalise each apartment. For example, in the bathroom we find a tile with a marble vein and a floor with an industrial touch, a different sink and a decorative framed mirror. Even the brush helps to give it personality.
Another example is the use of flooring. The models chosen in this apartment were Roble Chic 19 from the Finfloor range and Belle Époque Otoño from the Etude22 range. “We were looking for the warmth of oak, but also to add an accent with some details that would connect us to the floor and its era. I did this through the flooring, with this hydraulic-inspired pattern, and restoring the original doors of the apartment”.
“When you start choosing the floors for a home, you always have to stick to a budget, so you have to strike a balance between price, durability and aesthetics. I got to know FINSA products through an industrial client I work with, we tested them on a project and I liked them very much due to their resistance and quality. We always use an AC5 range floor, which has a lot of strength and durability. We are putting it in places with a very high traffic of people, such as hotels. At the moment we are installing the flooring in the rooms of the Abba Garden Hotel and the management is very satisfied, because despite the high traffic, there is not a single scratch or any signs of wear”, says Eva Sánchez about FINSA laminate flooring.
In addition to its extraordinary quality, she also highlights the enormous variety of finishes, the realism of its designs, which almost blend in with natural wood, and that “the quality-price ratio is one of the best on the market”. Eva Sánchez is grateful for the work of our colleague Maria Pomar, a member of the Technical Consulting team, who advises her on technical aspects and is in charge of presenting the latest news.
These are the key aspects that Eva Sánchez credits to the success of her apartments. In this case, the apartment was rented the same day the company delivered it to the owner.