Territory Research for Creation
Territory Research for Creation
Art, Architecture and Geography
by Luisa Brando
Art, Architecture and Geography
by Luisa Brando
Proyecto Retiro
Private Home Renovation
2023
Team: Luisa Brando, Laura Vispe, and Lucia Perez (Estudio Noboo)
Photography: Studio Estudio (Laura Alandes)
Media: Interior Design
State: Built
Location: Madrid, España
This project was developed from the particular needs of the client: the renovation and decoration of an apartment in Madrid for a German family of 7, with 5 children, who had a close relationship with Spain and wanted to spend time there.
First we understood that we had to accommodate the space to their needs, then the design had to pay homage to Spain. A space was opened to investigate and investigate the Spanish essence, and how it is reflected in the objects, textures and ambiance. Through this site-specific research, we created objects, furniture and decorated with details that set the mood of the space and reinforce the feeling of the Spanish character.
Although the structural modifications were minimal, the ambiance of the spaces was completely transformed by particular design elements. An example of this is the reading niche. A space that envelops, that allows to be in silence. Taking advantage of the fact that there was an excess of closets in the main room, 4 doors were removed and a custom-made piece of furniture was designed to create a space of silence and permanence. It opens another possibility to inhabit the room.
In the kitchen environment, we rescued one of the strong characteristics of the Spaniards; their culinary tradition, but not in the sense of the dish itself, but in the act of gathering with friends and family around the food. For this reason, an aperitif table was designed to be the heart of the house. Emulating a tapas bar, just outside the kitchen, the space was designed to wrap around a long, tall bar composed of brightly colored tiles.
We wanted to create an encounter with beauty in every corner of the house, giving importance to the small details. These are the ones that tell the story of the house: a yellow dictionary of the Spanish language, ceramics that captivate with their simple shapes, and a family of cactus that crown the central corridor of the house.
We also wanted to create this experience through light, which plays a fundamental role in the space. Not only as lighting but also as design objects. In the dining room, it is the lamp that focuses the eye, as a red line that goes up between a mint green wall, then across the ceiling and then down over the table. At the snack bar, there are two circles that dialogue with the door frames and are distributed along the tiles. And the rooms as points of color that play with the beds.
