floating oranges flood interiors of apartment in madrid by arquitectura al descubierto

when you get lemons, make lemonade but when arquitectura al descubierto got oranges, they made them float in the interiors of their own project. in the center of madrid, spanish architecture firm arquitectura al descubierto renovated an apartment originally built in 1910 and redistributed the original residence’s layout. in the new distribution, the architects mimicked the structure of a tree by creating a central area that contains the service areas of the house and all the other rooms branch out of this central body. they then created organic scenarios in the project’s photographs. 

central area with steel structure

the architects renovated the apartment in a way that reminds visitors of trees and nature. in addition to the spatial organization of the apartment, the black steel structural columns and beams against the white surfaces of the home also remind viewers of a tree with branches spanning the entire length of the rooms. the tree and natural theme were further enhanced when the apartment was photographed and the architects decided to add a rather unusual twist to the spaces.

oranges floating through the space

the surreal scenarios feature oranges organized in a field condition, scattered throughout the home, fighting against gravity and rolling through the floors of every room. the bright orange color and circular, organic nature contrasts with the house’s white, minimalist interiors. the oranges bring joy and literal life to the residence as seen in the dynamic photographs. in some images just a small cluster of orange creates a smudge of orange at the center of the room, while in others the fruit floods the space.

kitchen

the result is an imaginative, vibrant depiction of the home’s interiors. with the fruits, the designers intended to create a relationship between the architecture and natural elements. the designers said ‘we inhabit the soil. the idea of nude architecture is conceived as the ground under a tree. this soil is progressively inhabited from the fruits that fall from the branches.’

living room view

windows facing towards patios

master bathroom open to the room

master bedroom

three restored wooden windows

axonometric diagram of the apartment

project info:

architects: arquitectura al descubierto

project location: madrid, spain

project type: residential – apartment renovation

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: cristina gomez | designboom