MADRID APARTMENT
In this curated abode, designer Maria Santos shows how to do serene and statement in one go
Designer María Santos took the white approach when creating a home that combines aesthetics of comfort and calm
making this home work was quite a challenge,’ says interior designer María Santos of the Madrid apartment she created for media executive Alejandro Serrano and his jewellery designer wife Eva. ‘They wanted a place that would reflect their personalities, but they also needed it to have a strong resale value.’ The couple and their two young children, Liam and Estelle, are from Barcelona and moved to Madrid for work, so knew that returning to their hometown was a real possibility – hence their desire to keep the decor neutral.
‘I knew I could turn it into something special and meet the brief,’ says María. ‘But Alejandro was concerned that giving it a distinct character would turn off any future potential buyers.’ The opposite has proved to be the case, and Alejandro now reports that visitors adore María’s classic yet modern renovation and would love to move in themselves, given half a chance.
She has ensured the apartment feels timeless but also unique. And the layout has totally changed, too. Located on the fourth level of a 1930s building, the property’s original interior boasted five bedrooms but it only had two bathrooms and suffered from a disconnected plan typical of many of Madrid’s older abodes. The dining and living rooms were at the front of the apartment, while the kitchen was at the rear, linked to the other living areas by a long corridor. A rejig was done. As María explains, ‘We had to reinforce some of the load-bearing walls because they were extremely damaged, but everything else was created from scratch.’
Downsizing the number of bedrooms from five to three (all of which now have their own en suite) gave her more room to play with as far as the kitchen and living areas were concerned. She positioned them as the centrepiece in a new layout that encourages family time and also suits larger gatherings. A grand hallway is the threshold between the kitchen and the open-plan living and dining space that is accessible through either one of two arched doorways, which are bathed in natural light from two French doors.
Design inspiration came from historic buildings, often visited by María on her travels, from Marrakech to Paris. She very much wanted to instil a sense of old world charm with edge in the apartment and so put in an intricately detailed moulded ceiling in the living and dining space and parquetry f looring in the hallway foyer. Finally, a cream finish was applied to the walls, ceiling and built-in joinery to brighten the whole interior. ‘Using the one colour makes everything look so much lighter and that allowed us to decorate it in any way we wanted,’ she says. ‘This gives the apartment widespread appeal and makes it seem like anyone of any age could live here.’
Alejandro and Eva don’t regret giving María free styling rein. And the outcome is a thoughtfully curated home peppered with pops of colour, interesting objects and striking artwork. She collaborated with the local Marita Segovia Gallery to build the home’s art collection, beginning with the orange abstract painting by Anke Blaue.
María’s design studio has a commercial arm, Bingutti, which buys and restores antiques from all over Europe so filling the apartment with interesting one-off finds was made that much easier. Alejandro and Eva are not thinking of moving any time soon and we can see why. This home combines a delightful aesthetic of comfort, calm and character and functions efficiently for family life.
See more of María’s work and projects at estudiomariasantos.com
“We wanted the new moulded ceiling and parquet floors to look like they’ve always been here”