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A Dark Attic Gets New Life as a Compact, Multifunctional Apartment in Madrid

10.18.22 | By
A Dark Attic Gets New Life as a Compact, Multifunctional Apartment in Madrid

Casa Gialla is a renovation project just completed by gon architects in Madrid, Spain. The new 505-square-foot apartment was once a dark attic in a building in the center of Puerta del Sol. Now, the multifunctional apartment houses hidden rooms, a Murphy bed, lots of storage, and an outdoor shower and bath, all coming together as an oasis in the city.

long shot of apartment interior with white kitchen on one side and yellow storage on the other

The homeowner, an Italian woman who loves design, technology, and the good life, asked for two things of the new design – it must be pragmatic and enjoyable. To make that happen, partition walls and wooden beams were removed to reveal an open and bright rectangular space.

modern apartment interior with minimalist white kitchen

The main living space’s most notable feature is the wall of mustard yellow shelving and storage. On the opposite wall is a minimalist kitchen made up of only lower white cabinets and built-in appliances. The kitchen counter sinks down on the left side to become a desk for the home office. By lining the walls with the necessities, it frees up the center to be other things, including a small dining area.

modern apartment interior with minimalist white kitchen

modern apartment interior with bold yellow storage and large windows with views to deck

view to outside rooftop deck with woman sitting on bench

At one end of the apartment is a southwest facing terrace that includes more than just seating and plants – there’s also an outdoor shower and hidden bathtub.

view to outside rooftop deck with woman sitting in outdoor bathtub

closeup of outdoor shower

interior view looking out rooftop patio from inside

closeup view of bright yellow built-in shelves in apartment

interior apartment view of yellow built-in shelves with passageway to small bedroom

Hidden behind the yellow storage wall is a passageway to the bedroom and a bathroom.

closeup floor shot of grey tile meeting yellow tile

closeup shot of built-in yellow bookshelves

angled view of apartment interior with wall of yellow built-in bookshelves

There’s an opening in the cabinetry between the bedroom and living space that houses a pop-down projector. There’s also a matching curtain that can offer privacy when needed.

long interior shot of modern apartment with one side white kitchen and other side yellow shelving

A two-seater sofa can be moved about the space for varied uses, like watching movies on the dropdown screen.

A movable counter can be pulled out from the storage wall to provide additional prep space in the kitchen or as a bar.

At the closed end of the apartment, there’s another wall of built-ins that includes a Murphy bed for visiting guests.

woman in black standing in white kitchen

white home office with modern decor

closeup of modern home office

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woman in towel in small bathroom connected to small white bedroom

view of small bathroom with corner yellow counter and small white sink

Photos by Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero).

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.