GRAPHĒ: A Madrid Couple Revive a Funky ’70s Hotel Bungalow and Never Check Out

Their new retreat features a red-tiled kitchen, plaster walls that match Viroc floors, and a multiuse prefab greenhouse.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Madrid, Spain

Designer: Lucas y Hernández-Gil / @krestadesign

Footprint: 807-square-foot home and 344-square-foot greenhouse

Builder: Cosmadeco S.L.

Furniture Design: Kresta Design

Photographer: José Hevia

From the Designer: "This house is located in the western mountains of Madrid close to the San Juan reservoir. It’s an old bungalow that was part of a hotel complex from the ’70s. The original construction had a hybrid character between highland and modern with a kitsch touch. The owners, a young urban couple who love design and live and work in the center of Madrid were looking for a functional and compact refuge with a garden that was close to the city.

"The strategy was to work on the facade openings to achieve a better relation between the interior and exterior while gaining spaciousness. The windows are now deep boxes that frame the exterior view. We connected them to the kitchen visually with handmade burgundy tiles. The rest of the surfaces—Campaspero stone floors and waxed tinted plaster walls—establish contrast the colorful and shiny surface of the tiles.

"The greenhouse functions as an office, a gym, a workshop, a guesthouse, a living room, and, of course, a greenhouse. Conceived as a multipurpose space, this garden pavilion, built and customized from a prefabricated design, expands the possibilities of a small existing home. A pergola, wooden blinds, Viroc flooring, thermal curtains, a small Shigeru Ban–style mobile room for guests and an automatic shading and ventilation system allow for various uses depending on the time and season."