Who can resist vaulted ceilings, panoramic city views or the absence of upstairs neighbours? Few. Even the drawbacks of penthouse living don’t diminish its charm and romantic appeal. And this example in Madrid’s Salamanca district, with a terrace that’s practically part of the interior, confirms it.
Designed for a family, the apartment is situated in a protected building. The interior did not retain any elements of heritage value though, so Gaztelu Arquitectura studio was able to work with a contemporary design language, respecting its envelope, its proportions and those pre-existing elements that did add value to the space – retaining the original metal beams for example.
Long hallways are a hallmark of old apartments and this one was no exception. Its eleven-metre-long hallway not only fragmented the house but also obscured the roof, which reaches to almost five metres at its highest point and is broken into different sloping planes along the entire length of the house. All that height, wasted.
Rather than concealing these conditions, the studio used them as a starting point, studying every plane, intersection and edge to construct a coherent geometry. The aim was to transform the kitchen into a unifying element, a room that connects. It ceases to be a closed-off space and becomes part of the daily flow of the house.
If there’s one decision that defines the character of this house, it’s the choice to use only two materials: micro-concrete and stained oak. Nothing else. Not because there weren't other options, but because the idea was that the finishes wouldn’t overshadow the architecture.
In the living area, micro-concrete covers everything — floors, walls, built elements — like a continuous skin that blurs the boundaries between planes. Against this neutral backdrop, stained oak appears in the custom-made joinery: doors, wardrobes, headboards, and even the utility access panels are integrated seamlessly. The entire public area of the house can be traversed without anything obstructing the view.
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In the sleeping area, the logic is reversed. The oak flooring extends to the floor, while the micro-concrete — this time in white — rises to the three bathrooms, two of which are en suite. Basins, countertops and niches are all crafted from the same material, as continuous pieces, and mirrors double the depth, making the rooms feel larger than they actually are.
And then there’s the living room mirror. Placed between the kitchen and the dining room, it covers an entire wall. Not a decorative whim, it is – in the studio’s words – ‘an architectural tool capable of dematerialising a boundary and visually extending the home’. From certain angles, it appears as if there are two entrances where there is only one. The wall loses its visual weight. The space gains depth.
The skylights were already there and their position couldn’t be changed, so the studio decided to work with them rather than against them. They redesigned their openings to allow the natural light to reach further and be better distributed, and aligned each edge with the axes of the house, so they cease to be perceived as mere holes in the roof and become part of its geometry.
The effect changes throughout the day, which was precisely the idea: in the morning the light enters directly, in the afternoon it becomes soft and angled. In the main bathroom, it falls directly on the bathtub.
The renovation of the building’s systems – air conditioning, underfloor heating, and thermal and acoustic insulation – was another key element. Given that the building was more than forty years old, the challenge wasn’t just replacing them, but concealing them without sacrificing any height. Recessed lighting follows the main axes of the house, and the metal beams, which were preserved from the outset, receive indirect lighting from below, making them part of the decor, not a reminder of the building’s past.
Finally, in this penthouse, the terrace isn’t separate. Instead, it’s an extension of the living room. White walls and teak decking maintain the same style as the rest of the house, but with a warmth characteristic of outdoor living. The seating is integrated into the existing forms of the terrace itself. Light, air, and plants become part of the experience of being inside, even if you haven’t stepped outside. There’s no clear line between where the house ends and the outdoors begins. And that, in the heart of Madrid, is a true luxury.
