Photography by Miguel de Guzman and Rocio Romero of Imagen Subliminal, courtesy of Mariana de Delás
Lots of people get lost in novels; architect Mariana de Delás’s client wanted to curl up and live in her favorite book. Come with us on a tour of this one-bedroom Madrid apartment, designed using Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees as its primary inspiration.
The room formerly had a dropped ceiling that hid a ventilation cavity. The custom kitchen is built from red plywood.
The faucet is Ikea’s Bosjön, available in the US only in a stainless finish. Open shelving next to the sink holds spices and condiments, but just about all else is hidden inside the cabinets.
“To keep his books, Cosimo constructed a kind of hanging bookcase, sheltered as best he could from rain and nibbling mouths,” Mariana quotes from the novel, noting that the overhead platform of painted metal can be seen as metaphoric branches.
The floating panel of orange Plexiglas “lets the skylights shine through the surface and doubles as a lamp that floods the space with a warm orange light at night.”
A balcony with sliding glass doors opens up the space.
The numbered chairs were purchased at a thrift store in the neighborhood.
The “hanging staircase” is accessed via a built-in cabinet that doubles as a landing.
The greenery continues in the bathroom courtesy of a gridwork of tiles.