Febrero Studio reinterprets a stately apartment in Madrid’s Justicia district

In the Justicia district — one of Madrid’s most coveted neighbourhoods — inside a protected building of classical character, Febrero Studio signs a silent and luminous renewal of a stately apartment where the original architecture remains a protagonist in its own right. Exceptionally high ceilings, generous mouldings, herringbone wooden floors and, above all, a series of imposing doors that — like theatrical thresholds — infuse the home with character and anchor the interior narrative. These doors frame paintings, sculptures and objects, transforming each room into a small stage where life and art coexist without hierarchy.

What began as a simple request — the addition of a second kitchen near the social areas to host gatherings with greater ease — soon expanded into a complete project that redefined the home through the logic of conviviality. The new layout achieves a fluid balance between public and private realms: the apartment now includes two generous living spaces, a solemn study, three suites conceived as personal refuges, and service areas that bring order, functionality and rhythm to daily life.

The grand living–dining room opens with a memorable image: through the original doors appears a vibrant orange work by José Herrera — from Galería Oliva Arauna — suspended above two green linen-upholstered sofas by Blasco. At their centre stands a custom Travertino Silver marble coffee table designed by the studio. The dining area, organised around a robust pink marble table made to measure, brings together two families of chairs: the 77 model by Niels O. Møller, with teak frames and papercord seats, and the Razor Blade model by Henning Kjaernulf. The Maija and Lamina 165 lamps by Santa & Cole complete the ensemble with their quiet elegance. The carpet by Rica Basagoiti, already part of the home, was rescued by Febrero Studio and given new prominence in the social area.

Art continues to unfold in the adjoining sitting room, where white armchairs designed by Febrero Studio rest on a kilim, accompanied by pink Travertino side tables and a blue sofa by Blasco. A photograph by Per Barclay intensifies the atmosphere with its silent density. At the opposite end, an Egg Chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen and a painting by Helmet Dorner add a precise chromatic counterpoint.

The kitchen — the nucleus from which the entire renovation originated — blends functionality with sculptural presence. A print by Antoni Tàpies and the serigraphy Marx by Leonal Moura animate the space. The table and cabinetry follow the pure linearity of the B2 system by Bulthaup. The stool is by Nikari, and the Mazha lamp is a design by Mario Tsai.

In the study, all the furniture has been retrieved and reallocated, granting each piece a second life. The large photograph Mother in bed with blood by Gregory Crewdson presides over the room. On the desk sits a Fase Boomerang 64 lamp, designed in the 1960s by Luis Pérez de la Oliva and Pedro Martín. A Danish armchair in chromed steel and leather completes this sober, contemplative environment.

In the main bedroom, an original 1977 Star Wars poster establishes the chromatic starting point. The bespoke headboard by Febrero Studio is upholstered in Candela linen by Alhambra, as are the curtains. The Mushroom lamp by HKliving and the Componibili bedside table by Kartell complete this domestic universe with a subtle pop resonance.

The walk-in wardrobe makes the most of the ceiling height thanks to a mezzanine clad in stained oak and jatoba flooring, accessible via a staircase. A stool designed by Mario Tsai accompanies this intimate and vertical space. In the bathroom, the linear codes of the kitchen resurface: Pangea natural stone on the floor and shower, a double-basin countertop in Azul Tinta, and Gio115 taps by Cea. A print by Roy Fairchild-Woodward — Dear Laura — completes the palette.

The selection of furnishings reveals a sensitivity very much intrinsic to the studio: a nuanced blend of past and present, where antiques, design icons, pieces inherited by the owners and exclusive elements from the Febrero Shop Collection coexist with natural ease. “Our style explores natural materials and organic elements that interact with light and their surroundings,” the authors explain. Wood, stone and honest textiles shape an aesthetic that resists time without losing warmth or a deeply human sense of inhabiting space.

The renovation, discreet in its language yet profound in its ability to transform, demonstrates Febrero Studio’s narrative clarity: an architecture capable of honouring the memory of place while building a warm, livable present rich in nuance. A stately apartment that preserves its dignity and, at the same time, is reborn as a domestic realm where art finds its finest light.

Project: BQ.
Location: Barrio Justicia. Madrid.
Completed: 2025.
Interior design: Febrero Studio.
Photography: Germán Saiz.
Art: Galería Oliva Arauna.
Source: Febrero Studio.

Febrero Studio

Febrero Studio — founded in 2016 in Madrid by architects Mercedes González Ballesteros and Jesús Díaz Osuna — has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Spanish interior design. With studios in Madrid and Marbella, their work is guided by the conviction that architecture and interior design are not separate disciplines, but facets of a single creative gesture: a home, a hotel, an office or a clinic cannot be conceived without its atmosphere, its light, its furniture.

Both founders trained at ETSAS in Seville and built an early international background through experiences in London, Rotterdam, Florence and Brazil — places that broadened their understanding of materiality, volume and the lived experience of space. This foundation translates into an architecture rooted in honesty, where wood, stone and natural textures take precedence; into interiors shaped with delicacy, restraint and comfort; into living spaces that breathe serenity.

In their work — from Madrid penthouses to carefully restored homes — Febrero Studio seeks to ensure that each project becomes a dwelling, a refuge, a place with identity, where functionality coexists with warmth and discreet beauty. Their own furniture pieces, their showroom, and their curated selection of mid-century vintage objects complete a unified, coherent vision with enduring character.

Project by Febrero Studio