Next up, in the continuing series of beautiful places that we get to visit together vicariously, is Madrid-based architecture and design practice Febrero Studio’s VH Apartment. Located in Chamberí, a quintessential 18th-century colonial Madrid neighbourhood, Febrero Studio has completed a full refurbishment of a 200 square-metre apartment into a homely and well-proportioned living quarters.

With a consummate ability to completely transform the interior, the design team completely modified the layout, resulting in a city home that houses three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. Embodying both a sense of warmth and spaciousness, Febrero Studio utilised materials such as bleached oak and organic blue plaster to visually balance the interiors.

A herringbone pattern floor of bleached oak parquet adorns the kitchen and dining areas, a mellow backbone for two stainless steel units that provide extra storage while exuding a sense of contemporary design that is almost futuristic. Serving as a shielding element to the bedrooms, one of the freestanding elements also services as a bar unit.

Blue is used as a motif throughout the apartment, seen not only on the wall that semi-conceals the bedrooms but also as the backdrop for the dining and kitchen area. The colour is seen again in the guest bathroom wall, accompanying the earthy tones in the rest of the room. A distinction is evident from the blue wall, acting as a barrier between the wooden floor of the more daytime and public areas to the micro-cement floors in the private bedrooms. However, pale blue is utilised in the reading nook, cupboard doors and bathroom doors in the bedroom for visual continuation. The micro-cement floor carries on to the bathrooms.

Radical changes to the original apartment were made as part of Febrero Studio’s creative process, resulting in a functional reinvention of the home. Making use of a warm and personal material palette, Febrero Studio establishes a humble balance between sophistication, contemporary design and bold ideas in their overall approach.