The staircase, with its sculptural presence, opens up and enriches the visual experience of the entrance, allowing the visitor to anticipate the organic forms and transparency.
The layout was meticulously designed to cater to the dynamic lifestyle of a young, socially active couple, balancing their need for spaces to host meetings and entertain friends with those for relaxation and individual pursuits. The design also incorporated a vision for future family life, making the space kid-friendly while maintaining its adaptability for various scenarios. Resilience and versatility served as the central design principles, ensuring the space could easily adapt to the evolving needs of this starting household.
To achieve the required resilience and versatility, a central piece was introduced. On the ground floor, the residence revolves around this central element, which combines storage, facilities, and decoration functions. The spaces around it, including the living room, entrance, and kitchen and dining area, can be kept open for a sense of spaciousness. Alternatively, they can be divided and separated as needed using translucent sliding doors with ultra-thin metal framing. Conceived as a weightless and floating structure (resembling a cloud or “nube” in Spanish) this central element, with its gracefully curved surfaces, smoothly transitions between areas, introducing a sense of movement and elegance.
The clients desired a spacious social area, ideal for hosting up to eight diners. In response, a generously sized dining room and kitchen were designed to serve as the heart of the house. The kitchen is equipped with two ovens, a wine cooler, and a side-by-side fridge, providing ample storage and workspace. The kitchen island takes center stage, connecting the kitchen to the dining room with its airy and rounded design. Thoughtful details, such as the elongated window framed between the kitchen cabinets, enhance the view towards the garden, making the social space one of the most distinctive areas in the house.
Smooth curves are thoughtfully integrated throughout the house, rounding off corners and becoming a distinctive, unifying design element. In areas where the walls are not curved, a molding band is introduced to follow the same plane as the curved surfaces, harmonizing the spaces and providing a consistent height reference for custom furniture and windows. These curves enhance aesthetics and introduce a sense of fluidity and softness, and gracefully connecting different areas.
The living room was designed to provide an intimate and cozy space for individual use or small gatherings. The neutral and relaxed tones, along with the beige-toned microcement walls, create a timeless atmosphere with rich texture, avoiding monotony thanks to the visual effects that light casts on the material.
Soft materials and natural tones, such as Neolith Silk used for both the kitchen countertops and the first landing of the staircase, as well as Alpikord Light Oak panels for custom furniture, combine to create a calm, warm, and soothing environment. Subdued and soft lighting was chosen throughout the house fostering this sense of peace and serenity. The lighting is also discreetly integrated into the custom furniture, contributing to the tranquil atmosphere.
The stairwell is the ‘pièce de résistance’ of the house. The curved walls and the solid railing finished in microcement turn the stairs into a sculptural element, enhanced by two skylights. The sun’s path throughout the day casts a luminous aura upon Tinka von Hasselbach’s XL painting.
The modification of the first-floor layout has been minimal to achieve the optimal arrangement of furniture in the bedrooms and office, in addition to meeting the client’s requirements for the bathroom: a spacious shower, a freestanding bathtub, and ample storage.
The incorporation of soft elements, the same color palette, and rounded corners in the main spaces follows the same design concept as the rest of the house, contributing to cohesion and overall aesthetics.
