Interior design: Viruta Lab
Exterior metal carpentry: Cortizo
Interior carpentry and headboards: on design by Viruta Lab
Furnishings: De Sede, IKB 191, Studio Bañón, Judith Sanquintín, Llop Madrid, Tristán Domeneq Casa, Bacbac Studio, Judith Sanquintín, Llop Madrid
Lighting: Jung, Aromas del Campo
Porcelain countertop and cladding: Living Ceramics
Herringbone drawing paper: Saint Honoré
Curtains, cushions, fabrics, rugs: Pannno, C&C Milano, Matarranz, Rols Carpet
Art Direction & Home Staging: Viruta Lab, FHE Art Studio
Photos: Paloma Pacheco
Viruta Lab studio’s unconventional approach marries David Puerta‘s passion for art with María Daroz‘s love of dance. So it was natural for them to take their cue from 20th-century Spanish writer José Bergamín‘s poem ‘Anocheció Madrid’ for their restyling of a small apartment in Madrid’s Salesas quarter. The entire design was guided by intense observation of fascinating sections of the city, which come alive in every corner of the 1980s home. The compact 50-sqm space was stiflingly fragmented. Following the poet’s words – “Living lights distributed its streets, populating the city, less with people and more with flashes of bright light that enchanted the air with joy.”
The designers removed partitions to reveal the home’s rectangular plan. Now the space is divided into three areas rather than six, with the bathroom as the only independent room. Natural light enters from both sides of the apartment to create a vibrant, airy space. There are now more diagonal views, and we get a better sense of the size of the original wood floor.
Even the entryway is defined by two faceted windows that simulate a contemporary bay window, evenly distributing the band of light dividing the living and sleeping areas. The studio also designed a made-to-measure 1950s-style glass partition to divide the space and add even more brightness, harkening back to the line “The Madrid night fell as though covered in the most transparent glass.” Other verses by Bergamín become palpable in the decor.
The phrase “Nocturnal city in an urn of ice” informed the cashmere-colored wall unit framed in oak, which levels the height differences of the ceilings and incorporates the climate control system. This is complemented by gray herringbone wool carpets, reminiscent of melancholy rainy days “like a black velvet diamond.” Viruta Lab also included design icons of the 1950s and 1970s, pieces with character that stand out next to the cold chrome and sandblasted steel and can be adapted to various areas of the small home. The concept continues in the two-part kitchen, harmonizing perfectly with the overall aesthetic.
