Small Loft-Inspired 19th Century Spanish Apartment, 40sqm-430sqft

The idea was to create the sensation of a single and divided open space, but at the same time trying to maintain a certain degree of privacy and functionality. My name is Antonio Antequera, I am the architect and founder of Extra Radio Architecture Studio, based in Madrid. The house overlooks one of the most beautiful squares of the area, Agustín Lara, where you can find the ruins of the old church, Escuela Espías. My inspiration came from lofts where artists occupy former factories. Two large units of furniture divide and define areas. I really wanted to create a modern layout while still highlighting the traditional elements with contrasting contemporary materials, colors and finishes. During the renovations, we found some items inside the wall. It belonged to a man that fought in the Spanish Civil War and hid these documents after it was finished. His last name was Ribet, so we named the flat Casa Ribet. It's our way to keep the history of this apartment. The flat is located in Lavapiés, in the city center of Madrid. In the surrounding area, you can find many cafes and restaurants, and it's also known for its art galleries. The building is a corrala, built in the 19th century. A traditional type of building used by the working classes in Madrid. These types of buildings are arranged around a central patio, with exterior corridors acting as a long balcony. The flat had its original 19th century distribution. The flat didn't even have a shower. People used the public bathhouses in the area. We tore down all the walls and rebuilt the wooden structure of the building. A single large piece functions as the kitchen and three closets that can be accessed from the different rooms in the house. This episode is brought to you by Mightier Building Tech. Welcome to Chongqing, China. A wild mountain city stacked with skyscrapers, buzzing with neon lights and bursting with energy. It also happens to be home to Mightier's Lighthouse Chiller Factory, the first of its kind. You might not have heard of them, but Mightier Building Tech is actually number one in China and number two in the world when it comes to VRF, which stands for Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems, the key technology behind climate control in commercial spaces, such as the Beijing Daxing International Airport and Universal Studios in Singapore. They invited us to see firsthand how their lighthouse factory in Chongqing uses AI in its manufacturing facility. The factory is the leader in this space, using AI at every step, making it one of the smartest and most efficient HVAC factories on the planet, allowing them to reduce time, costs and become the pioneer in zero-carbon factory operations. We got to see their power plant that combines ecological water recycling and solid waste utilisation to support the island's eco-infrastructure. Thanks, Mightier Building Tech, for inviting us to see the future of smart manufacturing and for bringing the same innovation into homes across Australia through Mightier Appliances. To find out more, check out the link in the description. As you walk in, you can appreciate the full three-metre height that we discovered when we tore down the dropped ceilings. The floors are made of green hydraulic tiles, typical of Madrid homes. Right beside the door, you can see the large yellow unit. It contains a closet for coats and a washing machine. The kitchen starts at the entrance of the apartment. We managed to make it feel very light and open, thanks to the yellow colour and shiny finish. We used stainless steel IKEA doors for the bottom cabinets. And we covered the IKEA cabinets on top with melamine doors. The kitchen has an oven, a dishwasher and a counter fridge and freezer. I chose a black granite countertop. I fully covered the space behind the cooktop, so it will be easier to clean. Above the kitchen, about a metre of unused space lets air and light flow through. The living room is the main and central space of the flat. Yellow kitchen unit continues around the living area and bedroom. It has closets on three sides and contains the main storage of the apartment. On the bathroom side, there are cleaning products, a vacuum cleaner, a mop, etc. The unit is framed out by the wooden beams that support the entire structure of this building, which I find fascinating and wanted to highlight. Above it, I placed a Ptolomeo lamp by Artemide, to add ambient light to the entire apartment. I placed the sofa facing the window to appreciate the views and to create a sort of hallway. I placed a discrete TV set that I made out with the reminder of the kitchen counter and a couple of wheels. It allows me to easily move the TV around the apartment. Along the other wall, a large open high-ceiling unit serves to display the tenants' books, memories and design prototypes. In the space carved out by the window and the ceiling unit, the tenants place the dining table to be able to have their meals when looking out the window. We kept the bathroom unit low to be used as a storage. In this area, we store the extra seating for the dining table. It is accessed by a portable ladder that we keep right beside it. On one of the walls, the tenants place their home offices. I had bought this flexible LED tube and tied it in a knot to make it look like decor. To keep the apartment cool when the afternoon sun comes through the window, we installed traditional alicantinas in the balcony. They filter the light and let a soft breeze through. The bathroom is located inside the glass-blocked wall. We managed to salvage an original pair of doors during the renovation, which we turned into sliding doors for this space. The sink sits on the black granite worktop that is the same as the kitchen. The bathroom mirror was made as large as possible to give the greatest feeling of spaciousness. On one side of the bathroom, there is a walk-in shower room. It's compact but the glass blocks make it feel open and bring in a lot of light. The doors to the shower and toilet are made of frosted glass. This helps to filter the natural light all the way through to the toilet during the day. I wanted it to have some storage for my shoes and bathroom supplies. At night, you can turn the light on in the bathroom. And it gives the living room a warm glowing ambient light, which I love. The bedroom is placed within the yellow piece and feels cozy even though it has no doors. On the bedroom side, the yellow kitchen unit is the main wardrobe for clothes. Because the windows in here face the interior corridor of the Corrala, I chose dark velvet curtains that maintain privacy and block light. I always try to minimize partition walls and closed rooms as much as possible. When designing in small spaces, all the areas and furniture should have as many uses as possible. We live in the age where, especially in Europe, it's becoming increasingly difficult to live in the city centres. These small flats offer young professionals the opportunity to continue living in the heart of the city. For subscriber-only content and exclusive offers, visit nevertosmall.com slash subscribe.