Interiors We Love celebrates spaces where architecture, craft, and emotion converge. The series spotlights interiors defined by material intelligence and enduring beauty; spaces that move beyond trends, shaping everyday rituals and reflecting the evolving language of contemporary architecture worldwide.
Serboli Bureau shapes RiC 12, a duplex penthouse in Barcelona’s emblematic Gràcia district, through natural light, high-quality natural materials, and bespoke craftsmanship orchestrated around a sculptural, striking red spiral staircase.
The intervention is guided by the apartment’s exceptional brightness, which informs key formal decisions and spatial strategies, establishing a carefully curated palette of high-quality materials as the project’s unifying thread. A primary challenge emerges on the lower level, originally subdivided into five fragmented rooms with uneven floor heights. The design responds through a decisive geometric reconfiguration, consolidating the plan into a continuous and open spatial sequence that integrates kitchen, dining, and living areas.
This transformation emphasizes visual continuity and formal clarity.
Spatial integrity is preserved by positioning the bathroom within a recessed perimeter niche, where its discreet entrance allows it to remain fully integrated within the overall composition. Custom-designed furniture elements further articulate the space, operating simultaneously as functional components and sculptural interventions that guide movement and define spatial hierarchies.
The project is articulated through a coherent triad of noble materials, applied with rhythmic variation.
Cipollino marble, sourced from the Apuan Alps, introduces a tactile and visual richness. Okume wood, selected for its warm tonality and fine grain, provides a natural counterpoint, while brushed stainless steel contributes a precise, contemporary layer that balances the organic material palette.
Within the living area, okume wood shapes a large modular sofa with integrated storage and a foldaway bed, reinforcing spatial efficiency and adaptability. The same material extends into a continuous wall of cabinetry that transitions seamlessly into the kitchen. Here, Cipollino marble defines a monolithic sink element carved at varying levels, while a brushed steel volume integrates appliances and storage.
At the center, an oval stainless steel island with integrated Pitcooking burners acts as a sculptural focal point, framing the large window and enhancing the perception of light and depth.
A continuous perimeter baseboard unifies the lower level, establishing dialogue with a white-painted exposed brick band and preserving the presence of original wooden beams and vaulted ceilings.
A spiral staircase lacquered in Paper Lantern by Benjamin Moore marks the transition to the upper level, introducing a significant chromatic shift.
In contrast to the restrained palette below, the bedroom adopts a more expressive atmosphere, defined by a red carpet and Cipollino marble skirting. Carefully curated lighting, including the iconic TMM lamps by Santa & Cole, enhances the intimate character of the space.
The outdoor terrace extends the project’s material logic, with bamboo decking forming a built-in bench and a slatted shading system filtering Mediterranean light, creating a seamless dialogue between interior and exterior.
Ultimately, the project achieves a refined spatial continuity through the interplay of light, geometry, and material precision, transforming a fragmented layout into a coherent living environment where architecture and interior design operate as a unified, expressive system.
Facts & Credits
Project title: RiC 12 Apartment
Architecture: Serboli Bureau
Area: 82 m2
Project type: Interiors | Renovation
Project location: Barcelona
Photography: Pol Viladoms