A Tiny Madrid Apartment Inspired by a Favorite Novel
Photography by Miguel de Guzman and Rocio Romero of Imagen Subliminal, courtesy of Mariana de Delás
Lots of people get lost in novels; architect Mariana de Delás’s client wanted to curl up and live in her favorite book, Italo Calvino’s The Baron in the Trees. The client is an artist who runs an emerging gallery in Madrid, and her small one-bedroom apartment is in a 1940s four-story building in the city. Take a look at its transformation.
The mezzanine rises above the living room and kitchen and lends the space an urban cabin feel.
The room formerly had a dropped ceiling that hid a ventilation cavity.
The faucet is Ikea’s Bosjön, available in the US only in a stainless finish.
The mezzanine holds a study area overlooking the main quarters and there’s bedroom tucked in the back.
The ceiling is faced with cork panels “to provide insulation for a short period of time.”
The numbered chairs were purchased at a thrift store in the neighborhood.
The “hanging staircase” is accessed via a built-in cabinet that doubles as a landing.
The greenery continues in the bathroom courtesy of a gridwork of tiles.