Alberto Alcocer Apartment by De la Villa Studio

The property is located on Calle Alberto Alcocer, a wide tree-lined avenue in the Chamartin district of Madrid.

The original layout resembled that of an office, with excessive compartmentalization resulting in loss of light and space. A dark and broken corridor stretched along the central axis of the house. The main objective of the integral reform was to unify spaces in a large social area, using visual dividing elements such as recesses or cut-outs in the floors to maximize the entry of light. The challenge was to design a layout with almost no corridors.

Another challenge was to create a sense of height in the existing ceilings. We had old fixtures and fittings that encroached on the usable space of this home and were integrated into the custom-made furniture in the different rooms.

A nucleus of wet areas was established in the centre of the house and a succession of rooms using natural stone embrasures, which bring elegance and solidity to the construction.

After crossing the entrance door, a global vision of the materials that will unify the essence of the project can be seen throughout the house: natural oak wood and Olivillo travertine stone. The wood, treated with water-based varnish, is used in the made-to-measure joinery and in the floor in a lighter tone, laid with a loose joint. The Olivillo travertine stone is used in the mouths.

The layout consists of two areas: the main hallway for the common areas and the second hallway giving access to the three bedrooms and their bathrooms, which are more private areas.

In the first distributor, the elegance of the geometric shapes takes precedence, highlighting the height of the ceiling with a curved hatch as a union between walls which, apart from softening this encounter, guides the indirect lighting towards the ceiling through recessed wall washers. An initial dialogue is established between the recesses and the importance of the hierarchy of heights.

The recesses are treated with the intention of being able to separate rooms or keep them unified. Some of these architectural resources house large sliding doors which, when open, are concealed in them and, when slid open, act as enclosing panels, so that various routes through the house can be established.

The opening between the living-dining room is clad only on the sides, leaving the ceiling continuous, to create a sense of connection between these spaces. In the rest of the openings, the entire edge is clad to mark the delimitation of the rooms.

A panelled wall, with a set of doors, creates the entrance to the toilet, which is concealed and, when uncovered, contrasts with the rest of the home. With an elegant and marked ash tone, the vertical walls are wallpapered, emphasized by the use of Dark Emperor stone, in a sculptural piece as a washbasin.

The kitchen, located in the interior area of the home, has its own circulation and three large windows bathe the island in light, a piece that stands out for the aged travertine that runs continuously around it.

A floor-to-ceiling storage space is built into the wall. This element acts as a partition between the kitchen and the passageway to the laundry area and installations room. The house has underfloor heating, using aerothermal energy as a source of energy, renewable and much more energy efficient.

The main rooms of the house, such as the living room and dining room, are located on the south facade, with views of the street through a continuous window that provides them with natural light and spaciousness. Our intention has always been to unify these social areas by accompanying them with a charming terrace.

The living room was provided with two storage elements, on the one hand, we have a low module, in the same silk white tone as the walls, so that it is visually integrated. This module hides the air conditioning installations of the house and, on the other hand, provides a large amount of storage for its inhabitants. Opposite the windows, another module, in this case from floor to ceiling, in natural oak wood, conceals the television and a bar unit with a mirrored background, glass shelves and retractable doors.

From the living room, we continue to the hallway of the most reserved area of the property. Here we find floor-to-ceiling oak woodwork that leads to each of the three bedrooms.

The master bedroom is also south facing and has a large window overlooking the street. For the wall opposite the bed, an auxiliary piece of furniture has been designed to cover this area of the room. To get to the bedroom, we cross through a large dressing room with floor-to-ceiling oak doors, upholstered in linen.

Both bathrooms have Alba limestone washbasins and microcement cladding with clay. In the main bathroom, a volcanic rock tone was used for the cladding of the shower cubicle with integrated bathtub. In the other bathroom, a more neutral sand tone was chosen.

In both of them, large mirrors have been fitted to reflect the light, so characteristic of this home, and to give a feeling of greater spaciousness.

The interior design stands out for the use of natural materials, characteristic in all our projects. Stones such as Travertine, Alba limestone or Dark Emperor marble, treated with details of architectural value, will give the home an elegant, minimalist and timeless character.

To this neutral canvas, with a clear and simple architectural language, is added a selection of furniture that provides a modern and avant-garde character, with pieces of great value in the history of design and others by emerging artists, more contemporary, which have been carefully chosen to enhance the uniqueness of each room.

These pieces, with a harmonious chromatic connection, ranging from shades of brown to green, including pink or orange flecks.