Aged brick walls and ceiling beams hint at the past lives of this building in Barcelona, which Cadaval & Solà-Morales has turned into a contemporary home.

Named after its former life as a drama venue, The Theatre house has been overhauled by local studio Cadaval & Solà-Morales to feature lofty living and work spaces.
The house is situated just a short walk away from Avinguda Diagonal ? a major avenue that runs through the centre of Barcelona ? and since its construction in the late 1800s has also served as a barn and toilet paper warehouse.

"The project aims to recover and capitalise on the constructive values of the old theatre, expose its tectonic essences and exploit the amplitude that gives great height to its large diaphanous central space," explained the practice. "The idea was to build without affecting the existing; understanding that over time the theatre will surely have another use and another life."

Maintaining the building's time-worn brick walls and timber ceiling beams, the practice has transformed the front half of the ground floor into two individual work studios.
They flank a central indoor parking space where inhabitants can openly display their classic car "like a sculpture".

"It's a piece of art in direct relationship with the central space of the house," the practice added.
Each studio is double-height and boasts mezzanines that accommodate work desks, while underneath are small bathrooms and kitch...