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Ca l'Antonia
Background
Ca l'Antonia was the village bar, theatre, and social hub of the village we live in: Oristà.
How did we end up living in a tiny village in rural Catalunya? Well, we were looking for a place large enough to accommodate artists visiting our residency, close enough to Barcelona to make airport runs – and days in the city – not too onerous, and yet quiet enough to offer something completely different to city life.
It has taken some time to adjust to the new setting and a lot of time to renovate the house. This page captures the key points along that journey.
January 2015
We return to the UK from San Francisco. Our appetite for living overseas is whetted…
July 2016
The UK votes to leave the EU. As a result, we decide to leave the UK.
August 2016
We contact estate agents in Spain. We're looking for a house close enough to Barcelona (but not too far), and in a tranquil setting (but not too remote).
Hence, we find Oristà.
January 2017
We are the proud owners of Ca l'Antonia – previously the village bar and theatre – with the intention of turning it into an artist residency, and a home.
May 2017
Start phase I: Remove the theatre roof
Work begins on the first major phase to renovate Ca l'Antonia: we remove the roof from the old theatre to turn it into a walled garden.
This was the largest, most disruptive step and involved safely disposing of a bunch of asbestos.
September 2017
Phase I: finished!
We had turned over the entire ground floor of the house to the contractors, so it was a pleasure to be able to use this part of the house again – even if the "garden" was still a muddy rectangle.
February 2018
Start phase II: Kitchen and dining room
The next big phase of work was in the ground floor of Cal Antonia. There had previously been a restaurant, kitchen, and bathrooms for the theatre in this area – we wanted to convert it into a living space for us.
June 2018
Phase II: finished!
Up until this point, we had been living cramped into a couple of rooms on our first floor. Having a proper kitchen, a modern bathroom, and a beautiful bedroom made a huge difference to how we thought about Ca l'Antonia.
November 2018
First art exhibition
Oristà has an annual Festa Major – a week of meals, craft fairs, music, and parties – and we were proud to exhibit some pieces by artists who had stayed with us.
Spring 2019
Focus on the garden
Having a relaxing and beautiful garden was a focus for Cal Antonia since day zero. After a punishing schedule of construction on the house itself, 2019 was the first planting season where we could start making real progress on making this garden a reality.
July 2019
Cantilafont
Cantilafont is an annual festival which moves from village to village in our local area.
We were pleased to convert Ca l'Antonia and its garden into a green room area for the performers. It was so much fun to have the house filled with artists and musicians, and to have a festival come to our doorstep – in fact into the house itself.
August 2019
Full of artists!
We rounded off the busy 2019 season with Cherie, Helen, Rob, and Kira at Ca l'Antonia – artists, writers, and photographers.
Our residency for artists, Cel del Nord, is developing well and building momentum.
September 2019
Start phase III(a): New roof
Work begins on the last major phase to renovate Cal Antonia: we remove the entire roof and replace it – preparing to turn the old attic into our permanent living space.
November 2019
Phase III(a): finished!
As we hosted friends and family with us for Christmas, we decided to break Phase III into two parts.
Hence Phase III(a) – replacing the roof – was completed and the Ca l'Antonia laid dormant over winter waiting for Phase III(b)…
Spring 2020
Lockdown
We decide to cancel all of our in-person visits, and Odette instead focusses on Virtual Residencies.
Although we love having people stay with us at the house, the lower access barrier for online residencies leads to an interesting and more diverse group of attendees.
June 2020
Start phase III(b): Mouldy attic to living area
The top floor of Ca l'Antonia is an empty space – a blank canvas.
After Phase III(a) it is watertight, but now we need to build rooms, fit heating, and install windows and doors.
November 2020
Phase III(b): finished!
We have a private living area on the top floor – now to furnish it and enjoy!
