Madrid Houzz Tour: Spanish Architect's Apartment Celebrates Life
With a bathtub-pool, indoor-outdoor spaces and a clever bathroom unit, this penthouse is built for easy living
Considerations of relaxation and the experience of space drove architect Gonzalo Pardo’s decision-making when he was renovating his own penthouse in downtown Madrid, Spain. The result was a free-flowing but organised interior that leaves room for the unexpected, like a bathtub-pool and a hidden bathroom entrance.
“[It’s] a place to create and experience, by yourself or in good company; a place that plays with the boundaries between indoor and outdoor space,” Pardo says.
The apartment’s architecture, therefore, was designed with a view to the experiences its inhabitants would have inside: sitting in front of the fireplace – Pardo says he can spend a whole Saturday just sitting there – swimming in the bathtub-pool with the windows open, and reading or watching the stars on the patio on a warm summer night.
The 16-foot (5-metre) ceiling at the entrance particularly impressed Pardo when he first bought the penthouse. “It reminded me of how Enric Miralles [1955-2000] 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 apartment’s architecture, therefore, was designed with a view to the experiences its inhabitants would have inside: sitting in front of the fireplace – Pardo says he can spend a whole Saturday just sitting there – swimming in the bathtub-pool with the windows open, and reading or watching the stars on the patio on a warm summer night.
The 16-foot (5-metre) ceiling at the entrance particularly impressed Pardo when he first bought the penthouse. “It reminded me of how Enric Miralles [1955-2000] 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 apartment is something between a loft and a matryoshka doll. The central wooden unit contains the bathroom, laundry room and a large storage area, leaving the rest of the home’s spaces to flow freely 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 aforementioned wooden unit occupies the center of the house – it has black internal walls in this axonometric projection – and 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 was certain that he wanted plants in his house. “I used them to build my own landscape, to block the view from neighbouring buildings, for example to the terrace and the bathroom area [on the right in the previous picture],” he says. Wisterias, yews, oleanders, a rose bush and various herbs like thyme and basil create a green wall that both protects and comforts.
The kitchen is next to the terrace. Pardo particularly likes the way this space is connected to the outdoors. In the summer, he likes to sit at the table with the windows open while he’s cooking.
Here the use of different materials defines the spaces, or maybe blends them, eliciting a variety of reactions from the spectator.
The floors in the daytime zone are courbaril, a wood that grows in south and central America. They were in bad condition when Pardo first moved in, but he restored them because he liked the material. On the other hand, the bathroom’s white floor tiles extend into the living room, setting it apart.
The floors in the daytime zone are courbaril, a wood that grows in south and central America. They were in bad condition when Pardo first moved in, but he restored them because he liked the material. On the other hand, the bathroom’s white floor tiles extend into the living room, setting it apart.
Pardo says he is very aquatic, as is obvious from this photo. The terrace and the pool-like bathtub are the parts of the home he enjoys most in summer. In the winter, he might spend the whole weekend in front of the fireplace.
He says that the project as a whole was not complicated, 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.
He says that the project as a whole was not complicated, 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.
In the area opposite the day zone are a bedroom and an office. The bathroom is just behind the open door here.
“This is my house, the one I need. A place that is not meant for just existing in but for celebrating life in,” he says.
This home may seem optimised for enjoyment and relaxation and its space may seem fluid and undefined, but it’s worth mentioning that it is also extremely well organised. It is the relationship between contrasting ambiances that makes this home what it is.
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Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Gonzalo Pardo, an architect and professor in the Architecture Faculty of Polytechnic University of Madrid, where he teaches a course on architectural projects
Location: Downtown Madrid, Spain
Size: About 1,308 square feet (121½ square metres)
Budget: About US$67,400 (60,000 euros)
Architects: Gon Architects
Collaborators: Alejandro Sánchez, Clara Dios
Builder: Alejandro Ruíz from Serviteco Obras SL
Carpentry work: Mariano García from Alma Ebanistería SL
Kitchen: Victoria González from Vonna
A set of stairs leads from the entrance to the main space, a combined dining-, living- and relaxation area.