A duplex in the center of Madrid with a terrace

The owner couple was keen to find a south-facing house with unobstructed views. When they bought this duplex with a small terrace, they didn’t realize that the renovation would exceed all their expectations.

“It seemed expensive and small to us, we did not see the potential it had because we are not experts, so we made a low offer, thinking that it would be rejected. But they accepted us. I left the real estate agency like a zombie, I have never slept so bad in my life like those nights!”, recalls Nicholas, the owner (along with his partner, Mercedes) of this duplex in Madrid.

Complicated Requirements

Nicholas and Mercedes had spent years looking for something very specific, almost impossible: south-facing, unobstructed views, a central neighborhood but on a quiet street in Madrid. And this house had it all… Only it had very low ceilings and an impossible distribution.

The bookshelf was custom-made by Jeronimo Matheus. It is made of lacquered wood. Underneath there are drawers and, next to them, a cupboard with space for an iron and a vacuum cleaner.

Reforms Well Done

To convert that narrow floor into this bright duplex, they had the help of the Arquitectura Al Descubierto studios (formed by Cristina Manene and Fernando Orte) and Dosde Estudio Cocinas (the firm of Beatriz Sánchez and Eva Martín), who together with Nicolás spent months planning a new and strategic distribution.

Open Kitchen With Bar

“The hardest part was how to integrate the wall units into the kitchen, and I was very involved in that,” confesses Nicholas. The wall in which the oven and the refrigerator are integrated gives the other side to a bathroom and houses a toilet, its cistern, and the washing machine.

Open To Living Room

The living room and kitchen are one due to the efforts of the owner, who “did not want any other tall furniture on another wall and did not want the washing machine in that open space, because it is very noisy.” That’s why he took her to the bathroom.

Grown Bedroom

The bedroom appears larger than it is thanks to various ‘tricks’ such as the bare wall above the headboard, the sliding door in the bathroom, the continuous floor, and, above all, the color white.

Very Well Integrated

In the bathroom of the main bedroom, the shower is flush with the floor, which is not only more comfortable and practical, but it also helps to create greater visual peace and makes the spaces appear larger, something that mirrors also contribute to. whole body at the entrance of the bathroom.

Custom Stairs

The architects created a mezzanine for them upon discovering that under the plaster, some very high ceilings were hidden. They sought so much to clear the space that there are not even radiators or air conditioning: all the air conditioning goes under the radiant floor (with microcement throughout the house except in the attic, with flooring).

Loft-Chic

In the new space, they took the opportunity to create a small but very handy home office with a bespoke cantilevered desk that allows them to take advantage of this difficult corner. Of course, the chosen color was white, since it integrates better with the wall.

He was able to rest again thanks to Cristina Manene and Fernando Orte, from Arquitectura Al Descubierto, who discovered that not only was it not necessary for the false ceiling of the house to be so low, but that it could be extracted to a loft. Both the owners and the architects believe in clear and clean spaces, which is why the beams were replaced by those steel pieces that tense and support the walls of the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

This hunter of decorative ideas does not rest: discreet bedside tables are also his thing. “We saw this idea of ​​​​alcoves in a hotel and we loved it: it saves us space and everyone has a place to leave their things.”

Everything adds up and everything flows so that this central house seems to be almost in the countryside. “Everyone who comes is amazed by the silence and peace, and they ask us if this is really the center of Madrid,” Nicholas concludes proudly.