NEVER TOO SMALL: Cinema Inspired Small Apartment, Madrid - 33sqm/355sqft

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Located in the lively neighbourhood of Sol in central Madrid, the vibrant Sola House was inspired by the bold colours and glossy decor found in famous Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar’s films. The team at gon architect meticulously re-designed the apartment from the ground up around the concept of placing all the services and utilities, including the bathroom, in a central blue lacquered chest-cabinet that connects both ends of the apartment and adapts as needed. The bedroom is cleverly concealed behind a mirrored door to the right of the entrance and shares a glass window with the bathroom that changes from transparent to opaque when privacy is needed. With its bold colour scheme and considered design, Sola House is a truly contemporary and sophisticated take on an inner city retreat.
#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign
Project Name: Sola House
Architect: gon-architects.com/
Thumbnail Photography: imagensubliminal.com/
Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Nam Tran
Cinematographer: Matthieu Torres
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Yasmin Bright
Music: Hummingbird by Less Gravity
Soulmate by Yestalgia

[@PowerControl]

Kitchen with amenities - check. Bed where you don't have to crawl in - check. Sufficient storage space - check. TV - check. That is a real apartment to live in! I like it!

[@tangocash342]

@@wilmaknickersfit the sofa is too chunky I would use something with smaller armrests.

[@MaraMara89]

I haven't even noticed TV... Don't need it. But wine fridge 💜

[@chocothebananacat7686]

@@tangocash342 It depends on preference though. I love a chunky armrest, personally.

[@Dessert_x_Tat]

perfect

[@roundedosu]

personally lived without tv my entire life!

[@carolcezar3800]

It’s great! My shed has been completed and it turned out nice looking and sturdy and it is way better than the sheds that many of my neighbors had put up. Of course, I'm pleased with the outcome and this Ryan’s kzbin.infoUgkxGZedDTcDfgD7fG_uU4esfx_EgxzlY2_1 Plans was extremely useful to me as a guide.

[@rosecolouredglasses]

Very liveable. No weird compromises. You have a real bedroom that you don't have to crawl/climb/wiggle in and out of

[@jow6845]

Yes, but I do love fresh air in my bedroom..

[@violeta9939]

Specially as the owner is an older person, needs everythins accesible and easy

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@violeta9939 only thing I thought, not many older people find it easy to get in and out of bar stools as they age

[@Nazgull123]

Also, you don't have to step onto the kitchen counter to access the bedroom either!

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@Nazgull123 Hahaha that design will forever be notorious

[@druidcec8658]

Lamp is a Danish designer called Poul Henningsen …Louis Poulsen is a lamp Company that sell Poul Henningsens lamps. Beautiful appartment 👍

[@drivingpenguin4624]

Yes, booth the company and the designer are Danish

[@stephaniedoll1171]

The best placement of mirrors for visual expansion I’ve ever seen executed. Amazing sconces that allow user to redirect light for different usage. Full credit to this amazing architect!

[@michelestapleton]

I might have passed on a couple of mirrors. I like wall space for hanging art.

[@ellasmith6013]

the captions made me laugh on this one: 'floor to silly mirror', 'Seoul in Madrid'

[@davidcarq]

The PH5 pendant lamp in this project is from Danish Company Louis Poulsen. Louis Poulsen was not a designer but the man that gave the name to the Danish lighting manufacture operating since 1875. the lamp is a PH 5 designed by Poul Henningsen (Danish Himself) in 1958 for Louis Poulsen. PH5 become one of the bestselling products from Louis Poulsen's collection over the years and is today available in a range of different finishes.

[@Daddex91]

I was about to correct that!

[@v_iika]

who is the designer of this wall lamp in 5:25?

[@rikkestellini7869]

thank you, David, for this correction. As a dane, I appreciate it.

[@soufiah77]

Thanks for the correction🙏

[@betelsanchez]

also in many places they change the name of the thing for the name of the company...

[@Rubiecat]

Apartments with unusually angled walls always make me uncomfortable for some reason, but they really managed to still make this space look good and efficiently designed, great job !

[@jpp7783]

Yes, I too find spaces disorienting when the walls are angled. Here, it’s not so extreme so it’s manageable.

[@klgherkin]

I think choosing a dark colour helps to make the angled wall feel more natural. They made a great choice of colour!

[@ketoanonymous6609]

This is one of the few designs that made a small space accommodate all essential areas without any weird or awkward set ups, flimsy ladders for stairs, etc. Plus, the couch is big and comfortable for lounging.

[@amalinaosman6647]

The strategic placement of the mirror helps to make the room bigger. Kudos to the engineer who manage to turn an awkward-angle house into a cosy space 🎉

[@crystalkirkman]

I’m obsessed with the use of color in this space 🤩

[@jessisoffline]

Love what they've done with the footprint of the apartment. Even though it converges on one end, it celebrates the geometry so perfectly. Also, it strikes a good balance between open and private space. A lot of the time it's open space through and through. Beautiful 😍

[@GOKIS]

This is the first time I see mirrors that well blended. It really makes apartment look bigger. Entrance light at 5:25 is great too.

[@melissakenealy8868]

Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. Love it. And the blue colour is divine!

[@absolutwater]

Difficult original, beautiful result, very practical and looks amazingly spacious. Great design!

[@wallflowernook]

This apartment is so beautiful! Great job to the designer for maximizing the available square footage 👏👏

[@user-ds6tk4qm8x]

I like everything in this apartment😍😍😍😍😍 It's so hard to believe that having only 33 sqm allows you to create such a beautiful space! This place is awesome ❤❤❤❤❤

[@GarzaB]

Fantastic! Makes 33sqm look like a palace!

[@Taleneki]

Finally someone that isn't afraid of using colour in a grand manner. I'm honestly bored of the "all white with minor colourful accents"-style that so many (interior) architects have. This is so much warmer and friendlier. While I'm personally not a fan of the Bauhaus combination of colours (blue, red, yellow), I truly appreciate this demonstration of how colour does not take from an architecture, but actually adds to it. And the use of mirrors in this appartment is just briliant, I didn't even notice the door to the bedroom at first as it camouflages so well.

[@tdb7992]

I absolutely love Madrid, and Spanish people are just so friendly and effortlessly cool. Whenever they found out we were Australians, they would treat us like friends. Really amazing people, and Madrid is beautiful.

[@davidferrero3055]

The bedroom/ bathroom window /lightbox situation is great love it

[@gus473]

There are so many spaces and places (large and small) that would benefit by these windows! Would love to see them become more affordable too! 😎✌🏼

[@el_micha]

@@gus473 One could actually keep it frosted glass. Which can be etched into the glass or put on glass as adhesive film. Also the upper half could stay clear glass since there's nothing to hide there rly. Privacy glass as shown in this design is very pricy.

[@lomalinke5042]

I live in Spain and always think it is super charming that they put an E before everything that starts with an S: E-spaces! Rod E-Stewart! Apart from that: the flat is so very cleverly designed and really seems huge given it is only 33 square meters. Super well done.

[@ixlnxs]

Not everything that starts with an S. Everything that starts with an S and another consonant, like ST or SP. Silver, not e-silver; sugar, not e-sugar. But Stockholm is Estocolmo and standard is estándar. Only the very name of the country is the other way around: Spain, Spanje, Spanien, Spagna etc are all derived from España which in turn comes from Hispania.

[@zetazeta1422]

@@ixlnxsEa!

[@jacquelinesinek8231]

I love the clean lines, all the natural light and the use of mirrors!

[@jennieanderson5291]

It's great when you feature designers who are not afraid of color! Blue and yellow is a favorite combination of mine. The blue built-in unit really elevates the space from ordinary modern to something special. And I love that it's a proper kitchen! With a wall oven, no less! So jealous.

[@michaelc8179]

Man I really like that bathroom. Good idea with the changing window.

[@1q79]

When they showed the original pictures, I actually preferred the warmth of the wood to this modern modernist take, it just feels like an office/ reception to me. I like the idea of the box 'core' however.

[@maritsaappollis7966]

I absolutely love all the blue!!! Very calming and doesn’t make it look dark at all. Well done on such a creative, clean yet comfy design 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@carltongirl95]

I could definitely see myself living in this one it's just beautiful and for a small space it's extremely roomy...well done to the Architect he hasn't left anything off the list of "must have's" that most of us want/need to live comfortably 💜

[@briza2022]

That blue of the kitchen closet is perfection

[@user-yy9cq2hp2p]

Finally a real kitchen and sitting space!

[@christianhorup8417]

The pendant light is designed by the danish architect, Poul Henningsen, and produced by the danish firm Louis Poulsen.

[@paulpiolagaso1615]

Blue and white.. good combination and i like the Chair

[@guidoguarnieri7411]

That light is not from a french designer called Louis Poulsen. Louis Poulsen is the danish founder of the homonymous company that produce the pendant light which is notoriously designed by Poul Henningsen who was also danish. It's probably the most famous light pendant in the world, it's surprising this architect wouldn't even bother to know and assume it was french.

[@Chrissieb.rackett]

Finally- comfortable seating!!! I feel like I’ve developed scoliosis just imagining myself on these backless concrete/wood stools that are normally showcased.

[@andronicemarinis1072]

Fabulous, just fabulous. Doable, livable, adorable!!!

[@sunflowers_n_coffee]

This architects signature is his love for solid, big displays of colour. Nice apartment!

[@adavewithshortpants]

I love the redesign but I feel the floorplan is nearly the same aside from adding storage and knocking down the kitchen wall.

[@paulabroadway1697]

Love the use of blue in this space!

[@irenelnrs542]

Me encanta. Soy Arquitecta, vivo en Madrid y paso casi a diario por Sol. He visto muchísimos pisos en Madrid de dimensiones similares y parecen agotadores, muy cerrados y apagados, este irradia orden, maximización del espacio, y buena elección de todos los elementos. Me encanta.

[@stephanefraga2599]

This fulfills this expectation . Most of the plans provided here are full with sufficient information kzbin.infoUgkxe81Bz076USDt6sYU1rDcNa2LwCIKADgB so that I can get an idea of what the shed will look like & prepared by my own. This way if you don’t know what kind of shed you want, this product will give you inspiration.

[@florenceaubry3418]

Wonderful flat. Everything is so carefully thought through; the design and colour palette work really well. Congratulations to the architect and the owner 👏 👏 👏

[@matthewmic12345]

One of the best compact small apartments I've seen!

[@LenaLuthorWife]

finalllyyyy a design for small apartment that used my favourite colour anddddd he said can use dark colours!! An assurance to me do what I want....itz my house!!! yessssss

[@michelestapleton]

Very generous storage in this space. Nice to see open closets that aren't jammed full.

[@mimimi3440]

I rarely see I truly good design as practical healthy affordable and classic as this one

[@danielcaceres9971]

Ole Gonzalo! Amazing work! I love this place, it actually feels like a home with real spaces and no strange compromises. Oh, and that furniture is exquisite

[@alcea13]

I love this house. This is my new favourite house. I would actually love to live in this house. I love the blues!!

[@ashleeadams2033]

So much brighter and more accomodating for both individuals and groups - lovely!

[@N2LADIES55]

The design makes it look much bigger than it is and I would love to live in that space. I am single and don't need a lot of space.

[@monkcers]

I saw this flat on a Spanish tv program ("Minipisos asombrosos"). By that time, it was presented by the dweller who was a nice French middle-aged woman. It's beautiful

[@katella]

Did she manage to warm it up a bit?

[@TinoDeBiaso]

That was once of the best ad segments I've seen.

[@benclarke5914]

very big difference before and after, love the colours , design, everything

[@nenengacaptain]

I love this design, especially the privacy of the bedroom.

[@joycedavis9996]

this tour was as aesthetically pleasing💙 as the casa gialia tour💛

[@junehulton9776]

Wow.... definitely one of the best .... comfortable.. style.. design.. colour...I love everything about this one ...and I wouldn't change anything. Brilliant.

[@michaelgathemia]

I am in love with this unit especially the use of the different shades of blue and the placement of the mirrors.

[@markbigbadbear]

Love the colours. Love the layout. Love the smart choices that include just about everything you want or need for a single person home. Or a 2 person home if you REALLY get along. The fact that the main colour choice is blue (my fav 😅) is just another plus. Gorgeous!

[@heisstack]

Just beautiful--a perfect example of layout, color, and functionality all combining into an awesome design. Love the blue shade and those light fixtures. I could live here; everything I need is all there, a kitchen with full refrigerator, adequate dining space, comfy couch, TV, ample storage and closet space, and skylight as a bonus.

[@jamesslate1026]

There's a lot of functionality incorporated into such a small space. I love the use of colour throughout the apartment as well as the mirrors for making the space seem bigger. The final touch would be to really accessorize with artwork and other elements to add warmth and humanity. It's the little things that transform a space into a home.

[@EldeGaming]

Phenomenal space, best use of full length mirrors I've ever seen!

[@Buddhababe2]

I love the color as well as the overall design.

[@andresfernandohuertasbolan6908]

On this occasion, it seems to me that it is right in the sense that it takes good advantage of part of the volume or central space of the house, since being of a large size it is impressive to see the large number of objects that can be stored. In addition, due to its color, it is a space that stands out quite a bit, but, I must say that on this occasion what I find most interesting is how the room receives natural lighting, since it is in a pleasant way and gives that feeling of comfort.

[@iheworld134]

If this my apartments, i would change that blue storage to my pink storage....i love this style

[@rrenatabp]

Love this one - that shade of blue is perfect. I also love the red shelves in the living room

[@mariannarossi82]

Love the bedroom-bathroom work

[@samanthas.ordazp.5754]

The mirror really made me feel like there was another room next to the kitchen. I had to pause to see it. Nice!

[@Niriixa]

That massive blue wall and the different, interesting lamps are so beautiful! I love that this apartment is fully functional *and* lets you invite guests over. The mirrors are an excellent addition as well.

[@baguette9692]

love love love! the colours also the layout very satisfying and simple

[@PetrKlabal]

love that blue&grey combination. This is something I wanna do as-well in my apartment

[@chr1staki]

Bathroom/bed combo and use of mirrors are my fave features

[@water9951]

I love the colour combinations! It’s so vibrant and beautiful.

[@heathertruskinger6214]

I like the colours, and everything looks a standard size

[@Dessert_x_Tat]

THIS is my cup of tea. And its location is perfect too!. Thank you for sharing.

[@behuman5725]

This small space proves, if you have clever hidden storage it won’t feel small.

[@mugatu2601]

Great and logical space for a challenging layout! Love the combination of colors. Bathroom glass was a nice touch.

[@manuelpatarelo9611]

Amazing work with the shape of the walls and the mirrors!!!

[@ceciliatassara159]

I’ve seen quite a few very good uses of space on your program but this is one of the best. 😊

[@zlatan_2197]

Beautiful functional apartment, I'd be happy to live in a place like this.

[@tkcldk]

i love the color combination

[@ikenmijnman]

Realy one of the best! Good flow and practical!

[@kelseybetsey4076]

I love watching NTS, but very few of the designs could I actually live in. This is one of my favorites so far, I could totally live here.

[@conniebruckner8190]

Exelente! me asombra ver que bien lo han hecho. Parece verdaderamente que hay mucho mas espacio.

[@TheLsd76]

I can't live without plants, a junk drawer near the entry and something to hang coats on, but those are things easy to fix. They did a great job, Ioved the configuration of the difficult space.

[@nking2146]

Amazing to fit all that into 33sqm. Btw, Louis Poulsen is a Danish designer

[@heekyungkim8147]

Love your flat. Dark blue is my favorite color.

[@chloeuntrau4588]

Love it!

[@tangocash342]

Looks nice and range of the blue is really refreshing. Since the living room is very small I would use a sofa with smaller armrests. Just to "give" more area to the client.

[@Blurggg]

bedroom looks like a closet. windows are a must.

[@glorial2825]

Really love this! Looks way bigger than it's size 🤩

[@eurueka]

I saw this apartment in the TV show " Minipisos asombrosos". How different it seems depending of the shooting or lighting

[@trangiamy1998]

Very nice I love this apartment 💙💙💙

[@Dieter_Smits]

3:15 Lamp is desinged by DANISH designer Poul Henningsen . Nice apartment and episode, thnx.

[@cindyboughen9933]

LOVE this space!!😍

[@biosskw]

Very beautiful colors

[@deecunningham9719]

Beautiful!

[@hamburgveganc6284]

This is a very good one again. Love it very much!! :-).

[@GregCurtin45]

This is quite stunning and very well designed. Outside of needing a larger refrigerator & freezer I could happily live there. Outstanding use of space and the focus on one darkish colour means that it will be less outdated in 20 yrs.

[@MaraMara89]

Are you from USA? Fridge here is on the biggest side in Europe - it is easy enough for one person (especially with seperate wine cooler ;) )... I think that this fridge is enough even if person go shopping once a week (I have smaller one and during pandemic lockdown I was doing great), which isn't that common in city centers like that. You usually get fresh produce at least twice a week

[@knightshade6232]

Soooooooo much storage i love it

[@tati_oak]

Great apartment! 👍 the design is brilliant 👏

[@danielh.7095]

As a Real Estate Developer, I appreciate your content a lot and take a lot of inspiration from your videos which influences my work as well, thank you! I am of the opinion that the NTS community would also be interested in the prices of the respective conversions and the complete conversion, in order to possibly implement these creative, presented ideas to their own four walls.