Meow Meow

Imagine this: a top-floor apartment in downtown Madrid, untouched for nearly a decade. We’re talking broken windows, pigeon squatters, and a maze of tiny, disconnected rooms – a cramped entrance, a narrow hallway, and a “strange living room”. That was the starting point for this architect, the founder of GMO Studio, who co-designed the space with his friend Anakubas, and now lives there with his wife, Ela. Their vision was clear: create a space that felt bright, spacious, and utterly fluid. They even drew inspiration from Japanese architecture, where furniture often sits lower, making the high ceilings feel even grander.

Tearing Down Walls, Building Up Flow Their most impactful move? Knocking down most of the internal walls. This single decision revolutionized the apartment’s flow.

The kitchen, now a large, inviting zone, was relocated to the front of the apartment.
That old, ochre-colored hallway? Transformed into a dedicated laundry room.
The living room, office, and bedroom were all merged into one expansive area, seamlessly connecting to a small balcony. This wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about creating a more natural, intuitive daily flow. Even the original wooden beams, revealed after removing the false ceiling, were left exposed to enhance the open, airy feel.
Smart Hacks & Bespoke Touches This apartment isn’t about throwing money at problems; it’s about clever solutions and personalized design. The designer’s fascination with how objects, their form, function, and material impact our experience, is evident everywhere. The home is a playground of raw samples and prototypes, fueling constant inspiration.

Take the kitchen. It’s a perfect example of blending affordability with custom flair. The basic structure is IKEA, but it’s been customized with doors and countertops from Kubra, creating a bespoke look. The pale green cabinets offer a subtle contrast to the white walls, without overpowering the space. The architect sees his kitchen as a “workshop,” where tools, spices, and food are openly visible, sparking new ideas. And forget standard fridge magnets; they’ve created a unique collection of “meaningful souvenirs” by simply attaching magnets to the back of cherished objects.

Even the dining table and chairs are a testament to resourcefulness. They were designed and built specifically for the space using extra materials from another client project. This smart use of “spare materials and leftovers” is a recurring theme, ensuring nothing goes to waste.

Crafting Atmosphere: Light, Layers, and Living Stories The living room is designed as a calm, relaxing space for unwinding. It features “slow furniture” to enhance the sense of spaciousness and is filled with the designer’s own creations – many still prototypes – alongside other objects that hold personal stories and meaning. A particularly unique piece is the collector’s table, designed to display collections; here, it showcases the owner’s fascinating array of fishing reels. The sofa, crafted from scrap wood, even doubles as a guest bed by simply removing the back cushions.

Lighting is a passion here. In the kitchen, lights are either wall-mounted or low pendants. The living room boasts unique lamps, including the “sunset lamp,” co-designed with Injia, which beautifully recreates the warm gradients of a sunset. This space is constantly evolving, with new ideas emerging daily, such as using the exposed wooden beams to creatively hang laundry or bed sheets.

The floor throughout the apartment is a distinctive composite of cement resin and albero sand – a type of sand found in Spain, often used in bullfight pits. The designer loves the idea that his furniture is like “toys scattered in a sand pit” on this unique surface.

Ingenious Solutions for Intimate Spaces The bedroom’s floor plan is “a little bit weird”, prompting the designers to create a central island that cleverly incorporates both the bed and a desk. This desk ingeniously transitions from a functional workspace by day to a convenient bedside table at night – a true “Frankenstein of a lot of leftovers” from the workshop. Even a standard IKEA wardrobe was adapted by rotating it to perfectly fit into a corner, its white color ensuring a neutral presence. The bedroom bathes in the most beautiful light in the house, with acacia trees outside creating captivating shadows on the walls in the afternoon.

An incredibly useful storage solution was found above the removed ceilings, providing extra space for seasonal clothes and design prototypes, accessed by a versatile ladder. And talk about flexibility: the TV, mounted on a small rolling stand made from IKEA pieces, moves effortlessly from the bedroom to the living room for movie nights or dinners.

The bathroom, located in the center of the house, also showcases clever problem-solving. By extending the albero sand onto the walls, it evokes a “cave-like” feel. To reduce visual clutter, a single large mirror was installed, making the space feel more expansive. For the soap holder, a scrap piece of marble found on the street was fixed to the wall, highlighting a love for contrasting textures. Despite having no windows, the bathroom is surprisingly bright due to circular windows added to either end, allowing light to pass from the kitchen and living room, often eliminating the need for artificial lighting during the day.

A Philosophy of Purposeful Design Throughout the apartment, the designer’s core philosophy shines through: a deep fascination with boat designs, where every last space is optimized and ergonomic. He thrives on finding “specific solutions to specific problems” and deliberately operates “contrary to a standardization,” stating, “I really hate the standard”. The values he passionately pursues in his work are diversity, adaptation, balance, functionality, versatility, and, above all, the provocation of emotion and wonder.

This Madrid apartment isn’t just a stunning renovation; it’s a testament to the power of thoughtful, personal design, proving that limitations can spark the most inventive and unique solutions, turning a forgotten space into a true design marvel!