They Turned an Old Dry-Cleaning Shop Into a Family Home With Three Levels
Converting an old dry-cleaning shop into a family home meant working with a long, narrow space divided into small rooms with little daylight or ventilation. Architect Carles Enrich removed the partitions and opened the former commercial space toward an interior patio.
Instead of rebuilding it as a conventional apartment, part of the floor was excavated to create a lower level, while black steel beams support a loft above. The new arrangement fits three connected levels into the former single-storey space, with the bathroom as the only enclosed room.
Original brick, stone, timber beams, and ceramic ceiling sections remain exposed beside white walls, pale pine, black steel, and concrete. A storage room beyond the patio became a separate studio, while the patio connects both parts of the property as an outdoor living space.
Excavating the Floor Made Room for Three Levels
Rather than fitting every function onto one floor, part of the interior was excavated. The lower section became a study and nursery, with the main floor passing beside it and a new bedroom loft positioned overhead.
From the main level, the nursery remains visible below instead of disappearing behind a full-height wall. Black steel frames extend through the upper part of the space, marking the different levels while preserving views from one end of the home to the other.
Old masonry becomes part of the nursery rather than being concealed behind new drywall. Pale pine flooring and white surfaces distinguish the inserted living area from the rough brick and stone around it.
The lowered floor also provides the height needed for another occupied level overhead. What appears to be a double-height opening is part of the strategy that allowed several functions to occupy the original single-storey structure.
The Bedroom Sits on a Steel Loft
Black I-beams support the raised bedroom, creating an upper level without turning it into a conventional enclosed second floor. The architect described the loft as closer to a piece of suspended furniture than another room.
Exposed masonry continues beside the bed, while the original timber and ceramic ceiling remains overhead. Low shelving follows the edge of the loft, providing storage without blocking the connection to the space below.
A Staircase and Bookshelf Share the Same Structure
Steel members supporting the loft also form a bookshelf along its edge. Books and records occupy shelves between the vertical frames, turning a structural boundary into storage instead of filling it with a solid railing or wall.
Steps leading between levels hang from the final steel beams. Their open construction allows light and views to pass through, which matters in a home built inside such a narrow footprint.
Seen from below, the staircase reads as a series of white platforms inside black rectangular frames. Storage continues around it, making the transition between floors part of the home’s furniture system rather than a separate circulation zone.
Built-In Storage Separates Spaces Without Adding Walls
Pine cabinetry follows the changes in floor level, combining drawers, shelving, steps, and partitions in one continuous element. Storage occupies space that might otherwise have required freestanding furniture.
Drawers open directly beneath the raised main floor, while the pale wood continues into the lower room. Instead of treating each level as a separate interior, the same material connects the steps, floors, and built-ins.
Original Walls Remain Part of the Interior
Exposed stone and brick were retained behind the kitchen, where their irregular surface contrasts with the white cabinetry and metal ventilation duct. The wall is not reduced to a small decorative patch; enough remains visible to show the building’s earlier construction.
The living room uses the same approach. Rough masonry fills much of the wall behind the sofa, while black structural beams remain visible between the original ceramic ceiling sections above.
One Open Interior Holds Different Family Spaces
Lower level functions as more than circulation beneath the loft. A nursery, desk, storage, and seating fit into the excavated portion, with the upper floor visible beyond rather than separated by a ceiling across the entire footprint.
Pine cabinetry divides activities without closing the lower room. With the bathroom as the main enclosed space, the rest of the home relies on furniture, level changes, and structural elements to establish boundaries.
What began as a single-storey commercial space now uses the same narrow footprint across three interconnected heights, while much of the masonry and ceiling that belonged to the old dry-cleaning shop remains visible throughout the home.
Image credits go to @carlesenrichstudio.