AA Apartments, a former Málaga shop space turned into four flats

In Málaga, the studio CREARCTIVE has turned a former open-plan commercial unit into four separate flats, and the trick lies in the ceiling. With four metres of clear height to work with, lead designers Carlos Arias Garnelo and Rafael González García planned in section rather than by floor area alone. They gathered bathrooms, kitchens, walk-in wardrobes, storage and building services into a central spine, which frees the outer walls and leaves room on top for a mezzanine.

The loft above the core is meant to be flexible, a multi-use space for whatever each resident needs. A geometric oculus cut through the partition wall sends light diagonally from the mezzanine down into the double-height living area and on towards the bedroom at the back. You climb up by a garnet-red metal ladder fixed to a built-in bench, and the same deep red turns up on metalwork, joinery and handles.

Daylight comes in through high clerestory windows along the facade, in the manner of an artist's studio, so rooms stay bright without passers-by looking in. Otherwise the palette is calm: neutral floors, white walls and a slight change of tone near the top of the walls that helps make sense of the height.

These are private homes, and the project reached designboom as a reader submission, so treat it as inspiration rather than a destination: a useful case study for anyone wondering what an empty shopfront could become.

Our summary of a story from designboom, published 21 October 2026. Read the original

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