tiny apartment in madrid is transformed into a flexible multi-use space for spanish performer

madrid-based studio husos architects renovated a 44 sqm apartment in the lavapiés neighborhood of madrid, spain to suit the needs of spanish musician and performer, niño de elche. for this project the architects worked on four main points: preserving as much of the existing elements as possible, creating a large amount of low cost and flexible storage space, using a multifaceted system of illumination for changes in ambiance, and employing movable furniture for a variety of usages.

images by imagen subliminal (miguel de guzman + rocio romero) and impresiones cotidianas

husos architects preserved all the original floor and wall tiles of the bathroom and kitchen. they kept most of the kitchen units despite their often considered aesthetically undesirable geometries and finishes. rather than throwing them out, the architects refreshed these pieces with a coat of paint, thus reducing the amount of waste generated by the refurbishment. the seemingly ‘ugliest’ part of the apartment – the kitchen – was converted into an objet de désir, a new and surprising sculptural element within the home.

the architects constructed a metal rack system all around the perimeter of the apartment which supports wooden shelves in order to obtain flexible and low-cost storage. these are complemented by custom-made boxes for vinyl records, brackets for speakers, wall hangers for guitars, and other auxiliary supports as well as small storage space under the bed. parallel to the shelves there is a rail on which various separate curtains hang, allowing for multiple configurations to hide or reveal the stored objects, and to be able to generate if so desired, small ‘domestic stages’. the house can work as a figurative, multi-narrative space or as an abstract, ‘mute’ space. as for the storage units, they also serve as acoustic insulation.

several types of luminaries were created using household objects, such as mop drainers, sieves, funnels, and citrus juicers of various different colors. each unit can be activated independently, much like a string of color-changing lightbulbs. amplified in different ways through the gloss and transparency of the silver-colored material of the curtains, these luminaries generate a variety of interior atmospheres.

husos architects customized several furniture pieces making them movable and multipurpose. the whole living room-bedroom is a transformable space. for instance, a table on wheels, with legs built from waste wood pieces, serves as a dining table or worktable. the sofa can be rolled from one spot to another and, by reconfiguring its cushions, used as a chaise longue to read on. placed next to the bed, the two pieces of furniture transform into a social bed, and serve as a soft topography for different bodily positions. a screen can be lowered or raised from the ceiling, turning this topography into a small auditorium, or the living room into a multimedia studio.