Madrid

Subterms

    Latest story

    125 Shares119 Views

    Lucas y Hernández Gil adds multi-use greenhouse to Madrid bungalow

    by

    A renovated 1970s bungalow with “kitsch character” and a greenhouse that doubles as a living room feature in Casamontesa – a weekend home designed by Spanish studio Lucas y Hernández Gil.

    The project began when a couple asked the studio to overhaul a single-storey house that was once part of a hotel complex on the outskirts of Madrid.
    The renovated bungalow and a multifunctional greenhouse (above) make up CasamontesaThe brief later expanded to include a multifunctional greenhouse that can be used as a workspace, a guest bedroom, a gym or simply as a garden room.
    Lucas y Hernández Gil, led by architects Cristina Domínguez Lucas and Fernando Hernández-Gil Ruano, developed a distinct character for each building.
    The main house is a bungalow built in the 1970sCasamontesa’s renovated bungalow has a warm, playful style that draws on the 1970s aesthetic while the garden pavilion has a more utilitarian feel.

    “The owners, a young urban couple who love design and live and work in the centre of Madrid, were looking for a functional and compact getaway within a fantastic garden,” Lucas told Dezeen.
    “They wanted a very comfortable and flexible home that would be useful for both working and getting together with friends.”
    The interior centres around a new kitchen islandThe bungalow renovation involved simplifying the interior layout to create a combined kitchen, dining room and living room, with a bedroom and bathroom off to one side.
    “The house, in addition to being small, was very compartmentalised,” explained Lucas.
    The materials palette includes pink marble and handmade tilesTo unify the newly open-plan living space, the designers installed an island that serves as a worktop, dining table and social gathering place.
    This island features a countertop made from Portuguese pink marble while its sides are covered in the same handmade burgundy tiles that line an adjacent window recess.
    An arched fireplace provides a focal point in the living room”The rest of the surfaces – Campaspero stone floors and waxed tinted plaster walls – establish a dialogue by contrast with the colourful and shiny surface of the tiles,” added Lucas.
    Key details in the living room include an arched fireplace and a tadelakt plaster coffee table, while the bedroom features semi-circular marble nightstands.

    McCloy + Muchemwa adds timber-framed “orangery” to renovated garage

    For Casamontesa’s garden room, the design team customised a prefabricated greenhouse.
    A pergola extends the building volume outwards in a bid to blur the boundary between inside and out, and is topped with wooden blinds to provide shade.
    A pergola extends the width of the greenhouseA wooden box on wheels provides an additional bedroom, described as a “small Shigeru Ban-style mobile room”.
    Other additions include thermal curtains and an automatic shading and ventilation system, which allow for versatile use of the space throughout the year.
    A “Shigeru Ban-style mobile room” provides an additional sleeping space”By complementing the programme of the original bungalow, a more complete and flexible program is achieved, overcoming the limitations of a weekend house,” added Lucas.
    Other recent projects by Lucas y Hernández Gil include a bar featuring extreme colour blocking and an apartment with a hidden closet.
    The photography is by José Hevia.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 138 Shares179 Views

      in Rooms

      Plantea Estudio plays with light and shadow for Acid cafe interior

      by

      Spanish studio Plantea Estudio has completed a cafe and bakery inside an early 20th-century building in Madrid, contrasting the original dark tones of the interior with modern steel surfaces.

      Taking over a former gem store on a busy street in the Justicia district, the Acid cafe and bakeshop was designed to provide a place for quiet conversation away from the bustle of the city.
      The Acid Cafe and Bakeshop provides an intimate space away from the busy streetIt occupies the ground floor of a turn-of-the-century building, which is rich with historic details such as a deep storefront made from wood and green marble, with curved windows on either side of the entrance.
      Plantea Estudio sought to retain the original character of the space by restoring elements including the facade and the internal wood shelving and windows, as well as a decorative plaster frieze above the new serving area.
      Reflective steel contrasts with the space’s existing dark-toned interiorMinimal architectural interventions and a carefully chosen material palette help to define Acid’s interior ambience while supporting the new function of the space.

      “We completed and adapted what was there and added the rest to match this same character – or to contrast as an opposition that enhances it,” Plantea Estudio architectural designer Carla Morán told Dezeen.
      “Old and new, figurative and abstract, colour and shadow, rough and soft, matt and satin, all in the same space as different sides of the same coin.”
      The walls and ceilings are finished with warm-grey lime wash paintThe shop was previously divided into two parts, with the rear part housing storage and toilets. Plantea Estudio retained this configuration but looked to make better use of these neglected space at the back by creating a cosy lounge area for patrons.
      In the front part of the space, wooden shelves were sanded and varnished to return them to their original condition. Any anachronous additions were removed and replaced with shelves or doors painted in a deep red chosen to complement the wood tones.
      A mirror added to the ceiling above Acid’s entrance increases the sense of space in this area and multiplies reflections produced by the curved windows.

      Cara Mela by Casa Antillón is a dual-colour pastry shop in Madrid

      The building’s original terrazzo was uncovered from underneath layers of flooring, while the walls and ceiling were finished with a warm-grey lime wash paint that contributes to the cosy atmosphere.
      A coffee machine and pastry display sit on a stainless steel counter that provides a point of contrast with its precise and modern appearance, softened by a matte finish that produces blurred reflections.
      Original terrazzo flooring was uncovered by removing layers of flooringThe elongated lounge area at the rear of the unit is designed as a refuge from the busy neighbourhood, where guests can relax in semi-darkness with a coffee and pastry.
      “The interior space was quite dark, only connected to the exterior part by two openings in a structural wall,” Morán recalled. “So we thought about a room in shadow and quietness, with the reflection of the soft light over a stainless steel shared table.”
      A cosy lounge occupies the rear of the bakeryThe room’s new floor is made from plywood that produces a soft sound underfoot as guests transition from the terrazzo-floored shop to this calmer and quieter space.
      The wood is painted a deep blue colour to match the walls at either end of the room and contribute to the intimate half-lit atmosphere. A row of exposed light bulbs hangs above the table to provide gentle illumination along with shimmering reflections.
      Blue-painted plywood floors were chosen to muffle stepsThis is the third project that Plantea Studio has completed for the owners of Acid cafe in Madrid, following the Gota wine bar with its cave-like dining room.
      The studio was founded in 2008 by brothers Luis and Lorenzo Gil. Its other projects include a raw and minimal shop for footwear brand Veja and a multi-purpose entertainment space housed in a former erotic cinema.
      The photography is by Salva López.
      Project credits:
      Architecture and interior design: Plantea EstudioPromoter: Acid caféFurniture: Plantea Estudio and FramaLighting: Frama, Santa & Cole, Vitra, Ferm Living and AnglepoiseGraphic design: Koln studioArt: Armando MesíasPaint: Bauwerk colour

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Puntofilipino brings noble materials to apartment in former bank office

      by

      Design studio Puntofilipino has created a richly layered interior full of texture and patina for this Madrid apartment, designed to offer an unexpected take on the client’s passion for Danish art and furniture.

      Set in a former bank office building in the Salamanca neighbourhood that dates back to 1929, the one-bedroom apartment was conceived as a refuge for the client.
      Puntofilipino has completed the Radikal Klassisk apartment”He was looking for a space of relaxation, silence and solitude,” Puntofilipino founder Gema Gutiérrez told Dezeen. “Madrid is a very fast city and his need was to find a place where time stopped.”
      Puntofilipino set out to design a space that reflects the client’s love of Danish style without resorting to Scandinavian design cliches.
      Instead, the studio sought to foster a sense of timelessness by balancing modern and historical influences, calling the apartment Radikal Klassisk.

      The interior features natural materials such as stone and wood”It’s a very modern design and yet also with a slightly historical bent,” she said. “There is a perpetual link between the past and the present.”
      “I wanted to show the client the coexistence and communion between classic and contemporary Danish brands,” Gutiérrez added.
      “Pieces by designers such as Hans J Wegner, father of modern Danish design, coexist with contemporary Danish brands such as Overgaard & Dyrman – both free of passing trends, timeless.”
      Layered textiles add depth to the spaceWhile the lines and forms are clean and modern, Gutiérrez says the materials themselves, which range from natural stone to terrazzo and wood, “are historically recognised noble materials, used in palaces throughout the centuries”.
      The work of Danish painter Ebba Cartensen was another influence on the apartment’s aesthetic.
      The late artist’s cubist compositions informed the heavily patinated finishes seen in each room, from the clay-rendered walls to the marbled tiles.

      Studio Noju renovates curvy apartment in brutalist Torres Blancas tower

      “I looked for the pictorial representation of Ebba Carstensen’s painting,” said Gutiérrez.
      “The patinated finishes express time, distance, and memory – a ground-breaking, elegant and sober aesthetic that goes beyond the concept we have of Danish design.”
      Dark botanical wallpaper frames the bedroomIn the bedroom, Puntofilipino used a darkly immersive botanical wallpaper by Instabilelab with a mural-like scale.
      “The client has a predilection for bucolic painting,” the studio said. “In addition, the plant motifs give depth to the space.”
      Here, as elsewhere, the colours are rich and intense, taking their cues from the tonal variations in the stone, metal and wood used in each room.
      A monolithic tub forms the centrepiece of the roomIn the open-plan bedroom-bathroom, a monolithic stone tub takes on a sculptural quality as the central focal point within the space.
      “I considered breaking with architectural patterns and giving more prominence to the centre of the room,” Gutiérrez said. “The inside of the bathtub, metaphorically, reflects a bench where you could see any work of art in a museum.”
      The sofa fulfils a similar function in the living room, this time with an emphasis on curves rather than straight lines.
      The living room is centred by a curvy NORR11 sofaProduced by Danish design brand NORR11, it consists of three distinct elements, each upholstered in a different fabric progressing from off-white bouclé to olive green leather.
      “I studied the soleo, the path of the sun, and how it affects colours and materials in the interior,” Gutiérrez said. “The gradual transition gives depth and makes you look around the space, a dance through the senses.”
      Furnishings include Danish design classics such as this Hans J Wegner chairNearby in Salamanca, locals studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil recently completed JJ16 – a compact family home filled with colour blocking and clever storage solutions.
      Also in the Spanish capital, Studio Noju has renovated a curvy two-storey apartment in the city’s brutalist Torres Blancas tower.
      The photography is by Polina Parcevskya and Julie Smorodkina.

      Read more: More

    • 175 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      Plantea Estudio designs intentionally unfinished Veja store “to look like we didn’t do anything”

      by

      Raw finishes and brutalist interventions feature in footwear brand Veja’s first dedicated shop in Madrid, complete with an in-house shoe repair workshop and interiors designed by local firm Plantea Estudio.

      The retail space is housed in a building in the centre of Madrid, which has functioned as a shop, a restaurant and a bank office since its construction around the turn of the 20th century.
      Plantea Estudio has completed Veja’s Madrid storeBy the time Veja took on the space, it had been stripped back to a shell and the team at Plantea Estudio immediately saw the potential in the raw, rough interior.
      “That kind of brick structure brings you to the origins of architecture, to a temporal language,” the studio said. “It comes from always and goes forever, it will never be out of time or fashion.”
      “For us, there was no better option than to work from there, to leave it exposed.”

      Monolithic concrete blocks serve as displaysThe decision to work with the existing architecture rather than introducing unnecessary new materials also mirrors Veja’s idea of having in-house repair shop, encouraging customers to fix rather than simply replace their run-down trainers.
      However, the shell required much more active intervention from Plantea Estudio than the store’s unfinished interior suggests.
      The shop also houses a repair workshop”We had to work a lot for it to look like we didn’t do anything,” the studio said. “We brought the structure to its best version.”
      Plantea Estudio made the windows taller and brought the internal openings back up to their original height. The internal walls were cleaned up, exposing more of the brick and removing countless additions and coverings that remained from previous fitouts.
      Graphic strip lights are integrated into the ceilingWhere the materials were low-quality and couldn’t be removed, Plantea Estudio spray-coated the walls in a mix of plaster and Perlite mortar, “which accentuates the irregularity of the base”.
      The floor was coated uniformly with cement mortar, creating a continuous surface throughout the interior while providing a contrast with the chunky cobblestones laid in the entrance hall.

      Plantea Estudio creates cosy cave-like room within bar Gota

      The building’s functional pipes and pinewood supports were left exposed while the ceilings are clad in roughly textured sound insulation and embedded with graphic rows of strip lighting.
      To form display areas, benches and counters, Plantea Estudio opted for stepped blocks of concrete – a favourite material of the brutalist movement – cast in situ using moulds made from old wooden boards.
      Vintage Joaquim Belsa armchairs were used to furnish the spaceAs a clear contrast to the heavy solidity of these pieces, the store’s shelving is made of folded sheets of white-lacquered steel.
      “The main collection is displayed on these steel shelves, illuminated by a light that’s brighter than the general light in the store,” the studio said.
      A ficus tree stands near the entranceThe space is accentuated by large-format mirrors, applied to the building’s brick pillars, where Plantea Estudio says they work at “multiplying the cross views”.
      A large ficus tree marks the entrance while furniture was sourced from vintage design retailer Fenix Originals and includes 1960s armchairs by Catalan designer Joaquim Belsa.
      Simple metal shelves provide additional storagePlantea Estudio, which was founded by brothers Luis and Lorenzo Gil in 2008, has completed a number of interior projects in the Spanish capital.
      Among them is the neutral-toned Hermosilla restaurant, as well as a bar serving wine and small plates, where a cosy red “cave” room is hidden behind the main dining space.
      The photography is by Salva López.

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Curves and colour blocking feature in JJ16 apartment by Lucas y Hernández-Gil

      by

      Madrid studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil has completed a family home that makes the most of every inch, with details including a yellow storage wall, a corridor kitchen and a hidden closet.

      JJ16 is a three-bedroom apartment in Madrid’s Salamanca district, but until recently it had been used as an office.
      JJ16 is a three-bedroom apartment for a family of fourLucas y Hernández-Gil, a specialist in interior architecture, converted the property back into a residence for a family that includes a mother, three teenage children and their dog.
      The challenge was not only to make it feel like a home again but also to create space for everyone’s personality within the 165 square-metre footprint.
      The kitchen occupies a corridor space between the entrance lobby and the living roomThe designers achieved this by combining space-saving strategies with statement details, providing both functionality and character.

      “Everyone had a clear idea of what they needed, which translated directly into the spaces,” said studio founders Cristina Domínguez Lucas and Fernando Hernández-Gil Ruano.
      “Far from generating a conflict, different colours and materials give the house a richness, a harmonic heterogeneity,” they told Dezeen.
      The room is defined by shades of soft pink and greyOptimising JJ16’s layout was crucial but difficult given the irregularity of the floor plan.
      Lucas y Hernández-Gil’s strategy was to make every space, including the corridors, as useful as possible.
      The utility area also occupies a corridor spaceThe kitchen now occupies a connecting space between the entrance lobby and the living room, freeing up space at the front of the apartment for a spacious main bedroom.
      Meanwhile, the corridor leading to the main bathroom and the third bedroom incorporates a mini library and a utility area.

      Lucas y Hernández-Gil splits moods inside Madrid duplex apartment

      “The main challenge was the deep layout and long corridor,” said the architects.
      “We provided circulation with content by creating spaces within it. This turned out to be one of the best design decisions of the project.”
      A curved wall frames the main bedroomCurved partitions create variety within JJ16’s layout. The largest of these separates the living room from the main bedroom, but other curves can be found in the second bedroom and a shower room.
      Many spaces have their own colours, which contrast with the bright white tones that otherwise dominate the interior.
      The third bedroom is a twin room with a hidden walk-in closetThe bright yellow bookshelf wall is the most striking, while the adjacent kitchen offers a two-tone effect with shades of soft pink and grey, and matt chrome finishes.
      Bedrooms have a minimal feel, but they boast colourful dressing rooms and en-suites. Bright orange was chosen for the hidden walk-in closet, located in the twin third bedroom, while deep purple adds a luxury feel in the main bedroom.
      Patterned tiles feature in the bathroom and en-suite areasFloor surfaces provide more visual interest. Living spaces feature oak parquet, while bathrooms are all finished with patterned cement tiles.
      This bold approach to colour and texture is a common feature in the work of Lucas y Hernández-Gil, whose other recent projects include the sunset-inspired Naked and Famous bar and the stylish Casa A12.
      The main bathroom also features a curved shower room”The approach to colour is a constant in our design process,” said Lucas and Hernández-Gil Ruano.
      “It is about activating spaces and achieving a warm and joyful domestic atmosphere.”
      The photography is by Jose Hevia.
      Project credits
      Architecture: Lucas y Hernández-GilCollaborators: Lucía Balboa, María Domínguez, Sara Urriza

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Plantea Estudio creates cosy cave-like room within bar Gota

      by

      A red “cave” hides behind the main dining space of this wine and small plates bar in Madrid designed by interiors studio Plantea Estudio.

      Located on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in Madrid’s buzzy Justicia neighbourhood, Plantea Estudio designed Gota to appear “dark, stony and secluded”.
      Gota sits on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in the Justicia neighbourhoodGuests ring a bell to enter the 70-square-metre bar, and are then welcomed into a dining room enclosed by thickset granite ashlar walls. While some of the walls were left exposed, others have been smoothly plastered over and washed with grey lime paint.
      The floor was overlaid with black volcanic stone tiles that the studio thought were suggestive of a “newly discovered terrain”.
      A counter in the first dining space is inbuilt with a record playerA bench seat runs down the left-hand side of the bar, accompanied by lustrous aluminium tables and square birchwood stools from Danish design brand Frama.

      Guests can alternatively perch on high stools at the peripheries of the room, where lies a slender stone ledge for drinks to be set down on.
      Shelving displays wine bottles, vinyls, and other objectsMore seating was created around a bespoke chestnut counter at the room’s centre; its surfacetop has an in-built turntable on which the Gota team plays a curated selection of music.
      Behind the counter is a storage wall where wine bottles, vintage vinyl records and other music-related paraphernalia are displayed.
      A cave-like dining room hides at the bar’s rearAn open doorway takes guests down a short corridor to a secondary cave-like dining space, which boasts a dramatic vaulted ceiling and craggy brick walls. It has been almost entirely painted red.
      “It’s relatively common to find this kind of vaulted brick space in the basements of old buildings in Madrid – this case was special because it’s on the ground floor with small openings to a garden,” the studio told Dezeen.

      Plantea Estudio casts minimalist Madrid restaurant in shades of beige

      “It was perfect for a more quiet and private area of the bar,” it continued.
      “The red colour is an abstract reference to the brick of which the cave is really made, and also a reference to wine.”
      The space is arranged around a huge granite tableAt the room’s heart is a huge 10-centimetre-thick granite table that’s meant to look as if it has “been there forever”, surrounded by aluminium chairs also from Frama. Smaller birch tables and chairs custom-designed by the studio have been tucked into the rooms corners.
      To enhance the cosy, intimate feel of the bar, lighting has been kept to a minimum – there are a handful of candles, reclaimed sconces and an alabaster lamp by Spanish brand Santa & Cole.
      Red paint covers the space’s vaulted ceiling and brick wallsEstablished in 2008, Plantea Estudio is responsible for a number of hospitality projects in Madrid.
      Others include Hermosilla, a Mediterranean restaurant decked out in earthy tones, and Sala Equis, a multi-purpose entertainment space that occupies a former erotic cinema.
      The photography is by Salva López.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Studio Noju renovates curvy apartment in brutalist Torres Blancas tower

      by

      Local firm Studio Noju has updated a two-storey Madrid apartment within the Torres Blancas high-rise with a renovation that remains “in constant dialogue” with the original apartment design.

      Designed in 1961 by architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíz, Torres Blancas is a 71-metre-high exposed concrete tower featuring cylindrical shapes that create bulbous balconies on its facade and curved rooms inside.
      Studio Noju renovated the largest apartment in Torres BlancasStudio Noju overhauled the 1040 unit – the brutalist building’s biggest apartment – to balance its history with contemporary design details, according to the firm.
      “Our interior design proposal for the apartment takes inspiration from the original ideas that the architect came up with for the building,” studio co-founder Antonio Mora told Dezeen.
      Recovered terrace space is characterised by green tilesA key part of the project involved expanding the apartment’s exterior area on the first floor from 15 to almost 80 square metres to create the amount of outdoor space that existed before multiple past renovations of the tower.

      This expansion added terraces that are characterised by curved floor-to-ceiling glazing and slatted crimson shutters. These open onto gleaming green ceramic tiles that take cues from 1960s interiors and form built-in benches, fountains and planters that follow the terraces’ meandering contours.
      Visitors enter at a semi-circular foyer”The outdoor spaces have been once again consolidated into a continuous terrace that follows the outline of the original plan,” explained Mora, who set up Studio Noju with Eduardo Tazón in 2020.
      “There is a constant dialogue between many of the solutions we have proposed in the interior design of the apartment with those proposed more than 50 years ago by Sáenz de Oiza.”
      White walls and ceilings create an airy open-plan first floorVisitors enter the apartment at a semi-circular foyer featuring Segovia black slate and wine-red panelling – the same materials used in the building’s communal areas.
      The open-plan ground floor is interrupted by snaking white structural walls, such as a partition in the living room that features repetitive circular openings.
      The kitchen was formed from a continuous countertopA continuous custom-made countertop with a subtle green hue forms the kitchen area, which includes a statement bulbous sink that echoes Torres Blancas’ cylindrical facade.
      Light reflects from the original glass-brick tinted windows and illuminates the smooth resin floor and metallic wall accents.
      Studio Noju salvaged an original brass banister for the staircaseWhite geometric treads create a floating staircase with an original polished brass banister that leads to the first floor. Upstairs, a sequence of bedrooms is characterised by oak ceilings that contrast with the bright white ceilings on the ground floor.
      Each bathroom is playfully colour-coded with individual mosaics of bright tiles, complete with sconce lights, mirrors and cabinetry that follow the rounded shapes found throughout the apartment.
      Each bathroom has colour-coded tiles”The [mosaic] material allowed us to solve all the elements of the bathroom such as shower areas, vanities, walls and floors, referencing a similar material strategy used in the original design,” said Mora.
      Adjacent to the main bedroom, the first-floor terrace includes a large green tile-clad outdoor bathtub cloaked in a sheer curtain, which is flanked by plants that were positioned to absorb the water produced by bathing.

      Casa Olivar is a Madrid apartment designed as a “sensorial refuge”

      “The element that we are most proud of is the feeling of a house-patio that has been recovered in the apartment,” reflected Mora.
      “The unit once again revolves around the exterior spaces, and these seem to blend with the interior through the curved traces of green tiles that enter and exit the living room and dining area,” added the architect.
      “Our biggest challenge was striking a balance between honouring the building, but at the same time imbuing the interior design with our language.”
      The first floor terrace features an outdoor bathtubStudio Noju showcased a similar colourful style in its debut project, which involved the renovation of an open-plan Seville apartment.
      Torres Blancas was among the buildings captured by photographer Roberto Conte in his series of brutalist buildings in Madrid.
      The photography is by José Hevia. 

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares179 Views

      in Rooms

      Casa Olivar is a Madrid apartment designed as a “sensorial refuge”

      by

      Designers Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have transformed a traditional two-storey apartment in Madrid, Spain, into a tranquil home for themselves featuring a pared-back palette of natural materials and crafted details.

      Casa Olivar is located in a typical corrala – a type of apartment building found in the old parts of Madrid, where housing units are accessed from external covered corridors.
      Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have designed their own apartment in MadridThe apartment’s interior was in poor condition when Ferrari and Gallo purchased the property, and decided to convert it into a contemporary home.
      The design retains some of the building’s historical features while reorganising the compact interior to create a series of light and bright interconnected spaces.
      Its living room is flooded with light via two huge windowsFerrari and Gallo describe the apartment as a “non-urban place, a sensorial refuge to reconnect with ourselves, regulate our emotions and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the outside world”.

      The couple used a pared-back material palette to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere, making the most of the daylight that enters the interior through two large windows in the living room.
      Arched openings separate the dining area from the living room”The intervention is characterised by a spatial continuity and a warm minimalism,” the duo explained. “It seeks to elevate natural light and encourage the use of local craft materials, generating a close dialogue between light and materiality.”
      A central partition dividing the dining area from the living room was altered by adding a pair of lowered arches that echo the proportions of the facade openings.
      Aluminium kitchen fronts provide a counterpoint to the muted colour paletteLight from the windows passes through the openings to reach the kitchen, while the bedroom downstairs receives indirect illumination from a pair of openings in the floor above.
      Throughout the interior, the designers chose to use simple and authentic materials, featuring predominantly earthy tones.
      “The approach is to be honest with the materials, respecting their authentic appearance and textures while prioritising natural resources and local craftsmanship,” Ferrari and Gallo explained.

      Vibrant glazed tiles divvy up Madrid apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera

      The apartment’s entrance opens directly into the kitchen and dining area, which is arranged around a sculptural table designed by the couple that features a textural Tadelakt plaster finish.
      Floors are covered with handmade terracotta tiles to create consistency between the spaces. The same tiles are used in the bathroom, with their varying dimensions giving each space a unique quality.
      The bedroom receives indirect illumination from openings in the floor aboveTables and display stands were created using stone salvaged during the renovation process, while the kitchen’s aluminium storage units provide a contemporary counterpoint to the natural tones and textures.
      Gallo designed the textiles used within the apartment to add texture and dynamism to the spaces. These include a draped nylon curtain that echoes the warm tones used in the bathroom.
      Draped nylon fabric acts as a shower curtain in the bathroomOther works of art and craft bring personality to the apartment, such as the washbasin made by designer María Lázaro and a hammock woven in Colombia using traditional techniques.
      Ferrari moved from Italy to Madrid in 2008 after completing his architecture studies at the University of Ferrara. He founded his own studio in 2015, which focuses on using simple gestures to create timeless and familiar spaces.
      The photography is by Asier Rua.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Vibrant glazed tiles divvy up Madrid apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera

      by

      Spanish architecture studio Sierra + De La Higuera has used traditional Moroccan zellige tiles to define the different spaces in this open-plan apartment in Madrid.

      Housed in a 1940s building in the city’s bohemian Conde Duque neighbourhood, the apartment belongs to a well-travelled couple that wanted to stamp its Mexican and Galician heritage onto the interior.
      Colourful tiling features throughout the Conde Duque apartment”Our clients wanted to bring part of their origins to Madrid,” Sierra + De La Higuera told Dezeen. “This project is the outcome of a quest to find colour in Madrid, a characteristic marked by the owners’ journeys and origins.”
      The studio was commissioned to carry out a complete refurbishment of the apartment, which included totally changing its layout.
      The apartment is housed in a 1940s building in MadridThe original plan consisted of a series of rooms laid out along a long windowless hallway. Sierra + De La Higuera removed as many walls as possible to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space.

      “Historically in Madrid, houses had a lot of rooms and partitions,” the studio told Dezeen.
      “But nowadays, we like to live on a more open-plan basis. The main aim of the new layout was to open spaces, eliminate corridors and hallways, and to gain as much natural light as possible.”
      A wood-panelled entrance hall separates the living and dining spacesTwo bedrooms – one with a walk-in wardrobe and both with adjoining bathrooms – are located at the north end of the apartment while a bright sitting room wrapped by south-facing terraces sits at the opposite end.
      Throughout the apartment, natural timber, terracotta tiles and white walls were used as foils to the zellige tiling, which is distinguished by its imperfect hand-moulded surfaces.
      Emerald green zellige tiles distinguish the kitchenThe wood-panelled entrance hall with its arched doorways was conceived as a buffer between two different zones. On the one side is the Mexico-influenced kitchen and dining area finished with emerald green tiles.
      And on the other side are the living room and the terraces with their bold yellow colour scheme, which were informed by the couple’s travels to Singapore.
      “We focused on vivid colours: bright yellows, greens, blues and reds, paired with materials like tiles, ceramics and fine wood,” explained Sierra + De La Higuera.

      Artchimboldi Menorca is a work retreat inside an abandoned girls’ school

      In the sitting room and the two bathrooms – finished in red and blue respectively – the tiles were used to create decorative striped skirting that frames the different zones.
      In some areas, the colours of the tiles are applied to other furnishings to create a cohesive feel, with the green upholstery in the living room echoing the glazed green tiles in the kitchen.
      Yellow was applied liberally throughout the terraces and in the living roomA large bookshelf that runs around the kitchen, dining and living room area was custom designed for the space by Sierra + De La Higuera.
      “This element is very important to the clients, as it holds all the objects they have collected on each of their journeys in addition to all their books,” the studio explained.
      Tiles were also used to create decorative striped skirting in the bathroomsIn the bedroom, the architects designed custom cabinetry and specified a cloud-grey carpet to create a calm and cosy ambience, which is intended to evoke Galicia.
      Other projects that use tiles to delineate rooms include a Barcelona bed and breakfast by Nook Architects that features vibrant blue tiles and cobalt-blue paintwork.
      The photography is by German Sáiz.

      Read more: More