Small Madrid Apartment by Elii Takes Advantage of Concealed Storage

The Spanish architecture firm, elii, attempted to pull all the tricks out of the bag with this very small apartment. The property is set in a neighborhood in Madrid, and saw a major overhaul to transform it into a more functional home.

The project, dubbed Yojigen Poketto, was completed in 2017 with architect Ana López leading it from design to delivery. The result is a bright, playful, apartment.

The property has a footprint of just 361.67-square-feet (33.6-square-meters). Despite its size, the designers have managed to accommodate all of your typical living spaces into the small abode. They’ve even managed to include a splash of color.

There were a few overarching themes in this project that are common to almost any current refurbishment – increase the amount of natural light, and make it more functional. Both light and functionality were primarily addressed by opening up the floor plan through the removal of excess partitions.

The space was then primed for new finishes. The color palette is bright and airy throughout, making use of pastels to introduce a sense of playfulness and vibrancy. To make better use of the available space, a new level was introduced. The bathroom and leisure area (which also doubles as a bedroom) can be found in this raised section of the home.

The floor is raised by 0.9-meters. This provides the designers with plenty of space underneath for storage. The underfloor storage is placed on wheels, and can be rolled out when someone needs access to it. To limit the amount of floor area taken up by the kitchen, it’s been spread over the length of the property in a galley fashion.

From the archiects: “Secret trapdoors extend the storage space in the overhead areas. A portable stepladder/furniture item is used to overcome the difference in elevation, add storage spaces and double as small grandstands in the living room… All in all, the proposal gains the corner of the building, floods it with natural lighting and views to the street.”

For more apartments check out End The Roc, a Barcelona apartment that gets a modern upgrade from Nook Architects. Or, H2L’s venture into multi-story micro-housing in Seoul. See all apartments.

Photos © Imagen Subliminal