Despite its compact 689-square-foot size, House 64 manages to feel bright and expansive after a recent transformation. The project takes its name from both its 64 square meters of usable space and the 64 years that passed between the building’s construction and the start of OOIIO Architecture’s renovation. What began as a cramped fifth-floor apartment on a modest residential block built in 1960 – one that once tightly housed nine people – has been reimagined by OOIIO Architecture into a vibrant, materially driven home for two.
Madrid’s Carabanchel district has come a long way since this building marked the edges of the city. Back then, large rural families facing hardships in the Spanish countryside arrived in Madrid looking for stability and a better life. Today that road is buried beneath the adjacent park, the building is served by an elevator, and the neighborhood sits comfortably on the shoulder of central Madrid – a place shaped by global movement. House 64 mirrors this evolution: once dark and subdivided, now bright, fluid, and open to new patterns of life.
OOIIO approached the renovation as a total reset. The interior was gutted, the tiny rooms cleared to allow natural light to stretch from both facades, which run parallel. Cross-ventilation – a luxury the original residents mostly ignored in favor of pure necessity – now becomes a defining comfort. With the shell stripped bare, the architects layered the apartment like a three-dimensional collage, using color, texture, and carefully curated materials to create new spatial experiences.
Instead of fixed spaces, the project relies on strategic insertions that feel both sculptural and purposeful. Each wall becomes a surface to house various materials like art, ones that are reflective, corrugated, tiled, or colorful. These aren’t arbitrary aesthetic choices but the connective elements that form a cohesive space. A white, corrugated metallic plane lives opposite a deep blue sofa; a triangular cabinet beneath it picks up the hue and complements the boxed blue structure by the kitchen. A golden velvet curtain hangs in front of the bedroom for privacy, visually echoing the wall of wavy yellow tiles next to it. In front of the yellow tiles, an olive green sideboard adds a grounded counterpoint, while clay, sky blue, and earthy tones show up throughout in the lamps, counters, and wardrobe finishes.
Furniture is a key component in the design – almost as important as the fixed pieces. Brands like HAY, Kave Home, Cosentino, Grespania, and others in handpicked colors and materials, outfit the rest of the space in an array of fun colors, including pops of sunny yellow, dusty corals, rich blues, making every surface feel intentional.
The sleek, box-like structures in blue and coral, not only help define the compact layout, but they add valuable storage throughout the apartment.
The hues seen in the main living area of House 64, continue into the apartment’s bathroom. The floating sink vanity is finished in the same coral shade as part of the kitchen cabinetry, while blue tones can be seen in the terrazzo surfaces that clad the floors, walls, and shower. Rounding out the space is a black vessel sink and faucet that add a sense of drama.
For more information on House 64 by OOIIO Architecture, please visit ooiio.com.
Photography by Javier de Paz.
