Life Imitates Art: Casa Vasto in Barcelona by Mesura.

They say work-life balance is important, and you’d be hard-pressed to disagree. In the case of Vasto Gallery in Barcelona’s Poblenou, Mesura took a reductive approach to spatial separation and programming in this gallery-slash-home. Art and Architecture have always been decidedly intertwined, and it is no different here with architectural interventions playing second fiddle to the curation and utilisation of the furniture and art pieces so deliberately selected for this space.

Emerging out of a post-industrial era Spain, the suburb of Poblenou grew into a hub for creatives in the 60s and 70s, with spaces like Vasto Gallery becoming available to be repurposed into, say, a shared studio gallery and home. A notable feature of this bygone era, and evident in this apartment, is the bowed-beam roof structure, a vaulted shape with a ceramic core, developed by Catalan architect, Joan Torras. The space is given a sense of movement alongside the swoop of the beams and possesses a softness that encourages the already light-filled space to draw in just that little bit more.

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There is also a service-core casework piece that acts as a physical separation between the private and the public spaces, almost offsetting the curve of the beams with its rigidity, alongside the rectangularity of the other inbuilt elements such as the in situ bath and 8-metre-long stainless steel kitchen bench. Cleverly hidden within this separation casework is a walk-in robe and bathroom, which includes a shower. Accompanying the kitchen bench is a set of three Yves Klein Blue puzzle stools, designed by Max Enrich.

The furniture pieces curated throughout the space could easily be confused for artworks, as they seem to be so at home amongst the architecture, yet can stand entirely on their own. Take the study space, for example, where the smoked-glass table appears to emerge from the light concrete floor, as it gradients to black towards the top, quietly making a statement in the space. On the flip side of the apartment, we have an ever-fluctuating gallery space that doubles as a living and waiting room.

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Here, we see a custom coffee table by designer Sara Regal, who reused some of the construction’s waste materials to bring it to life, alongside an off-white dining/consult table. With art very easily integrated and displayed along the simple wall shelf, we can see another great example of low-intervention architecture where the furniture has a chance to start the conversation.

The datum line of the room remains sub-knee height, as the squarely curated lounges and coffee table suggested at a slow pace, intentionally trying to capture the user for that little while longer. Perhaps to admire the art, or percolate on a purchase? Regardless, Vasto Gallery is a key example of how to use space sustainably and design with future fluctuations in mind.

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[Images courtesy of Mesura. Photography by Salva Lopez.]