Houzz Tour: Madrid Apartment Celebrates Indoor-Outdoor Living
A fluid layout allows the architect-owner to move freely from pool-like tub to fireside seat to plant-lined patio
Ways to promote relaxation and experience space drove architect Gonzalo Pardo’s decision-making when he was renovating his penthouse in Madrid. The apartment’s free-flowing but well-organized interior leaves room for the unexpected, such as a pool-like bathtub and a hidden bathroom door.
A set of stairs leads from the entrance to the main space, a combined dining, living and relaxation area.
The 16-foot ceiling particularly impressed Pardo when he first bought the penthouse. “It reminded me of how [the late Spanish architect] Enric Miralles used to say that the entryway should be something special. That’s why I choose this dark blue — very Mediterranean — which visually lowers the height of the ceiling and makes it feel like you’re entering a cave,” he says.
The 16-foot ceiling particularly impressed Pardo when he first bought the penthouse. “It reminded me of how [the late Spanish architect] Enric Miralles used to say that the entryway should be something special. That’s why I choose this dark blue — very Mediterranean — which visually lowers the height of the ceiling and makes it feel like you’re entering a cave,” he says.
Pardo describes the apartment as “a place to create and experience, by yourself or in good company; a place that plays with the boundaries between indoor and outdoor space.” He collaborated with Alejandro Sánchez and Clara Dios on the project.
The apartment was designed with a view to the experiences the inhabitants would have inside: sitting in front of the fireplace, taking a dip in the bathtub-pool with the windows open, and reading or stargazing on the patio on warm summer nights.
The apartment was designed with a view to the experiences the inhabitants would have inside: sitting in front of the fireplace, taking a dip in the bathtub-pool with the windows open, and reading or stargazing on the patio on warm summer nights.
The apartment is a cross between a loft and a Russian nesting doll. The central wooden unit contains the bathroom, the laundry room and a large storage area. The remaining spaces flow into one another.
“In this house, cooking, eating, sleeping, exercising and resting are performed in a free space defined by the shape and position of the items as well as the surroundings,” Pardo says.
“In this house, cooking, eating, sleeping, exercising and resting are performed in a free space defined by the shape and position of the items as well as the surroundings,” Pardo says.
The wooden unit, defined by the black walls in this rendering, serves as a boundary between the daytime area and the private zone comprising the bedroom and office. “It is a playful feature,” Pardo says. “It hides a secret entrance to the bathroom on its side, adding an element of surprise and mystery to the house.”
Pardo wanted to have lots of plants around. “I used them to build my own landscape, to block the view from neighboring buildings,” he says, to the patio and the bathroom unit, for example.
Wisterias, yews, oleanders, a rose bush and herbs like thyme and basil create a green wall that protects and comforts.
The kitchen is next to the patio. Pardo particularly likes the way this space connects to the outdoors.
In the summer, he likes to sit at the table with the windows open while he’s cooking.
Pardo uses materials to define or blend spaces as he sees fit.
The floors in the daytime zone are mainly courbaril, a tropical wood from South and Central America. They were in bad condition when Pardo moved in, but he restored them because he liked the material.
The floors in the daytime zone are mainly courbaril, a tropical wood from South and Central America. They were in bad condition when Pardo moved in, but he restored them because he liked the material.
However, the bathtub-pool’s white floor tiles extend into the living room.
Pardo says he is very aquatic. The patio and bathtub-pool are the parts of the home he enjoys most in the summer. In the winter, he might spend the whole weekend in front of the fireplace.
Pardo says he is very aquatic. The patio and bathtub-pool are the parts of the home he enjoys most in the summer. In the winter, he might spend the whole weekend in front of the fireplace.
The overall project wasn’t complicated, he says, though there were some challenges. “The construction of the pool was the most difficult thing from a technical point of view because it was necessary to raise the floor and install beams. Also, installing an automatic watering system for the plant boxes wasn’t easy, but thank goodness I installed it because I’m very bad at gardening,” he says, laughing.
The project cost about $67,300.
Alejandro Ruíz of Serviteco Obras did the construction, and
Mariano García of Alma Ebanistería did the carpentry.
The project cost about $67,300.
Alejandro Ruíz of Serviteco Obras did the construction, and
Mariano García of Alma Ebanistería did the carpentry.
Opposite the day zone is an area with a bedroom and an office.
The bathroom is just behind the open door.
“This is my house, the one I need. A place that is not meant for just existing in but for celebrating life in,” Pardo says.
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Gonzalo Pardo, an architect and architecture professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid
Location: Downtown Madrid
Size: 1,313 square feet (122 square meters)
Designers: Gon Architects (architecture) and Victoria González of Vonna (kitchen design)