H3O Architects revamps historic Barcelona home with playful interventions
Casa Plató blends 19th-century heritage with contemporary details in Gracia neighborhood
1Preserving cinematic heritage
Originally a rural house, Casa Plató transformed into an elegant residence in the 19th century with added towers, galleries, and plaster moldings. H3O analyzed films shot onsite to meticulously restore mosaic floors, radiators, and original color schemes. 'This house is both stage and dwelling,' explain the architects, 'preserving history while allowing new narratives.' The garden and interiors featured in period films maintained their authentic character throughout the restoration process.
2Intelligent kitchen expansion
The ground floor redesign included a kitchen enlargement that complements original wooden cabinets and marble sinks. Dark tiles mirror the historic flooring while a white geometric hood and wavy wooden table add functionality. New deep-blue tiled terraces create visual connections to the garden. Salvaged marble surfaces and carefully relocated doors maintain continuity with the past throughout the space.
3Modernist bathroom details
The new bathroom features minimalist lines referencing modernist style, with a circular shower enclosed by matching curtains as its centerpiece. White mosaic tiles contrast with dark flooring and stainless steel sinks featuring marble countertops. Orb-shaped wall lamps, curved taps, and circular mirrors echo organic forms characteristic of modernist architecture. 'These geometries derive from marine and natural forms,' note the architects, who added a porthole-inspired pivoting window in a bedroom.
4Lighting through hidden windows
Three strategically placed windows - one concealed behind a painting - brighten previously dark circulation spaces at the home's core. The dining room's decorative wallpapers, plaster moldings, and cast iron radiators remain untouched as key heritage elements. The preserved garden serves as a rare green space in the increasingly dense neighborhood, maintaining the property's rural roots. These interventions demonstrate careful balance between preservation and innovation.
5Dialogue with cultural context
H3O Architects (founded 2017) approaches each project through its physical, social and cultural context. 'We created respectful, intelligent gestures in dialogue with the existing structure,' explain principals Adrià Orriols, Joan Gener and Miquel Ruiz. Known for projects like a zigzag-renovated barn and blue-tiled communal barbecue, the studio applied its experimental approach to Casa Plató. The project successfully blends modernist architecture's organic forms with contemporary living needs through thoughtful interventions.