A Seaside Home Near Barcelona Gets a Bright Update With a Top-Level Library

After 28 years living in their three-story townhouse in the seaside city of Badalona, Spain, owners Joan and Lydia were ready to update the home for the next phase of their lives. The couple considered buying a new apartment in the area, but they couldn’t imagine moving out of the house where their two daughters grew up—so the duo enlisted architect Enric Rojo Xicart to renovate their multilevel dwelling instead.

"The clients wanted to install an elevator because they are getting older and hope to be in this house for the rest of their lives," explains the founder of Enric Rojo Arquitectura, a Badalona-based firm. In addition to incorporating an elevator to connect the home’s three levels, the couple also wanted to brighten up the kitchen and living room, which received very little light during winter due to the orientation of the structure.