De la Villa Studio designs a home in central Madrid with a carefully curated selection of furnishings and décor to enhance the harmony of materials and light

The interior designers of De la Villa Studio designed this home, with a surface area of almost 100m2, for a young Argentinian businesswoman who is dedicated to luxury tourism and who was looking for a quiet space in which to disconnect from her professional activity.

The property, located on Travesía de Belén street in Madrid, enjoys the serenity of a street with little traffic in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Justicia neighbourhood and is located on the corner of the building facing another street, which provides an exceptional feeling of spaciousness and luminosity in the dining room area.

The original layout was more compartmentalised, and due to the angular layout of the building, many partition walls were placed at oblique angles. These were restructured to achieve a more regular and functional layout.

The renovation focused on making the most of natural light, so it was decided to give continuity to all the balconies. The living/dining room has 4 balconies, while the guest bedroom, master bedroom and dressing room have their own balcony. The kitchen has been integrated into the living room by means of an opening that maintains a certain degree of independence.

The entire house pivots around the living room, which serves as the central core, eliminating the need for corridors and facilitating circulation between the different rooms. The original compartmentalisation was not the only challenge they faced: in buildings of that era, the installations usually run through the interior courtyards. “We didn’t have any downpipes in the entire façade area that would allow us to bring the wet areas there, so we had to orientate the kitchen and bathrooms towards the inner courtyard“, say the interior designers.

The house features generous ceiling heights and a spacious living room that serves as the central core, eliminating the need for corridors and facilitating circulation between the different rooms.

On entering, one perceives a harmony in the materials that define the essence of the project throughout the house: natural oak wood lacquered in white, white walls and earth-toned stone. The floor, in natural oak, unifies the spaces, while the made-to-measure woodwork, such as doors and skirting boards, is in white lacquered wood. Olivillo travertine stone is used in the bathroom and Emperador claro in the kitchen.

The interior design is characterised by a careful selection of furniture and decoration that complements the harmony of the materials and the luminosity of the space. The interior designers chose pieces with clean lines that bring elegance and functionality to each room, without visually overloading the spaces. The colour palette is kept in neutral and soft tones, creating a serene and welcoming atmosphere.

Some of the pieces are designed to the average for this project by De la Villa Studio, something recurrent in their projects given that they tend to be homes of contained dimensions that require an optimisation of space. Clean-lined pieces have been chosen to bring elegance and functionality to each room, without visually overloading the spaces.

Materials and furniture

Living room. Natural oak wood floor with missing joint. Wooden skirting board lacquered in the same tone as the wall. Restored antique shutters. Restored cast iron radiators. Classical style plaster ceiling mouldings, in simple lines. Recessed plaster spotlights.

Natural linen sofa by Rue Vintage 74. Cushions also from Rue Vintage 74. Wool rug from Rols Carpets, made to measure. In beige. Set of green army stone coffee tables by Verdegabán antique dealer. Set of side tables with conical shape and circular top in olivillo travertine designed by De la Villa Studio. Divan designed by De la Villa Studio with Larsen fabric by Canica Collection. Floor lamp by Gubi with wicker lampshade by Espacio Betty. Pakistan green onyx block side table by Rue Vintage 74. &Tradition side table with Buñol emperor stone base by Espacio Betty. Armchair by Los Modernos antique shop with wooden arms and upholstered seat and backrest.

Italian sideboard handcrafted in matt white ash wood. Its imposing carving in irregular blocks inspired by the 70’s makes it a sculptural piece, available at Rue Vintage 74. Set of blown green glass decanter and glasses, designed by Space Copenhaguen for &Tradition. Set of glasses designed by Mar Bermejo of Vidrio_Studio_Oficial, this glass is based on the lakes in front of the Malgrats of her grandmother’s old house in Mallorca.

Green stone tray by Judith San Quintín antique dealer. Glass vase from the Cassina coffee table. Glass vase by Hay(the one with the blue background). Set of wooden paintings by Miguel Angel Molina from Alzueta Gallery. Painting by Larissa Lockshin from Alzueta Gallery. (left) Painting by Luis Gamo from the antique shop Le Secret. (above sideboard) Murano glass mirror, piece from the antique shop el 8. Set of curtains made by De la Villa Studio with fabric by Yutes and antique bronze rods. Set of sculptures by Maru Quiñonero. Silkscreen on paper by Lidia Masllorens available at Alzueta Gallery. Painting by Enrich R available at Alzueta Gallery.

Dining room. Oak cupboard in white oak and glass. Interior in natural white oak. Dining table designed by De la Villa Studio in olivillo travertine. Set of white velvet upholstered chairs by Rue Vintage 74 antique shop. Ceiling lamp by OiSoiDesign. Brown pouf by Cassina. Waiter by antique dealer Aeternus. Metal jug by Audo available at Alzueta Gallery. Painting by Maria Yelletisch available at Alzueta Gallery. Painting by Bruno Ollé available at Alzueta Gallery. Vases on top of the sideboard by Cassina.

Kitchen. Natural oak kitchen with worktop and front of first drawer in silver emperor. Made-to-measure blind with fabric by Yutes. Painting by Guim Tio available in Alzueta Gallery. Set of alicante red stone bowls by Berenis antique shop. Orange glass vase with water effect by Aeternus antique shop.

Master bedroom. Jute rug by Rue Vintage 74. Large mirror with wooden frame designed by De la Villa Studio. Bedside table by antique dealer Reno. Table lamp designed by Space Copenhaguen for Fredericia, available at Espacio Betty. Side table in orange by String available at Espacio Betty. Cushions by Elitis available at Rue Vintage 74. Floor lamp by Gubi with grey emperor stone base available at Espacio Betty. Set of bed plaids in orange and beige tones by Matarranz. Photograph by Xènia Fuentes available at Alzueta Gallery. Curtain fabric by Guell La Madrid and net curtain fabric by Yutes, on aged bronze rod.

Dressing room. Floor to ceiling wardrobes in white oak with handle design. Wooden bench and upholstered seat by Rue Vintage 74. Blanket by Matarranz design by Missoni. Black iron pedestal by Zara Home. Sculpture by clients. Curtain fabric by Guell La Madrid and curtain fabric by Yutes, on aged bronze rod.

Main bathroom. Bathroom vanity unit with natural oak drawers and wash hand basin with olivillo travertine top. Bespoke oak framed mirror with interior storage. Wooden door in white with moulding detail. Leather bench by Cassina. Orange vase by the antique shop Aeternus. Photograph by Xènia Fuentes available at Alzueta Gallery.

Main bathroom with bathtub area. Olivillo travertine step with rounded sides custom-designed by De la Villa Studio. Continuous resin floor and wall cladding in white. Nacelles also made of this cladding. E15 wooden bench available at Espacio Betty.

Project: Travesía de Belén.
Interior Design and Decoration: De la Villa Studio.
Location: Calle Travesía de Belén. Madrid.
Surface: 99 m².
Finished: 2024.
Text: De la Villa Studio.
Photography: Belén Imaz.

De la Villa Studio

De la Villa Studio is a young studio born from the shared passion for architecture and interior design of its founding partners: Alberto Espejo, interior designer, Miguel Otero, architect and Juan Esteve, architect, who previously developed projects independently.

The studio is distinguished by a deep interest in the naturalness of materials and an appreciation of their ageing over time. This approach has led to a constant exploration in the search for innovative and creative ways of using these materials.

Most of the projects they are currently working on focus on residential housing, with a special emphasis on the remodelling of historic buildings in the centre of Madrid. The intention is to capture the unique essence of each space, transforming it into something special and functional. One of the biggest challenges they face is to make each place attractive for everyday life, awakening the interest and emotional connection of those who live there.

Source: De la Villa Studio

Project by De la Villa Studio