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

©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL
©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL

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

©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.

©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL
©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL

We decided to push the idea of ​​longitudinal space by solving the entire project with a single element: a magical wall.

©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL
©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL

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.

©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL
©IMAGENSUBLIMINAL

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.

©KNU KIM
©KNU KIM

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.

©KNU KIM
©KNU KIM
©KNU KIM

Mini Bio

Impepinable is a young architecture studio founded in 2020 by Gabriela Barrera and César Plata.

©IMPEPINABLE

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.

©IMPEPINABLE

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.

©IMPEPINABLE

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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