GLCY4 Compact Apartment in Madrid by Plutarco.

Ana Arana and Enrique Ventosa of architecture firm Plutarco have transformed a claustrophobic apartment in Madrid into a bold and functional interior that celebrates the great masters of colour—Le Corbusier and Alvar Alto. Located on the third floor of a 1920’s building in the neighbourhood of Palos de la Frontera, colour and materiality is layered boldly in a contemporary tribute that has given the home a new and unexpected lease on life.

The layout, quintessential of apartments in Madrid, was a labyrinth with an eternal corridor that led to small rooms and a separated living and dining space. Blessed with high ceilings, the designers decided to take a single space concept where versatility and mobile solutions compartmentalised the space.

The T-shaped geometry of the floor plan was retained and used to organise the interior and preserve the continuous ceiling throughout the house. No internal volume reaches the ceiling and a secondary height was established to define the level of the bathroom, wardrobe modules and kitchen. The bathroom is separated from the open plan with its wash basin located in the central space and integrated with a completely mirrored cupboard module, disappearing among the many reflections.

Playful Madrid Apartment Renovation by Plutarco.

Ritveld, Ponti and Magistretti are just some of the design names featured throughout this playful apartment that balances pedigree furniture classics with bold splashes of materials and colour. The end result is anything but predictable.

The use of colour on walls and ceilings is a tribute to Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret’s La Roche-Jeanneret House. Warm beige is used for the walls, water-green for the ceiling and terracotta acts as a colourful accent on window frames, stained wood panelling (a nod to Ettore Sottsaas’ Alpi) and in the kitchen.

A bold ceiling is a bit of a signature of Plutarco’s work. “For us, ceilings are always very important and we believe that they are the forgotten ones, but Alvar Aalto in the Sanatorium in Paimio decided to apply a high gloss paint and managed to extend the walls to multiply the feeling of spaciousness,” Ana and Enrique elaborate. “This effect is the same as the one we have applied in the project, which also ensures that things are always happening on the ceiling plane, reflections of the street and play of light.”

Expertly layered materiality is complemented by furniture and decoration by Muller Van Severen, Ingo Maurer and the Bouroullec brothers, playful contemporary brands Hay, Hem and Ferm and some classics from Cassina and Nani Marquina.

Plutarco's Own Office and HECHO Store in Madrid.

In a characteristic explosion of colours, Plutarco have designed their own headquarters in the centre of Madrid..

[Images courtesy of Plutarco. Photography by Germán Saiz.]