From the outset, the owner—an avid enthusiast of architecture and design—was closely involved in every stage of the renovation, collaborating with the ARQUID team to shape a residence with a distinct identity. At the heart of the apartment is a central library that functions as a peaceful personal retreat and as a spatial anchor: it organizes the layout, separates programmatic zones, and creates a strong visual focus within the open plan.
The primary objective was to create a home that reflects the owner’s passions—architecture and literature—while addressing practical needs and contemporary comfort.
ARQUID carefully retained meaningful architectural details and integrated them with contemporary interventions. Subtle strategies—such as adding vertical mouldings that hide footlighting—provide soft, indirect illumination that enhances the apartment’s historic elements without overpowering them. Original wooden shutters were restored and reused to control Madrid’s strong daylight, preserving material authenticity while improving comfort.
The owner’s book collection was the emotional starting point for the design. Books introduce color, texture and personality against a neutral palette of white walls and the apartment’s original smoked oak floors. Rather than conceal this richness, the architects framed it: generous built-in shelving and open storage create a backdrop that turns everyday objects into an integral part of the interior composition.
Furniture choices were selected to complement the minimalist framework and the vivid tones of the books. Soft, organic forms in seating and tables provide visual contrast to the linearity of the shelving and the vertical mouldings, making the living spaces comfortable, approachable and harmonious.
A key requirement was that every bedroom include a private bathroom, creating calm “ritual” spaces for daily routines. The bathrooms were designed to enhance relaxation: one features a Japanese-style bathtub positioned to make the most of a window view, a deliberate choice that connects bathing with daylight and the outside environment.
This renovation is a thoughtful blend of restoration and contemporary design. It honors the apartment’s history while introducing refined, modern interventions that improve daily life. The result is a home that breathes literature, history, and calm—an intimate urban refuge where original 19th-century character and present-day comfort coexist gracefully.
Almendro Project is an example of sensitive urban renovation: preserving authentic materials like the smoked oak flooring and original shutters, introducing subtle architectural details for improved lighting and comfort, and organizing spaces around a central library that reflects the owner’s passions. The outcome feels both personal and timeless, rooted in place yet adapted to the rhythms of contemporary Madrid life.