In the heart of Madrid's bustling metropolis, architecture firm Plantea Estudio has transformed a traditional apartment into a serene, bright refuge that combines clear geometric forms with a cozy cocoon of pine wood and a striking stainless steel kitchen island. This innovative renovation demonstrates how natural materials and thoughtful design can bring countryside tranquility to urban living.
Unlike typical residential projects where homeowners commission designers to adapt spaces to their specific needs, this renovation presented a unique challenge. Plantea Estudio had to redesign the space while considering potential future residents who hadn't been identified yet. The client, design and real estate developer Home of Ambrose, aimed to create an ideal home for those living in Madrid's energetic atmosphere today.
The design team's goal was to create a balanced environment for future residents, providing the right amount of peace and security along with an innovative and fresh touch. This dual approach became the studio's guiding principle, leading them to develop a design concept that embraces fundamental architectural principles: clear geometry and high-quality, authentic materials combined with an innovative, vibrant, and functional style.
The renovation took place on the first floor of a building in Madrid's Salamanca district, in a west-facing apartment that originally featured a typical 20th-century room layout. The space included three street-facing balconies, a central courtyard, and small rooms with different functions. Plantea Estudio completely redesigned the entire structure to maximize the outdoor areas' potential.
The space along the balconies remains open and encompasses three distinct zones: a work area, a dining area for gathering around the table, and an entertainment or reading area with comfortable seating. This open layout maximizes natural light and creates fluid connections between different living functions while maintaining distinct areas for various activities.
Three round pillars in the center of the generous space subtly connect and simultaneously separate the different areas. These pillars were deliberately designed to be wide, and depending on perspective, they can either block the view between rooms or simply highlight the connection between them. This creates three broad passages leading to other living areas, including the kitchen.
The three columns not only divide the open space into evenly sized areas but also embody Plantea Studio's idea of returning to the simplest basic architectural forms during renovation. The design is based on a classical understanding of 'house' - the first construction that a child understands as architecture, since they spend most of their early life there. This first 'house' shapes us all.
Opposite the open living and dining area are three additional zones: the entrance, the kitchen, and an area housing storage, laundry, and a guest bathroom. The architecture of columns, lintels, walls, and openings, along with the basic geometry of horizontal and vertical elements, right angles and circles - reminiscent of the earliest building blocks - immediately establishes a connection to this classical concept.
The material palette reflects the studio's desire for classical character. Visitors enter the sleeping area through an anteroom with small terracotta tiles from La Paloma. From the front, one of the columns blocks the view of the open living space, where 30-centimeter-wide Douglas fir planks from Dinesen are laid, extending throughout the rest of the apartment.
The same wood, featuring a light, slightly reddish tone that harmonizes with the terracotta and velvety wall color from Farrow & Ball, was used to create built-in furniture for the entrance area, pantry/laundry room, and kitchen. These materials and simple geometry convey the feeling of something traditional - an urban country cottage.
In front of the kitchen, in the middle of the large room, a stainless steel kitchen island designed by Plantea Estudio and manufactured by Artificio provides a modern contrast. This contemporary element is complemented by the selection of designer furniture and artwork throughout the space, including pieces by Mario Bellini, Angelo Mangiarotti, and BRDR Kruger.
The rear portion of the apartment houses bedrooms arranged around the central courtyard, each with its own bathroom. The bathrooms are clad in Dolomite marble, which echoes the classical ambiance of the living area. The bedrooms continue the wood built-in theme, with custom pine furniture that recalls the abstract furniture of Donald Judd while perfectly integrating with the interior's formal language.
Lighting throughout the space comes from carefully selected fixtures by Kilzi, Lumina, and Wästberg, while artwork by Vinicius Barajas and Armando Mesías adds colorful accents to the neutral palette. The dining table, designed by Plantea Estudio, features legs that echo the round pillars of the living area, creating visual continuity throughout the space.
Pantea Estudio's vision was to create a balanced atmosphere for future residents where they could find peace and stability, surrounded by craftsmanship using natural materials. The result is a calm, warm, and balanced home that, thanks to natural materials like terracotta, Douglas fir, and Dolomite marble, along with simple geometric forms defining the spaces, conveys an unobtrusive sense of security and connection.
Simultaneously, the apartment radiates something lively, innovative, and subtly sophisticated. It represents a home that invites relaxation and contemplation without sacrificing the dynamics of urban life, perfectly balancing the needs of busy professionals who appreciate both solitude and social gatherings in an elegant, contemporary retreat that transcends current trends.
