Martín Peláez Estudio transforms Madrid home, NEDU, to emulate being in the clouds

Cumulus Stimulus

By Paige Davidson

For NEDU, a private residence tucked high above the bustling historic city center of Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spanish firm Martín Peláez Estudio opted for a selective color scheme and geometry that emulates clouds. The renovation of the historic building combines soft, curved forms with a range of custom-made furniture pieces realized in the myriad colors of the sky throughout the day.

A selective color scheme and geometry are an abstract reference to being in the sky (Amores Pictures)

Cabinetry, painted in a robin egg blue, references the color of the sky (Amores Pictures)

“Our language is simple and bold, always pursuing the main concept. Our works are materialized with a careful selection of lines and a reduced but intentional material and color palette,” the firm said. This “simple and bold” ethos abounds as one enters NEDU.

Throughout the home, a light gray floor guides guests from one room to the next. The walls, ceiling, and original wood beams are soaked in a clean white. This medley of gray and white captures the essence of clouds to provide a calming base for the rest of the 645-square-foot (60-square-meter) residence, which dates back to 1882. The subdued color palette allows the robin egg–colored cabinetry in the kitchen and living room, to come to life. These bright colors represent the sky on a clear, sunny day.

 

The plywood dining table appears to float like a cloud with its transparent methacrylate tubular legs (Amores Pictures)

The panels and furniture are custom-made to suit the home (Amores Pictures)

Given the minimalist design base, the interior still feels playful. Iridescent methacrylate panels throughout serve as art pieces and mirrors. The shiny panels subtly capture surrounding light to imbue new adaptations in the adjacent spaces. The panels and furniture pieces are custom-made and showcase curves similar to puffy cumulus clouds. Two tables in the living room and kitchen riff on the cloud motif with a white top that appears to float above its transparent methacrylate tubular legs. The kitchen table wraps around one an original support beam, so that it appears as if it has always been in the space. Around the table, lavender and pastel orange stools nod to the tones found in local sunrises and sunsets.

Pops of color emerge in the iridescent methacrylate panels throughout the home (Amores Pictures)

An orange color scheme dominates the bathroom to mimic sunrises and sunsets (Amores Pictures)

The bathroom flips the script. It moves away from the cool tones used in the communal areas of the residence to instead don a dusky orange hue. Again, the warmer color takes cues from the sky, evoking a sunset. The shower is lined with orange mosaic tiles that complement the darker colored sink. A mirror in the shower also plays with cloud geometry. This is the only room to adopt a warmer palette, and when the sun hits it, the glow extends into the main hallway and can be seen through the rest of the home. Other sunset tie-ins can be found in the kitchen stools and in two Candela Picado de Blas art pieces.

The glow in the bathroom trickles down the hall (Amores Pictures)

The apartment’s original wood beams were preserved and painted white to fit the new interior (Amores Pictures)

Martín Peláez Estudio also noted another influence for the design was the homeowner. The client, the firm explained, is very friendly and cheerful, and describes his new home as his ”happy place.” Without being too literal, the architects were able to capture that spirit and the intrinsic nature of being in the clouds with the contemporary and cheerful transformation of NEDU.

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