This 650-Square-Foot Madrid Apartment Is Centered Around Its Delightfully Simple Library
Instead of a showcase for his projects, architectural designer Guillermo Trapiello’s Madrid apartment—nicknamed Casa Albero—was designed to be a restful oasis where he could disconnect. When Guillermo realized that he did not really want a home that would also double as a warehouse and workshop, he stopped looking for a vast space on Madrid’s outskirts with room for all those different functions. It dawned on the cartographer, designer, and cofounder (along with Inés Llasera) of Tornasol Studio, that what would make him happy would be a simple “domestic and hedonistic space.” He explains, “There was a moment when I opened my eyes and said to myself, ‘You already have a place to go to work, you don’t need another one.’ And so I started to look at smaller apartments closer to the city center where I could focus on what excites me—cooking and spending time with friends.”
This is how he ended up in a 650-square-foot home near the Manzanares River. The apartment is in a modest building from the 1930s and has an attic space that the designers utilized for additional storage. Architect Ana Cubas, who has known Guillermo since they were both college students, joined the renovation effort and immediately saw potential improvements that could be made to the layout. “The apartment was designed years ago and it had been broken into too many small spaces,” she says. “Back then people needed more rooms than we do now, even in small homes like this one. Its organization no longer worked well.” She adds that part of the appeal of the project was getting to work with Guillermo. “We have been colleagues for a long time, although I have been more focused on the world of interior design. This project has worked out well as we have each been able to approach it from our own area of expertise and different perspectives.”
When an architect or designer creates their own home, there can be a tendency to get carried away and transform into a laboratory of experimentation. However, Guillermo and Ana decided that instead of a self-consciously creative home, they would design an inviting and comfortable apartment that conceals its innovative features behind an understated appearance. “Indeed, when the only client you have to satisfy is yourself and your desires, and you have the freedom to do what you want, it can be a double-edged sword,” explains Guillermo. “You have to check yourself and, in response to the freedom that you have,” Ana adds, “you have to set your own limits.”
Guillermo’s initial wish list for the apartment underwent some revisions once the demolition began. “There were several fundamental things we wanted to achieve with the plan—to generate some cross ventilation, to unify the layout of the floor plan, and for the kitchen to be open to the rest of the house,” says Ana. The plan quickly resulted in the apartment that exists now, a two-story loft-like space with a central section—between the living room and the kitchen—where the bathroom and laundry room are located. “We liked the idea of going from one large room to another through a more compressed area,” they say. The arrangement of rooms is defined by a simple palette with only a few different colors: an absolute white on the walls and ceilings, a sand color for the concrete floors, and a sage green in the kitchen.
“It’s a way of focusing attention on what matters most: Guillermo’s designs,” Ana explains. “They also echo the colors of Extremadura [a region in Spain] where Tornasol has its workshop,” Guillermo tells us later on a phone call. “The colors in the Madrid apartment are the same ones that I see when I am driving through the countryside.” While the simple palette of the apartment provides a backdrop for Guillermo’s furniture designs, it also creates a visually calming atmosphere where the architect and designer can disconnect between jobs.
“When I walked into the apartment I realized I didn’t really want to hang anything on the walls,” Guillermo recalls. “I want this space to be very simple, I haven’t felt the need to fill it.” In fact, the relationship between this home and the items that fill it has very much been a focus during the entire process of designing the apartment. “What always happens to me has happened again here,” Guillermo says. “All the pieces of furniture I make are made with what I personally like in mind. In this case it has been the same, I have reviewed the pieces that I already had and wanted to incorporate (like the Atardecer lamp) and I have created others for this apartment (like the Gofre table).” Other favorite items sit on the shelves of the large bookshelf that dominates the living space and serves as a display case.
The last stop on this tour of the apartment is actually the first for visitors. The kitchen, with its long dining table designed by Guillermo and which can accommodate up to 10 people, is at the entrance of the house and is the focal point of daily activity. “We wanted this room, which welcomes you when you arrive, to have the character of a txoko,” Guillermo says. These gastronomic clubs, common in Spain’s Basque Country and the region of Navarre, are places where members gather to cook and enjoy meals together. “In the room, everything is low, the cabinets and storage are located below the countertops so that they don’t dominate the room. It is designed to be a space for people to gather and enjoy good food and company,” he says.
This home tour was first published by AD Spain. It was translated by John Newton.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello1/8When sunlight enters the flat, the reflection off the sand-colored floor washes the walls in a warm light, creating an appealing backdrop for Guillermo’s designs. The bathroom and laundry room sit to both sides of a short hallway that connects the kitchen and the living room-bedroom.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello2/8In a nook behind the head of the bed, a wooden desk serves as an office. There is also access from the space to a small balcony.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello3/8It is possible to walk through apartment without opening a single door except for those that close off the bathroom and the laundry room. The continuous cement floor that runs through the unit connects it to the river and the gardens to its south.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello4/8The double-height ceilings, a standout feature of the apartment, not only generate a feeling of openness, but also allow natural light to enter, improve ventilation, and maximize the use of the space.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello5/8Far from being a center of experimentation crowded with different pieces, colors, and materials, Casa Albero reflects the personality of its owner in a relaxed way. It also serves as a retreat where Guillermo can disconnect between projects.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello6/8The kitchen, designed by Cubro, is one of the focal points of the house. Conceived as a gathering spot, it is inviting as well as functional. The large dining table, the green elements, and the arrangement of the storage, all under the countertop, reinforce the feeling of being in a room designed for socializing.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello7/8During the renovation, the architects decided to save the original beams in the kitchen to maintain the character of the apartment. In the living room-bedroom, however, they were replaced with a metal structure to open up the space even more.
Photo: Rafael Trapiello8/8The bathroom, located in the center of the apartment, is in the same sand color used for the floors throughout the apartment.
