When Katie Kolodinski, founder of the minimalist luxury label Silk Laundry, found herself stranded in Australia during the pandemic lockdown, she knew life after quarantine wouldn’t return to the same rhythms. Her Montreal apartment was gone, the world had shifted, and she was craving something new—but not entirely unfamiliar. Years of flying in and out of Barcelona for photoshoots and building a creative community there had quietly rooted her in the city. So when the opportunity came, she followed instinct, packed up her memories, and made the Catalonian capital her family’s new home.
The search wasn’t easy. Her first rental in the city—although charming—was cramped, and she quickly realized that her dreams (and her piano plans) required more square footage. After four months of scouring listings, she stumbled upon a historic four-bedroom apartment that ticked every box—and then some. Crowned with soaring ceilings and cloaked in 19th-century wood paneling, the home felt more like a time capsule than a blank canvas. But for a woman whose career thrives on the art of storytelling through texture, color, and subtle contrast, it was a dream waiting to be restyled.
A Palette of Drama and Delight
Most designers would shy away from dark walnut-paneled walls, especially in a European market where light and airy still reign supreme. But Kolodinski, with her trained eye for visual narrative, leaned into the home’s moody charm. “A couple of years ago, I don’t think dark walls were trending,” she muses, “but now, they feel so right.”
The paneling became a grounding force—a rich backdrop that allowed her playful mix of vintage finds and personal keepsakes to sing. A floral-print couch sourced for just $20 in Montreal now commands attention in the living room, brightening the scene like a bold accessory against a classic silk dress. A quirky fiberglass flower-shaped lamp from a Barcelona antique store (a treasure without a maker’s mark) adds a touch of whimsy, cutting through the formality of the traditional moldings and parquet floors.
“It could’ve felt too grown-up,” she says of the space, “but these pieces bring levity—it feels fun without losing elegance.”
Layered Living: Memory, Movement, and Meaning
Kolodinski’s Barcelona apartment is a study in intentional layering—not just of objects, but of experiences. Every corner holds a story. The lacquered table with shell inlay in the grand foyer once lived in her Montreal apartment. Now, dressed with a massive bouquet, it fills the space with understated grace. Dining chairs from Kartell mix with a striking Willy Rizzo table from the 1960s or ’70s—equal parts sculptural and functional.
“I love things that have lived,” she explains. “I collect memories. Every piece I bring home has a soul.”
The built-in bookcases are dotted with tokens from her travels—candles, sculptural objects, seashells. She never buys just one of anything. “If I find something beautiful, I want to share it,” she says. “So I’ll buy a few, keep one, and gift the rest. That way, my friends carry a part of the story, too.”
Design as Personal Ritual
While her career in fashion has honed her minimalist instincts, Kolodinski’s approach to interiors is refreshingly intuitive and emotional. She doesn’t follow trends or chase perfection. Instead, her home reads like a diary—each room a reflection of who she is and where she’s been.
“I think we underestimate how much a space can influence how we feel,” she says. For her, this home was not just about style; it was about anchoring her family after a long period of uncertainty. Barcelona—full of light, history, and motion—offered the ideal canvas for stability and inspiration.
And it’s not just the interior that moves her. From her living room, she can watch the pulse of Avenida Diagonal—a main artery of the city—unfold from above. “There’s a stillness to being up here, but also an energy that seeps in through the windows,” she reflects. That balance—between chaos and calm, old and new, elegant and eccentric—is exactly what makes the apartment feel so alive.
The Charm of Contrast
Kolodinski’s home is a love letter to contrast. It’s grand yet grounded. Vintage yet fresh. Formal yet filled with playful touches. A $20 couch sits proudly in a room with floor-to-ceiling paneling. Antique candles flicker beside sleek IKEA lamps. Her children play piano while soft Barcelona sunlight filters in through historic windows.
There’s no single style at play—just a vision rooted in instinct, memory, and a flair for the unexpected. It’s that balance, the gentle push and pull between elements, that makes the space feel so fully lived in.
More Than a Home
In a way, Kolodinski’s Barcelona apartment is like one of her Silk Laundry pieces—fluid, thoughtful, never trying too hard, but effortlessly beautiful in motion. It’s a home that reflects not just her aesthetic but her journey: a return to Europe, a fresh start wrapped in history, and a creative woman’s gentle takeover of a grand, old space.
“I didn’t want it to feel staged,” she says. “I just wanted it to feel like us.”
And it does—completely, quietly, and unmistakably so.
