All this extra time in our homes at the moment may have us wanting to look at anything other than an . But we think ’s ‘Ready Made Home’ in Bilbao, Spain may change your mind. The Architects have thrown away the manual for controlling domestic space, instead welcoming humour and flexibility within the home. Uncomfortable junctions, unusual relationships and playful furnishings have been embraced wholeheartedly, creating a theatrical environment where occupants become the performer in their own home.
The two-bedroom apartment was originally conventionally configured, featuring a succession of rooms linked by a central corridor. Azab confidently disrupt this pattern with their “unprejudiced approach to the domestic issue”, creating a radically open plan layout.
Existing partitions have been removed everywhere except for the bedrooms and the lone survivor at the entrance. The ‘finished’ coating has been stripped back revealing the marks of past inhabitants of the apartment. The pastiche of deep burgundy hues and soft greens now form a part of an ongoing narrative within the space.
The unusual semi-circular floor plan creates a multi-faceted exterior face that wraps around the living, dining, and kitchen areas. Views across the plaza bring the energy of the city into the space. The internal scheme is one continuously flowing room subtlety defined by a ribbon of pale blue and specifically configured furnishings. Rooms are not segregated, instead, they become blurred – the conversations of the dining table flowing into the kitchen. These spaces become liberated, the activities which emerge no longer restricted by their strict program.
A central object within the 90 square metre interior is a yellow lacquered reinforcing frame, its gridded steel body snaking across the ceiling above existing concrete columns. The addition of tube lighting and shelving units transforms the structure into a key decorative feature – a backbone that holds all of the knick-knacks and collections which reflect the complex lives of those existing within.
This apartment comes alive with colour. A deep blue door, a vivacious orange lounge, and a pale pink prism disguising a kitchen range hood form a collection of perfectly mismatched furnishings. Each possesses a different voice, which once threaded together, speak to the personality of its inhabitants. Bright and sporadic bursts of colour are showcased against a largely muted material palette, which of course includes some unexpected pairings. Neutral birch plywood, raw concrete, and crisp white finishes are interrupted by dark Marquina marble which becomes the glistening floor of the kitchen.
This apartment punches through the mould that defined domestic space, creating a family home with plenty of quirks and unexpected twists. We can’t help but feel joy when looking at this interior – even in a time when all we want to do is escape the confines of our own!
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