No prizes for guessing what the main material used in creating the Ceramic House was. The name may give it away, but the interior of this 50sqm apartment in Madrid doesn’t reveal its technologically advanced secret at first glance.
Spanish architecture and interior design has been using tile for donkey’s years, but more usually the ornately decorated blue and white version seen commercially in traditional tapas bars as well as in homes. Here architect Hector Ruiz-Velazquez has employed a new “dry” tiling technique which is quieter, less messy, and means the material is completely reusable. He’s gone for a super-cool all-white look which complements the already chilled surfaces, perfect for beating the heat of Madrid. Small key pieces of classic furniture keep sterility from taking hold.
As well as the clever construction science, Ruiz-Velazquez has built the rooms up in subtle layers and partitions, with small steps up and down to keep the spaces changing in feel and scope. Then he banged a big picture of Chairman Mao on the wall. No, us either.
Photography, Pedro Martinez
