Impepinable redesigned a former corridor flat in Madrid turning it into a colourful apartment, for a fashionable couple and their dog, organised around a magical wall that stores, hides while invites, cooks, refrigerates, offers a glass of wine and distributes the rest of the domestic spaces.
-text by the authors
Carlota and Alejandro wanted colour. They wanted a cheerful apartment. The apartment they had bought was totally fragmented in small dark rooms and basically looked very grey. Carlota works in fashion, she has a lot of clothes and accessories to store seasonally. Alejandro is more a books and vinyl fun. They did not want to share a single bathroom, but they did want a common work area. Kenzo, the dog, liked parquet.
©ImagenSubliminal
With their desires and needs clear, we were faced with the characteristic geometry of a dull building in the center of Madrid: “corridor flat” with two windows facing the street, divided in two by two small patios. The perimeter itself already defined two differentiated areas: a larger one facing the street and a smaller one opened to the courtyards.
We decided to push the idea of longitudinal space by solving the entire project with a single element: a magical wall.
This wall stores clothes, books, pots and appliances; hides a toilet cabin while invites you to use its large sink; it also cooks, refrigerates and may offer you a wine if you have a bad or good day. Plus, it distributes all the other spaces in the house. It had to be magical.
We brought colour in. We combined the green of the central element of the project with yellow new windows, existing radiators and bathroom tiles. We played with the lights and shadows generated by the opacity of the DM and the transparency of the lacquered aluminium deployé. Elevated sleeping areas shape a quiet and private blue space. These platforms are also additional storage space. The permeability of the private area is changeable and is configured by means of a large silver curtain capable of covering from the window to the dressing room.
Carlota and Alejandro enjoy now in their small apartment a large living space they can share with friends, a bright working area, a galactic sleeping space and an XL dressing room. They haven’t been able to exhaust the storage room in the magic wall yet.
Mini Bio
Impepinable is a young architecture studio founded in 2020 by Gabriela Barrera and César Plata.
Gabriela Barrera is playful, bold and an architect. She studied in Madrid and Vienna and graduated with honours from ETSA Madrid. Gabriela has been a research fellow at the Tsukamoto Lab in the Tokyo Institute of Technology and an Associate Professor at the Technische Universität Berlin. She has worked with internationally acclaimed architectural practices such as Kengo Kuma & associates in Tokyo, MVDRV in Rotterdam and Estudio Herreros in Madrid.
César Plata is manchego, witty and a conscientious architect. He studied in Madrid and Mendrisio and graduated with honours from ETSA Madrid. César diversified his background by completing the Executive Program of Real Estate Management in the IE Business School of Madrid. He spent five years at Rafael de La-Hoz, after collaborating with diverse national practices such as Ensamble Studio, Abiboo Studio, Espegel-Fisac or MTM Arquitectos.
Facts & Credits
Project title The Magic Wall
Typology Interiors, Renovation
Location Madrid, Spain
Date 2021
Area 60 m2
Architecture Impepinable | Gabriela Barrera + César Plata
Photography ImagenSubliminal, Knu Kim
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