Header: Javier de Paz
In a world filled with identical apartments, a Madrid-based architecture studio is showing that you don’t need a huge budget to have a home full of personality. TUR House, located in the working-class neighborhood of Carabanchel, is a project that pushes back against the one-size-fits-all approach of modern construction.
A new idea for everyday homes
Large developers often build homes with neutral, bland finishes to appeal to as many people as possible. The team at OOIIO Architecture saw a different path. Led by Joaquín Millán Villamuelas, the studio questioned why people without the means to build a custom house from scratch should have to settle for the same apartment as their neighbors.
OOIIO, which describes itself as more of a workshop than an office, was founded around 2010 with the goal of being a laboratory for creative architectural solutions. For them, every project starts from a blank page. The challenge with TUR House was how to create something special when handcrafted work by carpenters or blacksmiths is becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach for most. Their answer was to use the very same standardized products available to everyone, but in a much more imaginative way.
Imagination is the key ingredient
The design for TUR House, developed by Millán Villamuelas and his design team member Federica Aridon Mamolar, is an exercise in the total customization of a home within a standard apartment block. They took materials you can find in any big-box store and arranged them with creativity and intelligence to get completely original results.
The use of ceramics is a great example. Drawing from Spain’s long history with the material, the designers chose fun and expressive ceramic pieces and put them in unexpected places. In the living room of TUR House, a ceramic wainscot gives the feeling of being in an outdoor patio, completely changing the atmosphere of the space. The design plays with perception and asks interesting questions. What if an adult’s bedroom was designed with the free-form creativity of a child’s? The bedroom in TUR House does just that, extending out into the living room like a cloud moving across a landscape, where a simple lamp is positioned to act as the sun.
Smart details on a budget
The clever customization continues throughout the apartment. The kitchen is from IKEA, but it’s personalized with a wood-paneled countertop that gives it a distinct character. Simple white doors are made special with added panels that carry the shapes and color palette seen elsewhere in the home. All these elements are pulled together with carefully chosen, well-designed furniture that remains affordable.
This approach proves that originality doesn’t have to come from expensive, handmade items. It can come from looking at what’s already available and thinking about it differently. It is this kind of fresh thinking that gets you noticed, and it is no surprise the project casually picked up a BLT Award for its interior design. The finished apartment shows that with a little imagination, any space can become a personal and original home.
Project info
Design Company: OOIIO Architecture
Lead Designer: Joaquín Millán Villamuelas
Design Team: Federica Aridon Mamolar
Architecture Firm: OOIIO Architecture
Interior Designer: OOIIO Architecture
Photo Credit: Javier de Paz
Project Location: Carabanchel, Madrid
Project Date: 2024
