Small Apartment Renovation in Madrid, Spain by Elii Architects

We’ve seen a global resurgence in small or tiny abodes over the last few years. This may partly be a response to an aching longing to return to simpler times, where there was less to manage.

This 34-square-metre apartment in Madrid, Spain, is a gem as far as tiny goes. There is something awfully exciting about exploring a tiny house – where do they fit everything? How does it all sync together? A bit like a cool, unfolding child’s toy what gets rearrange to create something new.

Let’s start with the way the Spanish architects elii, have addressed the levels of space. By isolating the entry in order to give privacy to the bedroom and bathroom and then by graduating the planes of the apartment, they’ve essentially created three spatial areas. A raised platform for the bed, sitting 900mm above floor level, neatly hides storage under the stairs used to climb up on it. But even more gratifyingly, it provides a space for a bathroom with a super-duper deep, sunken bath. This leaves the rest of the floor plan to be used for the cooking and living areas.

“Firstly, the floor plan arrangement is based on an L-shaped service band that integrates the access, wet areas, storage areas and leisure spaces. This frees up the main area, which opens up to the windows and balconies to create a brightly lit atmosphere,” explain the architects.

They’ve used every inch of the available space – vertically, horizontally, in cupboards, behind walls and so on.

“Secret trapdoors extend the storage space in the overhead areas. A portable stepladder/furniture item is used to overcome the difference in elevation, add storage spaces and double as small grandstands in the living room,” said the design team.

And then there are some sexy little additions like the projector in the bedroom – it’s roof mounted and projects onto a screen from the bed. It’s a floor plan full of thought, which contrary to one’s expectation becomes all the more challenging to resolve the smaller the square meters. The architects have managed to deliver big things in what’s a very tiny home.

See more projects by Elii Architects on Yellowtrace here.