Houzz Tour: This Narrow Home Houses Unseen Depths
With a width of only 2.1 metres, it's mind-boggling just how much was fit into this skinny space in Spain's capital city
When it came to renovating this house in the centre of Madrid, nothing discouraged the owner, a creative advertising executive. Neither the size of 21 square metres, nor the fact that it was narrow and on the first floor (only 2.10 metres wide), with no other light source than a skylight opening from a corner of the roof into an internal courtyard, got to him. He could clearly see the problems, but the advantages (such as the 4.75 metre height) prevailed as far as he was concerned. Here we will show you the incredible results.
Actually, the entrance, which now houses the kitchen, is one of the few areas of the house that has been left at its original height. This project cherished each downward-gained metre through a clever distribution of the different living areas.
Here we can see another area that has been left at its original level, the study, which is located right under the only natural light source of the home: a skylight opening to the internal courtyard of the building. The false mezzanine can be accessed only by a fixed wall ladder. This way, the occupant continuously interacts with the space in an active and conscious way.
As with many other elements in this house, the internal terrace-like area doesn’t have just one precise purpose: just placing a futon there can turn it into either a chill-out corner or a bedroom for an unexpected guest. This is one of the advantages of the project: “The height of the space has been used to create a great number of rooms. Each room is well demarcated while maintaining a visual connection with the rest of the house,” says Casares.
In this sense, the space distribution of each unit both vertically and horizontally is characterised by several gaps so that the transition from one room into another would not only be clear but “could also be realised in a physical way,” according to the architect. “Going up to the kitchen from the living room or down to the bedroom – which is located next to the living room but on a lower level – emphasises the transition and provides a different perception of each single, independent area along with the home as a whole.”
The living room is the core of the home, both vertically and horizontally. The philosophy of this room is the same that dominates the rest of the home: a special tiered structure serves as a staircase to the lower levels (occupied by the bedroom and the bathroom), and at the same time, can be used as a seat. The space under the living room deserves special mention – it has been equipped to be a storage unit, which can house even the bed, when extra space is needed in the bedroom.
A raised floor features a trap door on the lowest step to access the storage unit below. This area, together with the drawer under the seat on the highest part of the tiered structure, provides additional storage, which is further complemented by two closets, one at the entrance and one in the bedroom.
A few more steps lead from the central area of the home to the open bathroom and the other areas of the home. Despite the obvious dimensional limits of the property, the design is generous since it allows for a lot of space and many different rooms.
The bathtub is a standout element – it was made on site with additional open storage space in its innermost corner behind, the half-height wall holding the sink and the toilet. “The construction and finishing were simple as white dominates the whole space,” says Casares. The use of smooth and minimalist finishes is a constant throughout the whole project.
The home is a true brain-teaser, so a 3D model is the most useful way to get an overall idea of the different elements involved.
Casares tells us about the inspiring idea for this complex project, the results of which are amazing: “The idea of light structures at different heights, which make it look as if one could almost jump from one to another, has always been present since the first sketches and somehow evokes a feeling of the old platform computer games,” she says.
TELL US
Could you live in a space this narrow? Tell us what you think of the design in the Comments below.
Casares tells us about the inspiring idea for this complex project, the results of which are amazing: “The idea of light structures at different heights, which make it look as if one could almost jump from one to another, has always been present since the first sketches and somehow evokes a feeling of the old platform computer games,” she says.
TELL US
Could you live in a space this narrow? Tell us what you think of the design in the Comments below.
Who lives here: A creative advertising executive
Location: Madrid, Spain
Size: 21 square metres
Architects: Carmina Casajuana, Beatriz G. Casares and Marcos González, MYCC Oficina de Arquitectura
Before its restoration, nobody could see in this narrow first-floor house anything but a hole extending several metres into the ground. “We couldn’t do anything else; the floor had almost disappeared in an attempt by the previous owner to find some extra space in the only possible direction: downward,” says Casares, a member of the architecture firm MYCC.