Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Sep 11, 2026

A Spanish Architect Transforms a Medieval Townhouse Into a Stunning Rental

A Spanish Architect Transforms a Medieval Townhouse Into a Stunning Rental

In the medieval city of Girona, Catalonia, a Spanish architect saves a 16th-century townhouse by converting it into a five-bedroom rental.

When Barcelona–based architect Anna Noguera stumbled upon the historic building, she was instantly intrigued by its rich heritage and ancient beauty. Determined to rescue it from further decay, Noguera, who is originally from the city of Girona, carefully restored the structure by transforming it into a vibrant vacation home.
Living Room, Bookcase, Stools, Concrete Floor, and Wood Burning Fireplace The living room is connected to a south-facing veranda.



The living room is connected to a south-facing veranda.

Because the building had been altered numerous times throughout the last 500 years, its layout was irregular and inefficient. Therefore, Noguera reconfigured the interior significantly so that the property—which is now comprised of two units—could accommodate five bedrooms.



The small medieval city of Girono sits along the River Onyar.

By creating a dialogue between ancient and contemporary, Noguera complimented the existing old stone, oak, and terracotta interior with sleek, modern materials, including dark steel and concrete.



The property has a discreet street-level garage.



A peek at the entranceway with stairs that lead to the apartment.

The smaller of the two apartments is located on the ground floor has an open plan living and dining area with new oak flooring, glass windows, massive Corten steel doors, and a slender, slate-gray kitchen that’s hidden behind a screen. Across the hallway from this communal zone are two bedrooms and a bathroom.



A staircase leads from the ground-level apartment up to the duplex.

This ground-level apartment connects to a wisteria-shaded garden and courtyard with a black concrete pool crafted from an old cistern that was found on the site.



A warm and simple bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.

The second apartment-which has a spacious light-filled living room with a double-sided fireplace-is located on the top two levels of the building.



A wisteria-shaded courtyard and garden with a dining area.



A spacious wood-decked veranda that's part of the duplex apartment.



Contemporary materials-such as concrete and steel-are a wonderful contrast to the ancient stone walls.

The living room of this unit opens onto a south-facing veranda with a fully equipped kitchen. It also has a dining terrace that looks down toward the ground-level garden and plunge pool.



A dialogue between ancient and contemporary can be seen in the bedroom.



A clean-lined bathroom of stone and concrete.



The original 16th-century stone walls are left exposed in the kitchen.



A narrow doorway evokes the warren-like feel of the original layout.



An old cistern found on the original site is now a black concrete pool.



The children's bedroom with pullout storage.

Guests interested in staying in this transformed townhouse can rent the entire home or each of the units individually through BoutiqueHomes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
TSA Unveils Major Airport-Security Overhaul as It Drops Gold+ Privatization Plan
CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO in Secret Moscow Mission
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Glacier Collapse, Not Earthquake, Triggered Deadly Nepal-Tibet Flood
Turnbull Warns AUKUS Could Leave Australia Without Promised Nuclear Submarines
California Billionaires Pour More Than $150 Million Into Fight Over Proposed Wealth Tax
German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service
Badenoch Plans Major Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle as Tories Struggle in Third Place
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
Australia Combines Indigenous Fire Knowledge With Satellite Tech to Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Father and Son Jailed in Scotland Over £900,000 Airport Cannabis Smuggling Operation
UK Fraud Reports Surge Sevenfold as Criminals Exploit QR Codes in Parking Meters and Phishing Emails
Brighton Thrash Aston Villa in Four-Goal Opening Half as Manchester City Trail Bournemouth
Erin Patterson Appeals Triple Murder Convictions After Hotel Mixed Sequestered Jury With Prosecution
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
China’s Lifelike AI Humans Move From Livestreams Into Real-World Service Roles
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
×