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Houzz Tour: Opening Up a City Flat Creates an Airy, Flowing Space
Tweaking the layout in this two-bed apartment has given it a much lighter living area, a home office and a utility room
This flat in a former office building had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a hallway, a kitchen and a separate living-dining room. “The client contacted us through Houzz, and asked us to carry out a complete overhaul of the décor,” says Leticia Yagüez of Leticia Yagüez Studio, who headed up the project. “He told us he liked open spaces and gave us the challenge of finding a place to hang the laundry and turning part of the living room into an office.”
In the first photo, the semi-open living room stands out, subtly separated from the kitchen by the dining area. “We expanded a partition, changed the kitchen layout and managed to create a laundry area [see the next photo], repurposing the water inlet from the original sink for the laundry sink,” Leticia says. “We also changed the placement of some lights to adapt the lighting to the furniture layout.”
In the dining area, Leticia extended the wall to the same width as the dining table.
In the dining area, Leticia extended the wall to the same width as the dining table.
Adding a small partition in the kitchen has created a concealed laundry area; kitting it out cost €1,800 (£1,548). The owner asked Leticia to repurpose the plumbing from the original kitchen to bring down renovation costs.
The owner says that renovating his home was both stressful and exciting, and that hiring a professional was the best decision he made. His advice to anyone embarking on their own renovation is to be clear about what they’re looking for, what kind of home they want and how to adapt it to the life they have.
The owner says that renovating his home was both stressful and exciting, and that hiring a professional was the best decision he made. His advice to anyone embarking on their own renovation is to be clear about what they’re looking for, what kind of home they want and how to adapt it to the life they have.
These colourful niches are in the kitchen. “We wanted to turn this into a cheerful and bright home with a certain pop-art vibe and a lot of colour,” Leticia says.
The owner explains that the home was originally narrow and, despite several large windows, dark at certain times. Thanks to the new open-plan layout, natural light permeates the house all day and there’s a constant feeling of space. This comfortable layout has proved to be a blessing now the owner is spending more time at home.
The owner explains that the home was originally narrow and, despite several large windows, dark at certain times. Thanks to the new open-plan layout, natural light permeates the house all day and there’s a constant feeling of space. This comfortable layout has proved to be a blessing now the owner is spending more time at home.
The living room and kitchen had been separate before the renovation.
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Make the challenge of finding the right people for your project easier by searching the Houzz Professionals Directory.
As seen here, part of the partition was removed to create an open and very bright living area. The small storage space on the wall behind the sofa is one of the custom-made features in this space.
Work spaces have recently become more important in homes. “The client was looking for a solution that would allow him to work while being with his son, while other clients demand closed-off work areas where they won’t be distracted,” Leticia says.
“My favourite space in the house is the entrance, which is connected to the kitchen and the living room. It has a very cheerful aesthetic,” Leticia says.
A mirror next to the entrance door (visible in the background of this photo) opens to reveal the electrical panel.
A mirror next to the entrance door (visible in the background of this photo) opens to reveal the electrical panel.
One of the challenges of the project was the huge radiator located right in front of the main door. They chose not to move it to keep costs down.
Leticia came up with an ingenious solution. “We kept the entrance partially separate from the office area by putting in a wrought iron window frame with a custom-made unit to cover the radiator underneath. Then we painted the wall anthracite to give it more presence and create a contrast with the retro prints.”
Leticia came up with an ingenious solution. “We kept the entrance partially separate from the office area by putting in a wrought iron window frame with a custom-made unit to cover the radiator underneath. Then we painted the wall anthracite to give it more presence and create a contrast with the retro prints.”
These prints feature indie rock bands. “We made use of the owner’s passion for music; he chose the prints himself. For the wall, we considered putting up wallpaper with colourful geometric designs. In the end, we opted for anthracite paint to fit with the industrial style, which the owner loves.”
The new décor has filled the space with light. The owner chose the pink and grey combination. “We marked the headboard area with a composition of floor-to-ceiling, painted wooden slats to provide visual order in the narrow space,” Leticia says. “We then added a soft headboard upholstered just like the sofa.”
A Tintin print adds more colour.
A Tintin print adds more colour.
The room has a simple white wardrobe and an en suite.
“We didn’t do much in the bathrooms,” Leticia says. “In the main one, we put in a screen and accessories to give it an industrial touch.”
In the son’s room, a painted mountain range mural surrounds the headboard. “The boy said he wanted a lot of play space and an area to hang things,” Leticia says. “They chose the mint green, which we also used in the bathroom.”
The second bathroom was very bland. “We wanted to make it more fun without spending a lot of money,” Leticia says. “We did a low-cost update by choosing a vinyl by Lokoloko for the floor and another in a plain mint to change the appearance of the vanity unit, and we added a frame for the mirror.”
Who lives here? A father and his young son
Location Madrid, Spain
Size Two bedrooms and two bathrooms; 70 sq m
Architect Leticia Yagüez Studio
Renovation work Grupo Plumysa
Budget Approximately €42,000 (£36,000). The major items were the furnishings, €15,000 (£12,900) and construction work,€13,000 (£11,180)
Photos by Leticia Yagüez Studio
This interior design project and minor renovation was completed in spite of the pandemic in the summer of 2020, just after the first lockdown was lifted.
“After a couple of meetings at the flat and my studio, the decisions were made through online communication, with PowerPoint presentations and using Houzz Ideabooks to exchange photos,” Leticia says.