Inside a Minimalist Madrid Studio with a Smoked Oak Kitchen
Powerhouse creative couple Natalia Swarz and Armando Mesías each have their own careers—she’s the founder of travel site Hôtel Weekend and a kids concept store, while he’s a visual artist—but they also collaborate on interior projects through their rental venture Hilma Homes. They reimagine old Madrid apartments for “slow, inspired living” by employing warm neutral hues, textured materials, and restrained furnishings. Their studio unit, which was dated and separated into multiple rooms before they stepped in, “draws from the serene minimalism of Japan and the quiet elegance of Scandinavia—especially Denmark,” Natalia says. So refined, slab-front Surface cabinets from Copenhagen-based kitchen brand Reform were a perfect fit.
The smoked oak cupboards, along with dark-stained cement floors, offer a contemporary bent that’s balanced by rustic honey-toned wood beams and creamy lime wash walls. They also make the 484-square-foot space feel bigger than it is. “The cabinets read more like high-end furniture, and as a long bar along the wall, they blend seamlessly into the room, keeping it open and neat,” says Natalia. “Our approach is always choose less, but choose well—and then add personal touches that bring soul without clutter.” Let’s take a look—and keep scrolling to see the apartment before.
Photography by Pablo Gómez Ogando.
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