For a long time, I have loved the beautiful compositions Asia puts up on her Instagram, so Knock Knock allowed me to ask for them en masse. As ever, I am so pleased I did. Having not been to Barcelona in some time, it gave me a feel for one cities and a proper nosy around Asia's exquisite home. I will stop going on and let Asia give us a tour of her superbly decorated apartment.
For almost five years, I've shared this flat with a very good friend. We live in the lively Raval neighbourhood, right in the centre of Barcelona. It is quite an old flat located on the sixth floor which means we are blessed with natural light throughout the day. More importantly, you can see the horizon, which is quite unusual while living in the centre of Barcelona. In the flat, we have the original tiled flooring, which is common in Barcelona. A few are missing here and there, but we've replaced them with different ones to create a new pattern. All the electrical installation in this flat is set outside the walls and not inside as usual …I love those "imperfections ", they give this place personality. I could do with a lift; moving in was a nightmare, and I dread moving out. As mentioned, we are on the sixth, so this place gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter, leaving spring as the only season I feel comfortable. I moved here with almost nothing; I had just a few lamps, shelves, and one armchair. The idea was to stay here for a while until I found something on my own…but here I am! It seems I like this place.
My friend and I share a kitchen, bathroom and sort of dining/entrance room. Since there is no formal living room, I like the space I am occupying to be everything at once: living room, bedroom, dining and workspace. That is why I like to call it "izba" which comes from old Polish meaning "chamber ". I share "izba" with my cat Pixel. This place is in constant evolution. The changes are natural. I like to browse local flea markets for beautiful and interesting objects, so every addition, whether it is a big piece of furniture or the placement of a small flea market find it starts a wheel of change. None of the paintings or photos I own has a permanent place; they hop from one wall to another. Some of the things I buy end up in boxes under my bed, some are sold online, and some of them are "keepers". For example, like the pair of metal candlesticks in Brancusi style.… I will never get rid of them.
My taste has evolved over the years, and I've got a feeling I have finally found my style. However, I am not sure what to call it. As a photographer, I have fine attention to the composition, form, materials and colours. I love wood–earth colours and tones and above all interesting shapes. I collect many things like stones, metals, dry foliage, which inspiring me a lot.
Most of the furniture in my room are imagined and constructed by me. I don't feel like I am a designer. I just like to play with materials and ready-made pieces by giving them a new use and completely different from the original one. For example, my round coffee table…in fact, it's a base bought for nothing in a thrift shop and now put on pairs of travertine square bricks found on the street and pair of marble art-deco bookends. Marble plant holders are serving at the moment as speaker stands and so on. The furniture I use to store my records was constructed (with the help of my flatmate) using old pieces of another bookshelf. I have an infinite love for stools, and not so long ago, I realized I have a fabric weakness- mainly curtains. I have lots of them in different colours and with different textures. I like to use them hanging on the doors to cover things, create walls as table clothes, or add a bit of softness to my surroundings.
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